UWOL #3 "Wild No More" by Kevin J Railsback

[Kevin Railsback]

Well, this had to be the hardest challenge for yet for me.

I had a clear idea of what I wanted to do and I thought maybe I would be able to get it done. But the longer I looked around, the more it seemed that my idea wasn't going to work.

So, once I got the idea that wild really didn't exist in Iowa any more, the task became easier. But still, finding shots that I liked were few and far between. 90% of the film was shot Sunday before the deadline.

Although Iowa may look like there are areas that are pristine, what you didn't see just byond the camera's view were the junk cars, the $800,00 houses just on the other side of the trees, the joggers, the bikers, the trash dumpers. You feel about as much in the wild as you do when youo visit a zoo.

So, I give you a glimpse of what Iowa might have been generations ago.

I hope you enjoy it. http://www.uwolchallenge.com/challen...wildnomore.mov

[Geir Inge]

Hi Kevin.
You paint some beautiful pictures of Iowa.
Nice and relaxing music.
That fence in the end, turning read, was really neat.
I enjoyd this one very much and thanks for sharing.

[Mat Thompson]

Kevin....your composition and view on the world is great and you make that camera sing, I think you're the most talented shooter in the land of uwol!

Nice concept too....a little sad but true for an ever increasing amount of our planet unfortunately. Killer shot of the Deer, would love to see some more of that big fella, I'm liking the fish as well, great job through the waters surface. I wasn't so hot on some of the flower shots, I think some close ups with use of nice shallow dof could have made these sing a little louder.

and I'm still so jealous of that 60fps ;)

Top 3 :)

[Trond Saetre]

Hi Kevin.
The opening and closing sequences was really cool.
As Geir Inge said, the fence turning red as the background turned b&w is great.

I like your story.

[Catherine Russell]

Hi Kevin:

This is a beautiful film and well composed. One would never know from this entry that you were frustrated with your subject. Kevin you are a master at what you do with the tallent to turn your projects into gold. Thank you for the pleasure of watching this film.

Cat

[Chris Barcellos]

Another super job, Kevin ! Great camera work great locations and great images...

But I don't necessarily look at things as being half empty..... One thing I was struck by in my trek around Eastern Oregon, is that where man has left scene a couple of years, nature is quick to reclaim it....

[Ruth Happel]

I really liked the thoughtful pace and flow of the film. How did you get the effect about 1/3 of the way in where the river was abstract and came slowly into focus- that was great. As others have said, the ending with changing colors was a nice effect. I think you framed the shots very well, the composition was excellent- each like a tightly shot photo in terms of all the elements being in great proportion.

The message was sad, though of course you did still find some wild places. But thinking of the prairie that has largely vanished, and all the other habitats fading way, was a great message for your film- I really enjoyed it.

Ruth

[Kevin Railsback]

Hey Ruth,

I actually work that shot backwards. I focus on the water then I spin the focus ring to take the shot out of focus. Then I play the clip backwards so it looks like it's out of focus and and snaps into focus. With HD it's so critcal to have super sharp focus it's easier for me to do it that way. :)

Course, then since the shot is playing backwards, I had to flip all the other water shots so the water is flowing the same direction. :)

Although many of the shots may have looked "wild", you didn't see the $800,000 homes twenty yard behind the trail. You didn't see the rusted old junked out cars sitting in the ravines. You didn't see the cigarette butts all over the trail or the beer cans floating down the river.

When I first moved to Iowa in '76 I could drive from where I lived to Cedar Rapids, 14 miles away and only hit a handfull of farm houses. Now, I can drive the same drive to visit my parents and there's maybe only three or four farm fields the length of the drive. It's all sub-divisions now.

So for me, it's really not wild. It's more of a zoo exhibit without the bars and cage.

Mat,

Yeah, the flowers could have been better. Heck, most of it could have been better but I was just happy I was able to put something together to stay out of the tank. :) We're at that tought time where Spring wildflowers are pretty much gone and the Summer prairie flowers are yet to bloom.

That field where I was walking in at the opening of the film will soon be mature turkey foot prairie grasses which will be about 8 or 9 feet tall in just a couple more months. It'll be nearly impossible to do that walk come July!

[Bruce Foreman]

Kevin:

Thanks for cheering us up with some stunningly beautiful scenes after that intro (not a criticism, the contrast between the somber mood of the into and the beauty you managed to find made your message all the more full of impact).

The stag was magnificent, I'm not a hunter but still can thrill at the sight of such a creature even without imagining "crosshairs". One of the most graceful sights I see is deer clearing a fence as I drive past.

Forget my previous joke about "diced mushroom", "plucked ducks", and I now see how the flowers fit in.

Excellent piece of work. I liked it.

[Rob Evans]

so sad and poingant - this is a really well put together idea, very well excuted. good use of differing shots, tight editing and a wonderful pace. Like the colouration effects, they tie into the story very well. Makes you stop and think, which in the end, I think is what we're all about trying to achieve whether we realise it or not. Good work.

[Per Johan Naesje]

Kevin,
a powerful and moving film. Nice color keying. Top notch cinematography and editing.
You are on my top five list.

[Gabriel Yeager]

OMG, that was incredible Kevin! Very nice stuff! And very touching.

I think you stole me on this one... I was so blown away.. The color adjustments were astonishing!

The duck taking off was so cool! really surprised. Thank you so much for putting this piece together!

Really nice job, loved it! Keep up the great work!!
~Gabriel

[Jeff Hendricks]

Kevin,

I am a big fan of your stuff. I really enjoyed this piece (and the last one). I have to say I never pictured Iowa bieng so lush! I always saw corn fields and farm land in my mind (obviously never been there).

Your piece touched me deeply...you captured the true essence of the wilderness, the wild and the human impact upon it, as well as the human spirit. It made me want to stand up and take action in going further to protect our vanishing wild places. I really feel like this is what the competition was about capturing an individual image of the wilderness and your insight to the subject matter was superb. You have an astounding eye for capturing the right shot with the right light at the right time.

In my oppinion films need to have some form of human emotion in order to pull the viewer in because people respond to people. A perfect mix of humnan emotion with very rich landscapes, ideals and photography.

Wonerdful

Jeff

[Brian McKay]

Kevin absolutely awesome we could all learn from your framing I just loved the film.

You tell a very sad story that is true in every corner of the globe but a story that must be told none the less. Me I just loved the way you told it.

Thanks for this one.....Brian

[Dale Guthormsen]

Kevin,

You are in my top four this go around!!

Thanks for sharing the reversefocus trick. when I saw that my first thought was, how did he do that!!!

Sharing technique of how you guys do some of these things is one of the greatest assets of these threads.

Great job.

Reminds me of growing up in the san Fernando Valey, Calif. in the 50's. We used to hunt what is now concrete jungle.