UWOL #1 "Birdlife over Crete" by Brendan Marnell at DVinfo.net

Brendan Marnell · January 24th, 2007, 12:20 PM

I've downloaded all your videos today but won't be opening any until Friday. Your comments on each other were informative.

Your opinions and advice on mine would be most welcome, scathing or otherwise ...

Link: http://www.uwolchallenge.com/challen...eteSm_Prog.mov

Gabriel Yeager · January 24th, 2007, 01:11 PM

Very peaceful and beautiful footage Brendan. There was some spectacular footage in there.

Nice job on keeping them in frame and panning! I loved the music.
The only thing I would recommend is to put some transitions in there, and maybe use a different color on the font in the opening.

Other then that, nice job!
~Gabriel

Brian McKay · January 24th, 2007, 03:45 PM

Hello Brendan:

Over all I enjoyed the video but would agree with the color of the font at the beginning...no way could I make it out. The only other thing would be to suggest some quick chang ups to hold the attention of the viewer...some of the clips were very long.

But with that being said I truly enjoyed it.

Brian

Cody Lucido · January 24th, 2007, 04:22 PM

Some truly fantastic follows on the amazing birds.

What sort of gear are you using?

Per Johan Naesje · January 24th, 2007, 04:46 PM

YES Brendan, there you are! You told me once that your editing skill wasn't good! Well, from what I see here you must have taken a crash course with the Master himself!
I think your video was stunning, though some rough cuts here and there could be improved. But my overall impression is STUNNING!
Some of the text in the start was impossible to read, cause the color was the same as the background, but I think the same tekst was shown at the end too?
You also master the Sorenson Squeeze compression very well.

Best;

Randall Allen · January 24th, 2007, 04:46 PM

This was a great film. I too had problems with the intro screen that made me rewind 3 times before I gave up trying to read it.

Like Gabriel said great panning. I hope I don't offend when I ask, did you process anything in post to smooth it out? If not you have some great skills!

Randy

Rick A. Phillips · January 24th, 2007, 05:51 PM

Very nicely done, Brendan. Wish I could pan on birds like that...any birds. I also wish I had a place where I could shoot down on my vultures instead of always up...gives a whole different feel. Thanks.

Rick

Ruth Happel · January 24th, 2007, 09:27 PM

As everyone said, the font was hard to read at the start. Although I know the general rule is to do fast paced cuts, I actually really liked the long pans. At a few points, I really felt as if I was gliding with them, it was so smooth. The long slow pans seemed to match the movement of the birds, which for me accentuated their graceful flight. Thanks for sharing.

Ruth

Bruce Foreman · January 24th, 2007, 09:49 PM

What a relaxing presentation. I really enjoyed the long swooping glides.

Bruce Foreman

Bradley L Marlow · January 25th, 2007, 12:05 AM

I'm with the others. Really liked your pan ability and following the flight of the birds was very cool. There were a couple of shots that looked a little hot (washed) but one never knows if that is compression or not. Just thought I'd mention it. The piano music was very nice and complimented your film too.

That looked like a type of Vulture or Chicken Buzzard. Can you tell us what that was? Thanks!

Best wishes~
Bradley

Geir Inge · January 25th, 2007, 01:32 AM

Hi Brendan.
I'm in with the others 'bout the text in the beginning, hard to read the two lower sentence, and the ending text should stay a little bit longer, I'm a slow reader :)
You give us some beautifull scenes, the landscape, the glides of the birds - we dont see that kind of bird in Norway, is it a vulture?
I'm planning to film some eagles this year (spring/summer) together with my friend Per Johan, and you gave me a tip on how to folloow the birds in the air. What kind of tripod do you use?

Gordon Hoffman · January 25th, 2007, 08:28 AM

Brendan I think you choice of music fit the pace of your video very well. You have some nice pans following the birds nicely. One suggestion would be to cut in some of you close ups in the longer clip of the bird farther away to break it up a little. I find it nice a relaxing. Well done.

