UWOL # 33

Martijn Damen · April 1st, 2015, 11:56 AM

First I want to thank all of you, contestants as well as initiators of this challenge.
It sets a goal and helps me finishing something :)
And .. maybe the best value is that I get to be out there to experience, enjoy and learn.

Getting up at 5 in the morning, a quick mug of coffee and of to the fields, it was cold, it was early, but it was magnificent. Being out at sunset also .. every day a new play of light and dark.

This is my second uwol entry, and my second edit/film, but I'd like to have criticism scale 1.
I have to point out that the last week, that I planned for editing, suddenly got quite hectic and it became a rush job; There are some obvious mistakes in it, but I had no time to correct them.
Besides that I would really like to learn something from you all, so please shoot.

The music was made and played be myself, The video was recorded with a Panasonic GH4 and mainly with a canon 150-600mm f/5.6l fd. The timelapse shots of sunrise and sunset where shot with a Contax 35-135 CZ *. Environment audio from the camera mics.

Mike Sims · April 2nd, 2015, 06:50 AM

Hello, Martijn. You’ve been getting some great shots. I love that Canon lens. (I missed out on getting one again last month! Still looking…) The music is well chosen to fit the mood. I’m very impressed that you wrote and played it. I understand what you mean about wanting more time for editing. I like to “completely” finish editing and then not look at or even think about it for a week before I go back to it. I then find lots of things to fix that I didn’t even see before. The timing of the Challenge rarely lets me do that. One area I think you might have wanted a bit more work on is the transitions. You did a good job on the cross dissolves. I think in the places where you did a dip to black though that the timing could use some adjustment. You might want to just barely kiss the black instead giving it a big ol’ hug. (I hope that makes sense.) On transitions where the two clips are of similar look, like around 00:14, I would stick to a cross dissolve instead of dip to black. The initial fade up from black is a bit abrupt. It can be difficult to convince Vimeo to do that correctly. It always wants to discard the black and fade up from grey. You can sometimes do well by adding about half a second of black frames at the beginning (start the audio under them or they will be discarded also) and then do a slower fade up on the clip. One place I would have used a strait cut is around 1:06. I would have trimmed the Robin clip to the very last frame where any of its tail can still be seen in frame and then immediately cut to the very last frame where the first falling drop is still touching the branch. On the last dissolve between the time lapse and the sunset lit clouds I think the mind could use a bit more time to absorb the fact that the sun is down. In other words push the beginning of the dissolve a few more frames down the timeline. Your credits are not large enough! You did a good job here and you need to let everyone know it. Keep up the good work, keep getting up early and I look forward to your third film.

Martijn Damen · April 2nd, 2015, 07:24 AM

Thank you Mike for your in depth comment. Very helpful.
I have no experience with other big zooms, but this canon monster produces some very lovely quality. It's the elegant softness of the out of focus that I like the most about it.
If I come across one in good condition I will let you know.

Martijn Damen · April 3rd, 2015, 04:22 AM

Mike, there is one for sale here:Lenses
It's almost at the bottom of the page and it's very expensive, but also motorized.

Mike Sims · April 3rd, 2015, 05:23 AM

Well that’s pretty cool. I have never seen one modified for motorized zoom. It looks like the lens mount is also modified. It even has the complete Canon ND filter set. They are the same filters used by my 600mm FD lens and I know from experience that they can be pretty hard to find. I ended up having to use the stock generic filter mount and regular 48mm ND filters (which themselves can be difficult to locate). I had to do machining on the brass barrels to make them fit. You won’t see these lenses for a long time and then all of a sudden there are several. I just found another one listed that I am looking at. They are all pretty expensive to me. My other problem is that my income is quite seasonal and I won’t be able to be seriously looking again until June. My lens buying fund is a bit depleted at the moment because I just bought a thermal imaging camera (delivery tomorrow!).

