Timelapse sequences have become an integral - and some would say cliched - part of wildlife film making. Timelapses use a very slow frame rate to capture events which happen on a slow timescale - when played back at a standard frame rate the event is speeded up.
This enables us to film processes which in real-time would be boring to watch, but when shown as a timelapse sequence are dynamic, beautiful and exciting. They allow us to view a world that is moving at a different pace to us giving us insight into some of the amazing spectacles which happen without us realising.
A fantastic example of the power of timelapse is by Tom Lowe:
TimeScapes: Rapture from Tom Lowe @ Timescapes on Vimeo.
Another amazing example is taken from BBC's Life series.The work that went into this is phenomenal:
The great thing about timelapses is that you can make them with a DSLR and a £20 remote from ebay. I could write pages and pages about how to create timelapse films but I have been beaten to it, so here's the links to some information about how to make great timelapse sequences.
Timothy Allen, a photographer for the BBC's Human Planet has created this article on timelapse techniques and tips
Tom Lowe's incredibly helpful forum on timescapes.org has a great timelapse FAQ post that everyone should read.
Tyler Ginter has written an extensive checklist for timelapse shooting with tips he picked up when shooting timelapses with Tom Lowe.
If there is something that has not been covered by those three links, then head over to the timescapes.org forum where everyone seems more than happy to help with any tielapse problems you may have.
In a later blog post I will cover motion control during timelapses, a much more complicated can of worms...
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
How to film a shark!
Innovation is what makes the wildlife filmmaking industry interesting, and new technology is helping to push the boundaries of what is possible. Have a look at the behind the scenes video below from from underwater photographer and videographer Eric Cheng to see how new (and relatively cheap) GoPro cameras can be used to great effect:
Triptych: Reef shark bites and steals camera (GoPro underwater) from Eric Cheng on Vimeo.
My GoPro HD Hero camera inside an Eye of Mine flat-port underwater housing was very interesting once a bit of bait was attached to the camera. Third-person view video courtesy Sterling Zumbrunn.
Triptych: Reef shark bites and steals camera (GoPro underwater) from Eric Cheng on Vimeo.
My GoPro HD Hero camera inside an Eye of Mine flat-port underwater housing was very interesting once a bit of bait was attached to the camera. Third-person view video courtesy Sterling Zumbrunn.
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Busy, busy, busy.
Ok, so I had underestimated how busy I was going to be in the first few weeks of my MA in Wildlife Documentary Production, but along with planning my wedding, it's been hectic! Very fun though. The course is great and we're learning so much. All the lecturers are fantastic and really know their stuff. A special mention has to go out to Paul Reddish however, an inspiring lecturer and a producer who worked at the BBC NHU for a long time, and consequently knows everyone - including Sir David Attenborough!
In the last month I have had lectures on Camera Skills, Editing, Sound Recording, Production Skills, Biodiversity, Animal Behaviour. We have been on field trips to look at the ecosystems of trees and woodland, and tomorrow we will be visiting Martin Mere to see the huge variety of birds they have there. I hope to get a few photos which may be worthy of entry into the WWT annual photo competition.
We have been set our Minor Projects as well as other assignments. I never knew how much work would have to go into producing even a short 5 minute piece such as this! Our group have decided that our project will be on the reintroduction of the European otter to Cheshire, and the ball is now fully rolling on that one. We know who, where and how we're going to shoot, we just need to perfect our interview skills and sound recording then we will be good to go.
I will post again soon - perhaps!
In the last month I have had lectures on Camera Skills, Editing, Sound Recording, Production Skills, Biodiversity, Animal Behaviour. We have been on field trips to look at the ecosystems of trees and woodland, and tomorrow we will be visiting Martin Mere to see the huge variety of birds they have there. I hope to get a few photos which may be worthy of entry into the WWT annual photo competition.
We have been set our Minor Projects as well as other assignments. I never knew how much work would have to go into producing even a short 5 minute piece such as this! Our group have decided that our project will be on the reintroduction of the European otter to Cheshire, and the ball is now fully rolling on that one. We know who, where and how we're going to shoot, we just need to perfect our interview skills and sound recording then we will be good to go.
