i'm thrilled that the UWOL Challenge is now sufficiently organized so that i was able to put up a (non-judgeable!) entry of my own.

as some of you know, i was in bhutan throughout the sign-up period shooting a commercial and a documentary. this footage is from that trip--i bent my own rules slightly by using this footage, since it was shot during the sign-up phase, rather than the playing phase, but since i'm not eligible for judging and i wanted to share my bhutan experience with my fellow nature and outdoors shooting friends, i'm posting it anyway. for fun and for love, of you guys and of my experience in bhutan, which was very magical and beautiful.

i'm obliged to save my best footage for my clients, so this is not actually my best stuff, but i think it gives off some of the vibe of my experience.

for the theme, "the wild", this is my feminista interpretation. probably because i'm from the US, i have a very masculine interpretation of what "the wild" means--rugged cowboy dude riding off into the sunset for his next adventure, frontier wilderness, etc....and what i was trying to show--perhaps unsuccessfully, but hey!--was how "the wild" on a more global/spiritual scale was really rooted in the feminine. hence the monkey mom, the road crew moms, the yak moms and babies, the takin mom, the nuns of bhutan (who provided music and inspiration). i don't know that the message comes off in the video--that's why i have to explain myself here! but the footage is unique and interesting.

i'm hoping to make a longer film festival-y version of this with leftover footage once my clients are satisfied, so having this shorter, failed version (and some UWOL feedback) will help me figure out how to communicate my concept.

thanks for watching. your feedback is most appreciated.

Great film Meryem.
And I reckon one of those birds was a Hoopoe sitting in a tree?
We dont see those in Norway, just occasionally.
Now I have to see through the other films and give my comments.
Nice piece of work, congatulation.

Meryem:

Thanks for a very wonderful film.. Great insight into that country, its people and the wild life, in such a short film !!

That pot of whatever looked good, but I am afraid to ask what was in it--- especially with the reports of you illness while in country.... :)

Hey Meryem
Bit more relaxed this time round huh ;) !

This looks like some place for a culture shock by the looks of it! Loved the opener and the soundtrack was great especially cutting back into them saying it in front of camera. Oh I loved it when the old women looks into the shot with the enquiring look on her face:) I'm jealous of that Hoopoe too, always wanted to see that bird in the flesh! Some of your shots were shouting for the tripod a little but apart from that great stuff, some fab colours and really nice exposure.

It looks like a magical place for sure :)

thanks, guys...

oh, for the beautiful luxury of tripod set-ups. what i wouldn't have given for actual time to set up shots. unfortunately, i was on someone else's schedule. many of my shots, just as i was getting the set-up, the van would be pulling away, and you can hear me in the audio, screaming in anguish, "Nooooooo.....!!!" or me hanging onto a shot for dear life, while the guide is calling out, "Get back in the van, Meryem!"

so it was strictly monopod, sadly. but the client was a travel agency who swapped me for the price of the trip, so i was on a tourist group's schedule, not a shooter's schedule, most of the time. i already have a plan to go back, in my own way, in a few years....

can i even begin to gripe about having tourists' still cam point n shoot flashbulbs popping off in my footage?? or trying to capture footage while being required to do full-on prostrations??

it took a lot of patience and buddhistic being with the moment to work under those conditions. worth it, though.

Having spent half of my 20 year air force career in the Far East, yours was the first entry I had to view.

WOW!

I found everything in this short absolutely fascinating and enthralling. I saw no problem with no tripod, the content overruled that. The nuns' chanting added much "audio color" and set much of the mood. I hope we'll get to see more of this.

If this is out of your "leftovers", your client is getting some very enchanting and colorful footage. I enjoyed every second of it and would like your permission to show this film to the photography club I am the program chair for.

While most of the places I was stationed in the Orient were located close to or in urban areas with most of the "amenities" we are used to, the look and feel of what you shared with us brought back some neat memories.

One of the friends I made near Taipei was a Bhuddist priest. I was given free reign to photograph anything I wanted in his temple and most of the time found a place at the lunch table set for me. So knowing what the Bhuddists can do without meat (having enjoyed many a tasty meal in Bhuddist temples!), that pot you showed them being served from looked great.

Thanks for sharing this with us, I had hoped we would be seeing something from your trip!

Hi Meryem:

Wonderful film! Enchanting. The way I interpret "the wild" in this footage is that the wild is "not home by the hearth" and the familiar but all that is "out there", unfamiliar and foreign. If you look at the wild in this way, your piece is a bull's eye!

Captivating and amazing. Our world is a beautiful and wild place. Thanks for bringing it home to us!

Cat

Regarding what you said about the shooting conditions - Hey, hurry up gonna leave NOW! I'm impressed what you managed to do, Meryem.
Was this taken with the Canon HV10? Nice and very clear footage.

footage taken with the canon A1, digitized by the HV10, however! shot in 30F mode, because it will be ultimately delivered to DVD and a highlights reel for the web, and i didn't have time to worry about slow 24F set-ups or 24F motion issues.

this was my first chance to spend some real quality time with that camera since i purchased it, and i must say, for the money, there is nothing like it.

thanks for your kind words, bruce, of course you are welcome to screen it, let me know if you need a larger file or dvd....