Thank-you, Martijn! :)

Mick Jenner · April 4th, 2015, 11:51 AM

Hi Martijn, A lovely entry with well film clips. The problem I find with with purely film and music entries on mood themes like this is getting a your clips in an order that tells some form of story to the viewer. An example here is half way through the sunset sequence you go from a reddish clip to a blue moon clip back to a reddish clip. maybe the moon should have been the last clip. The music you produced to go with this was very good especially for the sunset. For the sunrise I would have liked something slightly more upbeat that goes the waking up period of time. Overall though very well done, most enjoyable.

Vishal Jadhav · April 5th, 2015, 09:37 AM

Martijn,

I love the opening shot/ timelapse , great composition , music blends in well to make a great beginning.

Interesting array of shots before you turn to the birds where it makes it more interesting to the eye, wren and then the robin i suppose,(i kinda like that bird a lot)

Its amazing that you made the music too, lovely.

Closing timelapse is superb ,

Looking at it and having captured with a GH4, i did mine 80% with GH4 and the timelapses with gopro. i find you have got nice quality of video with it.

vishal

Andrew Hood · April 5th, 2015, 08:03 PM

Hi Martijn, UWOL is great for encouraging you to get out there. I don't do enough of my own videos, so it's a great way to have a goal and build experience as you said.

I think the others have made all the key suggestions about ways to improve things.

Overall it had a very calm feel to it, that was complemented by your music. The camera and lens combo worked to create some striking imagery. And your visual composition created interest and appeal - I'm guessing you've done some photography before doing video?

Great to have you on board, and I look forward to more videos in future rounds.

Tim Paynter · April 5th, 2015, 11:02 PM

A beautiful piece, we are all very lucky to have such talent. I shoot the other end of society, the less pretty, so it is very nice to have a piece to return me to my childhood days in the field. I will never forget the words of my film prof, "It never will be good enough, and you will never finish the work, if you insist on perfection." I always thought we were striving for perfection, but he was looking at it from a business point of view, and how much time could be devoted to any one project. (As it was, I had assignments I never completed).

You did a nice job and it brought great joy to me.

Martijn Damen · April 6th, 2015, 09:50 AM

TY all for your comments!

Tim, "It never will be good enough, and you will never finish the work, if you insist on perfection."
That's a very powerful quote.

Andrew, I have been doing some photography in the analogue days, in my teens, but did never really think about composition. Since I made my first uwol entry last year I have been looking into that, due to comments from the board and friends, and I'm glad I'm going in the right direction with composition.

Mick, the moon I filmed when the sun was still up, somehow therefor it fitted at that place for me .. but ..
you are totally right that the film doesn't tell that story, so the moon comes on a very strange moment in my edit for viewers.

Vishal, it's indeed a Wren and a Robin, they live really all over the place where I live. They are both not really shy, especially the Robin, who loves to hang around peoples gardens and people tending their garden, hoping to get some fresh pickings from the loosened ground.

I plan to only make video with only (my own) music and folio for now. I have to improve my story telling with image and music a lot .. but it's an exciting challenge for me.
That's why I'm so glad I found this board, where people give honest critics.

Marj Atkins · April 6th, 2015, 11:13 AM

Hey Martijn

There are a lot of things about this film that I really like. The first is the name of your film. I can see why you put your video together as you did based on the name of this film. The only thing that does not somehow fit into the ‘edge of daylight’ title is the moon; I love your sepia shots - they seem to slip into this theme so easily. Did you do them in post or in camera?; I think you have one of the best golden hour shots for the this round in those swans even though it is way too short. The gold rings on the water are beautiful. Equally appealing is the second shot of the hare in the snow with the light picking up the leaves with tinges of gold. Also like the framing of the Great Egret and the little Wren singing its heart out.

