UWOL#15-"1000 Feet"

Mike Sims · November 1st, 2009, 05:19 PM

Thanks Mike. I wish I’d had access to some of the tropical species with their beautiful hues of red, blue, green or gold. Unfortunately most of them are poisonous and/or stink like… well you can imagine!

Mike Sims · November 1st, 2009, 05:38 PM

Thanks Chris. Sorry you found it creepy (or should that be creeeeeeeeeeeeepy?) Just think Halloween. I used to teach at a major university. I guess I still miss it. Sorry if I tend to lecture too much.

Kevin Railsback · November 1st, 2009, 07:27 PM

MIke,

From the title I thought it was going to be a film about birds or something. :) Never dawned on me that we'd be at ground level. :)

Beautiful macro footage! Loved the close-up shot of how all the legs work to allow movement. Especially the shot at 01:54.

You certainly have a knack for getting great macro shots!

I thought it was a great educational film. It was the right mix of science and entertainment without going over anyone's head.

If you're not doing this type of work for a living, you should be!

Bob Thieda · November 2nd, 2009, 08:33 AM

Wow Mike...where do I start?

You've already heard most of it...Great macro! Interesting creatures! Educational!

And yes, I learned something and that is always a plus....
I even learned how you did that great book animation at the end, (of course I don't understand half of what you said...LOL...)

Oh...I laughed out loud with the marching feet sound effect....

Very nice work...makes me anxious to see your long-form video...

Oliver Pahlow · November 2nd, 2009, 10:42 AM

Mike,

That was very interesting and I loved the quality of your macro shots. I did not know that millipedes can live up to 10 years. Well done.

Chris Swanberg · November 2nd, 2009, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Sims

Thanks Chris. Sorry you found it creepy (or should that be creeeeeeeeeeeeepy?) Just think Halloween. I used to teach at a major university. I guess I still miss it. Sorry if I tend to lecture too much.

Mike... maybe creepy was the wrong word. All my life I have struggled with how to get "warm and fuzzy" with the animals with hard exoskeletons, or other members of family arthropeda for that matter.

And I wasn't meaning to suggest you had been lecturing, at all. Your films always have a strong educational flavor to them and you carry it off very well. You could successfully make a line of shorts for a series to be used in school science programs methinks. Sort of a Mr. Wizard meets the Yeti film-maker. (with apologies to Kevin for that reference).

Sam Mendolia · November 4th, 2009, 12:30 PM

Ahh, my kind of video.

Great visuals, loved the macro,I'm biased on that, good VO, and I learned something.

My kids would love this, but I bet as hard as I try, to get them into the small world,they would still say ewwww!

I'm working on them.

Great video.

Mike Sims · November 5th, 2009, 02:34 PM

Wow! Thanks Kevin. Praise like that is better than those huge UWOL cash prizes! (What? UWOL doesn’t give out huge cash prizes? Aw shucks!)

Mike Sims · November 5th, 2009, 02:35 PM

Thanks Bob. I’m surprised no one has said anything about the marching feet title that goes with the sound effect- so I will. I was at a wedding and I tried and tried to corral people to get that shot. Finally I enlisted my niece who had everyone lined up and marching in about twenty seconds flat.

Mike Sims · November 5th, 2009, 02:36 PM

Thanks Oliver. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I should have mentioned that some only live a few weeks.

Mike Sims · November 5th, 2009, 02:38 PM

Chris- I used to work for a boss that is a crustacean expert. Some of them are, admittedly, pretty creepy. (For that matter so are some of the crustaceans!)

Mike Sims · November 5th, 2009, 02:39 PM

Hi Sam. Thanks for the nice comment. Go ahead and line up the kids and tell them- “Hey! Watch this. It’s really gross!” Works every time.

Geir Inge · November 6th, 2009, 03:18 AM

Hi Mike.

Holy Moly what a great video this is.
I am sure this video will be a hit in every school class, eh?
Especially at children’s school :)
The close ups are perfect and I love the way you are starting up.
Lifting the stones, finding a salamander under some leaves, etc, etc.
Very clever done!
The opening title is neat and I liked it, I can’t remember anyone using a “Matte Track” in Uwol before, or am I wrong here?
The bird at 00.41 (is it a falcon?), well I think this shot/clip is a little bit “snowy” if you know what I mean? Maybe shot at different light conditions?
Also the sound track, is it Foley or original sounds? If so, can you mention how you did it or what resource you’ve been using?
I think you have made a great video in this round, for educational, scientific and entertainment use.

