Faale - Straholmen - UWOL long form

Finn-Erik Faale · October 15th, 2009, 02:36 PM

Here is a link to Stråholmen UWOL long form #4.
Narrating is in Norwegian. Below you will find the English translation.

Straholmen 4

00:04:18
The southern part of Stråholmen was declared a nature reserve in 1990. In the nesting period no human is allowed to enter this area.
Lots of seabirds nest out there. Migrating birds land and rest and leave.

00:05:18
As the ice withdrew more than 10 000 years ago the terminal moraine called the Ra was formed.
The sea has rounded the stones as here at Mølen. The Ra stretches further out and reappears at Stråholmen.

00:06:05
There were settlements on the island before 1600. Solid mooring rings are reminiscences of the time when Dutch ships stayed here waiting for fair wind.

00:06:21
Situated in open sea and close to the fjords and towns of Grenland Stråholmen was a perfect station for the sea pilots.
Agriculture and fishing were supplementary means of living. The population grew with the increase of shipping trade.
In 1875, 7 sea pilots and 49 people lived here.

00:06:46
The port conditions were poor until the pier was constructed by workers from the Telemark canal. The pier was finished in 1892.

00:07:16
The many skerries made the waters a frightful area.

00:07:24
I 1907 the Ålandic bark-ship Valona left Calais in France. She was on her way home to Åland in the Baltic sea. Christmas time was approaching. Increasing southern wind blew the ship towards the Norwegian coast. At 4 pm the Jomfruland lighthouse was seen to port. After a few hours breakers were heard. The lifeboat was launched and three men went aboard. A huge wave seized the lifeboat and turned it around. The three sailors managed to crawl up on the keel but lost the grip and disappeared. Shortly after the ship crashed on a skerry and everyone was thrown overboard.

00:09:06
13 men lost their lives. 12 were found and buried at the Skåtøy cemetery. A granite memorial was erected in memory of the unfortunates.

00:09:35
Here at Little Mostein the tragic shipwreck took place. The next morning a man caught sight of pieces of the wreck on the seashore. Then he heard screams from the skerry. A 20 year old sailor from Stockholm was rescued, strongly cooled down. He was the only survivor from Valona. In 1912 another shipwreck took place outside Stråholmen. A ship named Gustava of the nearby town Kragerø hit a skerry. 6 men lost their lives, two survived. After these tragedies a rescuing station was established at Stråholmen.

00:10:27
In 1911 a pilot station was established in Langesund. The island people made their living from fishing and agriculture alone and some became sailors. Since 1954 people have not passed the winters here. The homes of the pilots are now just summerhouses.
A few cottages have also been built.

00:11:08
The winter with snow has fallen upon the archipelago. This is the quiet season. A mute swan dwells where there is open water. A fishing boat maintains the channel in the ice.

00:12:01
Spring has arrived. The flowers grow up and face the sun.

00:13:24
Many new lives are born. Eggs are hatched. Many shall learn how to take the world with so many dangers

00:14:38
The house martins nest under the overhanging roof. At the end of August the young birds are still staying in the nest.

00:15:12
Then what should not happen yet happens. A cargo ship on anchor near Såsteinflaket drifted away a stormy night.
The ship stranded on a skerry and leaked more than 200 tons of heavy crude oil into the sea.

00:16:00
Crude oil drifted away with wind and stream. Shores from Sandefjord to Grimstad were affected and littered.

00:16:31
Many seabirds were hit by the spill.

00:17:26
A great job was done cleaning up the affected shores of Stråholmen. These stony shores were washed. Afterwards they were covered with bark and seaweed to soak up the remaining spots of oil. Oil booms are still floating on the waters as a final assurance.

00:18:00
Stråholmen is renowned for its botanical diversity .

00:21:11
Stråholmen has much to offer keen photographers.

