Greetings from Great Britain, United Kingdom

Colin McDonald · January 29th, 2010, 11:58 AM

Next one in only gets to work on the 29th of February and the one after that gets to do the weddings in Brigadoon. (Plenty of time to do the edit between gigs).

Please note that was Brigadoon not Brig o' Doon, there's too many good guys working there already!

Jeff Murray · February 2nd, 2010, 05:16 AM

Hello All,

I have been on these forums for two years and never introduced myself. How rude.

A 47 year old Chief Information Officer working in Glasgow. Originally from Perth, Western Australia I am up here to enjoy the cold. I make home movies to record my family history. My father created a 3 hour video spanning from 1950 (before my time) with an old 8mm movie camera through to the 2000's he called it Childhood Days and it basically records the upbringing my six brothers and sisters enjoyed. It really comes to life when my nieces and nephews laugh loudly seeing their parents in their teens or as babies.

It inspired me to do the same for my three girls. The challenge is making home movies with universal appeal. I haven't cracked that one yet so suggestions are welcome.

My videos are at jeffmurray on Vimeo

I shoot all our holidays and birthdays and major events. Edit them for Vimeo, and also put them on the PS3 to watch. Technology is wonderful and I love that I no longer play with tapes and DVD's. The web is to share and the PS3 stores them for us to enjoy.

I have shot a few small projects for Church and the kids various schools. I must put more of these on Vimeo. I once shot a 30 minute story the grade five kids wrote acted and directed - edited it and burnt to DVD for them.

My latest project is to get onto a 5D Mark II and am selling my Z1P to fund the purchase, (please see my posting in the auctions forum - hope that little plug is acceptable). My father bought me the Z1 when I expressed a love of travel videography and a desire to get the Canon XL1 and a few lenses. He thought that the XL1 was too heavy too expensive and I don't think it did HD at the time. So the Z1 it was. I found for home movies it's just too big and conspicuous to use. Imagine if I had got the XL1. My girls complain enough about my current Sony SR10e coming out at every event. So hopefully if Canon get the 25p for the 5D2 out soon - I can edit the footage on my Avid Xpress Pro Studio PC then all will be well.

Any tips and advice greatly appreciated.

Also most of the forums are for pro's what does everyone think about a family movie forum? I would really like to share ideas on how to make family videos more interesting and appealing. Weddings and corporate videos are on topic - the event or the corporate material (the content can be interesting to more than just the peope in the video) - making your child's 3,4,5,6,7,8,9th, etc birthday intersting to more than just the family is a challenge.

Does anyone know of sites with ideas for the home videographer in need of inspiration?

Take care all and happy film making.

Regards

Jeff

Colin McDonald · February 2nd, 2010, 05:31 PM

Welcome, honorary Glaswegian. Consider yourself added to the dvinfoBrits list.

Quote:

Any tips and advice greatly appreciated.

Also most of the forums are for pro's what does everyone think about a family movie forum? I would really like to share ideas on how to make family videos more interesting and appealing. Weddings and corporate videos are on topic - the event or the corporate material (the content can be interesting to more than just the peope in the video) - making your child's 3,4,5,6,7,8,9th, etc birthday intersting to more than just the family is a challenge.

Does anyone know of sites with ideas for the home videographer in need of inspiration?

Actually although I understand the point you are making here, I am not sure we really need a separate forum for family videos, because nearly all the issues are covered here already, albeit not in the one place.

The different types and makes of camera are well covered in the forums here, as are matters to do with audio, lighting, editing systems and so on. After all, the challenges for the family video maker are basically the same as for anyone else - best choice of suitable equipment within a budget, striving for improvement in one's technique of planning and executing choice/composition/framing of shots, acquiring high quality audio, developing an eye for the most effective image and being sensitive to the subject so as not unwittingly to affect or influence the action by being present as an observer. As you note, there are elements of cinematic, documentary, event and even ENG styles and techniques which are appropriate to the subject.

Sometimes very basic questions need to be asked on family occasions - like "am I here to enjoy a day at the seaside with my family or to make a film" because you are likely to be asked that bluntly unless you think it through. One solution to that common problem is to involve everyone in the filming, taking turns to operate the camera even if it's only by pointing the remote control. But I am wittering on here and others may not agree with me.

