Well my idea with this short film was to stretch my own horizons, by making a more complex production than I have recently been doing.

The idea was born for the Charity Challenge (at least the forest part was,) but it developed after a rather strange conversation Simon and I joined on another forum about monkeys the idea gelled - of course! - combine the forest and the monkeys - throw in a toucan, some parrots, and me, and you have it!

I didn't count on the rain, unfortunately, which not only makes for grey overcast images, it also seriously limits my ability to travel due to the poor state of the local dirt roads, which are passable only by tractor or 4x4 after the rain, neither of which I have here. Three weeks out of the four, it rained. Good for the crops, bad for outdoor filming.

So I modified my story, added a few more trees, and will have to make a follow up version, once I have conquered Murphy's First Law of wildlife filming - that of having your camera set up when you see the wildlife!

Your comments and suggestions are welcome!

I had trouble uploading to UWOL, so was only able to upload a smaller file - the 1080p version is below

The Atlantic Forest on Vimeo

Hi Paul, glad you finished this one!

When I saw you perched up in the tree with your khakis and blue shirt with a pair of big binos around your neck I immediately thought of Sir David Attenborough; and the end of that scene (cutting after you look off into the distance with the binos) totally nailed it. I was glad to see you mentioned Attenborough at the end; I think this was a very well crafted tribute to his style of filmmaking. That said; you are a great presenter by your own right; with a good clear voice and you are natural and relaxed looking in front of the camera. The audio was very clear; I have to congratulate you on your location sound. I'm guessing you had a lav mic under your shirt?

The music choice was also appropriate and had that epic BBC feel to it.

You got some good shots in there, and the actual information was informative while still being short and sweet - most of us know something or another about the state of the rain forests in South America already, so its nice to get a bit of history thrown in the mix.

Good job Sir Paul Wood!

(Incidentally; for anyone reading Pauls post above; just to clarify the conversation he and I had regarding monkeys was not strange, but rather the view point of another person (and their reaction to our view) was the thing that was strange!). Just want to clear that up!

Great video with some spectacular views, and some and lesson besides !

What did you use for camera ?

Hi Paul,

Interesting to watch films and learning so much from all over the world.
I like your style, and you delivered a good VO and an interesting story.
Nice scenery you have there.

Thanks for sharing. I look forward to your future films.
Well done!

Thanks for the comments!

Chris, it was mostly filmed on a Sony NX70, although the last couple of telephoto shots were actually my VG10 on the end of a 4 1/2¨ telescope I was playing around with on a rainy day - not exactly portable, but works quite well.

Thanks for the compliment, Simon - it works as I had hoped, but not a monkey in sight!
I was using a radio mic taped under my shirt, and it worked well, although wasn't as hidden as I wanted ( as you can see in a couple of shots) - better next time.

Paul, you have made a very good and interesting video.
Your behaving in front of the camera really competes Attenborough.
In my opinion you have a professional sound editing.
It is a pleasure to listen through headphones.

Well done Paul!
I like your style, you look relaxed in front of the camera and with clear voice. Good subject and to bring the viewer in from something they know (Amazon rainforest) and then to you subject, Clever!
a nice tribute!

Hi Paul.

You provide a great movie, this round.
A good story, spiced with magnificent landscapes.
The music is well suited to this type of reportage movies and you have included some clips of birds.
Even though they may be intended as "spice" in the movie, I'm curious about what birds they are.
It is not difficult to see that Sir David Frederick Attenborough is a model for you.
He is a role model for many of us :)
I can not find anything to criticize, and why should I?
This is my kind of liking, that goes straight to my heart.
Should I "poke" in anything, it is perhaps a tiny jump cut at 1:48 to 1:50.
But who cares? Not me for sure.

Thank you for sharing.

Stunning shots of the landscape, just stunning.

Paul, when I saw you sitting up in the tree and heard your opening, I was hooked. You also have an excellent on screen personality. Very, very relaxed and comfortable.

It was a very nicely laid out story. I think most of us know about the deforestation of South America, but to get the details and see the result, really brings it home.

Thanks!

Hey, Paul. I know you had troubles uploading this. I had the opposite problem. Every time I tried to watch my internet would crash before the end. I tried a bunch of times with no luck. Finally I waited a day and tried again-success. I’m glad I did. Nice. When I saw the title I thought “Golden Lion Tamarins” as I think they are the poster child for the Atlantic Forests. Wrong- as you say, not a monkey in sight. You didn’t need them! The scene in the tree made me chuckle. Are those 15x70s? I have a pair of 20x80s that I have been known to use as a video prop even though the magnification is too much to handhold. I’m certainly glad I finally had a chance to enjoy this video. Well done.

Geir,

Thank you for your comments - certainly one of the problems I had this time was the final edit - I made a rough sound cut, (but had to leave most of the VO out), with information on the wildlife I didn't manage to film, I also had some rough shots in poor weather, which I wanted to change once the sun came out - as it happened, that did not work out (its raining again here last 2 days!), so had to look again for some adequate footage.

