The title makes me laugh because I remembered (too late) that newer computers don't even have reset buttons anymore. Oh well, my friend who used it in reference to gaining perspective did say he is a dinosaur when it comes to technical things, so I guess that makes me one, too. :)

When Brett agreed to be the subject of this video I was overjoyed. Not only have I been trying to get him in front of a camera for a couple years now, he was my last hope for getting an entry submitted this round.

One of my sisters accompanied us, so the three of us got to spend a highly enjoyable afternoon appreciating the high desert. Hope you enjoyed meeting Brett and the huge playground that helps him keep his balance. (Although, he did lose it while carrying my camera and tripod down a steep hill…now I owe him a pair of jeans.)

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Wow! That frozen waterfall was amazing. Great video.

Lorinda, that was lovely. And what a great subject! How did you find him? I really enjoyed everything about that doc. - just finished watching it a second time. The V.O. audio is lovely (and having just done some myself I know it's no mean feat) and that frozen water was extraordinary - I thought I was looking at a still for a good while...

Please do thank Brett for showing us round.

I hope the kitten got better?

Lorinda, lucky for us you're not a competition entry!

Some very nice images there, and you had good talent in your vet/cop/hiker guy who not only had a relaxed talking style but also a vocabulary that brought emotional impact. Good stuff.

The only things I'd suggest would be to limit the number of zooms. A good zoom that reveals something is fine, but in many cases it just yells "video" I think, and the landscape you had could speak for itself. Pans and tilts, fine (you did a good one when your talent was looking at a niche), but I had the impression the head of the tripod was a little stiff or difficult sometimes? The moves were smooth but not quite smooth enough (of course, I know I wouldn't be trucking my heavy Sachtler along a hiking track just to get ultra-smooth pans.... I'd prefer a lighter Slik or something that MIGHT give me a pan with some effort, but I'd mainly just use it locked off.) Also, you needed some cutaways in the vet surgery.... It was too much like jump cuts there (which you can do if you change the angle and/or size of what's being framed -- or even a zoom!).

Nice audio quality on the voice. It was a lavalier mike during an interview?

Oh, and on a 2nd viewing... I see shadows at 3:23.... That's you and a couple of grips?

It's going to be such a pleasure telling Brett his first effort in front of a camera brought favorable reviews! :) He was pretty self-conscious and perhaps a little embarrassed about being showcased as he was. Brett has been my veterinarian for about fourteen of the twenty years he's been in practice. He is also my friend and target-shooting partner. Just a great guy and, it appears that his voice, words and speaking style conveyed that to you. I am so pleased about that.

Not sure about the kitten. Talk during the visit was that he either suffered neurological damage from an undetected high fever or possibly has a "dry form" of FIP. In the case of the former he will never have "normal" function but can live a very happy life. In the case of FIP he won't be long on this earth.

Under usual circumstances I am a self-admitted "zoom snob" and you wouldn't have seen even one zoom in the project. Time constraints (15 minutes at the clinic before Brett had to go on patrol) and my desire to be as unobtrusive as possible kept me from repositioning there.

The tripod! Offered to me right before we left by Rich because it had a ball head leveler that would make it faster on the hillsides. Against my better judgment I took it, and had a dickens of a time getting smooth pans. It's what I get for not using the trusty little tripod I know so well. We didn't get to the canyon until 2:30 so had to move pretty quickly before we lost our light. By the way, Marc, whatever shadows you saw couldn't have been my sister or me--we were far below in that shot.

For audio we tried to find a nook secluded from the breeze. I had an old AKG cardiod mic on a stand as close to Brett's mouth as he could stand. Surprisingly, there was an intolerable hiss that made me keep the level a little lower than I would have liked. Glad to hear the dozens of cuts I made weren't apparent.

Ray, thanks so much for stopping by. Might we see you in the next challenge as a participant? Hope so!!! :)

Hey Lorinda:

Nicely done! So.... is this the reason behind the name "Blue Jean Video", your film subjects require a new pair after your productions? :)

This is a beautiful film and I became intimately involved... with the story, with the vet and with the canyon.

I loved what he said about the canyon reinventing itself with the seasons.

Thanks for hosting such a fun and rewarding challenge. I must admit though, this time it has been wonderful to sit back, relax and watch all the creative work roll! :)

Cat

Thank you, Ray, Henry, Marc, and Cat for taking the time to stop in and chat. Your comments are all much appreciated. :)

So.... is this the reason behind the name "Blue Jean Video", your film subjects require a new pair after your productions? :)
Ha! Usually, I get by with food.

Hi Lorinda,

A very nice and interesting story you tell here. And the hiking makes me feel right at home. I love hiking in the mountains.
Good choice of music too. It fits well to the film.

I'm a sucker for desolate imagery, and I must say that frozen waterfall is a doozy.
How wonderful that you were able to capture on camera.

As far as making your subject likeable, showing him working with cute kittens is a surefire way to put your viewers on his side.

I thought this was a nice piece. Well shot, and a good look at the character and landscape simultaneously.

As far as making your subject likeable, showing him working with cute kittens is a surefire way to put your viewers on his side.
No kidding! I thought the same thing. Quite the break; I didn't get there until the last appointment of the day so didn't know what I would be recording.

Speaking of the kitten, I got an update. He is doing quite well without any course of treatment--walking much better and not bobbing/weaving like he was. More than likely he will reach a level of improvement and then be stuck with whatever impairment is still there. But he's acting like a happy cat so I guess that's all that matters.

Hi, Loridna!

This video greatly resonated with me, because I also enjoy hiking very much and have many serious responsibilities during my working week.
After seeing this video I think that I too should hike at least once a week.
Thank you and your crew for this! :)

p.s. Very lovely nature shots, the frozen waterfall was great.

