The theme - "The Wild" lead me directly to one of our last wilderness places left in Norway. Trillemarka is a fantastic area, 205 square km of untouched old growth forest. This is also the last bastion for a lot of redlisted species.

The film is shoot with Canon XLH1 camcorder and entirely with the new Canon 6x wide lens. This gives the film a great dimension I think.
I've also used some Jib/Crane shoots basically to enhange the beautiful scenery and get some interesting close-up shoots.
Most of the sound is naturally recorded with a pair of Sennheiser ME-67 shotgun microphones.

This is a "one-man" production which mean a lot of carrying of equipment to the different locations. There is only one forest road leading in to the area. The Jib/Crane (incl. 10 kg of weight), tripod, camcorder +++ had to be transported by foot to reach the most interesting locations areas.
The film is shoot in 2 weekends at the location or a total of just 4 days. Beforehand I searched the web for information and especially pictures of the aerea and wrote a manuscript based on this information. This was an interesting and new experience, to write a manuscript based only on facts and picture from the web!
The first day on location I did mostly reconnaissance to look for places to shoot to match the manuscript. Next day I did as much shooting as I could before I had to return back home. Safe back home I studied the footage to find what I had and what was missing to get the film done.
Next weekend I took off to finish up the shooting at the location. Everything went very well, the weather was nice as you see in the film. And this is the first time I managed to film the entire manuscript without changing anything on the way.
There are some minor flaws; difference in colors, and an out of focus shoot, my bad english to mention a few, but as an overall I'm very satisfied with this production regarding the limit of time used.
I've also tried to make a "spooky" effect don't know how I succeded?


Technical:
Camcorder: Canon XLH1 + 6x wide lens
Tripod: Miller Arrow HD
Jib/Crane: ProAm DVC200
Sound: Sennheiser ME-67 shotgun

All footage shoot in 1080i/50, shutter 1/50, used CPL (polarization) and ND where requisite. NLE Avid Liquid 7.2. Compressed for web by Sorenson Squeeze Suit 4.5 (Sorenenson 3 codec)



Link to the film: http://www.uwolchallenge.com/challenge3/PJN_UC3_wilderness.mov

If you would like to view a larger version:
http://www.video-film.no/snutter/UWOL/pjn_wilderness_lg.mov (67.2MB) Recommended!



Enjoy!

Butiful film Per Johan, i think it will a hot Uwol if it go on like this.
Good Luck.

Best Regards
vidar vedaa.

Hello Per,
You have provided a very nice set of film making techniques along with some beautiful scenery! I thought that the "disappearing" and "reappearing" Per (?) was an intriguing touch. I laughed at the fast zoom on the "face" in the landscape. The time lapse was wonderfully done as well. Looks like the jib makes one think about shots in a whole new way...and is fun! Well, Per, thanks for your efforts...they were very much worth it! Looking forward to the next installment!

j.

P.S. How was the moving shot done? Hand-held and walking? Quite stable for that.

Once more we got a great video by Per Johan!

Some of the clips were shot by using the new jib, right?
Great camera angles above the stream.

hi per,

these are some impressive images, this is a very nice film. especially (!) because of what you call your 'bad english'. this accent is what makes your films unique (like corvus), gives them a personal touch and it really fits the wide and open of images just right.

very nice one, good luck

Wonderful scenery, Per. Reminds me a great deal of some of our high-elevation spruce-fir forests here in east Tennessee...places like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I especially enjoyed the fright-factor of the goblin-face. That's a good bit of equipment to haul around and looks like you put it to good use. I don't know why, but I think your narration and particular accent adds something to the overall "wild" feel of the film and I enjoy that. Another fine challenge work! Thanks for sharing.

Rick

Hi Per Johan.
Your video is stunning, I must say.
Excellent work as always, you never stop amazing me, with your beautiful colours, the brightness in every scene and then the goblin (troll) came :)
A very nice plot and your narration was just fine.
I did enjoy your film very much and thank you for sharing.

Hi Per

Captivating, beautiful, you fully developed the feel to the theme. Thanks for the experience. Always a pleasure to view your work!

Cat Russell
Spike Productions

Haunting music and beautiful imagery.

'...where trolls and goblins meet...' :-D

+ beautiful pictures
+ a good message at the end
+ great scenery
+ great voice

Just wonderful!

Regards, Oliver

Per:

As usual, you are the "example" that the rest of us aspire to in our next film. Another great job ! The jib shots were great. Just would like to see a "making of" showing you carrying in the equipment. :)

Well visually stunning as usual Per. I loved the use of the jib to create the super smooth , truck like shots...at least I guessing thats what you did! and the shot dropping down into the river was great too, oh for that jumping salmon:) !. I think your narration works well and gives your films a nice edge, If you don't mind me saying your voice is quite wild and craggy and works well for natural history voiceover.....its funny in this round many people seem to have started using voiceover, your influence from the last round maybe!

I'd have like to have seen some detail in the piece. I know you've said you were shooting all wide angle but I think this makes things very '2d' without closeups and detail cuts shots etc. I'd have also like to have seen a few examples of the life in the wildnerness...your film made it feel a little 'lifeless' to me but again I know you were doing a landscape study!

Great stuff, always a inspiration !

As always, a very nice film. The spooky theme was a fun touch. And I really appreciated your concluding message.

A question, there was one shot, presumably with the jib, showing the water flowing down only inches away from the camera, a very spectacular shot. How exactly did you do that? It made you really feel as if you were right down in the water.

Per,

Beautiful film as always. Like Mat's work, I never expect anything less than beautiful from you.

I see you threw in a disappearing filmmaker as well. :)

Your work is always a visual masterpiece.

