Short form contest and a sub-contest question... at DVinfo.net

Meryem Ersoz · March 17th, 2009, 02:21 PM

For those of you who have been asking, short form sign ups will resume once the DVC sign ups are closed. I don't want to compete with DVC for players. Yes, we will squeeze in 4 short form contests this year, but between my personal issues with V-dog and getting the long-form moving, the short form has gotten the shim-sham a bit. But we will get it up and running shortly, I promise.

Now here is another question - I'm soliciting opinions. I'm finally getting around to learning Color, which I have not played with much, and it is a really cool program. Would you folks be interested in a sub-contest on Color (or any color correcting program). It would look like this...shoot and edit 1 minute of nature/outdoors footage and re-color that same footage, so that you would submit a 2-minute short which repeats the same footage, before and after. Maybe 1-1/2 minutes.

Why am I considering this? Primarily because we don't do enough working with a broad color palette, for the most part, and because I think the long-form folks could benefit from breaking up the color space in their videos and might draw some good ideas for how to do this from such a contest. This would be independent of either the short or long form contest. You would be able to use the footage generated in long form.

Thoughts? Opinions?

Mat Thompson · March 17th, 2009, 05:00 PM

Hey Meryem
Anything that promotes some learning is a bonus! All I would say is will the changes have to be something greater than a simple colour grade. So would you get extra brownie points for how creative you get with the colouring or would it be still based on content !?

Also to make things even more interesting, why not base eveyones on the same footage. So you upload 1 minute of a basic edit and people have to grade/colour the footage to a end result. It would really make it a pure colouring excercise !?

Mat

Trond Saetre · March 18th, 2009, 05:39 AM

I still have a lot to learn about color correction, so I believe this could be a great learning experience.

Meryem Ersoz · March 18th, 2009, 06:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mat Thompson

Hey Meryem
Anything that promotes some learning is a bonus! All I would say is will the changes have to be something greater than a simple colour grade. So would you get extra brownie points for how creative you get with the colouring or would it be still based on content !?

Also to make things even more interesting, why not base eveyones on the same footage. So you upload 1 minute of a basic edit and people have to grade/colour the footage to a end result. It would really make it a pure colouring excercise !?

Mat

These are all good ideas. Since this isn't a content exercise, like you say, just a skills exercise, a single short clip is a good idea. It would be great to be able to see several dozen "looks" applied to the same footage.

Jennie Stenhouse · March 18th, 2009, 06:53 AM

Oh i really really like this idea :)
I would be in for sure!

Meryem Ersoz · March 18th, 2009, 07:16 AM

well, that's 3...i guess if we can get 10 people in, then we will run it. Otherwise, I'll just go back to making my own immature looking color palettes and learn from those. Or just go back and look again at everything Nate Weaver has ever posted for ideas....

Mike Sims · March 18th, 2009, 11:40 AM

Meryem- This is an interesting idea. Color manipulation tools get called collectively “CC”, but for me there are two separate issues- correction and expression. I’m not sure which we’re shooting for here- perhaps just mastery of the toolset? In my long form 3 minutes I turned dead yellow leaves into live green leaves and tried to color match footage from a 3 chip camera and a 1 chip camera. Is that the kind of thing you mean? The idea of using standard footage is good. I hope we wouldn’t be limited to that. I always seem to learn better when using my own footage for some reason.

Is there a way to nest threads? I fear that when we have all three “contests” running I’m going to be seriously confused if the feedback threads get completely intermingled.

I’ve never played the short form for a couple of reasons. First, I greatly dislike deadlines. I know that’s not very “real world” of me. When I was an academic I came to feel that I could have done a much better job on everything I did without the artificial deadlines. Second, my income is not what it once was. There are some topics I just can’t financially justify trying to shoot for. That’s why I jumped in for the long form. Choose your own topic and enough time to work on it. As you’ve said, no one needs UWOL to make their own videos. I’ve been working in a vacuum for so long that I’m seriously enjoying the camaraderie here. My friends and family all think I’m deranged for even doing this. It sure is nice to communicate with and learn from all you nice folks who really understand. I guess there’s no shame in signing up for the short form and then dropping out if I feel I can’t afford to do it justice. Maybe I’ll give it a go if it won’t detract from my long form efforts.

On a personal note, I’ve just learned of your tragic news. I think we all empathize with your pain and admire you all the more for soldiering on through the bereavement. Hang in there.

