UWOL #15 Kingdom Of Our Dearly Departed at DVinfo.net

Oliver Pahlow · October 31st, 2009, 06:08 PM

Well I guess I should start a proper thread now that I have my ducks in order (so to speak). I'm very greatful that I got my entry in. I chose an odd subject but it felt right to me being in the fall season and Halloween. An animal cemetery. But after spending some time there and looking around, the place had a warm and caring feel to it.

So here it is.

YouTube - Kingdom Of Our Dearly Departed

Chris Swanberg · October 31st, 2009, 06:34 PM

I absolutely loved the ingenuity and execution of this challenge film. The storyline was interesting and at the same time caused me to laugh out loud on several occasions.... delightful narration script.

The rack focus was nicely executed and an enjoyable addition.

I can only imagine the environment you were recording the VO in, and wondered to myself how you were capturing the narration on location.... lav? The background noise was a bit of a distraction, but I also know it might have been unavoidable.

Thanks for staying with it... another enjoyable film.

Chris S.

Oliver Pahlow · October 31st, 2009, 11:00 PM

Thank you Chris. For the on location sound I used a Rode directional video condenser microphone and wind shield with my Sony VX2100 (I purchased the mic from my good friend Bob Thieda). For the voice over I used my camera as a pre-amp with a Sony directional condenser microphone. It has less gain than the Rode which worked out better for voice overs and recorded directly to Sony Vegas 8.0 pro. I also had to drape a heavy blanket over myself while recording the VO to deaden unwanted wall reverbs.

Trond Saetre · November 1st, 2009, 04:07 AM

Hi Oliver,
Very nice you got the encoding issues solved and your video uploaded in time.
Really nice to watch.
Interesting location and story.
And the rack focus, I loved it!

Finn-Erik Faale · November 1st, 2009, 04:56 AM

Oliver,
I am glad you managed to compress and upload the video.
You have an original and interesting solution of the theme.
I like your way of filming this, and the way you are talking to the camera.

Oliver Pahlow · November 1st, 2009, 07:59 AM

Thanks Trond and Finn-Erik for the feedback. Much appreciated.

Mike Sims · November 1st, 2009, 08:17 AM

Oliver- What an unique take on the theme. Your warm and caring feeling carried over well to the video. Lots of nice shots. I especially liked the dedication.

Rich Ryan · November 1st, 2009, 09:49 AM

Oliver,

I loved the execution and unique perspective. Using yourself as on screen talent really adds to your film and add a really nice touch of personalization that really fit the theme of your video.

The segment with the horse was really nicely done. I have never been very good at injecting a bit of humor into what is sobering topic you have done a masterful job.

Mike Beckett · November 1st, 2009, 01:13 PM

Oliver,

In-vision presenting - now that's a new level for UWOL. I don't consider myself anywhere near presentable or literate enough to step in front of the camera and speak! You did that very well.

Lovely shots and shallow depth of field in the opening sequences, and an interesting look around the cemetry.

I'll admit that I did laugh out loud at "and a racoon named Renee". Shame on me.

The final sequence with your own dog over the credits took me to the other end of the emotional scale.

Glad you made it past the compression woes!

Oliver Pahlow · November 1st, 2009, 04:16 PM

Thank you Mike Sims, Rich, and Mike Beckett. This was my first stepping in front of the camera. It was a good exercise for me and I plan on doing more. I'm glad I could touch some emotions both humor and thoughtfulness. My dog passed away when I was 18, I'm 50 now so doing that brought back some emotion of my own.

Chris Swanberg · November 1st, 2009, 05:08 PM

Oliver.. I am suspecting your location sound might benefit from a better shotgun mic... I think your "directional mic" may not peform as well as could be the case on location with noise. If you would like to borrow one from me to start looking at microphones and get some ideas I'd be happy to loan you one of my AT815's. By today's standards not the "best " of mics, but very directional and good side rejection...I have a couple and would be happy to let you play with one to get some ideas.

Please don't take my offer as an insult to your sound, it was actaully quite good. Just one film-makler here trying to help another, and make the learning curve a little less steep than it may have been for me. (I am at the 3rd step in what feels like a Tibetan monk's journey to nirvana, at somewhere like a step level of what..1000.?) These little contests are better than film school in so many ways, I am sure (a bold statement from someone who quite obviosuly has never been to film school). All that said, you cannot teach creativity ( I don't think you can anyway - if you can sign me up for a course) but I think and yours was by far the most creative film this round in my eyes.