I wish you all the best and good luck.
Geir Inge

Meryem Ersoz · November 6th, 2009, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Sims

I used to teach at a major university. I guess I still miss it. .

Me too. But I don't miss it because watching all you self-starters learning scratches that teaching itch.

And I don't have to hold my nose and grade any really bad papers. Bonus.

Nice film--

Mike Sims · November 6th, 2009, 08:19 AM

Thanks Geir Inge. I experimented with a Track Matte title on my UWOL video “Hunger”. It wasn’t very good. I’m glad you liked this one.
The sound is a combination of Voice Over, ambient sound, and Foley with a few sound effects. I record the VO and Foley direct to disc with a MXL USB.008 microphone. I place my Foley Box in front of the mic. It is a low walled wooden tray that contains sand, soil, sticks and dried leaves. I then watch the clip I am recording Foley for play over and over while I use my hands in the box to try and make appropriate sounds. The audio recordings are then trimmed and placed into the timeline in Premiere. I then edit each audio clip in Adobe Audition. In Audition I adjust the amplitude, do noise reduction and then run them through a 20 stage Graphic Equalizer to emphasize or de-emphasize certain sounds. I then send them back to Premiere where I do the final sound mix. The ambient sound and sound effects (like the sliding window and the thumps from my hand striking a wooden table) are recorded live with the camera’s on board mic and then edited the same way. Ambient is the hardest for me because there is so much noise from cars, airplanes , dogs ect.
The bird is a Red-shouldered Hawk which nests nearby. I was taking a break from editing and saw him sitting a few feet away out the kitchen window. I grabbed the camera and just got the shot. Because I didn’t have time to attach the polarizer filter, there are reflections from the glass. I tried to minimize them in post but it doesn’t look very good. I should have used another shot, but I didn’t have time.
There is an interesting story about these birds. The hawks will build a nest and raise young in it. The next year they will move a short distance and do it again. Barred Owls will nest in the first nest. The next year they will switch nests. They may switch back and forth for several years. Why? It is thought that perhaps this arrangement helps keep down the populations of feather mites infesting the nests. These are species-specific parasites that chew on and damage feathers. Both birds have several subspecies but this only occurs in the subspecies of each which is found in central Texas. The other subspecies, whose ranges also overlap, have never been observed to do this. Why?…

November 1st, 2009, 07:27 PM	#18
Kevin Railsback Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa Posts: 1,544	MIke, From the title I thought it was going to be a film about birds or something. :) Never dawned on me that we'd be at ground level. :) Beautiful macro footage! Loved the close-up shot of how all the legs work to allow movement. Especially the shot at 01:54. You certainly have a knack for getting great macro shots! I thought it was a great educational film. It was the right mix of science and entertainment without going over anyone's head. If you're not doing this type of work for a living, you should be! __________________ --==Kevin==-- http:naturephotostudios.com.com

November 2nd, 2009, 08:33 AM	#19
Bob Thieda Major Player Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 541	Wow Mike...where do I start? You've already heard most of it...Great macro! Interesting creatures! Educational! And yes, I learned something and that is always a plus.... I even learned how you did that great book animation at the end, (of course I don't understand half of what you said...LOL...) Oh...I laughed out loud with the marching feet sound effect.... Very nice work...makes me anxious to see your long-form video... __________________ Bob T.

November 4th, 2009, 12:30 PM	#22
Sam Mendolia Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 217	Ahh, my kind of video. Great visuals, loved the macro,I'm biased on that, good VO, and I learned something. My kids would love this, but I bet as hard as I try, to get them into the small world,they would still say ewwww! I'm working on them. Great video. __________________ I was told I have no vision, but boy do I see great!

