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I find both Gordon's and Paul's video most interesting. Albert's and Eric's too. Keep 'em coming, please.

Re: Post your videos here

GB wrote:

I find both Gordon's and Paul's video most interesting. Albert's and Eric's too. Keep 'em coming, please.

Ditto. And ditto. And ditto.

As a side note, near the beginning of Paul’s video there’s a classic fail in the autogenerated captions. It says: “and who are you I am deaf”!!

"Has it ever struck you that life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going?"
― Tennessee Williams

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Alfred wrote:
GB wrote:

I find both Gordon's and Paul's video most interesting. Albert's and Eric's too. Keep 'em coming, please.

Ditto. And ditto. And ditto.

As a side note, near the beginning of Paul’s video there’s a classic fail in the autogenerated captions. It says: “and who are you I am deaf”!!

OMG .. never realized that ..

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there’s a classic fail in the autogenerated captions

A bit earlier it also says "I'm wandering" instead of "I'm wondering". That is perhaps excusable. The difference is sound is subtle. The former being pronounced as "wondering" and the latter as "wundering".

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Thinking about Alaska today .. we are scheduled to go back in July 2023 .. We've been there many, many times.  We especially love the enchanted forest at Icy Strait Point.

Icy Strait .. 4 min.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_ED-ix_D1Y

Re: Post your videos here

Thanks Paul.  It looks very cold.

Interestingly tabby cats look the same world over.  Felines have spread out everywhere!

232 (edited by GStree 2022-11-27 20:24:12)

Re: Post your videos here

pberk wrote:

Thinking about Alaska today .. we are scheduled to go back in July 2023 .. We've been there many, many times.  We especially love the enchanted forest at Icy Strait Point.

Cold weather is not my "cup of tea" either, an interesting short video though.


Going back to 2016 this is simply a drive up the coast road near our place in Spain taken off the dashcam. It shows the totally unspoilt coastline in our area that is just the same today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyWvyQIA26A

Re: Post your videos here

Thanks Gordon.  It looks very dry and barren.  I didn't notice any trees.  Vastly different to the green English countryside. 

On the plus side not much traffic.  Only two vehicles passed.  Not quite like London rush hour!

234 (edited by GStree 2022-11-29 00:04:48)

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ericlnz wrote:

Thanks Gordon.  It looks very dry and barren.  I didn't notice any trees.  Vastly different to the green English countryside. 

On the plus side not much traffic.  Only two vehicles passed.  Not quite like London rush hour!

The thing is that we are very lucky in that we have a choice of both as we live very close to Gatwick airport and Spain is only a two and a half hours flight away for us. The only problem now is that since Brexit we can only spend 180 days a year in the EU, and only 90 days max at one time. We don't want to take up residency as owning properties in both countries can cause double taxation problems, and I don't want to give away my small amount of savings to something that I don't need to!
The 180 days thing is at least a "rolling" number, so we tend to do 5/6 weeks maximum at a time and pop back home in the UK for a while.
As we have been doing it for years "on and off" (and more since we both retired) it can get a bit confusing sleeping in different beds/driving different cars on alternate sides of the roads/eating different foods/different language etc, and a few hours later it all changes! However, all the time that we are fit and able to do it then we will continue.
Regarding traffic, yes on the open roads most are relatively free of vehicles especially out of season, but the main resorts are a bit of a nightmare and to find a parking space can be a pain in July/August, but we can walk to a lot of the places that we need to fortunately.

235 (edited by pberk 2022-11-30 20:15:32)

Re: Post your videos here

This video is from 2015.  It's long, 22 minutes, but worthwhile for anyone interested in "Cunard" history. The video was shot at Cunard's 175th Anniversary concert held in the Liverpool Cathedral.  It was a grand affair, attending by several thousand people.   We are old Cunarders over the past 25 years, hence we felt very lucky to be there.  Considering the conditions ( I was merely a member of the audience), I'm very proud of the filming and editing. 

https://youtu.be/A06dyC0p5Rk

Re: Post your videos here

pberk wrote:

This video is from 2015.  It's long, 22 minutes, but worthwhile for anyone interested in "Cunard" history. The video was shot at Cunard's 175th Anniversary concert held in the Liverpool Cathedral.  It was a grand affair, attending by several thousand people.   We are old Cunarders over the past 25 years, hence we felt very lucky to be there.  Considering the conditions ( I was merely a member of the audience), I'm very proud of the filming and editing. 

https://youtu.be/A06dyC0p5Rk

Wow that was excellent, I appreciate how good that is considering from where you were seated! Was "all" of it recorded on the day or did you use extra footage from somewhere else?
Yes, the editing is first class and I would think that it took a fair bit of time to finish? also what camera was you using at the time.

