UWOL#8 Transformations in the forest

[Bryce Comer]

Hi all,
i have just re-read all your comments, & noticed that a few of you had commented on my on screen presence, so i thought i would share a funny story with you on the subject. While i was doing my shooting, i had a fair idea of what i wanted to put together, & had for the first time even put a bit of a shot list together the night before, so thought i was pretty well prepared. It wasn't until i started shooting that i decided that it might work if i was actually in the shots telling the story. Of course this meant that i had no script prepared, so it took a few takes for the 3 on camera shots that i did. The funny thing was when i was editing it all together, i couldn't help but laugh at myself, as every time i was not happy with what i had just said on camera, i would walk away, do a little rehearsel to myself, then walk back on screen, only to say something completely different! Each time i wasn't happy with the take i would walk away cursing myself about being an idiot for not being able to get it right. Better make a mental note to myself, next time i had better make a shot list & a script!
Thank you to everyone for your feedback.

Bryce

[Mike Beckett]

Bryce,

An outtakes reel would be nice. Might need the bleeper though!

I did something the same when recording my voiceover in the bottom of the wardrobe. I recorded it all in one sitting, and then had to edit it down to get out all the re-takes, fluffed lines and unwanted noise. Lots of "Then, the moment I've bee.... Then, the moment I was... *siiiigh*.... Then... Oh for ***** sake..." and at one point "Oh *****! Cramp!"

I've resolved to swear less next time.

[Bryce Comer]

Hi Mike,
Yes you're right, it would need some bleeping in there that's for sure. I might make one one day, but first i will have to get my films a bit better so that people can tell the difference between my out takes, & my actual films! :)

Bryce

[Geir Inge]

Hi Bryce.

Nice film and with some awesome colours.
I like the whole film but maybe my favorite shot is at 1.10, sun/lake.
Also like your audio, and your camera work is great.
I guess most of us do have full time job on the side of uwol,
but in spite of that, it never stop amazing me how great these uwol films are.

All the best.
Geir Inge

[Marj Atkins]

A really nice video Bryce. Your opening scene is really stunning - as are most of your forest scenes. The incidental shots of the sun and moon are individually powerful images too - your red moon is amazing.

(Although only a personal opinion, I think I would have used the sunrise scene just before the final rehabilitated forest scene because there is a golden light on those trees that seemed to correlate nicely with the light of that sunrise. There seems to be quite a big jump in the quality of light between the sunrise and the scene following it where it is placed now, making it seem a bit arbitrary.)

I think the scene showing the chain saw cutting through the tree trunk is very effective and dramatic but found the end of it a bit of an anticlimax. I thought I was going to hear the loud crack and see and hear the thud of a tall Eucalyptus come crashing down. (Perhaps you could have cut the clip slightly shorter and inserted the sound effects to give the impression of the whole tree coming down not just a small slice?)

Your story is well told. I almost feel I am there with you in those different forest scenes - the only thing I am missing is the beautiful smell of eucalyptus, especially after you pull off that little twig ever so casually - nice touch added to your very warm, easy and informative presentation!

Something to watch out for if you are going to continue the trend of being an on screen presenter (and I think you should) is to watch the exposure on your face. In the first two shots your face is under-exposed when you move into the shade so we do not get a good, clear image. I am not sure how you would go about doing this when you are on the opposite side of the camera. As I have never tried anything like this myself I can only guess as to how you could go about it - perhaps have someone along with you or a dummy head or something with which to set it up! Otherwise I would try to judge it by the ambient light. Try to get yourself into a place with good light - choose a spot with the light coming from one side to help with definition and avoid backlight that will cause silhouette and light coming from the front that will tend to flatten your features.

One thing I miss in your story is a clearer reference to time. In your introduction you stated that the eucalyptus trees are very slow-growing, but I was left with an impression at the end that things recover quite quickly so why worry. I’m not sure how long the rehabilitation would take if the trees are slow growing. Certainly not fast enough to save the current homeless species.

I think this is a very good movie especially given your time-constraints. Look forward to seeing the next one - just love seeing all these wonderful foreign places each with all their unique diversity.

[Bryce Comer]

