UWOL#7 "Elisabeth and friends" by Geir Inge B. Brekke

Ruth Happel · February 27th, 2008, 10:46 AM

Geir,

Congratulations on your job. It sounds exciting and fun, and you deserve it. With the popularity of your voice- will you be asked to do narration for your videos?!

I really liked this piece. It was fun to see your girl, and her friends, having such a great time. They probably wonder when you will make your next UWOL video, so they can have more fun :)

The dog sled ride was amazing to me- and my husband, who has ridden them many times having lived in Alaska, said it was the best footage he ever saw of them. It gave me a vicarious thrill, having never had the opportunity myself. The other adventures were also really fun to watch, and in your video you captured the essence of each, which wasn't easy.

I liked the music, and thought it was well selected. And of course your narration. I felt as if, through your film, I was able to join in part of the fun of your vacation- great job!

Ruth

Rob Evans · February 27th, 2008, 02:29 PM

Hey Geir, as an avid snowboarder/kiter I loved this, again it makes me want to get to norway sooner and stay there longer!!!! Technically, I thought some of the handheld pans could have been a little smoother - but the handling of areas of stark contrasts were done well, and the editing and variety of shots must have been spot on, because I did'nt notice it ;-) A great story and a nice three stage adventure, has convinced my wife, who will also be coming to Norway that she wants a husky ride!! Cheers!

And congrats on you job - it sounds like a great thing :-)

Bob Safay · February 27th, 2008, 04:54 PM

Geir, what fun. Enjoyed it very much. Ya'll must love winter up there. I really enjoyed the dog sled shots. Now that would be fun. And, as with the others, congradulations on the job, I think your voice is perfect for VO work. Is your Bowling hall like our Bowling alley? Bob

Bob Thieda · February 27th, 2008, 05:32 PM

I think this was the second video I watched from this contest and I have to say, I liked it very, very much.

I very much enjoyed your introduction voice over with the wide shots...
In fact, all your wide shots of the countryside were very impressive. Makes me want to come visit some day.

Bob T.

Geir Inge · February 28th, 2008, 07:17 AM

Hi Ruth and thank you for kind words and give my thanks to your husband as well. Yes, I will do my own VO on my TV reports :)

Thank you Rob for comments and I hope you and your wife will get a pleasant stay in Norway.

Hi Bob S and thank you for comments on my film. Yes I like the winter but sincerely I'm more a Spring, Summer and Autumn guy. Bowling hall is like yours bowling alley :)

Hi Bob T and thank you for nice comments. If you come to Norway give us a call. maybe some of us Vikings can meet you and show you around :)

Geir Inge

Mat Thompson · February 28th, 2008, 04:07 PM

HEY....snowboarding comes to uwol !!! :-) and about time too! Nice little film Geir and an interesting day with the kids. If I'm honest I didn't feel the footage was up to your usual standard and felt a bit 'run and gun' but that said there was some nice shots in there. The inflatable dinghy looked a riot...have you tried it yourself !?

Nice piece and many congrats on your job. You'll certainly be learning fast now fella !

Eric Gulbransen · February 28th, 2008, 08:27 PM

Geir your film reminds me of my family, and skiing together back in the day. What wonderful times. Thanks for the enjoyment. Love the sleigh ride!

Carl Middleton · February 28th, 2008, 08:43 PM

I enjoyed it! I think towards the end it kind of tapered off from the adventurousness of the beginning, but that's from someone who's never been dogsledding. :)

I loved the introductions and the timing of the heads turning as Matt mentioned! Really great stuff, especially on limited time. :)

Look forward to watching more of yours in the future! Congrats on the freelance gig!

C

Marj Atkins · February 29th, 2008, 10:01 AM

Geir

A most enjoyable movie Geir. With each new challenge I get just that little bit closer to booking our tickets to Norway!

Here you have created something quite different (haven’t we all) - winter holiday activities in Bjo.

