UWOL #15 1/2 "A city's life" by Trond Saetre at DVinfo.net

Trond Saetre · March 24th, 2010, 09:46 AM

My goal was to see what happens in a city during one single day.
So I had to film both during my free time in the morning, and also the evening at work.

Should have had a little more shots downtown, but time ran out and the weather (heavy morning fog) didn't really cooperate that day.

Looking forward to any feedback you may have.

Link to youtube:
YouTube - A city's life

Geir Inge · March 25th, 2010, 07:41 AM

Good afternoon Trond.

I must say I like your "day in Haugesund".
Not so often we see the the city life in Uwol.
I'm not sure if it's only my computer that is slow, or it's the YouTube file - or what?
But especially where the express boat is passing behind the swans, it seems like it's not going smooth, but intermittent, if you know what I mean?
By the way, that sceene with the boat behind the swans, I liked it very much :)
I think you can higher your voice a bit, sometimes it's hard to hear what you're saying.
But maybe it's only me growing "very" old, hehe.
But in the mix of city noice, music and your voice I think your VO has to play the most important role.
I have visit Haugesund many times, so I'm happy to get the chance to "visit" it again through your video.

All the best
Geir Inge

Dale Guthormsen · March 25th, 2010, 08:02 AM

Tronde,

I very much enjoyed this, as all your others, but as a story I like this the best. You had some difficult shots you pulled off just fine! The boat behind the swans does stutter ever so slightly, probably a compression issue as it is a 90 degree action shot. What shutter speed did you use?
The Shot you missed: At the two minute mark you are shooting the distant clouds, but what you appeared to have was nearer clouds at a lower level, no doubt moving at a differnt pace. I would have been totally cool to back up, get lower angle up (or whatever it took) to show the two of them. I am not criticising here, it just would be a cool shot to have. It isn't like you can go back to get it, and it is possible it wasn't at all like it seems to me!!

the Mallard and the Swans added a little more life to the video!!!

The shot of main street at 59 seconds, made me want to go there, well composed and definitely you picked the better side of thestreet to shoot, more intriguing. You also got the lamp posts giving some dimension to it as well .

the plane leaving and the sunset were a fine finish!!

thanl you ever so much for taking the time!!! Very much enjoyed!!

Dale

Trond Saetre · March 25th, 2010, 09:22 AM

The stuttering must be caused either by Youtube and/or the network.
Original avi-file and also the encoded mp4/h264 file I uploaded to youtube plays fine on my computer.

Geir,
Thank you for the feedback. I will check into the audio levels you mentioned.

Dale,
For the particular shot of the swans with the express boat, I actually used "auto" with exposure lock, so I don't know the shutter/aperture used. (internal ND filter on the XM2 was engaged).
But for the rest of the swan shots, I had to use a bit high shutter speed to avoid over exposing the birds. If I remember correct, I used both 1/120s, 1/150s and a few times even 1/180s.
The camera position from 1:53 until the end of the film is the exact same location. The clouds appear to be closer due to different zoom levels. Filmed this part while I was at work, so camera positions and my own freedom to move around was very limited.

Sam Mendolia · March 25th, 2010, 10:37 AM

Trond,

great story there.

reminds me of some time I spent in Halifax, on the Atlantic shore, where the scenery is much the same.
This video makes me want to go back.

Your video played smoothly throughout, on my computer, and I had no issues with sound.
Mentioning sound, I wish I could learn to use Smartsound the way the rest of you have.

Great work on this.

You inspired me to go out and do something similar, as I usually shy away from this sort of video myself.

Trond Saetre · March 25th, 2010, 11:04 AM

Hi Sam,
Thank you for the feedback. Glad you enjoyed watching the film.
Smartsound is pretty easy to use. (but I'm sure there are some advanced features I haven't touched yet).
If you have any questions, I'll be more than happy to help you.

Haven't done much "city/urban" filming myself, but it's fun to do new things.
Have a big furry mic on top of a bigger than consumer cam, and many people will ask "which tv company you are filming for." Funny.

Finn-Erik Faale · March 25th, 2010, 03:23 PM

Trond,
You have made a good documentation of Haugesund. Your storytelling and choice of scenes are good. You also have some great shots.
I will try to figure out a point for improvement. In 0.44 you have a jump cut. This separates from the rest of the video and looks a bit hard. Maybe a close-up in-between would help.
Our videos have in fact much in common.

Bill Thesken · March 26th, 2010, 01:51 AM

Very nice Trond, I watched it a few times. I do not want to drive on that icy curved road in the beginning. It looks like a small and nice seaside city, one that I'd like to visit. The timelapse sunset was amazing.

Trond Saetre · March 26th, 2010, 03:53 AM

Finn-Erik,
Thank you, I'll check out that transition you mentioned.
Yes, we have pretty much the same. (Norway must be a small country)

Bill,
Thank you. Yes the city is a small one on the south west coast of Norway, with the ocean next door. Only around 30.000 people living here.