Meryem, that was a very nice video! I am impressed.
Thank you for sharing your experience from the trip.

Watching this was an neat experience. Great job at taking us on location and catching some of the culture.

Once you get used to the A1 and a monopod, you can really grab some great shots on the fly. I figure I'm shooting outdoors and it's not a feature film so a little camera movement during the shot is very organic and ads to, rather than takes away.
I take my tripod with me on every shoot but since buying a Bogen 561b monopod I rarely use it. I added a bebob zoom rocker to the handle and I love the whole monopod package.

Bruce

It has ocurred to me that the whole "baby animal" thing is probably just due to it being spring in the Northern Hemisphere. There are quite a few shots of young animals in this challenge.

Very interesting video. It certainly kept my eyes glued to the monitor.

hi meryem,

really like the atmosphere of your film. great soundtrack that beautifully connects with the pictures. i purchased this camcorder myself a few weeks ago, and i can only agree with you. it's fantastic to work with. great film, enjoyed it very much.

Meryem wonderful footage, you brought back a ton of flashbacks from my own experiences traviling to remote corners of the globe. I only hope you took some time away from the viewfinder and looked around you. I have some memories that show like a movie rather than a human eye view.

You brought the message home...excellent.

Brian

Meryem,

first thanks for sharing!!! I was aiting for the theme to hit. You must have had a great time!! some pretty cool shots !!!!! I enjoyed it very much.

Hi Meryem:

Just wondering.... Bhutan is a fairly closed and secretive country. How long in advance did you have to get permits to visit and what is the story behind being selected to enter in. Wow, there is a lot behind this film. Watched it again, pretty amazing and enchanting.

Thanks for the sharing of this footage.

Cat

This was a very evocative film. The soundtrack drew me right in, and seemed to tumble along with the images. After you described your aim, it makes sense looking at it in that light. But apart from the theme, it's just a very strong film with the meshing of sounds and images. There are so many great details, both with the animals and the people. You also did a great job with framing and exposure, technically, especially given the challenges you faced in working on someone else's schedule. I hope we see more films from you in future challenges- it's way past time for you to join in the fun you've set up for all of us :)

Ruth

Hey Meryem!

Thanks for uploading some of your footage from your trip! It looked like it was a fun place to experience...

I did not get your story until I read it here (sorry). But it made perfect since what you stated it!

Cool stuff! I can't wait to see more from it!
~Gabriel

Hi Meryem:

Just wondering.... Bhutan is a fairly closed and secretive country. How long in advance did you have to get permits to visit and what is the story behind being selected to enter in. Wow, there is a lot behind this film. Watched it again, pretty amazing and enchanting.

Thanks for the sharing of this footage.

Cat



it was not that easy... since we're all video editors here, we can understand how complicated the workarounds can get...and that's what we used....that's about all i can say. kinda one of those: "i could tell you but then i'd hafta kill you" thingies.

thanks for the comments, folks. it's nice to have an entry, finally, and to have a chance to play. since i (and only i!)know the theme for UWOL #4, i have to start planning now! should be most interesting, don't miss it!

glad to hear the feedback from the other women in the coffee klatsch. i'm glad you all are playing so consistently.

bruce, this was shot using the 560B. i tried a 561B, but it base seemed looser to me, whereas the 560B, though lighter, felt tighter and could hold the camera up without me even touching it, as long as there was no wind, and as long as i had adequate time to balance it (rare...). can you address this? did i just have a loose copy of the 561B? i loved the extra weight, but the cartridge in the base didn't seem as versatile. would love to hear your thoughts.

It would seem your base was loose. :o)
Seriously, there is an adjustment to tighten up the base to suit any given style or camera weight. It is shown in section 9 of the instructions.
Don't know that I would let my A1 sway in the breeze but as long as you have one hand to steady it is amazing. I ended up keeping my right hand on the pan handle and my left hand on the lens barrel for instant adjustments.

Okay! I'm hoping to still be around until at least the end of the UWOL challenge so I won't inquire anymore! I kind of like the livng part to life..HA.

Cat

thanks, bruce--

can i just say "doh!", of course there is probably a way to tighten it. add that to the ongoing list of me overlooking the obvious!

the other thing i like about the 560B with the A1 is it works as a cheap n dirty flowpod. i have a lot of glidecam-y footage of me walking the camera across flimsy wooden bridges over water towards monasteries, etc., but you guys are just going to have to buy the DVD when it's released, i guess. like i said, these are mostly the leftovers....

the 561B is a little weightier, which is nice for most applications, but for cheap addition of weight to the camera, the 560B fits my strength and size.

so much gear, so many applications!