You could make a post on advice on "how to make family videos more interesting and appealing?" in the Open DV Discussion forum and see what results that brings.

Anyway, here's a couple of links off the top of my head which touch on matters that may come up in family videos:

Using radiomics in Disneyland Paris http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/all-thin...ee-france.html
Filming on a plane journey http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/home-awa...d-flights.html
Filming outside on a windy day http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/all-thin...ppy-sound.html
Filming in the UK and the law http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/taking-c...rights-uk.html

Jeff Murray · February 3rd, 2010, 06:34 AM

Hello Colin

Thanks for the welcome and the links. All are useful and one in particular really pleased me. The one on UK filming rights.

I have to say I was shocked coming from Australia with our relative freedoms (ignore gun laws - which incidentally I support) to a land where filming your children at the local swimming pool or in their Ballet concert, is well if not impossible - not worth the effort.

Sadly, I have footage of the older two merrily doing their ballet concerts and swimming lessons in Aussie pools and theatres. However the third who has learned to swim and dance in the UK will just have to imagine what it was like when she is older. I can understand both sides of this and know there are some out there who are spoiling it for the rest of us. Anyway when recounting this to a new Scottish friend he became very heated about it and said that filming in the Uk is illegal. Since I have been a little paraniod so it was very reassuring to read the fourth link. Thanks for sharing this once again.

I will go post in the open forum as I may find more people than me interested in making their footage universally interesting. I agree with all your points on kit and technique. I guess the part I am most interested may, or may not be taught at film school and may not be covered in most forums. Someone once said to me 'you need to tell a story'. And I once read a post about a guy who went on world tour with a rock band and filmed it with no particular goal in mind. He had hours of video and no particlar angle he wanted to take. The article (which I wish I could remember where it is) was very helpful on how to create a storyboard. However as it was Avid-centric it focussed on cataloguing metadata-ing all your footage. Something the amateur may not have the time or inclination to do.

There is a story in all family videos, as there is in a wedding or a corporate event. However it may not be interesting to anyone other than the subjects in the video. Like others I want to be able to make videos appealing to a wider audience and I am sure lots of people have suggestions on this.

Thanks also for the wind noise link I know my vids are full of wind noise. I hope to get a Sennheiser external mike for the new 5D2 when it arrives and if I can afford it. Also need a fluid head as my pans are way to fast and choppy.

Regards

Jeff

Tom Hardwick · February 3rd, 2010, 07:20 AM

'Anyway when recounting this to a new Scottish friend he became very heated about it and said that filming in the Uk is illegal.'

Bit of a nonsense statement Jeff as I'm sure you'll agree. There hasn't been a mobile phone sold in the last 5 years that won't record movies, and as helmet cams and button-hole cams proliferate, how the hell will such a ban be policed?

I've been told 'no video of this wedding in church', but I see no frisking of the 120 family and guests in the congregation. All the ban means is, 'no decent video to be filmed. We allow grainy wobbles with poor sound'. If paedophiles want film of kids, they're not going to prance around the playground or Nativity play with a Z5, they're going to shoot it on a Flip or Nokia.

Keep filming the kids school play. There's a young Sir Lawrence Olivier just starting out there.

tom.

Jeff Murray · February 5th, 2010, 06:41 AM

Thanks Tom, we are carrying on filming. The main areas this comes up is at the Athletics and in the theatre. They often say 'no filming this event without permission'. So upon asking you usually get a nod.

I think you have hit it on the head. It seems to correlate highly with those events where there is a professional in attendance. Nothing against them making a living at all, however for those of us with our own kit and who enjoy making it for ourselves, why can't we?

With regards

Jeff

Manish Pandit · February 5th, 2010, 05:21 PM

I have been on DVinfo for a couple of years mainly browsing posts, didnt realise there were so many of us from the UK. Greetings guys.
That is how I started learning how to film/edit/ what to buy, never having held a camera in my life before.(I am a consultant doctor in the UK)

Just came back from a successful screening of my first film "Krishna:History or Myth" at the Nehru centre in London. Went very well, more screenings in the UK expected and will invite people from DVinfo who can turn up if in London/Birmingham or wherever the screening is.
Film is being screened around the world sort of spontaneously roughly every 2 weeks.