March 25th, 2010, 07:41 AM	#2
Geir Inge Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Larsnes, Norway Posts: 1,343	Good afternoon Trond. I must say I like your "day in Haugesund". Not so often we see the the city life in Uwol. I'm not sure if it's only my computer that is slow, or it's the YouTube file - or what? But especially where the express boat is passing behind the swans, it seems like it's not going smooth, but intermittent, if you know what I mean? By the way, that sceene with the boat behind the swans, I liked it very much :) I think you can higher your voice a bit, sometimes it's hard to hear what you're saying. But maybe it's only me growing "very" old, hehe. But in the mix of city noice, music and your voice I think your VO has to play the most important role. I have visit Haugesund many times, so I'm happy to get the chance to "visit" it again through your video. All the best Geir Inge __________________ Geir Inge B. Brekke Visit me at: https://vimeo.com/gibbfilm

March 25th, 2010, 08:02 AM	#3
Dale Guthormsen Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 3,048	Tronde, I very much enjoyed this, as all your others, but as a story I like this the best. You had some difficult shots you pulled off just fine! The boat behind the swans does stutter ever so slightly, probably a compression issue as it is a 90 degree action shot. What shutter speed did you use? The Shot you missed: At the two minute mark you are shooting the distant clouds, but what you appeared to have was nearer clouds at a lower level, no doubt moving at a differnt pace. I would have been totally cool to back up, get lower angle up (or whatever it took) to show the two of them. I am not criticising here, it just would be a cool shot to have. It isn't like you can go back to get it, and it is possible it wasn't at all like it seems to me!! the Mallard and the Swans added a little more life to the video!!! The shot of main street at 59 seconds, made me want to go there, well composed and definitely you picked the better side of thestreet to shoot, more intriguing. You also got the lamp posts giving some dimension to it as well . the plane leaving and the sunset were a fine finish!! thanl you ever so much for taking the time!!! Very much enjoyed!! Dale __________________ DATS ALL FOLKS Dale W. Guthormsen

March 25th, 2010, 10:37 AM	#5
Sam Mendolia Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 217	Trond, great story there. reminds me of some time I spent in Halifax, on the Atlantic shore, where the scenery is much the same. This video makes me want to go back. Your video played smoothly throughout, on my computer, and I had no issues with sound. Mentioning sound, I wish I could learn to use Smartsound the way the rest of you have. Great work on this. You inspired me to go out and do something similar, as I usually shy away from this sort of video myself. __________________ I was told I have no vision, but boy do I see great!

March 24th, 2010, 09:46 AM	#1
Trond Saetre Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 3,375	UWOL #15 1/2 "A city's life" by Trond Saetre My goal was to see what happens in a city during one single day. So I had to film both during my free time in the morning, and also the evening at work. Should have had a little more shots downtown, but time ran out and the weather (heavy morning fog) didn't really cooperate that day. Looking forward to any feedback you may have. Link to youtube: YouTube - A city's life

March 25th, 2010, 09:22 AM	#4
Trond Saetre Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 3,375	The stuttering must be caused either by Youtube and/or the network. Original avi-file and also the encoded mp4/h264 file I uploaded to youtube plays fine on my computer. Geir, Thank you for the feedback. I will check into the audio levels you mentioned. Dale, For the particular shot of the swans with the express boat, I actually used "auto" with exposure lock, so I don't know the shutter/aperture used. (internal ND filter on the XM2 was engaged). But for the rest of the swan shots, I had to use a bit high shutter speed to avoid over exposing the birds. If I remember correct, I used both 1/120s, 1/150s and a few times even 1/180s. The camera position from 1:53 until the end of the film is the exact same location. The clouds appear to be closer due to different zoom levels. Filmed this part while I was at work, so camera positions and my own freedom to move around was very limited.

March 25th, 2010, 11:04 AM	#6
Trond Saetre Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 3,375	Hi Sam, Thank you for the feedback. Glad you enjoyed watching the film. Smartsound is pretty easy to use. (but I'm sure there are some advanced features I haven't touched yet). If you have any questions, I'll be more than happy to help you. Haven't done much "city/urban" filming myself, but it's fun to do new things. Have a big furry mic on top of a bigger than consumer cam, and many people will ask "which tv company you are filming for." Funny.

March 25th, 2010, 03:23 PM	#7
Finn-Erik Faale Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Porsgrunn Norway Posts: 280	Trond, You have made a good documentation of Haugesund. Your storytelling and choice of scenes are good. You also have some great shots. I will try to figure out a point for improvement. In 0.44 you have a jump cut. This separates from the rest of the video and looks a bit hard. Maybe a close-up in-between would help. Our videos have in fact much in common.

March 26th, 2010, 01:51 AM	#8
Bill Thesken Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: HI, USA Posts: 622	Very nice Trond, I watched it a few times. I do not want to drive on that icy curved road in the beginning. It looks like a small and nice seaside city, one that I'd like to visit. The timelapse sunset was amazing.

March 26th, 2010, 03:53 AM	#9
Trond Saetre Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 3,375	Finn-Erik, Thank you, I'll check out that transition you mentioned. Yes, we have pretty much the same. (Norway must be a small country) Bill, Thank you. Yes the city is a small one on the south west coast of Norway, with the ocean next door. Only around 30.000 people living here.