Chris

ps. If you havent used a lav let me know and I can loan you an old film school standard, the SONY ECM-44b, as well.

Oliver Pahlow · November 1st, 2009, 06:52 PM

Hi Chris,

Thank you for the offer and no I do not take it as an insult. You are right, I had my Rode mic mounted on the camera which is not the best way to take narative footage in noisy environments. I googled the SONY ECM-44b and that would have been ideal. I don't know if you can get that as a remote mic although one could run the mic cable down through the pant leg to hide it. I also looked at the polar pattern of the AT815. It looks like a fantastic mic but then I'm still a little new to were I am trying to take my filming. I have also concidered a boom mic, but that is a little hard when you are doing it alone LOL. I would love to borrow one to see what the difference is.

Chris Swanberg · November 1st, 2009, 07:10 PM

Oliver... PM me with an address and I'll send you the mics and an XLR cable to play with. As for a boom... a fishing pole holder on a stand can serve an an "dead" holder for a boom... and once set up for dialogue it serves the purpose just fine.

Kevin Railsback · November 1st, 2009, 09:13 PM

Oliver,

Probably the most creative take on the theme. I would love to know the story behind some of these animals. Like the story of the dog at 00:34 I wonder what happened?

I think you did a great job showing how emotionally attached we are to our pets. They are truly members of the family.

Recording narration outdoors is always a challenge. But I didn't mind. I was engrossed in the story.

You seem quite at ease in front of the camera. I've tried it before and it's not as easy as it looks.

Nice dedication at the end. Made me think of the dogs I've lost over the years. You never have enough time with them!

Oliver Pahlow · November 2nd, 2009, 08:13 AM

Kevin,

Thank you. Much appreciated. That was my first time infront of the camera :). I plan to do more in the future.

November 1st, 2009, 01:13 PM	#9
Mike Beckett Trustee Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Antrim, Northern Ireland Posts: 1,569	Oliver, In-vision presenting - now that's a new level for UWOL. I don't consider myself anywhere near presentable or literate enough to step in front of the camera and speak! You did that very well. Lovely shots and shallow depth of field in the opening sequences, and an interesting look around the cemetry. I'll admit that I did laugh out loud at "and a racoon named Renee". Shame on me. The final sequence with your own dog over the credits took me to the other end of the emotional scale. Glad you made it past the compression woes! __________________ Irish Railway Videos on Youtube

November 1st, 2009, 09:13 PM	#14
Kevin Railsback Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa Posts: 1,544	Oliver, Probably the most creative take on the theme. I would love to know the story behind some of these animals. Like the story of the dog at 00:34 I wonder what happened? I think you did a great job showing how emotionally attached we are to our pets. They are truly members of the family. Recording narration outdoors is always a challenge. But I didn't mind. I was engrossed in the story. You seem quite at ease in front of the camera. I've tried it before and it's not as easy as it looks. Nice dedication at the end. Made me think of the dogs I've lost over the years. You never have enough time with them! __________________ --==Kevin==-- http:naturephotostudios.com.com

October 31st, 2009, 06:08 PM	#1
Oliver Pahlow Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Woodridge Illinois Posts: 237	UWOL #15 Kingdom Of Our Dearly Departed Well I guess I should start a proper thread now that I have my ducks in order (so to speak). I'm very greatful that I got my entry in. I chose an odd subject but it felt right to me being in the fall season and Halloween. An animal cemetery. But after spending some time there and looking around, the place had a warm and caring feel to it. So here it is. YouTube - Kingdom Of Our Dearly Departed

October 31st, 2009, 06:34 PM	#2
Chris Swanberg Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 904	I absolutely loved the ingenuity and execution of this challenge film. The storyline was interesting and at the same time caused me to laugh out loud on several occasions.... delightful narration script. The rack focus was nicely executed and an enjoyable addition. I can only imagine the environment you were recording the VO in, and wondered to myself how you were capturing the narration on location.... lav? The background noise was a bit of a distraction, but I also know it might have been unavoidable. Thanks for staying with it... another enjoyable film. Chris S.