237 (edited by pberk 2022-12-01 00:16:38)

Re: Post your videos here

GStree wrote:
pberk wrote:

This video is from 2015.  It's long, 22 minutes, but worthwhile for anyone interested in "Cunard" history. The video was shot at Cunard's 175th Anniversary concert held in the Liverpool Cathedral.  It was a grand affair, attending by several thousand people.   We are old Cunarders over the past 25 years, hence we felt very lucky to be there.  Considering the conditions ( I was merely a member of the audience), I'm very proud of the filming and editing. 

https://youtu.be/A06dyC0p5Rk

Wow that was excellent, I appreciate how good that is considering from where you were seated! Was "all" of it recorded on the day or did you use extra footage from somewhere else?
Yes, the editing is first class and I would think that it took a fair bit of time to finish? also what camera was you using at the time.

I did use other footage/stills from Internet sources to fill in the gaps, but all the singers and speakers were shot at the concert.  I used my trusty NX30U Sony, which has fairly good stabilization built in.  I made use of the Digital zoom too to get closer shots.  -- AND there was that giant TV screen too which gave me a nice way to do transitions as I could fill that screen with any image I desired.  I also used a separate audio recorder to take audio of the entire concert, as well as the live sound from the NX30U.  I also obtained a better sound track of the concert from an Internet source.  To my knowledge, Cunard has never released a DVD or Video of this event, although I did see multiple Television cameras positioned in the cathedral.  The sound was a big challenge which I think worked out well. 

One other factor is experience.  This was not my first event like this.  It did take a fair amount of effort and time to edit.  But it was a labor of love.  My goal was to get it down to 15 min.  So, in that sense, I failed.  But my wife always wants these video memories to be longer -- not shorter.  If I cut things too much, she notices.  So it's too long for general audiences but, for us, on a cold winter's night, just right.

Do you have any Cunard experience?

Re: Post your videos here

One other factor is experience.  This was not my first event like this.  It did take a fair amount of effort and time to edit.  But it was a labor of love.  My goal was to get it down to 15 min.  So, in that sense, I failed.  But my wife always wants these video memories to be longer -- not shorter.  If I cut things too much, she notices.  So it's too long for general audiences but, for us, on a cold winter's night, just right
Do you have any Cunard experience?


I know exactly what you mean regarding how long a big project should last. You shoot loads and loads and what do you leave in and leave out?  Obviously, you don't want to bore people with too much "baby on lawn" style footage.
What I tend to do is run though all the shots to make sure that I have enough of the main things and people that will matter, even if it means recording extra footage afterwards (if possible).
I always make sure that it has a start that establishes where the venue is, then the middle with all the important parts including onlookers/audience (if it has any). The end can take many forms depending what type of video I am filming, it can end with a fade out of the outside of the venue or a dance or whatever, but I always wind it down without a sudden stop, and if it has an audience, fade out on them. 
I am a bit ruthless on a lot of shots and do cut them tight in post unless they are important, this is probably left over from my old "proper film" days when it was expensive to buy.
After I have finished it, I run it on the TV in front of my wife for an honest opinion to see if it conveys what I am intending it to show to others, as it's easy for me as I was there. Very often I will alter parts before I am satisfied, and I will overdub music if it is feasible. I try and make sure that any part of the audio track is as good as I can get it and I always use a separate sound recorder. If it's a band I will (if possible) plug a flash drive into the mixing desk, but I will still use the audio recorder with mikes as I have had a few disasters in the past with the singer or some instruments not mixed properly!
Regarding Cruise Liners the answer is no, they have never appealed to me and the only sea voyages that I do these days are on the cross-channel ferries or to Nothern Spain, if I am not flying for some reason.

