UWOL 27 - Fall Time by Gordon Hoffman

[Gordon Hoffman]

Well I finally got an entry in. Things didn't work out as I hoped so I had to come up with something to work with what footage I had got. I should of played a bit more with the titles, as I didn't spend much time on them. I see a little glicth in one of the closing credits. Not sure how that happened as it wasn't in the first renders I did??? The first afternoon I was out most of the footage I got with the long lense was of little use because of the wind but that's not uncommon for this area.
Anyway this was all shot on the Panasonic GH series of cameras with a number of different lenses with some being shot in 1080p and others being 720p.
Thanks for watching.

Gordon

[Tim Lewis]

Thanks Gordon. Great to see the timing of autumn in Alberta. You sure managed to get a lot of wildlife into the film. Well done.

[Bryce Comer]

Hi Gordon,
Well it looks like winter is on its way there in Alberta too! What spectacular scenery you have there in Pincher Creek! I assume most of the animals you captured were around Waterton Lakes NP?? Amazing the variety of wildlife you managed to shoot for the film. I am curious as to why you shot some of the footage in 720p though. It definitely looks soft compared to the higher resolution of the 1080p material.
Looks like you are dealing with some very long telephoto shots there too, with the heat haze showing up on some of the shots. You must have a pretty decent tripod! Still with some of the wind you were contending with, nothing short of a concrete block would have taken away the vibration caused by the howling wind!
Thanks for sharing the film with us. You have made me want to get back over your way again soon!
Regards,
Bryce

[Geir Inge]

You are a great storyteller, Gordon.
Fully in line with the theme. I'd say.
I understand that it's not just me who has experienced the loss of a good shoot, because of the weather change. I think our two countries share similar conditions, at times?
The various creatures and birds elevates the film, as well as your harmonious voice.
You provide a great contribution, this round.
A little color correction and adjustment of white balance, some places?
Good work on editing and sound.
Thank you very much for sharing.

[Paul Wood]

¨When luck and timing come together, being in the outdoors can't be beat¨

Very nicely done, Gordon. Some nice footage of the wildlife, and an excellent commentary.

I probably would have looked at the colour in some of the shots - it looked a bit washed out, but it could also of course be Vimeo.
Thanks for a look at the other hemisphere, and the opposite season from here - A very nice relaxing film to watch!

[Trond Saetre]

I really like the scenery you show us. In a way it kind of looks a bit like the nature over here, with the tall mountains surrounding the valleys and the rapid changing weather I am so used to.

Good to see you were able to include so much wildlife, and the bears were my favorites.

Well done, Gordon!

[Marj Atkins]

This is a very neat story, Gordon. I really like the personal angle and enjoyed listening to your narration. Very nice shots of the Moose and Raptor. I agree about the title - but I appreciate lack of time – mine is absolutely no better.

[Gordon Hoffman]

Well I would say you all let me off pretty easy. Considering I never wrote anyting until noon of October 2nd (more because I couldn't come up with any ideas) when I had all the footage I was going to get for this round.

Tim - Thanks. Wildlife is not hard to find here, it seems time is. The fall colours have been really slow appearing this year to.

Bryce - Yes winter will most likely be here before we are ready. It's a pretty area and yes WLNP is only 30 minutes away. Mainly being short of time I put the GH1 to work and I only shoot 720p with it so that was one reason for mixing frame size. Those long shots (around 600m) of the bears where in ETC mode on the GH2 and in 720 I can get in tigher than 1080. As you know heat waves, haze and just being the wrong time of day doesn't help any either so not sure if 1080 would help much under those conditions. A few where also hand held so I had to stabilize them. About 2/3rd of the shots used are 720. A good tripod is needed in this country and I've been out on days when even a concrete block wouldn't help. Thanks.

Geir Inge - Well thank you. Man I'm no where near the story teller you are! Yes some shots do need more work. I suspect mountain weather can be similiar. I'm a lot farther from an ocean so I suspect you have wetter weather than I do. Thanks again.

Paul - I'll take luck any day! Yes some shots need work. Some were taken at the wrong time of day to really be any good but I was a little short of footage. Thanks.

Trond - Maybe that is why I like your videos with the scenery of Norway so much. The fall weather here can be interesting. I was hoping to get some closer shots of bears but didn't spend enough time at it for it to happen. Thank you.

Marj - It seems there isn't as much time in a day any more. Story telling is something I really struggle with, lousy imagination I guess. So thanks a lot.

Gordon

[Bryce Comer]

"I never wrote anything until noon of October 2nd"
Wow, you really took things down to the line Gordon. Well done getting it done with so little time left!! You have me thinking now that perhaps the softness of some of those shots isn't them being 720p then, but maybe the stabilising software causing the softness. May I ask what software you use to stabilise your footage? I have used Mercalli in the past, but found I had a lot of suspect looking footage after using it. In fact, I have recently been playing a little with the stock stabiliser in Edius 7 & I am way more happy with it.
Yes you are right as far as the heat haze not being improved upon shooting 1080. Those shots of the bears at 600m are very good considering the distance!
Regards,
Bryce

[Gordon Hoffman]

Bryce - Yes I was under the gun trying to get this done. I've been having a tough time coming up with ideas lately. I was using Mercalli that came with Edius 6 for stabilizing some shots. I'll most likely upgrade to 7 next year.

Gordon