The main goal of uwol is to push your own limits so each and everyone of you improve your skills as film makers.

What goes right, what goes wrong and everything in between about the making of your uwol41 films.
Feel free to share.. or ask for tips and so on...

Whatever you do, remember to follow rule 11 (have fun!)
Hope to see many repetition films :)

I think one of the best things I've done is challenge myself to make a video every day of the challenge on my thoughts and progress,

I'm so worried I'll have a bunch of videos that say didn't do anything today that I'm pushing myself to do something every day so that I have something in the videos. 😃

I have my Plan A and as you know I do my films backwards by picking out the music first and then shooting the shots for the film.

I think I've lined up my music so now I'll be listening to it over and over until I can "feel" the music when I'm out in the field filming,

So far so good! 😃

I've been trying to edit 4k from my new AX53, problem is I'm old and been an Avid editor for 20 years, latest version of Avid does not edit XAVC-S. So I've down loaded Resolve from BlackMagic it great software, but my poor brain if fixed in Avid mode. So Editing is slow and I think my system doesn't like 4k much. It's my fist adventure into editing 4k at home.

I haven't start filming for the comp yet. Still working on the ideas.

It's been quiet here. Does that mean everyone is out and about, and busy filming? :)
Good luck and have fun!

Mark, hope the 4k works fine for you.

It is very quiet here.
I just ordered a rain jacket for my DSLR with the hope it will fit my AX53 too. The weather is not good. It's all rain with a very dull, uninteresting sky.

Same here, I think I need an underwater housing for my camera if the weather doesn't change soon.
2017 has been very wet and windy here.

I actually had a reasonable idea this time - it's just a matter of getting out and shooting - my new FZ-2500 arrived yesterday so I'll use that.

@Paul. Nice camera. Just googled the spec will you be shooting 4K with it?

Just about finished some more testing and should start filming in earnest tomorrow.
Crummy weather here all week as well but hopefully next week will be good to get outside.
Fingers crossed for good weather the 20th and 21st for an important shot I'd like to do.

I just added a large lens hood from my old DSR-450 lens to my AX53. Had to get a few stepup rings 55mm to 82mm for the hood to fit. I had to gaffa tape three rings of the same size togeather so the hood was secure the rings were only 4mm thick. I'm hoping this will keep the rain off the lens and stop the DSLR rain cover from flopping infront of the lens.

I also got a mini jack to two XLRs for mics, a rain cover and a pistol grip handle for hand held shots - my hands are a bit to big for the side strap..

At some point I need to get some 82mm ND filter so I can crontrol the exposure better.

I've been trying to edit 4k from my new AX53, problem is I'm old and been an Avid editor for 20 years, latest version of Avid does not edit XAVC-S. So I've down loaded Resolve from BlackMagic it great software, but my poor brain if fixed in Avid mode. So Editing is slow and I think my system doesn't like 4k much. It's my fist adventure into editing 4k at home.

.
Mark,
You may try encoding the 4k xavc to apple prores through a program called ffmpeg , runs on command line , its a small and efficient program to encode to a codec that suits your system, given that AVID handles Prores and you are a AVID person, that should work for you .
Hope that helps

Thanks jadhav.
I'll give it a go tonight. I was hoping resolve would create a prores proxy, but it's only offering DNxHD. But I'm still learning resolve.

Well I still don't have a firm idea of where I going with this yet which is nothing new. Have a couple shots so far. The wind is suppose to pick up here so I won't be getting out for a couple days. Will have some good snow drifts when that happens. -30 C here now and they say with the wind it feels like -42 C. Still having fun!

Gordon

Gordon that sound fun to me, we are expecting snow Friday morning all 2-3 cm of it - If we are lucky.

Ideas flirting around in my head and I have the cameras raring to go but out in the country its like -43c which is like -45 F. not really safe to be out there.
i got out my winter camera cover that holds heat packs inside to help. It doesn't work with the big telephoto though.

lets see, my house is not under water but it is over land so maybe I should shoot from inside!!!

LOL

sounds like you all are having fun!!??