239 (edited by GStree 2022-12-06 16:58:04)

Re: Post your videos here

The dictionary describes a "Geode" as a "small" cavity in rock, lined with crystals or other mineral matter, however in 1999 at Pulpi (that is not too far up the coast to us in Spain) the largest mineral geode in Europe was discovered in an old iron mine. We have driven past it many times over the years and decided one day to take a look at it.
There was a lot of walking involved on the day with the different levels that were only accessible by stairways,but since I made this video, I understand that lift shafts have been installed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=541y82eO5WU&t

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I never heard of this .. Certainly a wonder of nature .. Good video work ..

I'd would have narrated instead of the lengthy title cards, used more live sound and sought out comments from others in the group .. but that's me -- It's your memory of the experience, (what caught your eye) so in that sense it's perfect as it is. 

It's interesting that this has become a tourist attraction.  But why not?  And I'm quite sure the video, nor any pictures, capture the impact of seeing something like this in person. 

Thanks for posting.

Re: Post your videos here

pberk wrote:

I never heard of this .. Certainly a wonder of nature .. Good video work ..

I'd would have narrated instead of the lengthy title cards, used more live sound and sought out comments from others in the group .. but that's me -- It's your memory of the experience, (what caught your eye) so in that sense it's perfect as it is. 

It's interesting that this has become a tourist attraction.  But why not?  And I'm quite sure the video, nor any pictures, capture the impact of seeing something like this in person. 

Thanks for posting.

Sorry about the title cards but I am useless at narration.  I could get other people to do it for me including a couple of radio presenters that I happen to know, and one ex ITV newscaster who lives in our village in the UK that I have been friends with for years. The only problem with that is I like to make the complete film myself and it would be a lot of "faffing"about.
As for live sound, I did try at first to use the sound off the camcorder, but it was very "echo" orientated and I went off the idea. Normally I use a separate audio recorder, but I knew that there was going to be a lot of walking up and down spiral staircases and only took the minimum gear with me on this occasion.
If I went again, I would also have taken at least one LED light as it was very dark in most of the tunnels, and as my camcorder only has a small sensor the lens was wide open for a good part of the video.

Re: Post your videos here

GStree wrote:

The dictionary describes a "Geode" as a "small" cavity in rock, lined with crystals or other mineral matter, however in 1999 at Pulpi (that is not too far up the coast to us in Spain) the largest mineral geode in Europe was discovered in an old iron mine. We have driven past it many times over the years and decided one day to take a look at it.
There was a lot of walking involved on the day with the different levels that were only accessible by stairways,but since I made this video, I understand that lift shafts have been installed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=541y82eO5WU&t

Thanks Gordon.  I agree with Paul voice over would have helped to explain what we are seeing.  Bear in mind some viewers will be watching your video on a phone so reading a board of text would be impracticable.

I find the audio side of making a video more demanding than the image editing.  Researching, writing, recording and tidying up narration to drop onto the timeline takes effort.  Then there's the cutting into sections and finalising the editing.  I only do this when my narration is on its track as often a clips length is governed by my narration.  Then there's the finding of appropriate music and the mixing of audio, music, camera audio and any additional effects.

Very few of my videos don't have narration probably because I've a story to tell.  This SD "North Head" from 2010 is a good example.  Unfortunately being SD the quality looks poor nowadays https://vimeo.com/31188015

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ericlnz wrote:
GStree wrote:

The dictionary describes a "Geode" as a "small" cavity in rock, lined with crystals or other mineral matter, however in 1999 at Pulpi (that is not too far up the coast to us in Spain) the largest mineral geode in Europe was discovered in an old iron mine. We have driven past it many times over the years and decided one day to take a look at it.
There was a lot of walking involved on the day with the different levels that were only accessible by stairways,but since I made this video, I understand that lift shafts have been installed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=541y82eO5WU&t

Thanks Gordon.  I agree with Paul voice over would have helped to explain what we are seeing.  Bear in mind some viewers will be watching your video on a phone so reading a board of text would be impracticable.