I will post again soon - perhaps!
Thursday, 23 September 2010
Fake Wildlife?
Can you believe what you see in natural history documentaries? Chris Palmer, in his book "Shooting in the Wild" reveals some of the (possibly dishonest, and sometimes unethical) tricks that wildlife filmmakers use to make the hard task of producing a programme about wild animals slightly easier.
See the full article about his book here in the Washington Post.
See the full article about his book here in the Washington Post.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
I've been Lazy
OK, so that wasn't really the best way start to a blog - The last post was 6 months ago. I could make loads of excuses, but I shaln't, I have just been lax and lazy. I will write more regularly as of now.
In my previous post, I wrote about the BBC Academy. I've had the chance to go through the "Good Shooting Guide:the basic principles". It is a really good introduction to the whole process of shooting from conception to the edit. It includes real life examples and of all the important techniques required to make a coherent programme.
The guide is split into 4 sections: Before you shoot, Film the perfect picture, Record the sound you want and Prepare for the edit.
Before you shoot - This section starts with an exercise on how to write a summary and continues with examples of how to tell your story,choose your kit, follow a programme style, and
plan a shoot.
Film the perfect picture - This section has various topics about the use of your camera including lenses, white balance, focussing, continuity and movement amongst others.
Record the sound - Topics involve the reduction of unwanted noise and recording atmos.
Prepare for the edit - Topics and examples about reviewing, logging and producing a rough cut.
Of particular interest to the budding wildlife filmmaker are the examples from Tiger Trail a Series for 'Wild' BBC2 which was produced by the NHU. This gives a great behind the scenes look into the way a wildlife documentary is concieved, filmed and produced. I definitely recommend going through the whole course, especially if you are new to film prduction.
In my previous post, I wrote about the BBC Academy. I've had the chance to go through the "Good Shooting Guide:the basic principles". It is a really good introduction to the whole process of shooting from conception to the edit. It includes real life examples and of all the important techniques required to make a coherent programme.
The guide is split into 4 sections: Before you shoot, Film the perfect picture, Record the sound you want and Prepare for the edit.
Before you shoot - This section starts with an exercise on how to write a summary and continues with examples of how to tell your story,choose your kit, follow a programme style, and
plan a shoot.
Film the perfect picture - This section has various topics about the use of your camera including lenses, white balance, focussing, continuity and movement amongst others.
Record the sound - Topics involve the reduction of unwanted noise and recording atmos.
Prepare for the edit - Topics and examples about reviewing, logging and producing a rough cut.
Of particular interest to the budding wildlife filmmaker are the examples from Tiger Trail a Series for 'Wild' BBC2 which was produced by the NHU. This gives a great behind the scenes look into the way a wildlife documentary is concieved, filmed and produced. I definitely recommend going through the whole course, especially if you are new to film prduction.
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Free BBC Documentary Tutorial
While looking around the BBC Earth pages checking out various clips I stumbled upon the BBC Academy . Alongside the face-to-face courses available, it also offers some online courses, one of which is the "Good Shooting Guide:the basic principles". This guide is intended primarily as an overview for BBC employees, but it is available for everyone to use, and best of all it's free!
I have just started to have a look through it, and it offers a good introduction to the whole process of shooting a programme, from the pre-production planning stages, via shooting and sound recording to the final edit. It includes real life examples, and guides you through step by step. For those who are new to videography I think this could prove to be a useful guide.
Sunday, 21 March 2010
Welcome
Helo and welcome to my blog.
I have recently been accepted for a place on a masters degree in Wildlife Documentary Production at the University of Salford. Most, if not all, of my shooting will be done in HD using Hybrid DSLRs, such as the Canon 7D and Canon 5d MkII. On these pages I hope to share my experiences of filming wildlife with DSLRs. I will share tips and clips about filming using these newcomers to the video market as I learn them. I plan that this blog will become an aide memoire for me, and a useful resource for any readers.
I plan on posting at least once a week with an update of what I've been up to, however I may post more or less frequently than this depending on my workload, and the amont of useful information I have to give.
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