Wow thanks Marj for the feedback,
I love your idea of bringing in the sunrise shot before the last scene. Cutting shorter the shot of the tree being cut down would have also looked much better, & of course with some better sound effects would have made it more realistic. That was in fact what was left of a tree after a storm we had here a few weeks ago, i simply cut it down a little closer to the ground but there was only really about 3 feet of it left above where i made the cut, so unfortunately i couldn't get a great crashing sound.
I did have trouble trying to tell the whole story in the time without babbling on for the entire 3 minutes, something i didn't want to do. My original intention was to show the destruction of these mighty forests, & the impact logging has on the native flora & fauna in these areas, but time simpy didn't allow me to tell the whole story, so in the end i decided to put a more positive spin on it, & show how even after the destruction of the logging, the forest can come back. The time taken for this to happen however, was something i was not able to really get accross well, & as you have mentioned, i did not relay that message well. To give you an example of the time it takes for the forest to grow back, the last part where i walked up towards the camera & put my foot up onto an old tree stump. That stump would be somewhere around 300-400 years old. The trees around me at that point were all around 30 years old. The important message i had originally wanted to get across was that many native marsupials, & birds here in Australia need trees that bear hollows to live & breed, & they don't form in these trees for anywhere between 350-400 years. So by clear felling these sclerophyll forests, we are displacing pretty much all of the tree dwelling wildlife in that area. Some will move on & find new places to live, but most will not. It's that simple.
So you see, there is certainly much more to the issues of logging than what i have put forward in this film, but i think the real issues need far more than just 3 minutes to properly explain. In the end i wanted to keep it light, & try to be as positive as i could.
Thanks too for the tips on getting my exposure right, that first shot of me was pretty bad. I actually had the camera in full auto thinking that i would get the best results that way. It wasn't until i had started to edit it, with no time left to re-shoot that i really saw how bad it was. I'll definately be trying to set things up properly the next time i try this.

Geir,
Thanks for the encouragement. For my second go at this, i'm pretty happy with my results, especially as i only had the 2 days to put it all together. I only hope i can put some more time into the next round, & give it the very best i can do. If i can get nearer to the quality of the winning films from the last 2 rounds i will be very happy.

Thanks again,

Bryce

[Marj Atkins]

Originally Posted by Bryce Comer

To give you an example of the time it takes for the forest to grow back, the last part where i walked up towards the camera & put my foot up onto an old tree stump. That stump would be somewhere around 300-400 years old. The trees around me at that point were all around 30 years old. The important message i had originally wanted to get across was that many native marsupials, & birds here in Australia need trees that bear hollows to live & breed, & they don't form in these trees for anywhere between 350-400 years. So by clear felling these sclerophyll forests, we are displacing pretty much all of the tree dwelling wildlife in that area. Some will move on & find new places to live, but most will not. It's that simple.

Now that's the little bit of info I was missing and I feel would have rounded off your movie nicely. 300-400 years!!! Long way for those 30 year old trees to go still! ouch.

[Bryce Comer]

Hi Marj,
Yes i agree that that was what was missing. You are a credit to this forum. Your feedback is very constructive, informative & precise. I think your attention to detail is exactly why you are in the winners seat right now. (not excluding your obvious film making skills of course!)
I actually did one take with exactly that information, but i had no script, & what i said in front of the camera changed with every take. In the end, that one ended up on the cutting room floor, (virtual though it may be) in favour of one where i actually got all the words out without bumbling through them.

Thanks so much for your feedback, i really appreciate the time you have taken to offer it to me.

Regards,

Bryce

[Marj Atkins]

I must say Bryce that I in turn appreciate your response. Most of the time I write my comments with a great deal of fear and trepidation because I am very worried that I am going to step on someone’s toes or bruise someone’s ego by scribbling all over their work of art. There is such a fine line here. I am never sure when I am going to overstep it.
This is a fun challenge and one where we can share our efforts and our expertise - even if a bit flawed. Yesterday I laughed at myself because I know there are so many lurkers out there who are experts in their field - sound or camera work etc. and here I am dishing out unsolicited and probably debatable advice. Anyway Bryce I really am grateful that you have accepted my small offerings so graciously and trust that I haven’t overstepped the mark somewhere else.
As Bruce said (Cat’s thread) the measure here is the effort that is put in, and as Dale responded:

“Most of us are not professionals!!! measuring ourselves by professional standards is probably not the most encouraging light to look at ourselves. I think most of us work pretty hard to turn out something reasonable. ”

[Bryce Comer]

Well Marj,
I think everyone here is more than willing to learn, & you have certainly helped me learn a lot from the feedback you have given me. I don't think there has been a round yet that i have either been a part of, or for that matter, just seen from the sidelines that i haven't learnt from, simply by watching all the films. The feedback is a very important part of the learning. I think the feedback offered by our peers is a huge help in the continual improvement of the group. Although i have only taken part in 2 rounds (i missed out on #7 as i was away) i have watched all the films from previous rounds, & have seen huge improvements. A lot of that improvement i think has come from simply getting out & making films, but without the direction that the feedback & encouragement we all give eachother, i can't imagine that improvement would be so great.
I only wish i was able to offer the same quality of feedback to others that you have given me.

Thanks,

Bryce

[Marj Atkins]

Originally Posted by Bryce Comer

I don't think there has been a round yet that i have either been a part of, or for that matter, just seen from the sidelines that i haven't learnt from, simply by watching all the films. The feedback is a very important part of the learning. I think the feedback offered by our peers is a huge help in the continual improvement of the group.

I agree - my experience exactly!!