Saraswati Films | News and Events
Films that make a difference

Andy Wilkinson · February 5th, 2010, 05:32 PM

Hi Manish,

Not only a lot of us in the UK but it looks like a few of us are doctors too (in my case PhD, not medical stuff, I'll let you guys do the blood and guts stuff!). I think it was you who phoned me up a few months ago asking about 5DMkII or 7D compared to EX3? I see you got a 5DMkII in the end.

Good luck with your film!

Manish Pandit · February 5th, 2010, 05:43 PM

Hi Andy,

Yes, it was me. Great to hear from you.
Did not buy another 7D, instead held on to the 5D and the EX3, and am waiting for the next few months to see what happens.
We have tied up with a news group in India to try and bring my films to most Indians.

My next film is out in March, in post right now.

Thanks for all the good wishes and good luck.

Saraswati Films | News and Events
Films that make a difference

Colin McDonald · February 6th, 2010, 04:00 PM

Welcome and that's you on the dvinfobrits list, Manish.

Colin McDonald · February 12th, 2010, 02:57 PM

And welcome to Adnan Khan as well who introduced himself here http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/these-pe...ngland-uk.html

Quote:

Good evening from Bristol, SW England, UK

Hello to all, just got back from work and realised my account has now been approved by the administrator.

I like cycling, computers, photography and of course video. I am not a 'tech-head' when it comes to video and that probably brings into question why I shoot with a Canon XL-H1. I actually acquired it from a family friend for cheap. I shoot video mainly as a hobby. I know the difference between 25/24p and 50i/60i, video resolution, data rates and that's about it. I am hoping to learn more from the great folk on this forum.

Look forward to continue participating. :)

-Adnan

Adnan Khan · February 16th, 2010, 12:25 PM

Lol, thank you very much. so many of us UK guys here wow :O

Primoz Lazar · February 16th, 2010, 03:38 PM

Hello :)

Can anybody of you add me to my MSN to talk about film industry in UK. =)

I am 17 and i wanna go studying in Uk, i am from slovenia :) add me please lazzho@hotmail.com

Best regards and thank you :)

Colin McDonald · February 16th, 2010, 03:55 PM

Hi Primoz, sorry I don't use MSM myself.

If you'll pardon me, I'll offer some advice - don't refer to the the UK/Britain as "England" because you might start a bigger war than even the Mac or PC diehards could imagine!

Our esteemed Obstreperous Rex runs a very orderly site and I am quite sure he would not wish you to re-ignite our old ethnic conflicts here :-)

Primoz Lazar · February 16th, 2010, 04:03 PM

I am sory I didnt know :(

I repaired it.. :D

Are you using any other chat program ... :) I realy want to talk with somebody from other country about filming cause I dont have expiriences about foreign countries =)