There is no doubt - you have the equipment you have the eye, you have the skill and talent to do this (stunning images!) but there is just one thing lacking in your film – a story. I think this is where you are going to have to focus your attention in the future in order to produce something really exceptional. As one of the judges, Michael Conti, way back at the beginning of this challenge said and which I have never forgotten,

“...As a judge, I was looking for how well the entire video was put together, from the cinematography, editing, narration and music. I was also looking for the videos that had an emotional quality to them, specifically films that had story. I feel that it isn't enough to just have beautiful photography, especially if you want to keep your audience interested for more than a few minutes. I have watched a lot of adventure films over the years, and this seems to be the one element which separates the good from the best. So, if I can encourage you to tackle that additional task, it will serve you better as filmmakers.”

My suggestion for next time is to work on a simple story that has a beginning, middle and end. If necessary do a little bit of reading on the topic to get some info and to get your creative thinking going.

Hope this helps.

Martijn Damen · April 7th, 2015, 12:42 PM

Thank you Marj,

all footage I filmed with the white balance on cloudy, I read on several places on the internet people did this to get richer colors, and it seems to work well. That's where the stronger sepia colors in some shots come from in the first step probably. I did some color correction on all clips, that might have boosted it. Although the colors are still quite close to the colors that were there. Specially in the mornings there was some soft mist from the evaporating frost that was on the ground that kind of catches the early sunlight in it to create this veil of soft light.

And yes, the story, the story, the story .. I think there is a bit more of a story then my first film, but I agree totally that I have to improve on that a lot.

April 1st, 2015, 11:56 AM	#1
Martijn Damen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Valkenswaard, Netherlands Posts: 62	UWOL # 33 - At the Edge of Daylight At the Edge of Daylight on Vimeo First I want to thank all of you, contestants as well as initiators of this challenge. It sets a goal and helps me finishing something :) And .. maybe the best value is that I get to be out there to experience, enjoy and learn. Getting up at 5 in the morning, a quick mug of coffee and of to the fields, it was cold, it was early, but it was magnificent. Being out at sunset also .. every day a new play of light and dark. This is my second uwol entry, and my second edit/film, but I'd like to have criticism scale 1. I have to point out that the last week, that I planned for editing, suddenly got quite hectic and it became a rush job; There are some obvious mistakes in it, but I had no time to correct them. Besides that I would really like to learn something from you all, so please shoot. The music was made and played be myself, The video was recorded with a Panasonic GH4 and mainly with a canon 150-600mm f/5.6l fd. The timelapse shots of sunrise and sunset where shot with a Contax 35-135 CZ . Environment audio from the camera mics. Last edited by Martijn Damen; April 1st, 2015 at 12:56 PM.*

April 2nd, 2015, 06:50 AM	#2
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Re: UWOL # 33 - At the Edge of Daylight Hello, Martijn. You’ve been getting some great shots. I love that Canon lens. (I missed out on getting one again last month! Still looking…) The music is well chosen to fit the mood. I’m very impressed that you wrote and played it. I understand what you mean about wanting more time for editing. I like to “completely” finish editing and then not look at or even think about it for a week before I go back to it. I then find lots of things to fix that I didn’t even see before. The timing of the Challenge rarely lets me do that. One area I think you might have wanted a bit more work on is the transitions. You did a good job on the cross dissolves. I think in the places where you did a dip to black though that the timing could use some adjustment. You might want to just barely kiss the black instead giving it a big ol’ hug. (I hope that makes sense.) On transitions where the two clips are of similar look, like around 00:14, I would stick to a cross dissolve instead of dip to black. The initial fade up from black is a bit abrupt. It can be difficult to convince Vimeo to do that correctly. It always wants to discard the black and fade up from grey. You can sometimes do well by adding about half a second of black frames at the beginning (start the audio under them or they will be discarded also) and then do a slower fade up on the clip. One place I would have used a strait cut is around 1:06. I would have trimmed the Robin clip to the very last frame where any of its tail can still be seen in frame and then immediately cut to the very last frame where the first falling drop is still touching the branch. On the last dissolve between the time lapse and the sunset lit clouds I think the mind could use a bit more time to absorb the fact that the sun is down. In other words push the beginning of the dissolve a few more frames down the timeline. Your credits are not large enough! You did a good job here and you need to let everyone know it. Keep up the good work, keep getting up early and I look forward to your third film.

