Calling UWOL #5 "Guanacos" by Gilles Debord at DVinfo.net

Catherine Russell · September 26th, 2007, 02:58 PM

Hi Gilles:

Saw your film and wanted to comment and couldn't find your thread. I hope you don't mind we start one for you!?

Stunning scenery! Is this Chile? The footage captures it all. Great theme music and steady camera work. The Guanacos (llamas?) are beautiful animals and look content in their natural environment. I could almost feel how crisp and cool and unpolluted the air was there!

I kept looking for a little more action for some reason and was anticipating this throughout. The title flashed off a bit quickly before I could take it in. But besides these minor points, this was a film that made you feel like you were there! Nicely done.

Cat

John Dennis Robertson · September 27th, 2007, 06:45 AM

Hi Gilles

Brilliant setting.love the mountains.Your video has very clear and bright color to it.The river with the mountain in the background was a nice way to end the movie

Meryem Ersoz · September 27th, 2007, 10:55 AM

I just deleted an old e-mail from Gilles--he's away from e-mail until October 1, but I'm sure when he gets back from his trip, he will appreciate any feedback you UWOLers can offer. Thanks for watching his back, Cat....

Chris Barcellos · September 27th, 2007, 11:14 AM

This film's setting and subject were beautiful and that beauty was definitely captured in the scenes presented. There are some breath taking scenic shots, and some very nice footage of the subject. With all that beautiful footage that was able to be obtained, I think the temptation was to pack as much of it into the three minute maximum available. I think we are all guilty of this. I think the story could be told in half the time and a tight edit would have produced a more exciting result.

Still, beautiful stuff !!

Mat Thompson · September 27th, 2007, 02:32 PM

Great choice of subject and such majestic setting! wow Very nice footage, well exposed and good variety. Nice choice of music track too....it fits perfectly of course. I have to agree with Chris about the structure of your piece however....or lack of it I guess. The clips didn’t seem connected and didn’t seem to pull together to tell me anything or take me anywhere. It was a nice look at the animal in its surroundings but not much else. I also think you could have chopped 45-min off this and benefited by doing so.

Nice work
Mat

Trond Saetre · September 27th, 2007, 02:58 PM

Gilles,
The scenery in your opening sequence reminds me of some of the nature here in Norway too.

As others have mentioned, I also was hoping something would happen... That the animals would do something instead of being so calm.

But all in all, I enjoyed watching your film.

Thank you for sharing.

Per Johan Naesje · September 28th, 2007, 04:09 AM

Gilles,
very exotic views from your place of the world! The mountain shoots was just stunning. The overall impression is as mention by the others, that some of the scenes seem bit to lenghty and repeating, you could definitive cut it down.
Two scenes: at 1:12 and 2:10 was very nice to view.

My overall impression is that you have a very good eye for composition in your shoots. Some lack in the editing process however, but thats why we take part in this challenge, to improve ourselfes and get inputs from the other players, isn't it?

Thanks for sharing and keep up your good work

Ruth Happel · September 28th, 2007, 12:23 PM

Hi Gilles,

Having done my UWOL theme on a guanaco relative, it was really nice to be able to see them in their natural environment. The wide shots pulled me in to the landscape, and I could feel as if I was breathing in that high, thin air. The music was excellent. I loved the audio of the guanaco voices, a wild sound in the mountains. As others have said, probably it could have been more tightly edited. But I enjoyed the stream of consciousness flow, as if joining you for a hike in the mountains, encountering these animals in the wild. It was inspiring to watch, really took me to your part of the world. Thanks for sharing.

Ruth

Geir Inge · September 29th, 2007, 04:19 AM

Hi Gilles.
First I have to say I loved your music. I'm a big fan of south american music, especially pan flute. And your opening shot was great. Those mountains are just a big WOW.
In your film I miss some narration that tells me a bit about your mammal. Maybe you also should try to give your object/mammal some air in the direction they look or walk. Especially at 00.40 the animal is too much at the right side of the window, if you know what I mean. Remember the rule of thirds :) You can at sometimes put a animal or object in the middle of the screen, mostly in closeups, but it will give more life and air to your film if you put it to the left or right and as I mentioned, give it some air in the walking/looking direction.