I am not surprised that you felt exhausted at the end of your filming. It makes me realize all the more that even when filming family activities it takes time and effort to make a really good, enjoyable and easy to follow movie. I like the fact that you used your daughter Elizabeth and her two good buddies as your ‘actors’ - it added a personal touch and brought your adventures closer to home. Certainly a lovely surprise you gave the kids - those huskies are beautiful.

I love the scenery here too - with its stark contrasts - must have been difficult to film though with the obviously difficult lighting conditions. You have an excellent sense of composition Geir. I particularly liked your framing at the end. Also liked the way you framed the kids when they introduced themselves.

I enjoyed the music but I don’t know enough about your part of the world to comment on the appropriateness.

Geir Inge · March 2nd, 2008, 05:59 AM

Hi Mat I always appreciate your comments, and thank you for being honest:)
Yes I have tried the "dinghy" and it's awesome. They also have an alternative trip, downhill and without the snow scooter, but at the time we spent our days at Bjorli they didn't offer this.

Hi Eric and thank you for comments. Family tours on ski is great and a tradition in Norway :)

Hi Carl and thank you for comments. Well, we get to spend 3 hours together with Kurt and his ten dogs (huskeys). It was quite an adventure, especially for the children. Two of the female dogs where fertile, so the two leader dogs had some problems to consentrate on the mission :) If you ask me, I will highly recommend a dog sledge ride if you get a chance.

Hi Marj and thank you for nice comments.
I think we share the same feeling or dream, to go to other countries :) I want to go to Australia, to USA, Canada, England, South Africa... all because of your films. Another thing I've discovered since I took part of this challenge, is how much there is to find/discover just right outside our own front door, eh? Things we don't see in our everyday lives. When it comes to our mountain tour at Bjorli, yes I was a bit exhausted, but in a good way. I had to follow the ski lift up to the top and walk downhill (without ski on) to get some of the scateboard scenes. I was afraid of falling and lose my camera as it was very slippery, but it all went well. I am no good with white balance or lightning conditions and had a struggle with it. You can see in some of the scenes the difference in light. Sun shining on the mountain top, but shadows down in the valley. It also changed rapidly if I turned around, even standing on the same spot. I had also some condence on the lense when I was filming the sledge tour as it was -16C. When it comes to music, I think hiphop is the most common when you look at snowboarding films. I wanted to use a different kind of music and remembered an old film called "Convoy" with some fast moving country music. I tried to make the action in the beginning and somehow slow down at the end as they dissapear, in the sledge, further up the icy river to new adventures :)
If you come to Norway give us a call and we'll try to meet up.

Geir Inge

Gordon Hoffman · March 2nd, 2008, 07:40 AM

Geir Inge
This looks like it was fun to put together. I think you did a really good job on this one. Well done.

Gordon

Warren Cook · March 28th, 2008, 11:13 AM

Nice film Geir. The girls looked like they had a great time. That was an adventure alright.
Although you had some bad weather you shot a great story. I had fun watching it. Thanks

Bryce Comer · March 31st, 2008, 02:26 AM

Hi Geir,
Sorry it's taken me so long to leave feeback to your film, i'm trying to get through everyones films tonight. That said, i loved this one. I had a similar adventure in the mountains in Canada but unfortunately i didn't get to go dog sledding. That must have been a real highlight! I really liked the footage of the dog sledding, & would have loved to have seen more of the kids from the front to see the enjoyment on their faces as they wizzed by.
The shot you had from on the snow with the kids snowboarding by was great. Maybe you could have added some slo-mo footage of them as well. I have had a bit of a play with slo-mo with my footage from Canada & thought it came out pretty well.
Great to watch!

