UWOL #15 hide and seek at DVinfo.net

Sam Mendolia · November 3rd, 2009, 12:35 PM

Well, here is my vimeo link.

At the start of this challenge, I had a totally diiferent view, than what I ended up with.

As with most of you, it was a challenge to find any wildlife, to include.

I thought that with the fall, there would be migrations to film, and the fall colours.

Well with the weather not really cooperating, and most animals being elsewhere, this is the result, me looking for ....

Enough excuses, on with the show.

Oliver Pahlow · November 3rd, 2009, 01:29 PM

Hi Sam,

Is there a way to make it a public view? It's locked right now.

Sam Mendolia · November 3rd, 2009, 01:57 PM

Sorry ,

it should be now viewable, by all.

Trond Saetre · November 3rd, 2009, 02:44 PM

Hi Sam,

Finally we could see your video too :)
I really like the close ups of all the insects.

The music was very low in the beginning. (like the first 40-45 seconds).
Was that intentional?

Thank you for sharing.

Oliver Pahlow · November 3rd, 2009, 02:51 PM

Hi Sam,

I think you may have had the most veriety of life in your animal kingdom. Nice closeup shots. When ever I tried to do a closeup of a butterfly they would always fly away. Very nice. I would have to agree the music was very low at first. The imagery flowed nicely with the music though. You have some great shots.

Sam Mendolia · November 3rd, 2009, 03:11 PM

Thanks Oliver,

I was hoping for Canada Geese and some Mallards, that frequent, the local ponds and rivers, but they were absent, on the days I was able to get out.

The butterfly came as a big surprise, as on my last day of being able to get out, and got nothing, I came home and saw this sunning itself on a rock in the back garden.

I rushed to the van, grabbed the video camera and tripod, but it was gone.

It came back to the same spot, would leave and come back.

I got lucky and was patient.

The Wooly Bear caterpillar, well, there were alot of them onthe trail that day, but most had been squished by the hikers. I managed to save this one.

I have always like macro work and insects, as I was growing up, during my still photography days, and am trying to get similar results on video, with the tools at hand.
Sometimes it work, othertimes, it is a learning and go out and do it again process, always getting better.

The music actually starts out this way, the piece is called Outside My Window, which is from one of my Narada Sampler CDs. I have large collection of Narada music, from various composers.

I have a friend who composes new age and classical pieces, but have never appraoched him to wirte a piece for me, I guess it is because I have seen what it takes for him to get a piece finished. He writes for his band, as well as having some of his pieces performed by orchestras around the country. I have always liked his style, slow and low to start, then more uptempo, and low to the end.

The compression of the video, really took its original look and detail away, the highlights were blown out, which does not appear in the original, so that is something I will have to learn to control, in the future, as I have seen what most of the group is putting out, and it looks great, even though it is compressed.

Thanks for the comments.

Chris Swanberg · November 3rd, 2009, 07:55 PM

Sam... I'm glad we FINALLLY got to see your entry. You had a vertiable potpourri of life in yours! I agree by a simple count, you have way more than just about anyone else! The music was very soothing and your pacing and transitions worked well to my eye. I liked the way you used the wooly caterpilla leaving the frame as the end too.

The one scene of the leaf in the water hiccuped in my minds eye as possibly a teensy bit too long, but that's just an observation, and it may be just me.

Oh, and (sticking out tongue at Mike Beckett) I also noticed you and I had a similar shot of a turdus migratorious. (The American Robin).

Well done. Congrats!

Chris

Rich Ryan · November 3rd, 2009, 09:12 PM

Sam,

Well you definitely have the largest number of animals! Some nice shots. And I really liked your musical selection, it set a really nice mood.

I enjoyed your macro shots, particularly the caterpillar (although I did think that shot was a bit long).

Glad we finally got a chance to take a look.

Kevin Railsback · November 3rd, 2009, 09:23 PM

Sam,

Certainly top prize for wides variety of wildlife. Seems like they were all at your place since so many of us had a very hard time finding anything in our neck of the woods.

You'll want to make sure you used licensed music if you want your entry judged to include the audio.

On a different note I see your file is in the upload folder today. Mat, if you're reading this can you link it on the main page?

Sam Mendolia · November 4th, 2009, 07:31 AM

Thanks for the input, everyone.

Kevin, as far as the music goes, we here at work have had this discussion with numerous lawyers and movie houses.

We show videos and play music over our inhouse tv system, at the hospital, where I work.
I am responsible for the AV department, and we actually have a fully equipped movie theatre in the building, for the patients.

The ruling was that, so long as we owned the video/music, ;ie we actually bought the disc, and did not charge for viewing or listening, and it was for a showing to family and friends, then it was deemed liscensed, so that is how I have been using this piece.

