UWOL #14 "dejavu"

[Sam Mendolia]

Looking back through the previous posts, I guess it is safe to post the link to my video, on the Vimeo site.




Remember that all criticisms are part of my learning curve.

[Meryem Ersoz]

Hi Sam: Sorry, we changed the pre-posting policy, so you were probably looking back through last year's listings. But...I'll restore your Vimeo link once all the films are uploaded and linked. Posting higher rez versions to other sites is fine - in fact, we encourage it. But we like to release the films for each round en masse, so that everyone's film gets equal exposure initially and there is no extra influence on the judging.

As one of the players has commented: "It's too much like opening Christmas presents early."

[Sam Mendolia]

Meryem,

yes I was looking back, at old postings.


Sorry, for the extra work.

[Victor Wilcox]

Show off! Who ever heard of finishing a video early.

[Mike Sims]

Hey Sam- haven’t I seen this video somewhere before? (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!) You have an interesting take on the theme. I’ve always heard Algonquin Park was beautiful and your video certainly bears that out. Nice work. I loved the music too. You seem to have some vignetting on the spider’s web at 1:47.

[Chris Barcellos]

Nice imagery, and very interesting subject. I love the music too. Where was that ??

[Sam Mendolia]

The vignetting was on purpose, yeah right!

Actually it was, as I used it as "a Port hole, or portal".

If you read my small description on the Vimeo sight, I am into Sci-Fi, so this was my little take, on viewing a different world, from my "ship", up close.

[Sam Mendolia]

Chris, this was filmed in Algonquin Park, the first week in July 2009.

The area is Lake of Two Rivers, all of this was filmed, from the bank of the lake at the side of the main highway, HWY 60, through the park.

This is one of my favourite areas for canoeing, as the large lake has two fabulous rivers that allow for some great canoeing, and small portaging. Many opportunities for video and still photos alnog the way.

The rivers and the lake, were all used during the 1800's for logging, and many remnants of this period in the parks history, can still be found, if you look.

I have found many ancient maps, for the park, and one day, hope to hike/canoe, the ones that I have not found by accident, over the last 20 years, of campiny there.

Unfortunately, the maps only came into my hands, just before this trip.
Most of my discoveries came before I was married and had children, so now that I have introduced my youngest to camping, the five of us, can start exploring.

I have introduced them to photography, and they have seen me with the cameras, both still and video, glued to my face, so I bought them a small video camera.

The entire family has their own cameras, and all are very good, with a different perspective on the subject.

Hopefully a new generation of UWOLer will be in the works.

[Sam Mendolia]

Sorry Victor, had to get it done, when I had the time.

The video, as you see it, is a cycle, that has been witnessed by many, since the Glaciers left this part of the province, and Native North Americans came to live here, and now by the many visitors, who care to get up very early in the morning, and enjoyed all that nature has given us to see.

I have camped in The Park, since my early twenties, getting up early every morning, and heading out to see what there was to see, and hear what there was to hear.

I was was never let down, and always felt refreshed.

The mist over the water and land, has been coming and going, since before the first eyes saw it.

The different webs, bring life and death, and have been doing so, long before man stepped onto the earth.
These webs are there every morning, and gone by mid afternoon, and are respun, every night, by tenacious weavers, waitng for dawn, and a new meal.

The birds return every year, some in fewer numbers, unfortunately, but they come, and breed, and are protected here in this small sanctuary, on this big blue ball, in space.

Each of the dew drops are little worlds, not unlike our own, on the larger web of space, each can be snuffed out, in the blink of an eye, like a star exploding, taking a world with it, and having others created, over and over again, from the remnants.

Each morning is the same, but slightly different from the previous, and if you watchthe video very closely, you will see that each sequence, is different than the one that preceeded it, both visually, and audibly.

[Rich Ryan]

Sam,

You have some really nice shots. I really like the shot of the "island" at 0:45, the reflection off the water with the camera angle you used was really beautiful.

I did not "get" the port hole notion until I read it in your thread. Did you consider using something that looks a bit more like a port hole in post?

rich

[Sam Mendolia]

Rich,

I don't like messing around in video post, too much, but am starting to do more of it.
I know how to play with Photoshop, and then import the results, I just didn't feel the need to.

I am getting to do somethings that I have seen, such as saturation and colour correction, and Dale put me onto Mercalli, to help me with camera movement.

I saw the vignette, and for me it worked, it reminded me of travelling on airplanes, and looking out the window, from the aisle seat.

To each his own, as they say.

[Geir Inge]

Hi Sam.
You have some really nice shots along with some great music.
Love that kind of music.
The clip of the spiders net is great, but with a tripod it would be even greater.

Wish you all the best.
Geir Inge

[Trond Saetre]

Hi Sam,

Very nice images you have, and the music really fits in very well.
But I didn't really understand the port hole until I read your description.

Some of the shots were a little jerky. Was it handheld?

Thank you for sharing!

[Mihali Moore]

Hi Sam,

Lovely atmospheric shots. Worked very well with the music. I have to admit I didn't get the portal until I read our thread, and it is an interesting take.

As the others have said, a tripod would have helped with a few of those shots. But otherwise, a good film.

Mihali

[Per Johan Naesje]

Sam, do you have the Vimeo link? I have problems playing the film from the uwolchallenge site on my MacBook Pro, I get the soundtrack but can´t view any pictures!