UWOL #7 Sea Fever at DVinfo.net

David Watkins · February 29th, 2008, 02:38 PM

I did a post a couple of days ago ( or thought I had ) but I cant find it....

Anyway, my first effort, enjoyed the filming, nearly enjoyed the editing, the compression and uploading sucked. As you'll see from the film it lost a lot of quality in converting from 40Mb as a .wmv to a .mov at about 8Mb. I dont know what happened or why and didnt have time to sort it in the end, so now it looks like it's been filmed through a sock on a foggy day...

So...got my bit of moaning over...the film is pretty well understandable, an interpretation of an old poem, I edited it into black and white with an old film look to try to give an inpression of an old timers memories...I dont know if it worked, I'll leave that to anyone who wants to leave some feedback..I put the subtitles on as I know there are probably a few entrants whose first language is not English and I guessed maybe they would understand the context better.

Filmed in Norfolk Uk, fully expecting rough seas etc in Feb, but most of it was sunny, very frosty and the sea flat calm, not what I wanted. Booked a sea fishing trip on poorer day, better conditions but filming from a wildly rocking boat was difficult but an experience, but managed to get closer to the brent geese, fulmar and seals.

So there we are, when I get time I'm going to post this somewhere as a better quality file. I've also knocked up a small B film from the footage I couldnt use, I got a fair old shot of a Marsh harrier putting up a flock of Wigeon, and some atmospheric frosty mornings, will post that too.

Good luck to everyone, havent had time to look at any other entries yet, mad busy at work and home, but I will in due course.

Cheers

David

Adrinn Chellton · February 29th, 2008, 03:37 PM

David I liked your entry, I think you did a fine job of conveying the mood of this poem. The choice of black and white for this fit well. The old film look didn't come through very well after compression, for me at least. Great film, one of the best this run.

David Watkins · March 1st, 2008, 10:36 AM

Thanks Adrinn for your kind comments, yes I shall have to get the quality thing sorted for next time, looking forward to it already, Springs on the way along with more choices, longer days and better light.

David Gemmell · March 1st, 2008, 06:48 PM

Hi David,

I thought your entry was filmed very professionally - with wonderful framing and composition. I loved the poem and how the footage and words reinforced the feeling and longing for the sea.

I also noticed how proficient you are with the camera, particularly following some of the birds, which you did so smoothly.

Tony's voice really suited the poem with a real feeling of wanting to take just one more trip down by the sea.

I thought things worked out quite well with the look you were trying to achieve and the black & white approach was a good choice. In colour, I think the overall feel of the film would have been lost a bit. An excellent entry and one of my favourites. Well done!

John Dennis Robertson · March 2nd, 2008, 08:55 AM

What a great idea you had for this entry.I always believe that sound or music plays a very big part in the overall effect of a video.Sometimes I think well chosen music can transform an average bit of video to something outstanding.You have shown me that a well filmed and edited piece can be just as effective with poetry.I enjoyed this video,get the video compression right and you will be right up there.

Rob Evans · March 3rd, 2008, 11:54 AM

Hello David,
I too really did enjoy this film - I've been tinkering with the concept of taking some betejeman poems and setting them to video, and I think it takes a lot of balls to give it a try. The variety of the footage , smoothness and editing were all there - good job! Hope you get more time to play with the compression on the next round - unfortunatley it was a little hard to see the shine through some of the artifacting!!!

David Watkins · March 3rd, 2008, 03:27 PM

Rob hi,

Thanks for your comment.

In retrospect on a first effort I should have reined back, but unfortunately I never think like that, and I liked this poem and theme and I had to give it a go.

I knew that doing something like this would focus me and give me some real discipline and structure to work to and I'd got most of the shots in my head before I started shooting. Thing about filming wildlife is that they and the weather often never perform so there's always an element of working that in, but I got the seals, I got the fulmar and the geese...so it pretty much worked out!

I wanted poor weather really for the theme of the sea but didnt get it which is partly why I went with black and white to level out the discrepancies, it wouldnt have worked on colour with sun one minute and overcast the next.

The compression thing was a nightmare but I'll work that out for next time, I had wanted to show I was capable of producing a technically better product, my lack of knowledge here is a weakness I can address.