I know there will be arguments over this, but who am I to argue with corporate lawyers.

The file in the upload folder, is the file that had compression issues, by the way, you will see
the artifacting on the right hand side of the screen.

again I have to thank Mike Beckett, for his work flow, on how to get the compression issues sorted.

If I wasn't at a weekend conference, this weekend I would be out taping, and I bet you that since the competiton entry is done, there will be a lot of other wildlife the tape.
Maybe Sunday afternoon after the conf. I'll get out and tape something and practice, what I have seen from the rest of you.

Again thanks for the comments.

Mike Beckett · November 4th, 2009, 07:52 AM

Sam,

Glad I could help with the compression, it was a voyage of discovery for me too.

I'll get round to watching your video tonight, and I think Ryan's too.

As for music... well, I always stick to library/stock music as there are no legal issues provided you stick to their T&Cs. AKM, 2bRoyaltyFree.com and Digital Juice more than meet my needs for UWOL and similar work.

Sam Mendolia · November 4th, 2009, 08:38 AM

Hey Mike, thanks again.

I have Digital Juice, but never get around to playing with it, enough to be comfortable.
I will have to put some time into it, to avoid any future issues, here.

One of the members here gave me permission to use music he wrote, for a CD, but have never gotten around to using it. I will have to give it another listen,and contact him again, on the issue. Also, I will have to get in touch with friends who write music, and see what they can put together, for me, and give them some exposure as well.
It will be like scoring a feature film, only if I was in that league.

Oliver Pahlow · November 4th, 2009, 08:45 AM

Sam,

Look below...

Sam Mendolia · November 4th, 2009, 08:48 AM

Oliver,

Perfect timing, as your site is one I was going to check out today.

Thank you.

Oliver Pahlow · November 4th, 2009, 09:22 AM

I haven't updated it in a while but there maybe some stuff you can use.

November 3rd, 2009, 01:57 PM	#3
Sam Mendolia Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 217	Sorry , it should be now viewable, by all. __________________ I was told I have no vision, but boy do I see great!

November 3rd, 2009, 03:11 PM	#6
Sam Mendolia Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 217	Thanks Oliver, I was hoping for Canada Geese and some Mallards, that frequent, the local ponds and rivers, but they were absent, on the days I was able to get out. The butterfly came as a big surprise, as on my last day of being able to get out, and got nothing, I came home and saw this sunning itself on a rock in the back garden. I rushed to the van, grabbed the video camera and tripod, but it was gone. It came back to the same spot, would leave and come back. I got lucky and was patient. The Wooly Bear caterpillar, well, there were alot of them onthe trail that day, but most had been squished by the hikers. I managed to save this one. I have always like macro work and insects, as I was growing up, during my still photography days, and am trying to get similar results on video, with the tools at hand. Sometimes it work, othertimes, it is a learning and go out and do it again process, always getting better. The music actually starts out this way, the piece is called Outside My Window, which is from one of my Narada Sampler CDs. I have large collection of Narada music, from various composers. I have a friend who composes new age and classical pieces, but have never appraoched him to wirte a piece for me, I guess it is because I have seen what it takes for him to get a piece finished. He writes for his band, as well as having some of his pieces performed by orchestras around the country. I have always liked his style, slow and low to start, then more uptempo, and low to the end. The compression of the video, really took its original look and detail away, the highlights were blown out, which does not appear in the original, so that is something I will have to learn to control, in the future, as I have seen what most of the group is putting out, and it looks great, even though it is compressed. Thanks for the comments. __________________ I was told I have no vision, but boy do I see great!

November 3rd, 2009, 09:23 PM	#9
Kevin Railsback Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa Posts: 1,544	Sam, Certainly top prize for wides variety of wildlife. Seems like they were all at your place since so many of us had a very hard time finding anything in our neck of the woods. You'll want to make sure you used licensed music if you want your entry judged to include the audio. On a different note I see your file is in the upload folder today. Mat, if you're reading this can you link it on the main page? __________________ --==Kevin==-- http:naturephotostudios.com.com

November 4th, 2009, 07:31 AM	#10
Sam Mendolia Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 217	Thanks for the input, everyone. Kevin, as far as the music goes, we here at work have had this discussion with numerous lawyers and movie houses. We show videos and play music over our inhouse tv system, at the hospital, where I work. I am responsible for the AV department, and we actually have a fully equipped movie theatre in the building, for the patients. The ruling was that, so long as we owned the video/music, ;ie we actually bought the disc, and did not charge for viewing or listening, and it was for a showing to family and friends, then it was deemed liscensed, so that is how I have been using this piece. I know there will be arguments over this, but who am I to argue with corporate lawyers. The file in the upload folder, is the file that had compression issues, by the way, you will see the artifacting on the right hand side of the screen. again I have to thank Mike Beckett, for his work flow, on how to get the compression issues sorted. If I wasn't at a weekend conference, this weekend I would be out taping, and I bet you that since the competiton entry is done, there will be a lot of other wildlife the tape. Maybe Sunday afternoon after the conf. I'll get out and tape something and practice, what I have seen from the rest of you. Again thanks for the comments. __________________ I was told I have no vision, but boy do I see great!