I've never been in such low temperatures. Closes I think was -10 many years ago. Haven't seen real snow drifts since I was about 12 years old then winter warmed up. I would love to to spend 24 hours filming in those conditions. Same as I would like to film penguins.

Mark if it is calm it's not to bad but if there is a wind it takes the fun out pretty quick. Gear can get pretty stiff and if the snow is blowing around it seems to get into everything.

Gordon

I appreciate that, bit like sand and very dry dirt in high wind. I film a few adrenalin sports. So I like filming difficult shots.

This is getting repetitive, turn on the computer, open up my uwol project on the timeline, thinks to myself must get some footage laid down, and then open up another project! Must get my act together

Well, it sounds as if you have the theme in mind, Mick!

My worst cold weather problem occurred last year. I got caught in a late April snowstorm in Utah. I was set up with the Edgertronic, 400mm lens, 600 FPS, 720P when the mountain lion caught a jackrabbit right in front of the blind. I couldn’t do a thing because the calibration shutter on the camera had frozen half-way open and the camera was stuck in a calibration loop. All I could do was twiddle my thumbs until it was safe to go back to camp. I warmed up the camera and power cycled a couple of times and it has worked flawlessly ever since. I called California and they took a dozen cameras into a walk in freezer and weren’t able to reproduce the problem. Just my luck and super frustrating.

I’m a bit frustrated right now because I haven’t accomplished anything for this round yet. I had a minor surgery last week and the anesthesia knocked me for a loop. I’m having trouble finding my sea legs, so to speak, and I have another procedure scheduled for the end of the month. This is all related to me having been mugged and beaten last fall and you may correctly surmise that it was also the root of my recent bad attitude. No excuse though. I have an idea that I like but if I am able to do anything it will be an abbreviated attempt. Fewer repetitions, perhaps…?

Sorry to hear about the mugging and beating, hope they find the scum who did it.
Regarding the comp I don't think you are the only one having problems with equipment or weather. This one is always going to be about plan b or c maybe idea 47. There is always something going wrong or getting in the way with my idea.

Hope you get well soon and a film in the can.

Hope you get well soon, Mike!

Thanks, guys. My only lingering injury at this point, besides a general lack of trust, is the broken teeth. I’m in the process of having them mended and, yes, they did catch the two miscreants. Sad, but they are just misguided kids really. I’m hoping to make a video about my DIY motion time-lapse apparatus. “Shoot, Move, Repeat…”

That idea sounds cool. Looking forward to seeing your film. I just been looking into some kind of slider, at the moment they are out of my price range. Did look into a diy version. But me and diy don't really mix. Just really bad at it.

Good heavens, Mike. I had no idea you had been assaulted. I hope you get all fixed up--body and eventually your ability to trust again.

Looks like many other people are dealing with extraordinary weather. We have never seen so much snow here, followed by rain, freezing rain, and now frigid temperatures. I've been busy with a leaking roof, wet carpet, a cat enclosure cave in, dogs and cats with cabin fever, and more, so I haven't concentrated on coming up with an idea that wouldn't be boring. Supposedly, rain and warmer weather is on the way; I just hope it doesn't become a repetitive pattern, as in, more frigid temps after the storms.

Sorry to hear about all you problems Mike but pleased to hear you are now on the mend an moving forward. Take care Mick

I don't like dog walkers or joggers anymore.
Had two days of good weather to film in. So I decided to do time lapse of shadows and sun rise. It's like a camera draw's them out of the wood work just to walk in front of me. Most people do listen to what I'm saying and walk round.

Then you have the ones that see the camera and stand in front of the lens to talk to me. " Say that's a nice camera. Must be wort a bit? Filmed anything good with it.

The dogs like to drool in my backpack and pi** on it.

Jogger just like running in front of the lens and let me to f-off.

In short no time lapse yet.

If I get a film uploaded. I'm a winner just for getting it done and I think that is true for everyone.

How's everyone doing? Remember to send an email to uwol@dvinfo.net to request the upload details to the UWOL Vimeo page.
(Better to request early and not complete your film, than waiting until last minute...)