Wish you all the best.
Geir Inge

Gilles Debord · October 2nd, 2007, 04:11 PM

Hi everybody

First excuse my English, in France we are not really good for foreign language, i'have study Spanish.
I'm just comming from northern Spain (Picos de Europa) to treck and filming Isards (Rupicapra pirenaica) and "bell of the hart".
Thanks for all your constructive comments.
all the pictures were taken in Chile, in the national park Torres del Paine
south Chile, the exact place is "vega del Nandu" a great place to see Guanacos but not Nandu. In this park of 120000 hectares you can observe,
Guanacos, Fox (Pseudolapex griseus), Puma, Nandu, Skunks, Condors, Austral parakets, Bandurias, Queltehue and many others birds.
If anybody wish i can give informations on this park, only ask simple question.
I use the presets given by Per Johan Naesje for the XL2 and the standard zoom with the 1.6 magnifier, but for the moment the tripod is not really good, thats a photo tripod Gitzo with a Manfrotto 503 head, i think to invest in a Miller HD kit and a rail, may be a Ronsrail or a personal construction.

Chile info: the mountains are really WoW yes a little bit saturated but no more, the sky and the air are really clear when it's not raining, the Guanacos are not animatronic, dont forget this animal is a little bit dangerous not like the Musk Ox but dangerous.

Thanks for all your tips for my first film and my first UWOL challenge.
Tomorow i look the other's challenger footage.

Good night

Gilles

Dale Guthormsen · October 10th, 2007, 06:31 PM

Gillies,

Soome beautiful footage in this clip. your composition of scenery is excellent.
the composition of animals is good at times to be certain, however at 44 you have a clip of an animal moving to the right. When shooting animals moving it is best when you have more space to the forward motion side of the animal as if it is running to somewhere as apposed to out of the frame with the bulk of the frame behind them. It is never easy to smoothly film any moving aniimal or bird!!

Very beautiful footage though and I enjoyed it!! what scenery!!!!!

Gilles Debord · October 14th, 2007, 06:00 PM

Hi Dale

Thank you for yours comments, i'm working to correct the errors, but for me it's very hard to film smoothly animals and for birds i prefer to don't speak about it (really very difficult). I was in Pyrénnées moutains in Spain (Picos de Europa northern Spain Cantabria) to film Isards (Rupicapra pyrénnaica) realy cold but many animals.
When my web site will be OK i give you the adress for all your comments. But i'm not cinéast only scientific.

Good night

September 26th, 2007, 02:58 PM	#1
Catherine Russell Trustee Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lyons, Colorado Posts: 1,224	Calling UWOL #5 "Guanacos" by Gilles Debord Hi Gilles: Saw your film and wanted to comment and couldn't find your thread. I hope you don't mind we start one for you!? Stunning scenery! Is this Chile? The footage captures it all. Great theme music and steady camera work. The Guanacos (llamas?) are beautiful animals and look content in their natural environment. I could almost feel how crisp and cool and unpolluted the air was there! I kept looking for a little more action for some reason and was anticipating this throughout. The title flashed off a bit quickly before I could take it in. But besides these minor points, this was a film that made you feel like you were there! Nicely done. Cat

September 27th, 2007, 11:14 AM	#4
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	This film's setting and subject were beautiful and that beauty was definitely captured in the scenes presented. There are some breath taking scenic shots, and some very nice footage of the subject. With all that beautiful footage that was able to be obtained, I think the temptation was to pack as much of it into the three minute maximum available. I think we are all guilty of this. I think the story could be told in half the time and a tight edit would have produced a more exciting result. Still, beautiful stuff !! __________________ Chris J. Barcellos

September 28th, 2007, 04:09 AM	#7
Per Johan Naesje Trustee Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Akershus, Norway Posts: 1,413	Gilles, very exotic views from your place of the world! The mountain shoots was just stunning. The overall impression is as mention by the others, that some of the scenes seem bit to lenghty and repeating, you could definitive cut it down. Two scenes: at 1:12 and 2:10 was very nice to view. My overall impression is that you have a very good eye for composition in your shoots. Some lack in the editing process however, but thats why we take part in this challenge, to improve ourselfes and get inputs from the other players, isn't it? Thanks for sharing and keep up your good work __________________ - Per Johan

September 29th, 2007, 04:19 AM	#9
Geir Inge Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Larsnes, Norway Posts: 1,343	Hi Gilles. First I have to say I loved your music. I'm a big fan of south american music, especially pan flute. And your opening shot was great. Those mountains are just a big WOW. In your film I miss some narration that tells me a bit about your mammal. Maybe you also should try to give your object/mammal some air in the direction they look or walk. Especially at 00.40 the animal is too much at the right side of the window, if you know what I mean. Remember the rule of thirds :) You can at sometimes put a animal or object in the middle of the screen, mostly in closeups, but it will give more life and air to your film if you put it to the left or right and as I mentioned, give it some air in the walking/looking direction. Wish you all the best. Geir Inge __________________ Geir Inge B. Brekke Visit me at: https://vimeo.com/gibbfilm Last edited by Geir Inge; September 30th, 2007 at 12:52 AM.