November 6th, 2009, 03:18 AM	#28
Geir Inge Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Larsnes, Norway Posts: 1,343	Hi Mike. Holy Moly what a great video this is. I am sure this video will be a hit in every school class, eh? Especially at children’s school :) The close ups are perfect and I love the way you are starting up. Lifting the stones, finding a salamander under some leaves, etc, etc. Very clever done! The opening title is neat and I liked it, I can’t remember anyone using a “Matte Track” in Uwol before, or am I wrong here? The bird at 00.41 (is it a falcon?), well I think this shot/clip is a little bit “snowy” if you know what I mean? Maybe shot at different light conditions? Also the sound track, is it Foley or original sounds? If so, can you mention how you did it or what resource you’ve been using? I think you have made a great video in this round, for educational, scientific and entertainment use. I wish you all the best and good luck. Geir Inge __________________ Geir Inge B. Brekke Visit me at: https://vimeo.com/gibbfilm

November 1st, 2009, 05:19 PM	#16
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Thanks Mike. I wish I’d had access to some of the tropical species with their beautiful hues of red, blue, green or gold. Unfortunately most of them are poisonous and/or stink like… well you can imagine!

November 1st, 2009, 05:38 PM	#17
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Thanks Chris. Sorry you found it creepy (or should that be creeeeeeeeeeeeepy?) Just think Halloween. I used to teach at a major university. I guess I still miss it. Sorry if I tend to lecture too much.

November 2nd, 2009, 10:42 AM	#20
Oliver Pahlow Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Woodridge Illinois Posts: 237	Mike, That was very interesting and I loved the quality of your macro shots. I did not know that millipedes can live up to 10 years. Well done.

November 5th, 2009, 02:34 PM	#23
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Wow! Thanks Kevin. Praise like that is better than those huge UWOL cash prizes! (What? UWOL doesn’t give out huge cash prizes? Aw shucks!)

November 5th, 2009, 02:35 PM	#24
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Thanks Bob. I’m surprised no one has said anything about the marching feet title that goes with the sound effect- so I will. I was at a wedding and I tried and tried to corral people to get that shot. Finally I enlisted my niece who had everyone lined up and marching in about twenty seconds flat.

November 5th, 2009, 02:36 PM	#25
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Thanks Oliver. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I should have mentioned that some only live a few weeks.

November 5th, 2009, 02:38 PM	#26
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Chris- I used to work for a boss that is a crustacean expert. Some of them are, admittedly, pretty creepy. (For that matter so are some of the crustaceans!)

November 5th, 2009, 02:39 PM	#27
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Hi Sam. Thanks for the nice comment. Go ahead and line up the kids and tell them- “Hey! Watch this. It’s really gross!” Works every time.

November 6th, 2009, 08:19 AM	#30
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Thanks Geir Inge. I experimented with a Track Matte title on my UWOL video “Hunger”. It wasn’t very good. I’m glad you liked this one. The sound is a combination of Voice Over, ambient sound, and Foley with a few sound effects. I record the VO and Foley direct to disc with a MXL USB.008 microphone. I place my Foley Box in front of the mic. It is a low walled wooden tray that contains sand, soil, sticks and dried leaves. I then watch the clip I am recording Foley for play over and over while I use my hands in the box to try and make appropriate sounds. The audio recordings are then trimmed and placed into the timeline in Premiere. I then edit each audio clip in Adobe Audition. In Audition I adjust the amplitude, do noise reduction and then run them through a 20 stage Graphic Equalizer to emphasize or de-emphasize certain sounds. I then send them back to Premiere where I do the final sound mix. The ambient sound and sound effects (like the sliding window and the thumps from my hand striking a wooden table) are recorded live with the camera’s on board mic and then edited the same way. Ambient is the hardest for me because there is so much noise from cars, airplanes , dogs ect. The bird is a Red-shouldered Hawk which nests nearby. I was taking a break from editing and saw him sitting a few feet away out the kitchen window. I grabbed the camera and just got the shot. Because I didn’t have time to attach the polarizer filter, there are reflections from the glass. I tried to minimize them in post but it doesn’t look very good. I should have used another shot, but I didn’t have time. There is an interesting story about these birds. The hawks will build a nest and raise young in it. The next year they will move a short distance and do it again. Barred Owls will nest in the first nest. The next year they will switch nests. They may switch back and forth for several years. Why? It is thought that perhaps this arrangement helps keep down the populations of feather mites infesting the nests. These are species-specific parasites that chew on and damage feathers. Both birds have several subspecies but this only occurs in the subspecies of each which is found in central Texas. The other subspecies, whose ranges also overlap, have never been observed to do this. Why?…