February 2nd, 2010, 05:16 AM	#197
Jeff Murray Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Glasgow, United Kingdom Posts: 176	Hello from an Aussie in Glasgow Hello All, I have been on these forums for two years and never introduced myself. How rude. A 47 year old Chief Information Officer working in Glasgow. Originally from Perth, Western Australia I am up here to enjoy the cold. I make home movies to record my family history. My father created a 3 hour video spanning from 1950 (before my time) with an old 8mm movie camera through to the 2000's he called it Childhood Days and it basically records the upbringing my six brothers and sisters enjoyed. It really comes to life when my nieces and nephews laugh loudly seeing their parents in their teens or as babies. It inspired me to do the same for my three girls. The challenge is making home movies with universal appeal. I haven't cracked that one yet so suggestions are welcome. My videos are at jeffmurray on Vimeo I shoot all our holidays and birthdays and major events. Edit them for Vimeo, and also put them on the PS3 to watch. Technology is wonderful and I love that I no longer play with tapes and DVD's. The web is to share and the PS3 stores them for us to enjoy. I have shot a few small projects for Church and the kids various schools. I must put more of these on Vimeo. I once shot a 30 minute story the grade five kids wrote acted and directed - edited it and burnt to DVD for them. My latest project is to get onto a 5D Mark II and am selling my Z1P to fund the purchase, (please see my posting in the auctions forum - hope that little plug is acceptable). My father bought me the Z1 when I expressed a love of travel videography and a desire to get the Canon XL1 and a few lenses. He thought that the XL1 was too heavy too expensive and I don't think it did HD at the time. So the Z1 it was. I found for home movies it's just too big and conspicuous to use. Imagine if I had got the XL1. My girls complain enough about my current Sony SR10e coming out at every event. So hopefully if Canon get the 25p for the 5D2 out soon - I can edit the footage on my Avid Xpress Pro Studio PC then all will be well. Any tips and advice greatly appreciated. Also most of the forums are for pro's what does everyone think about a family movie forum? I would really like to share ideas on how to make family videos more interesting and appealing. Weddings and corporate videos are on topic - the event or the corporate material (the content can be interesting to more than just the peope in the video) - making your child's 3,4,5,6,7,8,9th, etc birthday intersting to more than just the family is a challenge. Does anyone know of sites with ideas for the home videographer in need of inspiration? Take care all and happy film making. Regards Jeff

February 3rd, 2010, 06:34 AM	#199
Jeff Murray Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Glasgow, United Kingdom Posts: 176	Thank you Colin Hello Colin Thanks for the welcome and the links. All are useful and one in particular really pleased me. The one on UK filming rights. I have to say I was shocked coming from Australia with our relative freedoms (ignore gun laws - which incidentally I support) to a land where filming your children at the local swimming pool or in their Ballet concert, is well if not impossible - not worth the effort. Sadly, I have footage of the older two merrily doing their ballet concerts and swimming lessons in Aussie pools and theatres. However the third who has learned to swim and dance in the UK will just have to imagine what it was like when she is older. I can understand both sides of this and know there are some out there who are spoiling it for the rest of us. Anyway when recounting this to a new Scottish friend he became very heated about it and said that filming in the Uk is illegal. Since I have been a little paraniod so it was very reassuring to read the fourth link. Thanks for sharing this once again. I will go post in the open forum as I may find more people than me interested in making their footage universally interesting. I agree with all your points on kit and technique. I guess the part I am most interested may, or may not be taught at film school and may not be covered in most forums. Someone once said to me 'you need to tell a story'. And I once read a post about a guy who went on world tour with a rock band and filmed it with no particular goal in mind. He had hours of video and no particlar angle he wanted to take. The article (which I wish I could remember where it is) was very helpful on how to create a storyboard. However as it was Avid-centric it focussed on cataloguing metadata-ing all your footage. Something the amateur may not have the time or inclination to do. There is a story in all family videos, as there is in a wedding or a corporate event. However it may not be interesting to anyone other than the subjects in the video. Like others I want to be able to make videos appealing to a wider audience and I am sure lots of people have suggestions on this. Thanks also for the wind noise link I know my vids are full of wind noise. I hope to get a Sennheiser external mike for the new 5D2 when it arrives and if I can afford it. Also need a fluid head as my pans are way to fast and choppy. Regards Jeff

February 5th, 2010, 06:41 AM	#201
Jeff Murray Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Glasgow, United Kingdom Posts: 176	Filming Thanks Tom, we are carrying on filming. The main areas this comes up is at the Athletics and in the theatre. They often say 'no filming this event without permission'. So upon asking you usually get a nod. I think you have hit it on the head. It seems to correlate highly with those events where there is a professional in attendance. Nothing against them making a living at all, however for those of us with our own kit and who enjoy making it for ourselves, why can't we? With regards Jeff

February 5th, 2010, 05:21 PM	#202
Manish Pandit Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Birmingham, United Kingdom Posts: 35	Didnt realise so many of us from the UK I have been on DVinfo for a couple of years mainly browsing posts, didnt realise there were so many of us from the UK. Greetings guys. That is how I started learning how to film/edit/ what to buy, never having held a camera in my life before.(I am a consultant doctor in the UK) Just came back from a successful screening of my first film "Krishna:History or Myth" at the Nehru centre in London. Went very well, more screenings in the UK expected and will invite people from DVinfo who can turn up if in London/Birmingham or wherever the screening is. Film is being screened around the world sort of spontaneously roughly every 2 weeks. Saraswati Films \| News and Events Films that make a difference __________________ Blackmagic Cinema Camera, Sony PMW EX3, 5D, 7D, HVR A-1, ME66/K6, Editing Studio, FCS 2 Film is the New Pen