I find the audio side of making a video more demanding than the image editing.  Researching, writing, recording and tidying up narration to drop onto the timeline takes effort.  Then there's the cutting into sections and finalising the editing.  I only do this when my narration is on its track as often a clips length is governed by my narration.  Then there's the finding of appropriate music and the mixing of audio, music, camera audio and any additional effects.

Very few of my videos don't have narration probably because I've a story to tell.  This SD "North Head" from 2010 is a good example.  Unfortunately being SD the quality looks poor nowadays https://vimeo.com/31188015

Excellent Eric ..  Everything flows nicely.  Not too little – not too much.  You succeed because the piece is full of interesting information with clear and steady visuals to match, and your narration is delivered in a pleasant, authentic manner.

I fully agree that audio is often the biggest challenge if you choose to do more than just a music track.  Yes, researching and writing the narration cues can be lots of work.  BUT – I learn so much more about the place after we have been there.  To me, this is the best part of doing the videos in the first place.   

In my case, getting good “live” sound at the time of shooting is an even bigger challenge.  Every situation is different but getting your microphone as close as possible is the best. 

Like Gordon, I sometimes use a separate “wild” sound recorder.  That helps too. 

I invested in some good audio software that does a fairly good job of dialogue de-noise. This has helped a lot.  But software background noise-reduction can only go so far, sometimes it’s back to how we did things in the olden days, dialogue replacement.   On occasion, I “loop” or “dub” the sound. It’s easier than you think.  Here’s an example.

Dialogue replacement .. 2 min.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFCfYV0-yTY

Re: Post your videos here

Thanks Paul, I've has to do similar twice when I've recorded myself outside and wind was a problem.  I try to match up the waveforms to replace my "windy speech".  But the first time I couldn't as the wind made the original waveform unrecognisable so it wasn't a great success.

Last year at the beginning of this video https://vimeo.com/538265156 I had to do the same.  Not much problem with wind but I found in order to match the waveforms I had to speed up my post recording considerably in places to match and keep lip sync.  Any variation would have been noticeable as I'm front on to the camera.  Fortunately with Vegas Movie Studio you by default maintain pitch when changing the speed.

No walk around my village this afternoon as it's raining.  I'll have to exercise up and down the carparking areas instead.

245 (edited by ericlnz 2022-12-11 22:30:24)

Re: Post your videos here

Here's something different.  As most of you head into winter and here it's a miserable wet "summer" afternoon.  A 1981 visit to the tropics.

It's an audio visual (I had 25 years AWOL from movie making).  Originally a dual projector slide show with audio on a cassette tape.  One track for a speaker and the other with instructions fed to an earpiece that fitted over my ear.  This came in useful when I recreated on a Movie Plus timeline.  The audio is the original so it's me 40 plus years ago.

My first visit to Samoa in 1981.  I subsequently spent two years there in 1982 - 1984.  A lot has changed since both there and worldwide.  https://vimeo.com/147280337

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Great video of Samoa, eric. Thanks.

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ericlnz wrote:

(I had 25 years AOL from movie making).

Quick question Eric .. what do you mean by AOL ?

Re: Post your videos here

Sorry Paul, it's a typo.  Should have read AWOL (Absent without leave).  Possibly not a saying used in your part of the world.  I'll correct my post.

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ericlnz wrote:

Sorry Paul, it's a typo.  Should have read AWOL (Absent without leave).  Possibly not a saying used in your part of the world.  I'll correct my post.

AWOL .. Thanks .. I certainly know what that is from my days in the US Army -- I'm sure they still use that term.

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ericlnz wrote:

Here's something different.  As most of you head into winter and here it's a miserable wet "summer" afternoon.  A 1981 visit to the tropics.

It's an audio visual (I had 25 years AWOL from movie making).  Originally a dual projector slide show with audio on a cassette tape.  One track for a speaker and the other with instructions fed to an earpiece that fitted over my ear.  This came in useful when I recreated on a Movie Plus timeline. The audio is the original so it's me 40 plus years ago.

My first visit to Samoa in 1981.  I subsequently spent two years there in 1982 - 1984.  A lot has changed since both there and worldwide.  https://vimeo.com/147280337

Is that really your recorded narration 40 years ago?  You sound the same.