Bryce

February 27th, 2008, 10:46 AM	#16
Ruth Happel Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Black Mountain, NC Posts: 488	Geir, Congratulations on your job. It sounds exciting and fun, and you deserve it. With the popularity of your voice- will you be asked to do narration for your videos?! I really liked this piece. It was fun to see your girl, and her friends, having such a great time. They probably wonder when you will make your next UWOL video, so they can have more fun :) The dog sled ride was amazing to me- and my husband, who has ridden them many times having lived in Alaska, said it was the best footage he ever saw of them. It gave me a vicarious thrill, having never had the opportunity myself. The other adventures were also really fun to watch, and in your video you captured the essence of each, which wasn't easy. I liked the music, and thought it was well selected. And of course your narration. I felt as if, through your film, I was able to join in part of the fun of your vacation- great job! Ruth __________________ http://rockfowl.com/

February 27th, 2008, 05:32 PM	#19
Bob Thieda Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 541	I think this was the second video I watched from this contest and I have to say, I liked it very, very much. I very much enjoyed your introduction voice over with the wide shots... In fact, all your wide shots of the countryside were very impressive. Makes me want to come visit some day. Bob T. __________________ Bob T.

February 28th, 2008, 07:17 AM	#20
Geir Inge Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Larsnes, Norway Posts: 1,343	Hi Ruth and thank you for kind words and give my thanks to your husband as well. Yes, I will do my own VO on my TV reports :) Thank you Rob for comments and I hope you and your wife will get a pleasant stay in Norway. Hi Bob S and thank you for comments on my film. Yes I like the winter but sincerely I'm more a Spring, Summer and Autumn guy. Bowling hall is like yours bowling alley :) Hi Bob T and thank you for nice comments. If you come to Norway give us a call. maybe some of us Vikings can meet you and show you around :) Geir Inge __________________ Geir Inge B. Brekke Visit me at: https://vimeo.com/gibbfilm

February 28th, 2008, 08:43 PM	#23
Carl Middleton Major Player Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Fernandina Beach, FL Posts: 562	I enjoyed it! I think towards the end it kind of tapered off from the adventurousness of the beginning, but that's from someone who's never been dogsledding. :) I loved the introductions and the timing of the heads turning as Matt mentioned! Really great stuff, especially on limited time. :) Look forward to watching more of yours in the future! Congrats on the freelance gig! C __________________ Carl Middleton Whizkid Mediaworks

March 2nd, 2008, 05:59 AM	#25
Geir Inge Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Larsnes, Norway Posts: 1,343	Hi Mat I always appreciate your comments, and thank you for being honest:) Yes I have tried the "dinghy" and it's awesome. They also have an alternative trip, downhill and without the snow scooter, but at the time we spent our days at Bjorli they didn't offer this. Hi Eric and thank you for comments. Family tours on ski is great and a tradition in Norway :) Hi Carl and thank you for comments. Well, we get to spend 3 hours together with Kurt and his ten dogs (huskeys). It was quite an adventure, especially for the children. Two of the female dogs where fertile, so the two leader dogs had some problems to consentrate on the mission :) If you ask me, I will highly recommend a dog sledge ride if you get a chance. Hi Marj and thank you for nice comments. I think we share the same feeling or dream, to go to other countries :) I want to go to Australia, to USA, Canada, England, South Africa... all because of your films. Another thing I've discovered since I took part of this challenge, is how much there is to find/discover just right outside our own front door, eh? Things we don't see in our everyday lives. When it comes to our mountain tour at Bjorli, yes I was a bit exhausted, but in a good way. I had to follow the ski lift up to the top and walk downhill (without ski on) to get some of the scateboard scenes. I was afraid of falling and lose my camera as it was very slippery, but it all went well. I am no good with white balance or lightning conditions and had a struggle with it. You can see in some of the scenes the difference in light. Sun shining on the mountain top, but shadows down in the valley. It also changed rapidly if I turned around, even standing on the same spot. I had also some condence on the lense when I was filming the sledge tour as it was -16C. When it comes to music, I think hiphop is the most common when you look at snowboarding films. I wanted to use a different kind of music and remembered an old film called "Convoy" with some fast moving country music. I tried to make the action in the beginning and somehow slow down at the end as they dissapear, in the sledge, further up the icy river to new adventures :) If you come to Norway give us a call and we'll try to meet up. Geir Inge __________________ Geir Inge B. Brekke Visit me at: https://vimeo.com/gibbfilm