Catherine Russell · October 18th, 2009, 02:23 PM

Congratulations Finn-Erik:

This looks like a final entry to me, or very close to it. This is a solid documentary of Straholmen and how it continues to survive past and present tragedies with grace and beauty. I thought this was masterfully put together, with very creative shots and transitions like the historic ship moving back to the sea horizon and the view of the sailboat through the eye bolt on your own boat. Nice way to wrap the movie up with you sailing in the beginning and at the end. The narrating in your own native tongue was perhaps the best way to do this, even though it is work for those of us who don't understand Norwegian. Your camera work is first rate, subject matter interesting, the choice of music and how you use it with your video is all very well done (like the timing of the news articles about the oil spill with the music). I enjoyed the wildlife and the domestic animal life as well. The sheep are wonderful, and the swan with her chick riding on her back was fantastic.

This is wonderfully put together and 21 minutes went by very quickly, even without understanding the narration (except through the script provided in your thread). The only minor point that I noticed was that around 5 minutes into the piece, perhaps the audio dips a bit and then recovers?

Straholmen is a beautiful place and I can see why you chose it as your topic for a long format film.

All the best,

Cat

p.s. I'm glad to hear that the oil spill clean up was successful and very well executed. That is good news!

Chris Swanberg · October 19th, 2009, 12:14 AM

Finn-Erik...

I agree with Cat (again) this does appear to me a mostly finished film... you have been making good use of your time (unlike some of us). The photography and music were superbly matched. All nicely done without being "overdone".

A question, have you considered doing a subtitled version? While the entire world does not speak english (and I do only because of anaccident of birth) you do significantly limit your audience with your native tongue narration (which was delightful to listen to even if I didn't understand a word).

Beautifully done. Bravo.

Chris

Geir Inge · October 19th, 2009, 03:28 AM

Hi Finn-Erik.
I think you have made a great video from Straaholmen.
I'm lucky to understand your language and must say it's all fine.
Both relaxing tempo and interesting to follow.
I will recommend you to make an english version though. This video is to good not to be understandable to others than Norwegians :)

I have some technical to point out, but only suggestions though :)
There are a few jump cuts, as follow:
At the beginning, sailing to Straaholmen, I think you shall put a cutaway between the two clips of thge seals. Also later in the video when you show the bushes (in norwegian: kratt/gror igjen), too many similar clips.
When tha man is talking to the crowd, maybe shorten that scene? I think it last for just a few seconds too long.
Then at a point, just for a short period the sound seems to get a bit low, I think it's when you say; "Villsauen er mindre..." The sheep is standing on some rocks (norwegian again; steingard).
I think you can make the night clips just a little bit lighter (?).

I am certain this video can be sold to NRK (our national TV), it's a grerat documentary.
Your narrations is relaxed and suits well to the video and I think it's quite a job you've done.
Of course I love the sheep (just have to, I made my mammal video about the Wild sheep/Viking sheep). You have managed to make the oil disaster (Full City) a natural part of the video - great.
Also love the scene of the, not so beloved American (sorry folks) The Mink. Maybe you should link this to the other disaster (oil)? The Mink doesn't belong in the norwegian nature, but is a result from animals in captivity for the fur.

OK, that's it from me, hope you can use some of my thoughts.

All the best
Geir Inge

Finn-Erik Faale · October 19th, 2009, 02:09 PM

Thank you all for overwhelming comments.

Cat,
I have adjusted the narrating level in the video, but as you observed, one place was omitted.

Chris,
It is a good idea to do a subtitled version. The other possibility is to narrate the comments with my Norwegian tongue. I am not quite sure what would be the best.

Geir Inge,
Thanks for your technical suggestions. I think I will follow them all. After hours in editing I get blind. At the end, It was impossible to decide what was good or bad...

Mike Sims · October 19th, 2009, 07:50 PM

Finn-Erik- You have produced a very good program. I think it has appeal to a wider audience than most of our entries. I printed the English translation and had fun following along. If you decide to use subtitles remember to make them larger than usual to be readable on a small screen. I think the night scenes are a little too dark. Try lightening them until they look too light and then add a little blue to make them look like night again. The audio sounds good and I really like the many camera angles. Congratulations.

Finn-Erik Faale · October 20th, 2009, 02:06 PM

Mike,
Thanks for your advice about the night scenes. I will try this out on the final video.