February 5th, 2010, 05:32 PM	#203
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Hi Manish, Not only a lot of us in the UK but it looks like a few of us are doctors too (in my case PhD, not medical stuff, I'll let you guys do the blood and guts stuff!). I think it was you who phoned me up a few months ago asking about 5DMkII or 7D compared to EX3? I see you got a 5DMkII in the end. Good luck with your film! __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

January 29th, 2010, 11:58 AM	#196
Colin McDonald Trustee Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Posts: 1,546	Next one in only gets to work on the 29th of February and the one after that gets to do the weddings in Brigadoon. (Plenty of time to do the edit between gigs). Please note that was Brigadoon not Brig o' Doon, there's too many good guys working there already!

February 3rd, 2010, 07:20 AM	#200
Tom Hardwick Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Billericay, England UK Posts: 4,711	'Anyway when recounting this to a new Scottish friend he became very heated about it and said that filming in the Uk is illegal.' Bit of a nonsense statement Jeff as I'm sure you'll agree. There hasn't been a mobile phone sold in the last 5 years that won't record movies, and as helmet cams and button-hole cams proliferate, how the hell will such a ban be policed? I've been told 'no video of this wedding in church', but I see no frisking of the 120 family and guests in the congregation. All the ban means is, 'no decent video to be filmed. We allow grainy wobbles with poor sound'. If paedophiles want film of kids, they're not going to prance around the playground or Nativity play with a Z5, they're going to shoot it on a Flip or Nokia. Keep filming the kids school play. There's a young Sir Lawrence Olivier just starting out there. tom.

February 5th, 2010, 05:43 PM	#204
Manish Pandit Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Birmingham, United Kingdom Posts: 35	Hi Andy Hi Andy, Yes, it was me. Great to hear from you. Did not buy another 7D, instead held on to the 5D and the EX3, and am waiting for the next few months to see what happens. We have tied up with a news group in India to try and bring my films to most Indians. My next film is out in March, in post right now. Thanks for all the good wishes and good luck. Saraswati Films \| News and Events Films that make a difference __________________ Blackmagic Cinema Camera, Sony PMW EX3, 5D, 7D, HVR A-1, ME66/K6, Editing Studio, FCS 2 Film is the New Pen

February 6th, 2010, 04:00 PM	#205
Colin McDonald Trustee Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Posts: 1,546	Welcome and that's you on the dvinfobrits list, Manish.

February 16th, 2010, 12:25 PM	#207
Adnan Khan Tourist Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: England Posts: 2	Lol, thank you very much. so many of us UK guys here wow :O __________________ Life is brilliant because there are people, without people life is boring and we live for each other, remember that!

February 16th, 2010, 03:38 PM	#208
Primoz Lazar Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Slovenia Posts: 65	Hello :) Can anybody of you add me to my MSN to talk about film industry in UK. =) I am 17 and i wanna go studying in Uk, i am from slovenia :) add me please lazzho@hotmail.com Best regards and thank you :)

February 16th, 2010, 03:55 PM	#209
Colin McDonald Trustee Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Posts: 1,546	Fighting talk Hi Primoz, sorry I don't use MSM myself. If you'll pardon me, I'll offer some advice - don't refer to the the UK/Britain as "England" because you might start a bigger war than even the Mac or PC diehards could imagine! Our esteemed Obstreperous Rex runs a very orderly site and I am quite sure he would not wish you to re-ignite our old ethnic conflicts here :-)

February 16th, 2010, 04:03 PM	#210
Primoz Lazar Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Slovenia Posts: 65	I am sory I didnt know :( I repaired it.. :D Are you using any other chat program ... :) I realy want to talk with somebody from other country about filming cause I dont have expiriences about foreign countries =)