April 2nd, 2015, 07:24 AM	#3
Martijn Damen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Valkenswaard, Netherlands Posts: 62	Re: UWOL # 33 - At the Edge of Daylight Thank you Mike for your in depth comment. Very helpful. I have no experience with other big zooms, but this canon monster produces some very lovely quality. It's the elegant softness of the out of focus that I like the most about it. If I come across one in good condition I will let you know. Last edited by Martijn Damen; April 2nd, 2015 at 09:43 AM.

April 3rd, 2015, 04:22 AM	#4
Martijn Damen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Valkenswaard, Netherlands Posts: 62	Re: UWOL # 33 - At the Edge of Daylight Mike, there is one for sale here:Lenses It's almost at the bottom of the page and it's very expensive, but also motorized.

April 3rd, 2015, 05:23 AM	#5
Mike Sims Major Player Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 880	Re: UWOL # 33 - At the Edge of Daylight Well that’s pretty cool. I have never seen one modified for motorized zoom. It looks like the lens mount is also modified. It even has the complete Canon ND filter set. They are the same filters used by my 600mm FD lens and I know from experience that they can be pretty hard to find. I ended up having to use the stock generic filter mount and regular 48mm ND filters (which themselves can be difficult to locate). I had to do machining on the brass barrels to make them fit. You won’t see these lenses for a long time and then all of a sudden there are several. I just found another one listed that I am looking at. They are all pretty expensive to me. My other problem is that my income is quite seasonal and I won’t be able to be seriously looking again until June. My lens buying fund is a bit depleted at the moment because I just bought a thermal imaging camera (delivery tomorrow!). Thank-you, Martijn! :)

April 4th, 2015, 11:51 AM	#6
Mick Jenner Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: West Sussex England Posts: 843	Re: UWOL # 33 - At the Edge of Daylight Hi Martijn, A lovely entry with well film clips. The problem I find with with purely film and music entries on mood themes like this is getting a your clips in an order that tells some form of story to the viewer. An example here is half way through the sunset sequence you go from a reddish clip to a blue moon clip back to a reddish clip. maybe the moon should have been the last clip. The music you produced to go with this was very good especially for the sunset. For the sunrise I would have liked something slightly more upbeat that goes the waking up period of time. Overall though very well done, most enjoyable.

April 5th, 2015, 09:37 AM	#7
Vishal Jadhav Major Player Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Pune, Mah , India Posts: 445	Re: UWOL # 33 - At the Edge of Daylight Martijn, I love the opening shot/ timelapse , great composition , music blends in well to make a great beginning. Interesting array of shots before you turn to the birds where it makes it more interesting to the eye, wren and then the robin i suppose,(i kinda like that bird a lot) Its amazing that you made the music too, lovely. Closing timelapse is superb , Looking at it and having captured with a GH4, i did mine 80% with GH4 and the timelapses with gopro. i find you have got nice quality of video with it. vishal

April 5th, 2015, 08:03 PM	#8
Andrew Hood Major Player Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Latrobe Valley, Vic Posts: 320	Re: UWOL # 33 - At the Edge of Daylight Hi Martijn, UWOL is great for encouraging you to get out there. I don't do enough of my own videos, so it's a great way to have a goal and build experience as you said. I think the others have made all the key suggestions about ways to improve things. Overall it had a very calm feel to it, that was complemented by your music. The camera and lens combo worked to create some striking imagery. And your visual composition created interest and appeal - I'm guessing you've done some photography before doing video? Great to have you on board, and I look forward to more videos in future rounds.