Catherine Russell · October 20th, 2009, 03:29 PM

Hi Finn-Erik:

How are you? I've posted on my thread a before and after picture of an attempt at color correction for one of the elk shots that's being commented on. Would you mind having a look and let me know if this is helping or hurting? Thanks so much for the advice!

Cat

Catherine Russell · October 21st, 2009, 04:03 PM

Thanks Finn-Erik for commenting on the photos. Your English is excellent and you explain yourself very well. I have a decided on a strategy now. Thanks for your help.

Cat

Dale Guthormsen · October 22nd, 2009, 02:40 PM

Finn,

Well put together and the images are very good.

I too would love a subtitled version for the the uwol submissions even if you take the track out later when you market it.

Marj Atkins · October 28th, 2009, 01:28 PM

Hi Finn-Erik

Well done! How I envy you. You have certainly used your time well to get this far.

As far as your film goes I cannot put it any better than Cat. A beautiful entry, stunning shots and sequences.

Don't be shy to do an English voice-over - your English is very good. (Just one caution if you do decide to go for it - watch out that your voice doesn't become too flat while you are reading the narration in English.)

Best wishes Finn-Erik.

Marj

Finn-Erik Faale · October 31st, 2009, 04:29 AM

Dale and Marj,

thanks for nice comments and suggestions.
I think I will do an English voice-over version for the last round.

Bob Safay · October 31st, 2009, 07:24 AM

Finn-Erik, when I try to open your video I can get audio but no video. Is there a problem on your end or mine? Bob

Finn-Erik Faale · October 31st, 2009, 02:00 PM

Hi Bob,

I am sorry about your problem.
The video works well on my pc and mac, but I had some similar problems before.
I had to reinstall the quicktime player.

Finn-Erik Faale · November 22nd, 2009, 03:38 PM

Here is my final anglophone version of my longform video.
I wish you a good listening.

October 19th, 2009, 03:28 AM	#49
Geir Inge Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Larsnes, Norway Posts: 1,343	Hi Finn-Erik. I think you have made a great video from Straaholmen. I'm lucky to understand your language and must say it's all fine. Both relaxing tempo and interesting to follow. I will recommend you to make an english version though. This video is to good not to be understandable to others than Norwegians :) I have some technical to point out, but only suggestions though :) There are a few jump cuts, as follow: At the beginning, sailing to Straaholmen, I think you shall put a cutaway between the two clips of thge seals. Also later in the video when you show the bushes (in norwegian: kratt/gror igjen), too many similar clips. When tha man is talking to the crowd, maybe shorten that scene? I think it last for just a few seconds too long. Then at a point, just for a short period the sound seems to get a bit low, I think it's when you say; "Villsauen er mindre..." The sheep is standing on some rocks (norwegian again; steingard). I think you can make the night clips just a little bit lighter (?). I am certain this video can be sold to NRK (our national TV), it's a grerat documentary. Your narrations is relaxed and suits well to the video and I think it's quite a job you've done. Of course I love the sheep (just have to, I made my mammal video about the Wild sheep/Viking sheep). You have managed to make the oil disaster (Full City) a natural part of the video - great. Also love the scene of the, not so beloved American (sorry folks) The Mink. Maybe you should link this to the other disaster (oil)? The Mink doesn't belong in the norwegian nature, but is a result from animals in captivity for the fur. OK, that's it from me, hope you can use some of my thoughts. All the best Geir Inge __________________ Geir Inge B. Brekke Visit me at: https://vimeo.com/gibbfilm

October 22nd, 2009, 02:40 PM	#55
Dale Guthormsen Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 3,048	Finn, Well put together and the images are very good. I too would love a subtitled version for the the uwol submissions even if you take the track out later when you market it. __________________ DATS ALL FOLKS Dale W. Guthormsen

November 22nd, 2009, 03:38 PM	#60
Finn-Erik Faale Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Porsgrunn Norway Posts: 280	Here is my final anglophone version of my longform video. I wish you a good listening. Last edited by Meryem Ersoz; November 23rd, 2009 at 08:34 AM.