Thanks again

Bob Safay · March 5th, 2008, 06:41 PM

David, what a great first entry. My wife and I both enjoyed it. As we watched it I explained to her that as a 5th grader in New York City I had to memorize that poem. I have often thought of doing something in B&W. Did you video it that way or do it in post? I thing the old 8 mm movie look was great. Don't worry about compression, you have till the next Chaalenge to figure it out. Welcome aboard. Bob

David Watkins · March 9th, 2008, 06:17 AM

Hi Bob

I did the B&W during the editing. I enjoyed this whole experience and am looking forward to having a go with the next one. I'm perhaps going to try for a bit more technical quality next time, Sea Fever was a little bit rough round the edges, intentionally to an extent to try to achieve the feeling I wanted, but time was limited and I didnt have the opportunity to go back and refine it.

I was pleased with the kind comments, it spurs you on . It'll be hard, some of the folk on here seem to have years of professional experience and some pretty sophisticated kit, the ideas aren't the problem it's the technical wizardry I can't compete with!

Cheers

David

Meryem Ersoz · March 9th, 2008, 11:09 AM

as others have commented, this was a beautiful first effort...the compression killed it, unfortunately, so i wonder if you posted your compressing issues here, if the group could help you get these resolved...

what systems are you using for editing and compression? for that matter, what codec are you shooting, in the first place?

if you give us technical details, your camera, your editor, your compression scheme, etc., we may be able to help.

Trond Saetre · March 11th, 2008, 03:31 AM

Hi David,

I think it was a good idea to make your film B&W. Nice film. I enjoyed watching it.
I'm looking forward to see your future films.

Bryce Comer · April 1st, 2008, 03:34 AM

Hi David,
It's a real pitty about the end quality of the compression of your film. I really liked it. Your VO was great, really well paced, along with the ambient sounds you captured, it left no need for music.
There is a lot of help here on this forum with regards to how to go about compressing your video files. I would suggest doing a search on this subject as i'm sure your film would have been much much better had the compression been better.

Bryce

February 29th, 2008, 02:38 PM	#1
David Watkins Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Leeds UK Posts: 43	UWOL #7 Sea Fever I did a post a couple of days ago ( or thought I had ) but I cant find it.... Anyway, my first effort, enjoyed the filming, nearly enjoyed the editing, the compression and uploading sucked. As you'll see from the film it lost a lot of quality in converting from 40Mb as a .wmv to a .mov at about 8Mb. I dont know what happened or why and didnt have time to sort it in the end, so now it looks like it's been filmed through a sock on a foggy day... So...got my bit of moaning over...the film is pretty well understandable, an interpretation of an old poem, I edited it into black and white with an old film look to try to give an inpression of an old timers memories...I dont know if it worked, I'll leave that to anyone who wants to leave some feedback..I put the subtitles on as I know there are probably a few entrants whose first language is not English and I guessed maybe they would understand the context better. Filmed in Norfolk Uk, fully expecting rough seas etc in Feb, but most of it was sunny, very frosty and the sea flat calm, not what I wanted. Booked a sea fishing trip on poorer day, better conditions but filming from a wildly rocking boat was difficult but an experience, but managed to get closer to the brent geese, fulmar and seals. So there we are, when I get time I'm going to post this somewhere as a better quality file. I've also knocked up a small B film from the footage I couldnt use, I got a fair old shot of a Marsh harrier putting up a flock of Wigeon, and some atmospheric frosty mornings, will post that too. Good luck to everyone, havent had time to look at any other entries yet, mad busy at work and home, but I will in due course. Cheers David

April 1st, 2008, 03:34 AM	#12
Bryce Comer Trustee Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Rossland, British Columbia Posts: 1,024	Hi David, It's a real pitty about the end quality of the compression of your film. I really liked it. Your VO was great, really well paced, along with the ambient sounds you captured, it left no need for music. There is a lot of help here on this forum with regards to how to go about compressing your video files. I would suggest doing a search on this subject as i'm sure your film would have been much much better had the compression been better. Bryce __________________ There's never enough hours in the day!

February 29th, 2008, 03:37 PM	#2
Adrinn Chellton Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Carlsbad, CA Posts: 195	David I liked your entry, I think you did a fine job of conveying the mood of this poem. The choice of black and white for this fit well. The old film look didn't come through very well after compression, for me at least. Great film, one of the best this run.

