UWOL 35 Practice makes perfect. (Unofficial) at DVinfo.net

Mick Jenner · September 2nd, 2015, 03:00 AM

Unfortunately I was unable to complete an entry for this round. My original plan had been based around native horses New Forest, Exmoor, Suffolk Punches etc and the various uses their locomotive powers have been put to. Unfortunately for various reasons I was unable film all I required.

I have however been editing some of my older footage for another project. As there are so few entries this round I hope you don't mind if I post a link here for you watch as is is loosely connected to locomotion.

Its basically young Sika stags sparring, the footage was recorded a couple of years ago in Dorset and edited down for an Eden short. Its only a minute long. Any comments welcome.

Steve Siegel · September 3rd, 2015, 01:40 PM

This is a real pretty piece. The subdued lighting is complemented by your soft, calm voice. My only issue is that the barbed wire in the first scene is a bit of a distraction from the "natural" appearance of the rest of the clip. On the other hand, juxtaposing man's dangerous wire with the stags' dangerous antlers is really kind of cool. I guess it depends on what the rest of the movie is about. As you said this is part of a bigger piece.

I'm happy that you posted this, Mick, because it opens the door to perhaps moving in a little different direction. We are getting just a handful of entries each competition, and I wonder if it has to do with most of us having pretty much filmed what there is to film in our neighborhoods.

Maybe we should be posting some old and new stuff, not to compete, but to get opinions from friends who know a whole lot about wildlife filming. For myself, I could really benefit from learning from others, especially regarding what camera equipment is being used, blinds, how far away from subjects, time of year, etc. And of course, editing. These things are rarely addressed in the usual UWOL entries.

I was recently blown away by a video I saw on Vimeo, by a couple of guys named Lang Elliott and Bob McGuire. It was a difficult subject to get, and I would have loved to know how they did it. I couldn't ask, because they are basically proprietary.

I think that among ourselves, however, a lively back and forth about techniques would really be valuable and fun.

Trond Saetre · September 4th, 2015, 12:19 AM

Mick, thanks for sharing! I enjoyed watching your video.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Siegel

I'm happy that you posted this, Mick, because it opens the door to perhaps moving in a little different direction. We are getting just a handful of entries each competition, and I wonder if it has to do with most of us having pretty much filmed what there is to film in our neighborhoods.

Maybe we should be posting some old and new stuff, not to compete, but to get opinions from friends who know a whole lot about wildlife filming. For myself, I could really benefit from learning from others, especially regarding what camera equipment is being used, blinds, how far away from subjects, time of year, etc. And of course, editing. These things are rarely addressed in the usual UWOL entries.

I think that among ourselves, however, a lively back and forth about techniques would really be valuable and fun.

I'm open to any ideas or suggestions about how to attract more people and get more submitted UWOL entries. Some years ago, I ran a couple "uwol fun shoots" in between the official UWOL challenges. Maybe do that again once in a while where we open up for both new and old footage and focus more on the technical aspect, with no "winners" or judgning?

Maybe we could encourage the players to describe more of the technical aspects when we post the feedback threads as well?
Btw, never be afraid to ask those questions in the feedback threads.

Kevin Railsback · September 4th, 2015, 05:07 AM

We should start a new thread for fun shoots and getting more people involved and talk about it!

Geir Inge · September 5th, 2015, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Railsback

We should start a new thread for fun shoots and getting more people involved and talk about it!

I like that idea of yours Kevin.
Nice clips Mick and thansk for sharing.

Mick Jenner · September 6th, 2015, 02:43 AM

Hi all thanks for watching.

Steve, where I live in the south of England we have very few really wide open spaces that aren't bordered in some way, mainly fencing or hedgerow. The national parks close to me, South Downs and New Forest are recent additions and are mostly made up of privately own working farms, or forests administered by the Forestry Commission. For more open land I need to go to the uplands mostly situated in the north of the country, Wales and Scotland.

The fence line which the Stags were fighting along did in fact define the borders of their boundaries, each trying to slip under to steal the others girls. As you have quite rightly guessed this the potential to cause quite serious injuries to them.

Here is a clip of Fallow stags fighting in the heart of the New Forest and how a fence could have had fatal consequences for one of them.

This clip shows two bucks fighting it out during the 2011 rut in the New Forest, UK.
One buck pushes the other through a fence then gets caught up in it. The other realises this and comes back through it with one intention!

Not a particularly well exposed clip. It was very early in the morning when I came across them already in full fight. I was filming 90 degrees to the sun that was very bright and low in the sky.

Your idea of posting some old footage, and others of organising a fun round has set me thinking along similar lines to Trond
Why not designate one round as a free for all. No theme and footage can be of any age as long as you filmed it. It could announced at any time during the year at Trond's discretion. All the other rules to apply as normal. Just thinking in print lol

Steve, loved the grouse drumming clip you linked to. A lot of time and field craft went into that bit of filming.