October 15th, 2009, 02:36 PM	#46
Finn-Erik Faale Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Porsgrunn Norway Posts: 280	Here is a link to Stråholmen UWOL long form #4. Narrating is in Norwegian. Below you will find the English translation. Straholmen 4 00:04:18 The southern part of Stråholmen was declared a nature reserve in 1990. In the nesting period no human is allowed to enter this area. Lots of seabirds nest out there. Migrating birds land and rest and leave. 00:05:18 As the ice withdrew more than 10 000 years ago the terminal moraine called the Ra was formed. The sea has rounded the stones as here at Mølen. The Ra stretches further out and reappears at Stråholmen. 00:06:05 There were settlements on the island before 1600. Solid mooring rings are reminiscences of the time when Dutch ships stayed here waiting for fair wind. 00:06:21 Situated in open sea and close to the fjords and towns of Grenland Stråholmen was a perfect station for the sea pilots. Agriculture and fishing were supplementary means of living. The population grew with the increase of shipping trade. In 1875, 7 sea pilots and 49 people lived here. 00:06:46 The port conditions were poor until the pier was constructed by workers from the Telemark canal. The pier was finished in 1892. 00:07:16 The many skerries made the waters a frightful area. 00:07:24 I 1907 the Ålandic bark-ship Valona left Calais in France. She was on her way home to Åland in the Baltic sea. Christmas time was approaching. Increasing southern wind blew the ship towards the Norwegian coast. At 4 pm the Jomfruland lighthouse was seen to port. After a few hours breakers were heard. The lifeboat was launched and three men went aboard. A huge wave seized the lifeboat and turned it around. The three sailors managed to crawl up on the keel but lost the grip and disappeared. Shortly after the ship crashed on a skerry and everyone was thrown overboard. 00:09:06 13 men lost their lives. 12 were found and buried at the Skåtøy cemetery. A granite memorial was erected in memory of the unfortunates. 00:09:35 Here at Little Mostein the tragic shipwreck took place. The next morning a man caught sight of pieces of the wreck on the seashore. Then he heard screams from the skerry. A 20 year old sailor from Stockholm was rescued, strongly cooled down. He was the only survivor from Valona. In 1912 another shipwreck took place outside Stråholmen. A ship named Gustava of the nearby town Kragerø hit a skerry. 6 men lost their lives, two survived. After these tragedies a rescuing station was established at Stråholmen. 00:10:27 In 1911 a pilot station was established in Langesund. The island people made their living from fishing and agriculture alone and some became sailors. Since 1954 people have not passed the winters here. The homes of the pilots are now just summerhouses. A few cottages have also been built. 00:11:08 The winter with snow has fallen upon the archipelago. This is the quiet season. A mute swan dwells where there is open water. A fishing boat maintains the channel in the ice. 00:12:01 Spring has arrived. The flowers grow up and face the sun. 00:13:24 Many new lives are born. Eggs are hatched. Many shall learn how to take the world with so many dangers 00:14:38 The house martins nest under the overhanging roof. At the end of August the young birds are still staying in the nest. 00:15:12 Then what should not happen yet happens. A cargo ship on anchor near Såsteinflaket drifted away a stormy night. The ship stranded on a skerry and leaked more than 200 tons of heavy crude oil into the sea. 00:16:00 Crude oil drifted away with wind and stream. Shores from Sandefjord to Grimstad were affected and littered. 00:16:31 Many seabirds were hit by the spill. 00:17:26 A great job was done cleaning up the affected shores of Stråholmen. These stony shores were washed. Afterwards they were covered with bark and seaweed to soak up the remaining spots of oil. Oil booms are still floating on the waters as a final assurance. 00:18:00 Stråholmen is renowned for its botanical diversity . 00:21:11 Stråholmen has much to offer keen photographers.