April 5th, 2015, 11:02 PM	#9
Tim Paynter Major Player Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Denver Posts: 255	Re: UWOL # 33 - At the Edge of Daylight A beautiful piece, we are all very lucky to have such talent. I shoot the other end of society, the less pretty, so it is very nice to have a piece to return me to my childhood days in the field. I will never forget the words of my film prof, "It never will be good enough, and you will never finish the work, if you insist on perfection." I always thought we were striving for perfection, but he was looking at it from a business point of view, and how much time could be devoted to any one project. (As it was, I had assignments I never completed). You did a nice job and it brought great joy to me.

April 6th, 2015, 09:50 AM	#10
Martijn Damen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Valkenswaard, Netherlands Posts: 62	Re: UWOL # 33 - At the Edge of Daylight TY all for your comments! Tim, "It never will be good enough, and you will never finish the work, if you insist on perfection." That's a very powerful quote. Andrew, I have been doing some photography in the analogue days, in my teens, but did never really think about composition. Since I made my first uwol entry last year I have been looking into that, due to comments from the board and friends, and I'm glad I'm going in the right direction with composition. Mick, the moon I filmed when the sun was still up, somehow therefor it fitted at that place for me .. but .. you are totally right that the film doesn't tell that story, so the moon comes on a very strange moment in my edit for viewers. Vishal, it's indeed a Wren and a Robin, they live really all over the place where I live. They are both not really shy, especially the Robin, who loves to hang around peoples gardens and people tending their garden, hoping to get some fresh pickings from the loosened ground. I plan to only make video with only (my own) music and folio for now. I have to improve my story telling with image and music a lot .. but it's an exciting challenge for me. That's why I'm so glad I found this board, where people give honest critics.

April 6th, 2015, 11:13 AM	#11
Marj Atkins Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: Johannesburg South Africa Posts: 768	Re: UWOL # 33 - At the Edge of Daylight Hey Martijn There are a lot of things about this film that I really like. The first is the name of your film. I can see why you put your video together as you did based on the name of this film. The only thing that does not somehow fit into the ‘edge of daylight’ title is the moon; I love your sepia shots - they seem to slip into this theme so easily. Did you do them in post or in camera?; I think you have one of the best golden hour shots for the this round in those swans even though it is way too short. The gold rings on the water are beautiful. Equally appealing is the second shot of the hare in the snow with the light picking up the leaves with tinges of gold. Also like the framing of the Great Egret and the little Wren singing its heart out. There is no doubt - you have the equipment you have the eye, you have the skill and talent to do this (stunning images!) but there is just one thing lacking in your film – a story. I think this is where you are going to have to focus your attention in the future in order to produce something really exceptional. As one of the judges, Michael Conti, way back at the beginning of this challenge said and which I have never forgotten, “...As a judge, I was looking for how well the entire video was put together, from the cinematography, editing, narration and music. I was also looking for the videos that had an emotional quality to them, specifically films that had story. I feel that it isn't enough to just have beautiful photography, especially if you want to keep your audience interested for more than a few minutes. I have watched a lot of adventure films over the years, and this seems to be the one element which separates the good from the best. So, if I can encourage you to tackle that additional task, it will serve you better as filmmakers.” My suggestion for next time is to work on a simple story that has a beginning, middle and end. If necessary do a little bit of reading on the topic to get some info and to get your creative thinking going. Hope this helps.

April 7th, 2015, 12:42 PM	#12
Martijn Damen Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Valkenswaard, Netherlands Posts: 62	Re: UWOL # 33 - At the Edge of Daylight Thank you Marj, all footage I filmed with the white balance on cloudy, I read on several places on the internet people did this to get richer colors, and it seems to work well. That's where the stronger sepia colors in some shots come from in the first step probably. I did some color correction on all clips, that might have boosted it. Although the colors are still quite close to the colors that were there. Specially in the mornings there was some soft mist from the evaporating frost that was on the ground that kind of catches the early sunlight in it to create this veil of soft light. And yes, the story, the story, the story .. I think there is a bit more of a story then my first film, but I agree totally that I have to improve on that a lot.