February 27th, 2008, 02:29 PM	#17
Rob Evans Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Berkshire, UK Posts: 390	Hey Geir, as an avid snowboarder/kiter I loved this, again it makes me want to get to norway sooner and stay there longer!!!! Technically, I thought some of the handheld pans could have been a little smoother - but the handling of areas of stark contrasts were done well, and the editing and variety of shots must have been spot on, because I did'nt notice it ;-) A great story and a nice three stage adventure, has convinced my wife, who will also be coming to Norway that she wants a husky ride!! Cheers! And congrats on you job - it sounds like a great thing :-)

February 27th, 2008, 04:54 PM	#18
Bob Safay Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 1,558	Geir, what fun. Enjoyed it very much. Ya'll must love winter up there. I really enjoyed the dog sled shots. Now that would be fun. And, as with the others, congradulations on the job, I think your voice is perfect for VO work. Is your Bowling hall like our Bowling alley? Bob

February 28th, 2008, 04:07 PM	#21
Mat Thompson Trustee Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kent UK Posts: 1,397	HEY....snowboarding comes to uwol !!! :-) and about time too! Nice little film Geir and an interesting day with the kids. If I'm honest I didn't feel the footage was up to your usual standard and felt a bit 'run and gun' but that said there was some nice shots in there. The inflatable dinghy looked a riot...have you tried it yourself !? Nice piece and many congrats on your job. You'll certainly be learning fast now fella !

February 28th, 2008, 08:27 PM	#22
Eric Gulbransen Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Palo Alto, California Posts: 520	Geir your film reminds me of my family, and skiing together back in the day. What wonderful times. Thanks for the enjoyment. Love the sleigh ride!

February 29th, 2008, 10:01 AM	#24
Marj Atkins Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Johannesburg South Africa Posts: 768	Geir A most enjoyable movie Geir. With each new challenge I get just that little bit closer to booking our tickets to Norway! Here you have created something quite different (haven’t we all) - winter holiday activities in Bjo. I am not surprised that you felt exhausted at the end of your filming. It makes me realize all the more that even when filming family activities it takes time and effort to make a really good, enjoyable and easy to follow movie. I like the fact that you used your daughter Elizabeth and her two good buddies as your ‘actors’ - it added a personal touch and brought your adventures closer to home. Certainly a lovely surprise you gave the kids - those huskies are beautiful. I love the scenery here too - with its stark contrasts - must have been difficult to film though with the obviously difficult lighting conditions. You have an excellent sense of composition Geir. I particularly liked your framing at the end. Also liked the way you framed the kids when they introduced themselves. I enjoyed the music but I don’t know enough about your part of the world to comment on the appropriateness.

March 2nd, 2008, 07:40 AM	#26
Gordon Hoffman Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pincher Creek, Alberta Canada Posts: 619	Geir Inge This looks like it was fun to put together. I think you did a really good job on this one. Well done. Gordon

March 28th, 2008, 11:13 AM	#27
Warren Cook Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Yulan, New York Posts: 61	Nice film Geir. The girls looked like they had a great time. That was an adventure alright. Although you had some bad weather you shot a great story. I had fun watching it. Thanks

March 31st, 2008, 02:26 AM	#28
Bryce Comer Trustee Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Rossland, British Columbia Posts: 1,024	Hi Geir, Sorry it's taken me so long to leave feeback to your film, i'm trying to get through everyones films tonight. That said, i loved this one. I had a similar adventure in the mountains in Canada but unfortunately i didn't get to go dog sledding. That must have been a real highlight! I really liked the footage of the dog sledding, & would have loved to have seen more of the kids from the front to see the enjoyment on their faces as they wizzed by. The shot you had from on the snow with the kids snowboarding by was great. Maybe you could have added some slo-mo footage of them as well. I have had a bit of a play with slo-mo with my footage from Canada & thought it came out pretty well. Great to watch! Bryce __________________ There's never enough hours in the day!