Gordon Hoffman

Brendan Marnell · January 25th, 2007, 01:09 PM

All comments gratefully received. My opening was impractical ... I was trying to be subtle and use understatement but it came out raw rather than medium rare.
Gabriel & Brian, thank you for your thoughts & glad you liked it
Cody, I use XM2 (Canon GL2) handheld except for closing "landing" & moon shots when it was on a cushion. I do sit on a swivelling stool & brace feet against the needle rocks, like playing pedals on an organ!
Per, You are being too generous but I treasure your opinion too much to say No, NO.. I would love to know how to smooth out the "rough cuts" without showing too much "dissolve". I had tried dissolve but I just could not tie the sequences without showing 2 birds in same frames. What should I do?
Randall, In filming parlance, my floor is littered with shredded yardage and yes, I did a slight slow down on the short clips (to hide the shakes that came before and after)
Rick, If you're in Crete look for Farangi Rosas and you'll see the rocky cliff-top up on your right. The landing shot came from Selinari Gorge 6 miles away.
Ruth & Bruce, Glad you liked the presentation
Bradley & Geir, The main cast members were Griffon Vultures, with a bad name for their table-manners. I think they spend a lot of time flying, gliding & soaring just because they enjoy doing it, and not, as other raptors do, only to check out the source of the next meal. No tripod.
Gordon, Glad you liked it. My only other close ups were "landings" but I'll be thinking about other close-up possibilities next time.

Chris Barcellos · January 25th, 2007, 11:40 PM

Hand held, heh ? Maybe thats the answer. Don't think I could stay that steady. Nice job Brendan.

Per Johan Naesje · January 26th, 2007, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brendan Marnell

...
Per, You are being too generous but I treasure your opinion too much to say No, NO.. I would love to know how to smooth out the "rough cuts" without showing too much "dissolve". I had tried dissolve but I just could not tie the sequences without showing 2 birds in same frames. What should I do?....

The trick could be if you don't want to show the transition and two birds in the same frame, to have some "cut ins" - clips from another angel or from a different distance.
Just make sure that you get a fluish "look".

January 24th, 2007, 01:11 PM	#2
Gabriel Yeager Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Washington, NorthWest USA Posts: 788	Very peaceful and beautiful footage Brendan. There was some spectacular footage in there. Nice job on keeping them in frame and panning! I loved the music. The only thing I would recommend is to put some transitions in there, and maybe use a different color on the font in the opening. Other then that, nice job! ~Gabriel __________________ Gabriel Photography

January 24th, 2007, 04:22 PM	#4
Cody Lucido Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 206	Some truly fantastic follows on the amazing birds. What sort of gear are you using? __________________ www.CodemanStudios.com

January 24th, 2007, 04:46 PM	#5
Per Johan Naesje Trustee Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Akershus, Norway Posts: 1,413	YES Brendan, there you are! You told me once that your editing skill wasn't good! Well, from what I see here you must have taken a crash course with the Master himself! I think your video was stunning, though some rough cuts here and there could be improved. But my overall impression is STUNNING! Some of the text in the start was impossible to read, cause the color was the same as the background, but I think the same tekst was shown at the end too? You also master the Sorenson Squeeze compression very well. Best; __________________ - Per Johan

January 25th, 2007, 12:05 AM	#10
Bradley L Marlow Major Player Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Central Wyoming Posts: 484	Hi Brendan! I'm with the others. Really liked your pan ability and following the flight of the birds was very cool. There were a couple of shots that looked a little hot (washed) but one never knows if that is compression or not. Just thought I'd mention it. The piano music was very nice and complimented your film too. That looked like a type of Vulture or Chicken Buzzard. Can you tell us what that was? Thanks! Best wishes~ Bradley

January 25th, 2007, 01:32 AM	#11
Geir Inge Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Larsnes, Norway Posts: 1,343	Hi Brendan. I'm in with the others 'bout the text in the beginning, hard to read the two lower sentence, and the ending text should stay a little bit longer, I'm a slow reader :) You give us some beautifull scenes, the landscape, the glides of the birds - we dont see that kind of bird in Norway, is it a vulture? I'm planning to film some eagles this year (spring/summer) together with my friend Per Johan, and you gave me a tip on how to folloow the birds in the air. What kind of tripod do you use? __________________ Geir Inge B. Brekke Visit me at: https://vimeo.com/gibbfilm

