UWOL#59 "WATERFALLS" by Geir Inge B. Brekke

[Geir Inge]

Uwol-59-WATERFALLS by Geir Inge B. Brekke on Vimeo

Modern Norway was built and industrialised when we started to utilize rivers and waterfalls to produce electricity.
Hydropower is still the backbone of the Norwegian power system, and will remain so in the foreseeable future.
Abundant access to clean and renewable energy puts Norway in a unique position compared to most other countries in the world.
As many as 10 of the world's 30 highest waterfalls can be seen in Norway, according to the World Waterfall Database.
Although such lists are often the subject of controversy, since there is no uniform definition of "waterfall",
there is little doubt that the large height differences in Norway have created waterfalls that are completely unique in a global context.
Several of them are among our most popular tourist attractions, and are important elements in the Norwegian landscape.
Several of the most scenic waterfalls are found in Western Norway, and the best times to see them are in May and June,
when the snow and ice from the mountains melt and the water level is at its highest.

FACTS ABOUT THE JOSTEDALSBREEN ICE CAP
Area: 474 km² (183 sq. miles)
Length: 60 km (37 miles)
Highest elevation: 1957 m asl. (Høgste Breakulen)
Lowest elevation: 60 m asl. (the foot of the glacier Supphellebreen)
Maximum thickness: 571 m
Greatest snowdepth measured: 12 m
Total erosion of rock material: 400 000 tons/year
Glacier volume: 73 km³ (95 • 10 cu.yd)
Fresh water equivalent: 73 • 10¹² litres (16 • 10¹² gal.) = 300 thousand millions bathtubs of water or the water consumption in Norway for 100 years

FACTS ABOUT MARDALSFOSSEN:
Northern Europe's highest waterfall (297 meters free fall, a total of 655 meters) Mardalsfossen by Eikedalsvatnet in Romsdal.
In 1970 it was decided that the falls would be developed for hydroelectric power, and it led to major demonstrations,called "Mardøla action" to protect the waterfall.
The result was unfortunately that the waterfall was closed, but every year during the period 20 June to 20 August the floodgates are opened and you can see the waterfall again.

Locations for this movie are made in the following areas:
Skjåk mountains.
Stryn mountains.
Oldedalen (valley).
Eikesdalen (valley).

I have used the following equipment:
Sony PXW-FS5 XDCAM
Drone DJI AIR 2S
GoPro 8

Movie and sound editing software:
Vegas Pro 19 (filmediting)
Acid Pro 10 (sound)
Smartsound (music)

[Trond Saetre]

Nice one! I see we basically had the same idea for our films. The drone shots were great to show the landscape much better than you could have done on ground.

[Bob Safay]

Geir, you have become a master at flying your drone. Magnificent shots of some of the most impressive waterfalls I have seen. You are lucky to have so much beauty right there. The shot at 1:47 where you tracked up the falls was great, and the added pleasure of seeing those two deer. Your narration as well as your statistics about height of the falls, number of National Parks and the size of the area visited added to the interpretation of the video. I could spend a lot of time there just shooting video. Great entry, however I'm not sure why you added that super wide angle rolling orbital shot in the opening. Bob

[Mick Jenner]

Another great entry Geir. Can't add a lot to whats already been said. It maybe my playback, watched direct on line from Vimeo on a 49 inch TV but there appeared to be a lot noise on some of the drone wide panning clips. Thanks for posting all the technical details, most helpful. Enjoyed watching

[Geir Inge]

Thank you all for the feedback you have given. I apologize for the late response to your feedback.
I've had a big problem with Vegas Pro 19 while working on this video.
Constant crash / freeze of the program. Have not been able to resolve the issue yet.

Trond:
Yes, I'm very happy with my new drone.
Will probably have to practice a little more on some of the features.

Bob:
The clip you mention, I'm not even sure why I brought it.
Mostly to try out a program in the drone, as well as a function in Vegas.
I could do well without this clip.

Mick:
I'm a little unsure of what you mean.
On my own TV, directly from Vimeo, the video is shown without interruption of any kind.
Does anyone else have a similar problem with noise in the video?

Hoping for more participants in the next round, which is the 60th?

[Bob Safay]

Geir, it played perfect for me.

[Phil Murray]

I finally got a chance to watch your film and my jaw dropped. The drone shots were spectacular. It looked like you upped the saturation a little, but it seemed perfect and not like so many oversaturated videos I see. However you did it, the colors were breathtaking.

You really produced an amazing piece of work. I watched it twice just because it was so enjoyable.

I wasn't a big fan of the early 360 degree shot, either, but it was the one immediately after that seemed out of place for me. Still, the rest was breathtaking!

[Edit: I forgot to add that the sound was amazing and rivals any professional work on television.]

[Geir Inge]

Phil:
Thanks for the kind words on my video. I have changed the intro sequence a little bit.
So nice that you noticed the soundscape.
I have worked a lot with that. I am of the opinion that the sound in a film, especially nature films, is half the film (at least).
It was shown a little too much saturation, get to spend a little less for the next round :)
Some wise people have said that less is more :)
I see you have signed up for the upcoming Uwol, it will be exciting to see what you are up to.
The same to all of you others who have signed up.

[Phil Murray]

The soundscape really jumped out at me -- not because it was too much -- but when I realized I was watching drone footage that had no sound attached, yet it still sounded perfect! I've added a few sounds at times that sounded like an amateur attempt, but what you did was amazing (and inspirational).

I really liked the saturation. I didn't think it was too much at all and, indeed, added to the beauty of the scenery. It's done all the time in nature and wildlife documentaries. The trick is not to do too much and I don't think you did. I thought it made things even better.