I really don't have much to say cause it's the same stuff I've said about all your previous entries.

All of us have a good film inside of us. You manage to create a great film every single time.

You're always on my shortlist of first viewed films.

Congrats on another great job!

Per:

I expect nothing less of you...wonderful as expected. I wanted it to go on and on and on.

Great stuff.....Brian

Per:

You delight the eye of the photographer! You have captured the spirit of "wilderness" with stunning visuals and extremely smooth camera movement that helps us to travel through and experience your piece of the world.

Your narration had a rugged strong character to it that matched the strength of the wild you portrayed.

And yet you showed us not only the untamed nature of it but a kind of gentle inviting beauty too.

With your permission, I would enjoy sharing this with our photography club also.

Thanks everyone for your nice comments to my film.

Bruce, as I've said to you before, it's a pleasure if you would share my film in your club. Just tell me if you would like a better quality file and I will provide one for you!

Mat, thanks a lot for your comments. I had more details and espescially some birds like Pygmy Owl and Siberian Jay in my mind when I was planning the film. Well, time didn't allow me to sit and wait for it.

Ruth, the footage of the water fall was shoot with the Jib/Crane placed on a tripod on a rock in the middle of the stream. I've put more info about this in an ealier thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showpost.php?p=680761&postcount=70

Jeff, the moving shot was done with the Jib/Crane by doing a sideways shoot.

Wow. Flawless in every detail. Moody, atmospheric and beautifully shot. Perfect pace, excellent use of music and a wonderful script.

Spot on, all thumbs up ;-)

Per Johan,

I enjoyed your use of the jib/crane.

I also would like to add that I sense an evolution here in your film-making. Previously you have had a central visual 'focal point' to the story. Whether it be the Musk-ox, or your birds. Here your story features an 'area' which requires a more balanced perspective. And I think this is more difficult.

Very well done. This will only improve your fine film-making skills.

Wow!!! That was absolutely amazing!

Thank you so much for doing this one!!! I only dream of places like this!!! Absolutely amazing....

I love the use of crane footage! And the time lapses were awesome.

Great stuff! Can I come visit you!!???? lol, just kidding.. Altho, I would like to! lol.

You are a great inspiration for me, and I think its safe to say; all wildlife filmmakers!
~Gabriel

Fantastic stuff and at the highest level of professionalism. My favorite shots were the lake with the clouds rushing by...I would love to learn your technique for capturing that...and the last shots with (you I am assuming) sitting in front of the fire (for some reason, seeing man staring into a camp fire gives me such a feeling of tribal beginings and back to basics with mother earth feelings).

Beautiful work...i am a big fan.

Jeff

Per Johan
Yes another well done piece. You have some beautiful scenery and I like your message. I've always wanted to play around with a jib. But all the extra stuff to pack when you're by yourself has kept me just thinking about it but maybe.
Good job.

Gordon Hoffman

it's been a lot of fun witnessing you at play with a new toy throughout this round (as a minor piece of constructive criticism, as with all new toys, maybe you have a few too many jib shots in this piece. they might be even more powerful if they were used a little more sparingly, but it is always irresistible when you find a new way to put the camera in motion, yes?)

how do you carry all these things??

I can get my camera and tripod into Disney, but if they saw me coming with a crane they might balk a bit. You think? ;)

Per Johan, I've posted a link to this lovely film on the scriptwriting thread as an illustration of how script in English can be sparse and spot-on ... don't be embarrassed, my diction can be pretty sticky too after a few pints!

Per Johan,

Yours was the first I watched and I thought I wrote a response but I do not see it here.

Totally Inspirational. I can see where an economic jib can do some awesome things for ones footage!!

I thought the music was haunting and the image with the three holes looking like eyes and mouth was grand!! The troll look.


While the end with the fire was very nice and closes nicely I thought the image with the appearance of the face would have been a cool fade!!! especially with the music!!!

It makes me want to get out there and film more!!!!

it's been a lot of fun witnessing you at play with a new toy throughout this round (as a minor piece of constructive criticism, as with all new toys, maybe you have a few too many jib shots in this piece. they might be even more powerful if they were used a little more sparingly, but it is always irresistible when you find a new way to put the camera in motion, yes?)

how do you carry all these things??
Meryem, I'm not sure if I agree about overusing the Jib/Crane shoots. It's only used 4 times throughout the film, at 01:12, 01:25, 01:58, 2:17
All the other are regulary tripod pans and tilts. I'm specially satisfied with the smooth tilt sequences I'm able to archieve thanks to hours and hours of practise.

I have to walk several times back and forth to get all my equipments to the location. That is the hardest about using this kind of stuff in the wilderness, no roads.
Luckily it's "safe" to store the equipment out in the wilderness when I'm carrying another load. No thief will ever think about carrying the stuff back to a car!!!

Once again thanks everyone for your kind words!
Ken, I appreciate your comments very much, thanks.
Dale, I will think about your suggestion to my next entry :-)

Per Johan, I've posted a link to this lovely film on the scriptwriting thread as an illustration of how script in English can be sparse and spot-on ... don't be embarrassed, my diction can be pretty sticky too after a few pints!

Brendan, thanks for spreading my work, I appreciate it very much! I had to provide a working link at the scriptwriting thread! When you copying links make sure you right-click on the link, then "Copy Shortcut", then past it in to your replay.

Sorry for causing that problem, Per Johan, and thank you for your guidance on posting links ... which I am printing out and sticking up in front of me to remind me.

Really liked this one Per. The cinematography was great, a lot of gently moving shots which helps make it more 3D as though you're experiencing it.
Makes me want to improve my efforts a lot more.

Brendan, no probs. at all.
Andrew, thanks for your kind words.