March 1st, 2008, 10:36 AM	#3
David Watkins Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Leeds UK Posts: 43	Thanks Adrinn for your kind comments, yes I shall have to get the quality thing sorted for next time, looking forward to it already, Springs on the way along with more choices, longer days and better light.

March 1st, 2008, 06:48 PM	#4
David Gemmell Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Bendigo, Australia Posts: 234	Hi David, I thought your entry was filmed very professionally - with wonderful framing and composition. I loved the poem and how the footage and words reinforced the feeling and longing for the sea. I also noticed how proficient you are with the camera, particularly following some of the birds, which you did so smoothly. Tony's voice really suited the poem with a real feeling of wanting to take just one more trip down by the sea. I thought things worked out quite well with the look you were trying to achieve and the black & white approach was a good choice. In colour, I think the overall feel of the film would have been lost a bit. An excellent entry and one of my favourites. Well done!

March 2nd, 2008, 08:55 AM	#5
John Dennis Robertson Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Johanesburg South Africa Posts: 217	What a great idea you had for this entry.I always believe that sound or music plays a very big part in the overall effect of a video.Sometimes I think well chosen music can transform an average bit of video to something outstanding.You have shown me that a well filmed and edited piece can be just as effective with poetry.I enjoyed this video,get the video compression right and you will be right up there.

March 3rd, 2008, 11:54 AM	#6
Rob Evans Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Berkshire, UK Posts: 390	Hello David, I too really did enjoy this film - I've been tinkering with the concept of taking some betejeman poems and setting them to video, and I think it takes a lot of balls to give it a try. The variety of the footage , smoothness and editing were all there - good job! Hope you get more time to play with the compression on the next round - unfortunatley it was a little hard to see the shine through some of the artifacting!!!

March 3rd, 2008, 03:27 PM	#7
David Watkins Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Leeds UK Posts: 43	Rob hi, Thanks for your comment. In retrospect on a first effort I should have reined back, but unfortunately I never think like that, and I liked this poem and theme and I had to give it a go. I knew that doing something like this would focus me and give me some real discipline and structure to work to and I'd got most of the shots in my head before I started shooting. Thing about filming wildlife is that they and the weather often never perform so there's always an element of working that in, but I got the seals, I got the fulmar and the geese...so it pretty much worked out! I wanted poor weather really for the theme of the sea but didnt get it which is partly why I went with black and white to level out the discrepancies, it wouldnt have worked on colour with sun one minute and overcast the next. The compression thing was a nightmare but I'll work that out for next time, I had wanted to show I was capable of producing a technically better product, my lack of knowledge here is a weakness I can address. Thanks again

March 5th, 2008, 06:41 PM	#8
Bob Safay Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 1,558	David, what a great first entry. My wife and I both enjoyed it. As we watched it I explained to her that as a 5th grader in New York City I had to memorize that poem. I have often thought of doing something in B&W. Did you video it that way or do it in post? I thing the old 8 mm movie look was great. Don't worry about compression, you have till the next Chaalenge to figure it out. Welcome aboard. Bob

March 9th, 2008, 06:17 AM	#9
David Watkins Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Leeds UK Posts: 43	Hi Bob I did the B&W during the editing. I enjoyed this whole experience and am looking forward to having a go with the next one. I'm perhaps going to try for a bit more technical quality next time, Sea Fever was a little bit rough round the edges, intentionally to an extent to try to achieve the feeling I wanted, but time was limited and I didnt have the opportunity to go back and refine it. I was pleased with the kind comments, it spurs you on . It'll be hard, some of the folk on here seem to have years of professional experience and some pretty sophisticated kit, the ideas aren't the problem it's the technical wizardry I can't compete with! Cheers David

March 9th, 2008, 11:09 AM	#10
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	as others have commented, this was a beautiful first effort...the compression killed it, unfortunately, so i wonder if you posted your compressing issues here, if the group could help you get these resolved... what systems are you using for editing and compression? for that matter, what codec are you shooting, in the first place? if you give us technical details, your camera, your editor, your compression scheme, etc., we may be able to help.

March 11th, 2008, 03:31 AM	#11
Trond Saetre Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 3,375	Hi David, I think it was a good idea to make your film B&W. Nice film. I enjoyed watching it. I'm looking forward to see your future films.