Hi Lorinda,

I lived most of my professional life in cities, but grew up in the country (north shore of Lake Superior). When I retired, the countryside called again, so here I am living in the country. Everyday I understand the renewal of perspective that even a brief walk in the bush or across a field can bring. Nicely done with great attention to detail.

Congratulations on an engaging story.

Alan

Hi Lorinda,

Just as well you got the kitten and not this guy

YouTube - Marty Feldman monster sketch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlPAVm8Gl6M)

I'll certainly look at entering the next competition.

This was a lovely video. It must be so satisfying to be able to convey one's vision to others as you did here.

Lodinda,
After looking though the contributions several times, it is a relaxing pleasure to watch your film. I like the way you show the working stress and “charging the batteries” in the nature.
Actually, I often push the same wonderful reset button.

You have made a lovely film.

Thanks so much. Andris, Alan and Finn-Erik, it sounds like we have a lot in common. We don't have to go very far to see beauty and get recharged.

As for you, Ray...I got a huge kick out of the Marty Feldman sketch! Haven't seen it in years and laughed all over again. And yes, I'm very thankful I didn't have to get Brett on tape wrangling a beast like that. He already thinks my orange cat comes close. Hoping to see you next round; I will try to remind you!

It must be so satisfying to be able to convey one's vision to others as you did here.
Hi Denise! Thank you so much for stopping by with your encouraging words. I've been thinking about what you wrote and my reply is "yes and no." No, because we always see problems once they're posted and it's too late to do anything about them. But largely, yes, it is satisfying. This one in particular was satisfying for me because of my admiration for and appreciation of my friend. He has been with me through some sorrowful times with my animals, and helps me in many other ways. He's just a great guy. So, to be able to give him something to reflect on and pass along to his son makes me happy. I am hoping to go back to Jump Creek Canyon with him when it gets pretty this spring and recut the entire video.

Why don't you try to join us next round? :)

Such a happy and well done vignette, Lorinda! Love it. Of course, now we all want to go see this beautiful place so Brett's solitude will be no more.
;-)

Hi Denise! Thank you so much for stopping by with your encouraging words. I've been thinking about what you wrote and my reply is "yes and no." No, because we always see problems once they're posted and it's too late to do anything about them. But largely, yes, it is satisfying. This one in particular was satisfying for me because of my admiration for and appreciation of my friend. He has been with me through some sorrowful times with my animals, and helps me in many other ways. He's just a great guy. So, to be able to give him something to reflect on and pass along to his son makes me happy. I am hoping to go back to Jump Creek Canyon with him when it gets pretty this spring and recut the entire video.

Why don't you try to join us next round? :)

Hi Lorinda,

I know what you mean about the problems (though for my own work they would be much worse than yours) because there is always something less than perfect. But for me, the video's subject matter and sincerity transcend any problems you might find in it.

Thanks for the generous invite :) It sounds like a great opportunity but spring time is lambing time here on my farm. It will be a time where some sort of button will be reset for me - never sure which one.

Heh. Sounds like a busy, busy time. But I would love to see some footage of the lambs! You could post a clip in this thread if you wanted to.

Not sure when we'll run the next challenge; lambing season might be through by then. I'll try to let you know! :)

Thanks for the window, the journey and most of all, taking the time out to do it properly.

Most kind of you, Bob. Glad you stopped by. :)

Lorinda,

I really enjoyed your entry, found it very relaxing and I have to say vets can be some of the most caring and compassionate people around. At least those I've known through the years have seemed that way.

Some of that scenery you showed was more than spectacular, the ice waterfall in particular.

Sorry I couldn't get an entry in, I flat couldn't get anything working with all I have "on my plate" right now.

Hope you had a very fulfulling Christmas and New Year season.

Hi Bruce! Thanks...I'm glad you liked it. Actually, I'm surprised you could watch it; because we are pretty much finished here I just got done replacing it with a tweaked version so my friend could show a little more polished video to his friends. Of course, there was only so much I could do short of reshooting parts of it. But I did add two clips I missed in my rush to get it completed earlier.

Yes, we missed you this round, but that's what happens when guys like you stay so busy! See you next time, okay?

very UWOL-ish! so of course, I loved it!

Linda,

What a great example on how to make a documentary!!!! the opening shot was fantastic!!!! there were numerous shots that were just glorious and it truly demonstrated the beauty that your subject as talking about!!! To me this was a real winner to be certain!!!!!!!

I learned a lot from it and will apply some of that in future videos I make!!!

thank you for making this film and sharing.

Wow, thanks for the very nice comments, Dale! Tell you what, if there was an award for enthusiasm on the charity challenge feedback you would win the prize hands-down. :) It is much-appreciated. Looking forward to seeing more of your work, and we hope to see you back here in December!

I loved the Doc. Can I ask what was the intended use of this video? I produce commercials in a similar style and was wondering what motivated you to produce this piece.

Hi Ron,

I am so glad you enjoyed it! What you watched is the product of desperation as motivation and nothing more than good friends giving a gift to each other as the intended use.

The idea was hatched on Thursday and completed by the end of the weekend. (Wish I had thought of it earlier to schedule more time and get more footage!) Brett and I have talked so much over the years I already knew how it would flow before I asked him to be a part of it. Because of that this is easily the most relaxed project I've done yet, which may or may not be reflected in the video.

All that to say that he did me a huge favor; in return I wanted to give him a short biographical piece that captured his love of the area and a glimpse of what makes him tick--something he might wish to reflect on from time to time. That's about the size of it! :)