Jeff Hendricks · March 18th, 2009, 12:38 PM

I am legally color blind so seeing minor color variations for me is impossible...I just stick to what feels good to my eyes more like tasting the image as opposed to seeing it...and I love Magic Bullet because I don't have to do any of my own manipulation (there was a film I made where I tried to change to color some and if my wife had not caught it, all of the people in it would have been green)...

So, yes I would be interested in learning more about color manipulation but I am not sure if I would participate this year because I am totally engrossed in the long form right now...

Dale Guthormsen · March 18th, 2009, 07:34 PM

Meryem,

Sense I am solely in UWOL for education and self improvement I would definitely be involved; even if I do not have any color management software like bullet, etc. ell I do have after Effects which I use seldom. good excuse to get after it!!

Having the same piece of video is an interesting concept!!!

Sense I have no shooting for long form for a month, I will have time for a short form and need some reason to get out of the house.

Lets get going, eh?

Jennie Stenhouse · March 19th, 2009, 05:51 AM

Oh and I would totally be up for short form as a commitment to a new project at work means i may have to pull out of long form ( i know gasp! ).

Bryce Comer · March 19th, 2009, 11:28 AM

Hi Meryem,
I love the idea of the CC one. I have been thinking a lot about this very subject lately, as i quite often seem to be able to shoot some very flat images, so for me to be forced to learn how to fix these types of flat images in post would be a great help.
Bryce

Dale Guthormsen · April 9th, 2009, 05:16 PM

Lets get started beofre the Long form is due in May!!!!!!

Paul Mailath · April 10th, 2009, 05:09 AM

I'm up for this - and I agree totally with Mike - correction & expression are two seperate parts of CC that deserve attention. The one piece of footage that we all work on would be great, if we could find a CC 'expert' that could shoot footage in desperate need of CC, we could all have a go and then look at what the 'expert' did and how he achieved it.

just a thought - in whatever form, I'm in

Sam Mendolia · April 13th, 2009, 06:55 AM

I am not going to be able to participate in this, but, I would love to see what you all come up with.

I have similar issues as Bryce, and in one of my threads, I was looking to find out how to get better images, either straight from the camera, as well as what you are to achieve here, in post.

vive la difference!

March 17th, 2009, 02:21 PM	#1
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	Short form contest and a sub-contest question... For those of you who have been asking, short form sign ups will resume once the DVC sign ups are closed. I don't want to compete with DVC for players. Yes, we will squeeze in 4 short form contests this year, but between my personal issues with V-dog and getting the long-form moving, the short form has gotten the shim-sham a bit. But we will get it up and running shortly, I promise. Now here is another question - I'm soliciting opinions. I'm finally getting around to learning Color, which I have not played with much, and it is a really cool program. Would you folks be interested in a sub-contest on Color (or any color correcting program). It would look like this...shoot and edit 1 minute of nature/outdoors footage and re-color that same footage, so that you would submit a 2-minute short which repeats the same footage, before and after. Maybe 1-1/2 minutes. Why am I considering this? Primarily because we don't do enough working with a broad color palette, for the most part, and because I think the long-form folks could benefit from breaking up the color space in their videos and might draw some good ideas for how to do this from such a contest. This would be independent of either the short or long form contest. You would be able to use the footage generated in long form. Thoughts? Opinions?

March 17th, 2009, 05:00 PM	#2
Mat Thompson Trustee Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kent UK Posts: 1,397	Hey Meryem Anything that promotes some learning is a bonus! All I would say is will the changes have to be something greater than a simple colour grade. So would you get extra brownie points for how creative you get with the colouring or would it be still based on content !? Also to make things even more interesting, why not base eveyones on the same footage. So you upload 1 minute of a basic edit and people have to grade/colour the footage to a end result. It would really make it a pure colouring excercise !? Mat Last edited by Mat Thompson; March 18th, 2009 at 05:58 AM.