October 2nd, 2007, 04:11 PM	#10
Gilles Debord Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: France Posts: 152	Guanacos your coments Hi everybody First excuse my English, in France we are not really good for foreign language, i'have study Spanish. I'm just comming from northern Spain (Picos de Europa) to treck and filming Isards (Rupicapra pirenaica) and "bell of the hart". Thanks for all your constructive comments. all the pictures were taken in Chile, in the national park Torres del Paine south Chile, the exact place is "vega del Nandu" a great place to see Guanacos but not Nandu. In this park of 120000 hectares you can observe, Guanacos, Fox (Pseudolapex griseus), Puma, Nandu, Skunks, Condors, Austral parakets, Bandurias, Queltehue and many others birds. If anybody wish i can give informations on this park, only ask simple question. I use the presets given by Per Johan Naesje for the XL2 and the standard zoom with the 1.6 magnifier, but for the moment the tripod is not really good, thats a photo tripod Gitzo with a Manfrotto 503 head, i think to invest in a Miller HD kit and a rail, may be a Ronsrail or a personal construction. Chile info: the mountains are really WoW yes a little bit saturated but no more, the sky and the air are really clear when it's not raining, the Guanacos are not animatronic, dont forget this animal is a little bit dangerous not like the Musk Ox but dangerous. Thanks for all your tips for my first film and my first UWOL challenge. Tomorow i look the other's challenger footage. Good night Gilles

September 27th, 2007, 06:45 AM	#2
John Dennis Robertson Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Johanesburg South Africa Posts: 217	Hi Gilles Brilliant setting.love the mountains.Your video has very clear and bright color to it.The river with the mountain in the background was a nice way to end the movie

September 27th, 2007, 10:55 AM	#3
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	I just deleted an old e-mail from Gilles--he's away from e-mail until October 1, but I'm sure when he gets back from his trip, he will appreciate any feedback you UWOLers can offer. Thanks for watching his back, Cat....

September 27th, 2007, 02:32 PM	#5
Mat Thompson Trustee Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kent UK Posts: 1,397	Great choice of subject and such majestic setting! wow Very nice footage, well exposed and good variety. Nice choice of music track too....it fits perfectly of course. I have to agree with Chris about the structure of your piece however....or lack of it I guess. The clips didn’t seem connected and didn’t seem to pull together to tell me anything or take me anywhere. It was a nice look at the animal in its surroundings but not much else. I also think you could have chopped 45-min off this and benefited by doing so. Nice work Mat

September 27th, 2007, 02:58 PM	#6
Trond Saetre Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 3,375	Gilles, The scenery in your opening sequence reminds me of some of the nature here in Norway too. As others have mentioned, I also was hoping something would happen... That the animals would do something instead of being so calm. But all in all, I enjoyed watching your film. Thank you for sharing.

September 28th, 2007, 12:23 PM	#8
Ruth Happel Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Black Mountain, NC Posts: 488	Hi Gilles, Having done my UWOL theme on a guanaco relative, it was really nice to be able to see them in their natural environment. The wide shots pulled me in to the landscape, and I could feel as if I was breathing in that high, thin air. The music was excellent. I loved the audio of the guanaco voices, a wild sound in the mountains. As others have said, probably it could have been more tightly edited. But I enjoyed the stream of consciousness flow, as if joining you for a hike in the mountains, encountering these animals in the wild. It was inspiring to watch, really took me to your part of the world. Thanks for sharing. Ruth

October 10th, 2007, 06:31 PM	#11
Dale Guthormsen Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 3,048	Gillies, Soome beautiful footage in this clip. your composition of scenery is excellent. the composition of animals is good at times to be certain, however at 44 you have a clip of an animal moving to the right. When shooting animals moving it is best when you have more space to the forward motion side of the animal as if it is running to somewhere as apposed to out of the frame with the bulk of the frame behind them. It is never easy to smoothly film any moving aniimal or bird!! Very beautiful footage though and I enjoyed it!! what scenery!!!!! __________________ DATS ALL FOLKS Dale W. Guthormsen

October 14th, 2007, 06:00 PM	#12
Gilles Debord Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: France Posts: 152	Hi Dale Thank you for yours comments, i'm working to correct the errors, but for me it's very hard to film smoothly animals and for birds i prefer to don't speak about it (really very difficult). I was in Pyrénnées moutains in Spain (Picos de Europa northern Spain Cantabria) to film Isards (Rupicapra pyrénnaica) realy cold but many animals. When my web site will be OK i give you the adress for all your comments. But i'm not cinéast only scientific. Good night