January 24th, 2007, 12:20 PM	#1
Brendan Marnell Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 938	UWOL #1 "Birdlife over Crete" by Brendan Marnell I've downloaded all your videos today but won't be opening any until Friday. Your comments on each other were informative. Your opinions and advice on mine would be most welcome, scathing or otherwise ... Link: http://www.uwolchallenge.com/challen...eteSm_Prog.mov

January 24th, 2007, 03:45 PM	#3
Brian McKay Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rankin Inlet, Nunavut Canada Posts: 289	Hello Brendan: Over all I enjoyed the video but would agree with the color of the font at the beginning...no way could I make it out. The only other thing would be to suggest some quick chang ups to hold the attention of the viewer...some of the clips were very long. But with that being said I truly enjoyed it. Brian

January 24th, 2007, 04:46 PM	#6
Randall Allen Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 192	This was a great film. I too had problems with the intro screen that made me rewind 3 times before I gave up trying to read it. Like Gabriel said great panning. I hope I don't offend when I ask, did you process anything in post to smooth it out? If not you have some great skills! Randy

January 24th, 2007, 05:51 PM	#7
Rick A. Phillips Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: kingsport, tennessee Posts: 123	Very nicely done, Brendan. Wish I could pan on birds like that...any birds. I also wish I had a place where I could shoot down on my vultures instead of always up...gives a whole different feel. Thanks. Rick

January 24th, 2007, 09:27 PM	#8
Ruth Happel Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Black Mountain, NC Posts: 488	As everyone said, the font was hard to read at the start. Although I know the general rule is to do fast paced cuts, I actually really liked the long pans. At a few points, I really felt as if I was gliding with them, it was so smooth. The long slow pans seemed to match the movement of the birds, which for me accentuated their graceful flight. Thanks for sharing. Ruth

January 24th, 2007, 09:49 PM	#9
Bruce Foreman Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: San Angelo Texas Posts: 1,518	What a relaxing presentation. I really enjoyed the long swooping glides. Bruce Foreman

January 25th, 2007, 08:28 AM	#12
Gordon Hoffman Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pincher Creek, Alberta Canada Posts: 619	Brendan I think you choice of music fit the pace of your video very well. You have some nice pans following the birds nicely. One suggestion would be to cut in some of you close ups in the longer clip of the bird farther away to break it up a little. I find it nice a relaxing. Well done. Gordon Hoffman

January 25th, 2007, 01:09 PM	#13
Brendan Marnell Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 938	Thank you all All comments gratefully received. My opening was impractical ... I was trying to be subtle and use understatement but it came out raw rather than medium rare. Gabriel & Brian, thank you for your thoughts & glad you liked it Cody, I use XM2 (Canon GL2) handheld except for closing "landing" & moon shots when it was on a cushion. I do sit on a swivelling stool & brace feet against the needle rocks, like playing pedals on an organ! Per, You are being too generous but I treasure your opinion too much to say No, NO.. I would love to know how to smooth out the "rough cuts" without showing too much "dissolve". I had tried dissolve but I just could not tie the sequences without showing 2 birds in same frames. What should I do? Randall, In filming parlance, my floor is littered with shredded yardage and yes, I did a slight slow down on the short clips (to hide the shakes that came before and after) Rick, If you're in Crete look for Farangi Rosas and you'll see the rocky cliff-top up on your right. The landing shot came from Selinari Gorge 6 miles away. Ruth & Bruce, Glad you liked the presentation Bradley & Geir, The main cast members were Griffon Vultures, with a bad name for their table-manners. I think they spend a lot of time flying, gliding & soaring just because they enjoy doing it, and not, as other raptors do, only to check out the source of the next meal. No tripod. Gordon, Glad you liked it. My only other close ups were "landings" but I'll be thinking about other close-up possibilities next time.

January 25th, 2007, 11:40 PM	#14
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	Hand held, heh ? Maybe thats the answer. Don't think I could stay that steady. Nice job Brendan. __________________ Chris J. Barcellos