October 18th, 2009, 02:23 PM	#47
Catherine Russell Trustee Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lyons, Colorado Posts: 1,224	Congratulations Finn-Erik: This looks like a final entry to me, or very close to it. This is a solid documentary of Straholmen and how it continues to survive past and present tragedies with grace and beauty. I thought this was masterfully put together, with very creative shots and transitions like the historic ship moving back to the sea horizon and the view of the sailboat through the eye bolt on your own boat. Nice way to wrap the movie up with you sailing in the beginning and at the end. The narrating in your own native tongue was perhaps the best way to do this, even though it is work for those of us who don't understand Norwegian. Your camera work is first rate, subject matter interesting, the choice of music and how you use it with your video is all very well done (like the timing of the news articles about the oil spill with the music). I enjoyed the wildlife and the domestic animal life as well. The sheep are wonderful, and the swan with her chick riding on her back was fantastic. This is wonderfully put together and 21 minutes went by very quickly, even without understanding the narration (except through the script provided in your thread). The only minor point that I noticed was that around 5 minutes into the piece, perhaps the audio dips a bit and then recovers? Straholmen is a beautiful place and I can see why you chose it as your topic for a long format film. All the best, Cat p.s. I'm glad to hear that the oil spill clean up was successful and very well executed. That is good news!

October 19th, 2009, 12:14 AM	#48
Chris Swanberg Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 904	Finn-Erik... I agree with Cat (again) this does appear to me a mostly finished film... you have been making good use of your time (unlike some of us). The photography and music were superbly matched. All nicely done without being "overdone". A question, have you considered doing a subtitled version? While the entire world does not speak english (and I do only because of anaccident of birth) you do significantly limit your audience with your native tongue narration (which was delightful to listen to even if I didn't understand a word). Beautifully done. Bravo. Chris

October 19th, 2009, 02:09 PM	#50
Finn-Erik Faale Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Porsgrunn Norway Posts: 280	Thank you all for overwhelming comments. Cat, I have adjusted the narrating level in the video, but as you observed, one place was omitted. Chris, It is a good idea to do a subtitled version. The other possibility is to narrate the comments with my Norwegian tongue. I am not quite sure what would be the best. Geir Inge, Thanks for your technical suggestions. I think I will follow them all. After hours in editing I get blind. At the end, It was impossible to decide what was good or bad...

October 19th, 2009, 07:50 PM	#51
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Finn-Erik- You have produced a very good program. I think it has appeal to a wider audience than most of our entries. I printed the English translation and had fun following along. If you decide to use subtitles remember to make them larger than usual to be readable on a small screen. I think the night scenes are a little too dark. Try lightening them until they look too light and then add a little blue to make them look like night again. The audio sounds good and I really like the many camera angles. Congratulations.

October 20th, 2009, 02:06 PM	#52
Finn-Erik Faale Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Porsgrunn Norway Posts: 280	Mike, Thanks for your advice about the night scenes. I will try this out on the final video.

October 20th, 2009, 03:29 PM	#53
Catherine Russell Trustee Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lyons, Colorado Posts: 1,224	Hi Finn-Erik: How are you? I've posted on my thread a before and after picture of an attempt at color correction for one of the elk shots that's being commented on. Would you mind having a look and let me know if this is helping or hurting? Thanks so much for the advice! Cat

October 21st, 2009, 04:03 PM	#54
Catherine Russell Trustee Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Lyons, Colorado Posts: 1,224	Thanks Finn-Erik for commenting on the photos. Your English is excellent and you explain yourself very well. I have a decided on a strategy now. Thanks for your help. Cat

October 28th, 2009, 01:28 PM	#56
Marj Atkins Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Johannesburg South Africa Posts: 768	Hi Finn-Erik Well done! How I envy you. You have certainly used your time well to get this far. As far as your film goes I cannot put it any better than Cat. A beautiful entry, stunning shots and sequences. Don't be shy to do an English voice-over - your English is very good. (Just one caution if you do decide to go for it - watch out that your voice doesn't become too flat while you are reading the narration in English.) Best wishes Finn-Erik. Marj

October 31st, 2009, 04:29 AM	#57
Finn-Erik Faale Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Porsgrunn Norway Posts: 280	Dale and Marj, thanks for nice comments and suggestions. I think I will do an English voice-over version for the last round.

October 31st, 2009, 07:24 AM	#58
Bob Safay Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 1,558	Finn-Erik, when I try to open your video I can get audio but no video. Is there a problem on your end or mine? Bob

October 31st, 2009, 02:00 PM	#59
Finn-Erik Faale Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Porsgrunn Norway Posts: 280	Hi Bob, I am sorry about your problem. The video works well on my pc and mac, but I had some similar problems before. I had to reinstall the quicktime player.