Hoping to see many entries this round.
Have fun! :)

OK. I'll put in a request for upload details. Just looking at all the footage tonight and working out if I need to reshoot or shoot new footage or just start editing tomorrow and go with what I have.

And it is quiet here.
Has it ever been so quiet before?

Yeah, it's been very quiet here.
(It varies from challenge to challenge, but it is really quiet now.)

Upload details is coming to your email, Mark.

Dark gloomy days forecasted into February 😔

I’ve tried several things and I can’t seem to make anything work. My timing is completely off. It looks like the only repetition I’ll be able to manage is another swim with the sharks. I’m still working on it. I hope that one film ready with a few days to go is a good sign. Good-luck, all.

So frustrating; in hindsight I had a weather story right outside my door that would have fit the theme, and may have even been fairly interesting. But I didn't know our unusually extreme (for us) winter weather would repeat itself three times, resulting in states of emergency for several counties. Too late now.

I think I finally have something I can submit. We just returned from a trip to the coast in an attempt to get enough footage to put something together. Really cool and windy and overcast. Currently working on the finishing touches which I hope do not take the entire weekend.

it's been stinking hot here and I've found some really great excuses to work indoors - I going out this afternoon in a last ditch effort to put my idea in the can

Too late now.
Still many hours until deadline. You can do it :)
Crazy weather repeats itself all over the globe. Just like last year.

If you might be able to submit a film, but haven't received the upload details yet, send an email to uwol@dvinfo.net.
Already some films submitted, hoping to see many more.

No. No. No. It's going horribly wrong. I could end up in the shark tank. Trying to make my footage work with my idea. I need a cuppa.

Stars finally came out!
First time since last year!

Now I have about ten shots left to get and edit everything together kn about 7 hours tonight after work!
Not going to be the film I wanted but it will have the idea at least.

Hey I finally came up with a plan this morning. It won't be a long video.

Gordon

5 films uploaded so far.

Missing the name of the producer of the film "Repetition doesn't always work" (only named "Repeat please" in the vimeo title.)

Hey I finally came up with a plan this morning. It won't be a long video.

Gordon
Cool! And remember we don't have a minimum length requirement, only the maximum 4 minutes.
One of my previous uwol films was made in a couple hours from the idea came by, until I had uploaded. You can do it, Gordon! :)

I think its time to call it a day and go with what I've got. Its been tuff. Got 3 hours left to get it rendered and encoded and then uploaded.

Well it's there good or bad.

Gordon

The films will be published within the next 4-9 hours.

uploading mine now - it was such a rush/poor job that I wasn't going to but I decided to do it more for me than anything - rather than find an excuse not to.

Glad you are uploading! Even rushed films can be great.

Cool Paul. Glad you made it. I think everyone has found it hard work. Which is good. We learn the most when we have to push harder to make it work. I know I have.

That's the main goal of uwol, to push yourself and your limits.

Notice that next challenge will be 2 months with a possibility to upload a temporary / work in progress film about halfway in, including a week with feedback.
Details will be provided in the signup thread, which will be made in the middle of February.

I had a grander plan... don't I always. I was even filming the Moon every couple of nights for a bit over a week to get some semblance of the lunar cycle, full Moon through fingernail (initially with 70-200mm + 2x extender, then 150-500mm + 2x extender - a recent 2nd hand acquisition). But then I knew I wasn't going to get half the other shots I needed for that idea based around natural cycles - really needed some good timelapses for that.
So it was 2 days of scrambling to film plan B, wasting time trying to get my hyperlapse to work, which I still couldn't stabilise properly, and then editing and recording VO (unpolished but no time for more than a couple of takes), and putting it all together. So it was rushed, but I feel better having something submitted, even if it's not finessed. And boy has it been windy lately - hardly a steady tripod shot in the whole thing. Temperature wise it's been fine - not freezing or boiling, but blowing a gale. And I hate every jitter of it, but it was either get over it, or give up. Good to see some others finish and submit as well.