November 4th, 2009, 07:52 AM	#11
Mike Beckett Trustee Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Antrim, Northern Ireland Posts: 1,569	Sam, Glad I could help with the compression, it was a voyage of discovery for me too. I'll get round to watching your video tonight, and I think Ryan's too. As for music... well, I always stick to library/stock music as there are no legal issues provided you stick to their T&Cs. AKM, 2bRoyaltyFree.com and Digital Juice more than meet my needs for UWOL and similar work. __________________ Irish Railway Videos on Youtube

November 3rd, 2009, 12:35 PM	#1
Sam Mendolia Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 217	UWOL #15 hide and seek Vimeo Well, here is my vimeo link. At the start of this challenge, I had a totally diiferent view, than what I ended up with. As with most of you, it was a challenge to find any wildlife, to include. I thought that with the fall, there would be migrations to film, and the fall colours. Well with the weather not really cooperating, and most animals being elsewhere, this is the result, me looking for .... Enough excuses, on with the show. __________________ I was told I have no vision, but boy do I see great!

November 3rd, 2009, 01:29 PM	#2
Oliver Pahlow Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Woodridge Illinois Posts: 237	Hi Sam, Is there a way to make it a public view? It's locked right now.

November 3rd, 2009, 02:44 PM	#4
Trond Saetre Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 3,375	Hi Sam, Finally we could see your video too :) I really like the close ups of all the insects. The music was very low in the beginning. (like the first 40-45 seconds). Was that intentional? Thank you for sharing.

November 3rd, 2009, 02:51 PM	#5
Oliver Pahlow Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Woodridge Illinois Posts: 237	Hi Sam, I think you may have had the most veriety of life in your animal kingdom. Nice closeup shots. When ever I tried to do a closeup of a butterfly they would always fly away. Very nice. I would have to agree the music was very low at first. The imagery flowed nicely with the music though. You have some great shots.

November 3rd, 2009, 07:55 PM	#7
Chris Swanberg Major Player Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 904	Sam... I'm glad we FINALLLY got to see your entry. You had a vertiable potpourri of life in yours! I agree by a simple count, you have way more than just about anyone else! The music was very soothing and your pacing and transitions worked well to my eye. I liked the way you used the wooly caterpilla leaving the frame as the end too. The one scene of the leaf in the water hiccuped in my minds eye as possibly a teensy bit too long, but that's just an observation, and it may be just me. Oh, and (sticking out tongue at Mike Beckett) I also noticed you and I had a similar shot of a turdus migratorious. (The American Robin). Well done. Congrats! Chris

November 3rd, 2009, 09:12 PM	#8
Rich Ryan Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Pleasanton, CA Posts: 127	Sam, Well you definitely have the largest number of animals! Some nice shots. And I really liked your musical selection, it set a really nice mood. I enjoyed your macro shots, particularly the caterpillar (although I did think that shot was a bit long). Glad we finally got a chance to take a look.

November 4th, 2009, 08:38 AM	#12
Sam Mendolia Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 217	Hey Mike, thanks again. I have Digital Juice, but never get around to playing with it, enough to be comfortable. I will have to put some time into it, to avoid any future issues, here. One of the members here gave me permission to use music he wrote, for a CD, but have never gotten around to using it. I will have to give it another listen,and contact him again, on the issue. Also, I will have to get in touch with friends who write music, and see what they can put together, for me, and give them some exposure as well. It will be like scoring a feature film, only if I was in that league. __________________ I was told I have no vision, but boy do I see great!

November 4th, 2009, 08:45 AM	#13
Oliver Pahlow Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Woodridge Illinois Posts: 237	Sam, Look below...

November 4th, 2009, 08:48 AM	#14
Sam Mendolia Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 217	Oliver, Perfect timing, as your site is one I was going to check out today. Thank you. __________________ I was told I have no vision, but boy do I see great!

November 4th, 2009, 09:22 AM	#15
Oliver Pahlow Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Woodridge Illinois Posts: 237	I haven't updated it in a while but there maybe some stuff you can use.