The birds also had commentary - but didn't make it to the final cut due to lack of time, and good footage - but at 2.06¨and again at 3.24¨is the Red Legged Seriema - the first, a small chick sitting on a stump inside the forest, and the second, an older bird, which arrived close to the house. I have much more footage, but through a tree
At 3.34¨ I think are Brazilian Teal, and at the closing shot is a puzzle - I spent some time asking the neighbours, but no one yet knows the species - its certainly very large,and at first I took it for a buzzard, but the beak and crest have us fooled - even google doesn't help yet!

Im glad you enjoyed it!

Bob,

Many thanks - don't ask how many takes it took!
My wife helped out on a few of the shots, but is only starting out, so I had to try a few times, climbing up and down after a few takes!

I should also say how much I admire the real Sir David - sitting calmly in a tree filming your piece to camera, whilst trying to ignore the large black ants crawling over your trousers and up your shirt is not something I'd do every day!

Thanks for your comments!

Hi Mike,

Im glad you finally got to watch - actually the Golden Lion Tamarind was on my mind at the planning stage, but most of the monkeys roundabout are Tufted Capuchin, and have unfortunately acquired the habit of preferring easy food near towns to ¨roughing it ¨ - that said, they are not all that easy to find when you want to film them!

The binoculars are actually Praktica 25-125x80 zooms - unusable at the zoom, and should probably be fixed to a part of a ship, but we do use them on a tripod quite a lot - but as you say, an effective prop!

Having started this project, I will finish a longer term version - we have pumas nearby eating stock of the neighbours - hard to see, except for the remains of the catch, much more exotic birds - Toucans around the house - until you get the camera out, of course, and many other species worth recording.

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Paul,

A very revealing video!! I loved the shot at 1:10!! There were numerous shots that had great production value and of the highest order!! No doubt, I think that your naration was the best, a nice gentle pace that anyone could clearly understand, Very Attenboroish.

If I ever do a full dsocumentary I will get you to do the naration!!!

Very nice job iof it!!!


dale

Paul,

That was very interesting. I liked your sweeping shots and the way you introduced your location. Your voice quality going from on camera to off camera narrative I thought was very well balanced. I enjoyed watching your work. Thanks Paul.

This was so well done Paul. As I was watching I was thinking that you did a very good impersonation of David Attenborough – and then to find your credit to him at the end just confirmed it. Your skills as a presenter are superb. I doubt I could ever stand in front of a camera with such aplomb – if at all! You have a very good, clear English accent (which rather surprised me as I was for some reason, expecting a Spanish accent). The information about the Atlantic Forest was really interesting. Sometimes the decisions we make can be so detrimental to our environment and concomitantly to the creatures that live there!

The sound is clear and the music is handled exceptionally well. While it lends a grandeur to the images of the forest, to me the music seemed rather Eastern in flavor for Brazil.

Your shots are well-considered, and support your story well. Titles are professionally done.

Your final time-lapse is outstanding – my favourite shot this round! It rounds off a well-polished film perfectly.

Dale - thanks! Actually, that shot was on my rejected list, but made it due to the inclement weather! If you need a commentary - just ask! (Im sure I'm reasonably priced!!!)

Oliver - I'm glad you enjoyed my film. I ended up using the same mic for the VO comments as for the on camera, as I could not get a good mix indoors - I actually sat outside one night, braving the bugs, to record!

Marj - many thanks for your compliments - in my draft ideas and screen tests to see if the idea worked, I did a passable Attenborough imitation ¨And here we are in Brazil....¨, but thought it was too corny!

I must admit, I didn't think of a Spanish accent, but maybe I will try and add a Fawlty Towers scene into my next project!

Actually, the more I think of re shooting,or dubbing with my Manuel ¨Hai come from Barcelona¨ accent...


p.s the main theme is titled ¨Columbian Exposition¨on Smartsound, but I liked the way it fitted with the panoramas
Thanks all for your comments!

Nice work! The shot at 1:41 has an 'epic' feel to it.

Hello Paul,

Every superlative I had written down to tell you has been covered, from the great information to your excellent delivery and gorgeous images. I also found it intriguing that every bird you showed seemed to have a crest--some of them pretty scraggly looking. :)

One nit-picking suggestion I have that probably isn't well-founded, especially since no one else mentioned it, would be that you give longer fades in and out of your music, especially since you used quite a variety. If the music comes in too closely with the cut it seems a bit jarring and takes me out of the "story" for a moment. In this piece I think it only happened in a couple places and, as I said, I'm really using a fine-tooth comb here.

Overall, this is just an excellent piece. As Simon mentioned regarding his challenge videos, this works well as a stand-alone that you could show anywhere and be proud. I am really looking forward to watching more of your work!

Thank you Lorinda,

No problem with nit picking! Thats how we improve!

I do plan a longer version of this, once I can get the wildlife shots I need, and I will look at the audio mix then. There are only two pieces of music - the title section, and the rest, but of course with Smartsound, you also get a lot of varieties to play with.

Im looking forward to the next challenge, be it the official one, or a collaborative one in the future!