Mick

Paul Wood · September 6th, 2015, 05:38 AM

Very polished work, as usual, Mick,

A pity you weren't able to complete the project, but that happens to us all from time to time..
.
I love the shots of the deer - I've been up early for work in the last few weeks, and have seen the deer returning from the river and lake at dawn, to more quiet spots in the woods where they stay during the daytime heat - but haven't had the camera with me - maybe later in the year!

I think I'll make a separate post on the ideas floated around in various threads this round, after the voting finishes.

September 2nd, 2015, 03:00 AM	#1
Mick Jenner Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: West Sussex England Posts: 843	UWOL 35 Practice makes perfect. (Unofficial) Unfortunately I was unable to complete an entry for this round. My original plan had been based around native horses New Forest, Exmoor, Suffolk Punches etc and the various uses their locomotive powers have been put to. Unfortunately for various reasons I was unable film all I required. I have however been editing some of my older footage for another project. As there are so few entries this round I hope you don't mind if I post a link here for you watch as is is loosely connected to locomotion. Its basically young Sika stags sparring, the footage was recorded a couple of years ago in Dorset and edited down for an Eden short. Its only a minute long. Any comments welcome. Practice Makes Perfect Eden Short - YouTube Last edited by Mick Jenner; September 2nd, 2015 at 03:09 AM. Reason: spelling

September 3rd, 2015, 01:40 PM	#2
Steve Siegel Major Player Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA Posts: 840	Re: UWOL 35 Practice makes perfect. (Unofficial) This is a real pretty piece. The subdued lighting is complemented by your soft, calm voice. My only issue is that the barbed wire in the first scene is a bit of a distraction from the "natural" appearance of the rest of the clip. On the other hand, juxtaposing man's dangerous wire with the stags' dangerous antlers is really kind of cool. I guess it depends on what the rest of the movie is about. As you said this is part of a bigger piece. I'm happy that you posted this, Mick, because it opens the door to perhaps moving in a little different direction. We are getting just a handful of entries each competition, and I wonder if it has to do with most of us having pretty much filmed what there is to film in our neighborhoods. Maybe we should be posting some old and new stuff, not to compete, but to get opinions from friends who know a whole lot about wildlife filming. For myself, I could really benefit from learning from others, especially regarding what camera equipment is being used, blinds, how far away from subjects, time of year, etc. And of course, editing. These things are rarely addressed in the usual UWOL entries. I was recently blown away by a video I saw on Vimeo, by a couple of guys named Lang Elliott and Bob McGuire. It was a difficult subject to get, and I would have loved to know how they did it. I couldn't ask, because they are basically proprietary. I think that among ourselves, however, a lively back and forth about techniques would really be valuable and fun. Ruffed Grouse Drumming on Vimeo

September 4th, 2015, 05:07 AM	#4
Kevin Railsback Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa Posts: 1,544	Re: UWOL 35 Practice makes perfect. (Unofficial) We should start a new thread for fun shoots and getting more people involved and talk about it! __________________ --==Kevin==-- http:naturephotostudios.com.com

September 6th, 2015, 02:43 AM	#6
Mick Jenner Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: West Sussex England Posts: 843	Re: UWOL 35 Practice makes perfect. (Unofficial) Hi all thanks for watching. Steve, where I live in the south of England we have very few really wide open spaces that aren't bordered in some way, mainly fencing or hedgerow. The national parks close to me, South Downs and New Forest are recent additions and are mostly made up of privately own working farms, or forests administered by the Forestry Commission. For more open land I need to go to the uplands mostly situated in the north of the country, Wales and Scotland. The fence line which the Stags were fighting along did in fact define the borders of their boundaries, each trying to slip under to steal the others girls. As you have quite rightly guessed this the potential to cause quite serious injuries to them. Here is a clip of Fallow stags fighting in the heart of the New Forest and how a fence could have had fatal consequences for one of them. The Violence of the Fallow Deer Rut on Vimeo This clip shows two bucks fighting it out during the 2011 rut in the New Forest, UK. One buck pushes the other through a fence then gets caught up in it. The other realises this and comes back through it with one intention! Not a particularly well exposed clip. It was very early in the morning when I came across them already in full fight. I was filming 90 degrees to the sun that was very bright and low in the sky. Your idea of posting some old footage, and others of organising a fun round has set me thinking along similar lines to Trond Why not designate one round as a free for all. No theme and footage can be of any age as long as you filmed it. It could announced at any time during the year at Trond's discretion. All the other rules to apply as normal. Just thinking in print lol Steve, loved the grouse drumming clip you linked to. A lot of time and field craft went into that bit of filming. Mick

September 6th, 2015, 05:38 AM	#7
Paul Wood Major Player Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 485	Re: UWOL 35 Practice makes perfect. (Unofficial) Very polished work, as usual, Mick, A pity you weren't able to complete the project, but that happens to us all from time to time.. . I love the shots of the deer - I've been up early for work in the last few weeks, and have seen the deer returning from the river and lake at dawn, to more quiet spots in the woods where they stay during the daytime heat - but haven't had the camera with me - maybe later in the year! I think I'll make a separate post on the ideas floated around in various threads this round, after the voting finishes.