March 18th, 2009, 12:38 PM	#8
Jeff Hendricks Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: The Carson Valley, Nevada Posts: 248	I am legally color blind so seeing minor color variations for me is impossible...I just stick to what feels good to my eyes more like tasting the image as opposed to seeing it...and I love Magic Bullet because I don't have to do any of my own manipulation (there was a film I made where I tried to change to color some and if my wife had not caught it, all of the people in it would have been green)... So, yes I would be interested in learning more about color manipulation but I am not sure if I would participate this year because I am totally engrossed in the long form right now... __________________ www.tahoestarr.com

March 18th, 2009, 07:34 PM	#9
Dale Guthormsen Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 3,048	Meryem, Sense I am solely in UWOL for education and self improvement I would definitely be involved; even if I do not have any color management software like bullet, etc. ell I do have after Effects which I use seldom. good excuse to get after it!! Having the same piece of video is an interesting concept!!! Sense I have no shooting for long form for a month, I will have time for a short form and need some reason to get out of the house. Lets get going, eh? __________________ DATS ALL FOLKS Dale W. Guthormsen

March 19th, 2009, 11:28 AM	#11
Bryce Comer Trustee Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Rossland, British Columbia Posts: 1,024	Hi Meryem, I love the idea of the CC one. I have been thinking a lot about this very subject lately, as i quite often seem to be able to shoot some very flat images, so for me to be forced to learn how to fix these types of flat images in post would be a great help. Bryce __________________ There's never enough hours in the day!

March 18th, 2009, 05:39 AM	#3
Trond Saetre Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 3,375	I still have a lot to learn about color correction, so I believe this could be a great learning experience.

March 18th, 2009, 06:53 AM	#5
Jennie Stenhouse Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: SOUTH AFRICA Posts: 40	Oh i really really like this idea :) I would be in for sure!

March 18th, 2009, 07:16 AM	#6
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	well, that's 3...i guess if we can get 10 people in, then we will run it. Otherwise, I'll just go back to making my own immature looking color palettes and learn from those. Or just go back and look again at everything Nate Weaver has ever posted for ideas....

March 18th, 2009, 11:40 AM	#7
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Meryem- This is an interesting idea. Color manipulation tools get called collectively “CC”, but for me there are two separate issues- correction and expression. I’m not sure which we’re shooting for here- perhaps just mastery of the toolset? In my long form 3 minutes I turned dead yellow leaves into live green leaves and tried to color match footage from a 3 chip camera and a 1 chip camera. Is that the kind of thing you mean? The idea of using standard footage is good. I hope we wouldn’t be limited to that. I always seem to learn better when using my own footage for some reason. Is there a way to nest threads? I fear that when we have all three “contests” running I’m going to be seriously confused if the feedback threads get completely intermingled. I’ve never played the short form for a couple of reasons. First, I greatly dislike deadlines. I know that’s not very “real world” of me. When I was an academic I came to feel that I could have done a much better job on everything I did without the artificial deadlines. Second, my income is not what it once was. There are some topics I just can’t financially justify trying to shoot for. That’s why I jumped in for the long form. Choose your own topic and enough time to work on it. As you’ve said, no one needs UWOL to make their own videos. I’ve been working in a vacuum for so long that I’m seriously enjoying the camaraderie here. My friends and family all think I’m deranged for even doing this. It sure is nice to communicate with and learn from all you nice folks who really understand. I guess there’s no shame in signing up for the short form and then dropping out if I feel I can’t afford to do it justice. Maybe I’ll give it a go if it won’t detract from my long form efforts. On a personal note, I’ve just learned of your tragic news. I think we all empathize with your pain and admire you all the more for soldiering on through the bereavement. Hang in there.

March 19th, 2009, 05:51 AM	#10
Jennie Stenhouse Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: SOUTH AFRICA Posts: 40	Oh and I would totally be up for short form as a commitment to a new project at work means i may have to pull out of long form ( i know gasp! ).

April 9th, 2009, 05:16 PM	#12
Dale Guthormsen Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 3,048	lets go!!!! Lets get started beofre the Long form is due in May!!!!!! __________________ DATS ALL FOLKS Dale W. Guthormsen

April 10th, 2009, 05:09 AM	#13
Paul Mailath Trustee Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Central Coast - NSW, Australia Posts: 1,606	I'm up for this - and I agree totally with Mike - correction & expression are two seperate parts of CC that deserve attention. The one piece of footage that we all work on would be great, if we could find a CC 'expert' that could shoot footage in desperate need of CC, we could all have a go and then look at what the 'expert' did and how he achieved it. just a thought - in whatever form, I'm in __________________ Cheers - Paul M. www.perbenyik.com

April 13th, 2009, 06:55 AM	#14
Sam Mendolia Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 217	I am not going to be able to participate in this, but, I would love to see what you all come up with. I have similar issues as Bryce, and in one of my threads, I was looking to find out how to get better images, either straight from the camera, as well as what you are to achieve here, in post. vive la difference! __________________ I was told I have no vision, but boy do I see great!