MuskOx at Sunset

[Per Johan Naesje]

Originally Posted by Tony Davies-Patrick

Per - Is your shotgun camera mounted? I don't think you'll capture much at that distance anyway. Like you mentioned, they don't make much sound, so any sound-capture device - your mic - needs to be as close as possible to the subject, and this is why I said use the wireless microphone, or the shotgun with a radio/wireless connector.

Yes, the shotgun mic on the camera is mounted. So I got the nature sound in my original clips.

Originally Posted by Tony Davies-Patrick

Just the heavy breathing, the sound of its rough tongue licking its lips (where it shows it in the clip), snorts, the rubbing sound when one scratches it’s head on the rock, scuffling of hooves, etc, combined with some other nearby nature sounds; plus the clean sound of the wind blowing sometimes to add atmosphere, all blended in with the background music. I'm sure this would lift the visual sequence to a higher level.

I much agree in that Tony, so I will be thinking out some way to make a better sound recording, or make the sound effects in post. Which I believe is extensive used in some of the great wildlifeprogrammes seen on TV.

Originally Posted by Tony Davies-Patrick

On the cinematography level, that looks great with wonderful colours (although possibly slightly too rusty/red in some scenes that bleeds to the white snow). The deep blues were perfect (PL filter used?).

I think I'm still progressing to get used to the Canon XLH1. This camcorder can produce marvellous pictures in the hand of a well trained DP.
The colours are questionable, some like them and some don't. I found that I like it this way. I tried several settings (downloaded from DvInfoNet) and some of the others makes more dull colours which is not to my liking. In this particular footage I have used a pola filter and ND set to 1/6. In this way I managed to get a proper DOF in some of my shoots. The biggest problem with shooting these animals under winter condition, is that they are very dark brown coloured. To get a proper exponation of them in the white snow is a real challenge

Originally Posted by Tony Davies-Patrick

But…and this is minor but, Per, I still felt that there wasn’t enough happening. I know that these animals can spend a great deal of time not doing much, but I would have liked to have seen just a few moments where the Musk Oxen were doing something more interesting.

I have been discussing this with several people. How to make this of more interest to the viewer? I'm well aware that I can't produce a 25 min film where nothing really happend except for beautiful scenery. I have several ideas for this;
include more footage of me, the DP, how he is struggeling in the cold, pulling "tons" of equipment in to the wild to get this footage.
include footage of other common species in this area, which I already started to do. There are Wild Reindeer (spectacular herds of +1000) in this area. The Arctic Fox is unfortunately not in this area any more but the Red Fox is common. The Common Hare and the Common Ptarmigan is a natural element in this area too.
The Raven and the Bold Eagle is two bird of prey which is in this area also. With some luck and patience I could even get footage of the Wolverine.
Both the Fox and the Ptarmigan utilize the Musk Ox by search for food where the Musk Ox has removed the snow. In fact I have observed the fox running through a Musk Ox herd (unfortunately I didn't get this on film.... yet!).
In summer time and especially in the rut season there are much more action among the male. Also the calf are doing cute movements wich I'm going to shoot.
So in the end I think this will be something to view. Anyway I much appreciate all comments from you. Thanks to you all!

[James Ewen]

Hi Per,

Your photography is very beautiful and it is wonderful to see these beasties back in Norway.

I agree with some comments being made about the sound but lets not be too tough here. The reality capturing the sound palette of any animal is a science in itself, and I will not say most but many sounds are produced in post by the wizard-like foley artists, some of whom are circus jugglers in their day jobs. It is in the foley studio that piles of polystyrene bricks, old filmstock and bags of dry leaves become the sounds of musk ox feeding, walking on snow and scratching their noises and it is these that add the production value. If you ever have the opportunity to watch these guys in action then do it, it is quite amazing to see... one guy in Bristol can virtually do an entire film in one take.

J

[Tony Davies-Patrick]

I think the extra footage that you mention Per, showing other wildlife living in symbiosis with the Musk Oxen, plus short clips showing the hardships/weather conditions of the actual cameraman carrying his equipment cross-country, combined with some on-location & post-added sounds will make the finished movie superb. I look forward to the end result!

Will you be adding some narrative to the finished program? I think this would also help to maintain interest to a far wider audience.

[Brendan Marnell]

Originally Posted by James Ewen

Hi Per,

Your photography is very beautiful and it is wonderful to see these beasties back in Norway.

I agree with some comments being made about the sound but lets not be too tough here. The reality capturing the sound palette of any animal is a science in itself, and I will not say most but many sounds are produced in post by the wizard-like foley artists ...

J

Sometime last year Chris Barcellos posted a beautiful brief clip of stones being gently polished by sea-water and when I asked him for the soundtrack to go with it he taught me a useful lesson by recalling the incessant droning of insects buzzing around him in blistering heat for a free meal at the time. It's quite likely that Per frequently has strong icy winds to keep away from his soundtrack too.

With regard to your sequence of images Per I really enjoy the serenity you convey by holding your sequences just the way they are i.e the way they are in nature, harsh and beautiful and unhurried. I am bored by the commercial TV standard that images must be chopping and changing for fear that the viewer won't hang around for the ads (which are themselves cunningly but insultingly packed with frenzied sequences of shifting "cool" images)... reminds me that the lousier the pop-song is the louder the beat has to be. I happen to think, rightly or wrongly, that it's not a compliment to assume that viewers are to be treated as consumers.

[William Boehm]

the coloration and balance of the musk oxen seemed perfect to the eye...lightening up the dark fur and yet having saturated blue tones on the snow...i am a new canon xh a1 owner and am in a quandry about which mode to film in...including the custom dvi outdoor download vs shooting on automatic, and which frame mode...60 i or the 30 or 24f, which has editing issues. thanks for sharing the footage and the inspiration. The kids and i had two wolves last summer within 20 feet of us, an unexpected surprise, and my sone caught it on his cheap jvc. bill