UWOL 54 - Tales of wonders and woes

[Trond Saetre]

As always, interaction between the players is encouraged.
What goes great, what did not go as planned, and everything in between, about the making of your*
UWOL 54 films.

Hope all of you find a cool idea for your entries. Your imagination is the limit of how you interpret the theme.

Don't be afraid to ask if you have any questions.
Have fun, and bring it!

[Gordon Hoffman]

It's been pretty quiet here. So far haven't got much video shot and haven't got much of an idea for a story. It looks like I'm in for a cold snap for a while with some snow so things could change.

Gordon

[Trond Saetre]

Been quiet both in the forum and over here too, Gordon.
The young one is on a school trip, so no filming for her yet. Has some available time next weekend, so fingers crossed for the weather will cooperate with her.

[Dale Guthormsen]

Well, I have camera gear ready. Has not been a good season for videoing wildlife! Id like to participate.

[Trond Saetre]

Dale, feel free to make an unofficial film. Since signup is closed for this challenge, it can't be included in the judging process, but you can have your own feedback thread.

In general:
Signup threads are usually available the last two weeks prior to the theme release. With very few excemptions, the signup closes prior to theme release.

[Phil Murray]

I've been filming several times a week in a lot of different places, but my biggest challenge is that I'm using my new Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. The complexity of learning it -- every thing must be set manually on each shot -- AND starting off new with DaVinci Resolve has been quite a challenge.

I have some ideas yet still not sure on a storyline, but I'm gathering a good bit of footage this month and, at the very least, am learning a TON!

Here's some stuff I shot two days ago. (I'm lucky to be able to visit some remarkable places.)

Exploring near Machu Picchu - YouTube

[Trond Saetre]

Looking forward to see what you come up with, Phil! Nice footage!

[Paul Wood]

Looking great , Phil! Ive got some ideas left over from the last challenge (which I failed to do anything about), so will give it a go when the weather picks up a bit!

[Phil Murray]

Thank you, Trond and Paul. I'm having so much fun with the BMPCC 4K. The learning curve for the camera and DaVinci Resolve is the most I've ever had to deal with, but it's definitely worth it. I took a couple of days off to fly to Lima to buy a Rode Wireless Go mic system so I can maybe add some decent dialogue along the way and will be back home tomorrow to start filming again.

Hope everyone's projects are coming along nicely. I'm looking forward to seeing what all of you come up with!

[Trond Saetre]

Phil, how do you like the wireless go? I'm thinking about buying the same.

[Phil Murray]

Hi Trond. I haven't used the Rode Wireless Go much, but the little bit I have tested it is extremely encouraging, It's really easy to use and, of course, the size makes it incredibly convenient.

I tested it indoors in a room with hard walls/floors and a lot of echo and found the sound was surprisingly clear. I also used it with a a Rode SmartLav mic and the sound was even better. I didn't test distance because I just don't see how that will be necessary in normal situations for me.

As suggested by someone else, I used it with a Blackmagic Pocket CInema Camera 4k and had the output on the Rode set as high as possibly so I could reduce the gain in the camera. This gave me clear sound, though I'm not sure if the difference could be heard in any normal situation.

I'm extremely glad I bought, but haven't used it a lot as it hasn't been needed for my current project. I'm hoping to try some more "National Geographic" kind of stuff next month once we finish with the UWOL competition and will post what I come up with so you can get a better idea.

(I'll be in the Amazon rainforest again in about 10 days so I'll get a chance to see how it works there. I'm really curious to hear how it picks up ambient sounds along with my voice. My old Sennheiser G3 wireless system picked up just the right amount which I generally liked when talking outside.)

[Trond Saetre]

Sounds promising. I was thinking of using it with my Rode videomic, sending the audio directly to my Canon XF300 camera.

Hope you get a good and productive time in the Amazonas.

[Bob Safay]

Phil, I envy you. I remember exploring and videoing Machu Picchu back in 2009. We had to breakdown and sneak my Canon XL2 into the park to avoid paying the $400.00 fee for a video camcorder. I was so sorry to read about those stupid tourists that were arrested there a few weeks ago. Bob

[Mick Jenner]

Hi Bob, I had a similar problem with a Sony Z1. The guards were convinced it was a a professional camera but because it had a fixed lens they eventually decided it wasn't. The camera was a new model at the time and importantly for them the lens details didn't appear on a list the had, so they excepted that I was a tourist!!

[Phil Murray]

I was mostly surprised last week (on my second trip there this year) that I was able to take my larger backpack into Machu Picchu. They are a bit picky about backpack size. I was more worried about protecting my BMPCC than anything. I get the shot that I wanted there so it worked out okay.

More than anything, I really miss being able to take a tripod in, but I understand the reasoning. The one shot I'll use from MP will be the only handheld shot I'll be using in my UWOL project.

The BMPCC looks like a photo camera so they don't say a word about it. I spend a lot of time talking to many of the workers there so I think I could get away with a little more than the usual visitor anyway as long as I don't go too far. (That's already got me access to some areas off limits in the past. Personal relationships go a long way in Peru.)

On the day I was there back in 2009, there were only about 200 visitors all day so I had the place virtually to myself to explore and film with my little camcorder (and a tripod). That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I made an attempt at filming a "Travel Channel"-type video that is embarrassing to watch now, but really wasn't all that bad. I had a lot of fun doing it.

Great Day at Machu Picchu on Vimeo