October 31st, 2009, 11:00 PM	#3
Oliver Pahlow Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Woodridge Illinois Posts: 237	Thank you Chris. For the on location sound I used a Rode directional video condenser microphone and wind shield with my Sony VX2100 (I purchased the mic from my good friend Bob Thieda). For the voice over I used my camera as a pre-amp with a Sony directional condenser microphone. It has less gain than the Rode which worked out better for voice overs and recorded directly to Sony Vegas 8.0 pro. I also had to drape a heavy blanket over myself while recording the VO to deaden unwanted wall reverbs.

November 1st, 2009, 04:07 AM	#4
Trond Saetre Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 3,375	Hi Oliver, Very nice you got the encoding issues solved and your video uploaded in time. Really nice to watch. Interesting location and story. And the rack focus, I loved it!

November 1st, 2009, 04:56 AM	#5
Finn-Erik Faale Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Porsgrunn Norway Posts: 280	Oliver, I am glad you managed to compress and upload the video. You have an original and interesting solution of the theme. I like your way of filming this, and the way you are talking to the camera.

November 1st, 2009, 07:59 AM	#6
Oliver Pahlow Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Woodridge Illinois Posts: 237	Thanks Trond and Finn-Erik for the feedback. Much appreciated.

November 1st, 2009, 08:17 AM	#7
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Oliver- What an unique take on the theme. Your warm and caring feeling carried over well to the video. Lots of nice shots. I especially liked the dedication.

November 1st, 2009, 09:49 AM	#8
Rich Ryan Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Pleasanton, CA Posts: 127	Oliver, I loved the execution and unique perspective. Using yourself as on screen talent really adds to your film and add a really nice touch of personalization that really fit the theme of your video. The segment with the horse was really nicely done. I have never been very good at injecting a bit of humor into what is sobering topic you have done a masterful job.

November 1st, 2009, 04:16 PM	#10
Oliver Pahlow Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Woodridge Illinois Posts: 237	Thank you Mike Sims, Rich, and Mike Beckett. This was my first stepping in front of the camera. It was a good exercise for me and I plan on doing more. I'm glad I could touch some emotions both humor and thoughtfulness. My dog passed away when I was 18, I'm 50 now so doing that brought back some emotion of my own.

November 1st, 2009, 05:08 PM	#11
Chris Swanberg Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 904	Oliver.. I am suspecting your location sound might benefit from a better shotgun mic... I think your "directional mic" may not peform as well as could be the case on location with noise. If you would like to borrow one from me to start looking at microphones and get some ideas I'd be happy to loan you one of my AT815's. By today's standards not the "best " of mics, but very directional and good side rejection...I have a couple and would be happy to let you play with one to get some ideas. Please don't take my offer as an insult to your sound, it was actaully quite good. Just one film-makler here trying to help another, and make the learning curve a little less steep than it may have been for me. (I am at the 3rd step in what feels like a Tibetan monk's journey to nirvana, at somewhere like a step level of what..1000.?) These little contests are better than film school in so many ways, I am sure (a bold statement from someone who quite obviosuly has never been to film school). All that said, you cannot teach creativity ( I don't think you can anyway - if you can sign me up for a course) but I think and yours was by far the most creative film this round in my eyes. Chris ps. If you havent used a lav let me know and I can loan you an old film school standard, the SONY ECM-44b, as well.

November 1st, 2009, 06:52 PM	#12
Oliver Pahlow Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Woodridge Illinois Posts: 237	Hi Chris, Thank you for the offer and no I do not take it as an insult. You are right, I had my Rode mic mounted on the camera which is not the best way to take narative footage in noisy environments. I googled the SONY ECM-44b and that would have been ideal. I don't know if you can get that as a remote mic although one could run the mic cable down through the pant leg to hide it. I also looked at the polar pattern of the AT815. It looks like a fantastic mic but then I'm still a little new to were I am trying to take my filming. I have also concidered a boom mic, but that is a little hard when you are doing it alone LOL. I would love to borrow one to see what the difference is.

November 1st, 2009, 07:10 PM	#13
Chris Swanberg Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 904	Oliver... PM me with an address and I'll send you the mics and an XLR cable to play with. As for a boom... a fishing pole holder on a stand can serve an an "dead" holder for a boom... and once set up for dialogue it serves the purpose just fine.

November 2nd, 2009, 08:13 AM	#15
Oliver Pahlow Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Woodridge Illinois Posts: 237	Kevin, Thank you. Much appreciated. That was my first time infront of the camera :). I plan to do more in the future.