UWOL #9: strix-nebulosa by Per Johan Naesje

[Geir Inge]

Hi PJ

Great film of the owl (lappugle).
I have plans for some owl filming myself, maybe next year or later this year, the mighty eagle owl is breeding not far from where I live :)
Great pick of music and you show us a bird we dont see very often. Colours and editing are fine and your VO works for me. After all I think the english speaking uwolers are getting used to our scandinavian accent by now :) A personal feeling is that I wish you had used another background sound then the little birds. I would have liked a sound clip from the owl it self?
Even a pre-recorded would do.
There is a sound at 2.45 is it a natural sound from the take or just noice?
Just wonder :)

All the best.
Geir Inge

PS
I will go to Runde maybe on friday. I'll send you a text message about the puffin.
But you have to buy yourself a new cell phone PJ, so I can send you a photo too :)

[Per Johan Naesje]

Originally Posted by Geir Inge

A personal feeling is that I wish you had used another background sound then the little birds. I would have liked a sound clip from the owl it self?
Even a pre-recorded would do.
There is a sound at 2.45 is it a natural sound from the take or just noice?
Just wonder :)
....
PS
I will go to Runde maybe on friday. I'll send you a text message about the puffin.
But you have to buy yourself a new cell phone PJ, so I can send you a photo too :)

The sound at 2:45 is ambient and original sound when the owl hit the ground. I've used a Sennheiser Me-67 to collect ambient sound through this film.
And the bird song that you hear in the film is actual ambient sound from the footage, nothing is removed or added! I have just adjusted levels.
The owl is very silent this time of year. You could sometimes hear the female calling for the male, but I didn't get any sound from this.

It's funny in a way, but when you look at BBC, Animal Planet or Discovery nature films, there's alway a lot of sound from the different animals/birds seen. This is often "fake" sound done in a studio afterwards. The reality is often much more silent than you could think of watcing the films. I was laughing when I watched BBC's Planet earth and watched the scene about the musk ox. They had put on a roar as it was from a Lion, it has nothing to do with any musk-ox that I have heard anyway!
I think they do this "fake sounds" to make the film more interesting for the viewers to watch. But for me this is being to good to be true and it often reduce the quality of the film!

...
I will be at Runde next week (hopefully). Will try to carry the Panasonic AJ-HPX3000 all the way to the puffin... ... nice if you could report about the puffin status!

All the best;
Per Johan

[Ron Chant]

Hi Per,
A lot of fake sound is use for example the famous sequence of the Polar bear emerging from her snow-birthing hole
in the Kingdom of the ice Bear the sound that was supposed to be the cubs was Mike Salisbury making the sound
Also the sound of the mother walking over the frozen snow they used cloth money bags from a
bank, filled with custard powder, convincing ah.

Pre,
Your film well from the opening scene music very planet earth, then the use of the crane what a tool they are, I used one on Sunday morning.
The first close ups of the GGO it looks forward as if looking over a pair of glasses
A magic piece of video the low sun striking the owl and trees giving that evening setting sun feel.
It’s the comb like primary feathers that give owls their silent flight,
I kept eagles owls for some years back in the 1980s lovely bird.
Thanks for showing your hard work Per.
When you get time I would love to hear (as many have said) the way you set your self out to get this great footage.

[Markus Nord]

Originally Posted by Per Johan Naesje

It's funny in a way, but when you look at BBC, Animal Planet or Discovery nature films, there's alway a lot of sound from the different animals/birds seen. This is often "fake" sound done in a studio afterwards. The reality is often much more silent than you could think of watcing the films. I was laughing when I watched BBC's Planet earth and watched the scene about the musk ox. They had put on a roar as it was from a Lion, it has nothing to do with any musk-ox that I have heard anyway!
I think they do this "fake sounds" to make the film more interesting for the viewers to watch. But for me this is being to good to be true and it often reduce the quality of the film!

Sorry to steal you thread Per but I would like to put a comment on this issue.
I got the same problem when I'm viewing UW films. Fish don't make any sound when they swim, but in every BBC/AP/DC they got this "force sound" when a fish passes. I tried to make up sounds during a production but I don't have the technique to produce them. It’s a tough nut to crack, fake sound for the viewer or as natural as possible?

I will post this in the UWOL forum so we can continue this there if any one would like…

Markus

[Mugurel Dragusin]

Goddag Per Johan, gratulerer! Not only your entry it's stunning but it shows your dedication to get the right shots, just great stuff :) Almost makes me interested in UWOL challenge!

Tusen takk :)

[Annie Haycock]

Some absolutely stunning shots there, I am envious.

Two mild criticisms. First that there is almost too much of the owl, and perhaps a couple of cutaways to other things in the habitat would have helped break it up a little. Second, there were some shots with yellow sunlight, and some with no sunlight, but they were a little mixed up, and I found that distracting. Also a sequence of flight shots where he had no prey, then was carrying prey, and then didn't have it when he was landing.

But maybe I'm just being picky because I am envious.

[Ruth Happel]

Per,

Another stunning film. Of course, by now I expect that, so it was no surprise. Well, a little. Because the way you captured the owls in flight, coming right toward the camera, made this film even more immediate than any of your others. It had a feeling to make the viewer feel in the middle of the forest with you, without a camera. And the way you used the crane contributed even more to this magic. I think the ultimate good film is one where you forget you are watching one, and for me you achieved this. I felt like I was just watching the owl, almost flying with it. Thanks so much for sharing this amazing experience- I am looking forward to the next one!