Last night was the worst yet for wind. The rain wasn’t too bad at a third of an inch in six hours. It was heavy when it landed on the van roof, fortunately the rain comes on the back of the wind so I’m already awake.
It seemed that every half hour the gusts rocked the van and woke me up. My wakening woke the dogs, they then have to shuffle about on the duvet grumbling as they tread on each other in the dark, I have to then switch the light on to locate and castigate the one that used bad words. A mad house it is. It makes for a long seventeen hour night. On top of all this Moll still stinks of badger shit despite my washing her three times and Alf, if he gets nervous, farts. The truck stinks like a midden. I live in loony bin that repeats itself every half hour or so. I’m too old or maybe too young for this nonsense.
I decided to go out and try for a bit of video. Never a wise move. The quality of my video doesn’t improve but my technical appreciation of the art is getting better. I’m better than the pros though. I watched a documentary on making documentaries and they discard 80% of what they shoot. I hardly discard any, every second is hard earned. Happen I should shoot more and discard more. I’ll sleep on this conundrum.
I set the Canon 5DII to video. Picture style to neutral, Then there is a hidden menu if you press Info. I get about two stops of leeway by dropping contrast and sharpness to zero. I can’t remember where I found this gem but by reducing in camera processing it saves no end of hassle in post processing. Then camera to manual. Speed I leave on 1/50s that’s roughly twice frame rate and mimics the rotary shutter on a movie camera. ISO I have to alter prior to pressing the video button, I alter in multiples of 160 as that is the native ISO of the 5DII. I then focus and set aperture for depth of field and ISO for a correct exposure, I just dodge about a bit till I’m happy. Then I go and ruin it all by swinging the camera this way and that and forgetting to speak into the microphone on the camera. Then when I do find the mic. I’m swearing at the dogs or the unfairness of life. After all the preparation here is the result.
Have a good weekend.
Well that certainly sounds windy. The seafront houses look less severe than I imagined. I must have a look and see what alternatives for video my cameras have. I rarely take video but when I have done I just use point and shoot. All for the easy life am I. The ferries are still running to Lewis and Harris so it can't be too bad up there at the moment.
ReplyDeleteGraham it seemed windier than the other day. We are sheltered here.
DeleteI was getting chopping on the 5D but things get better by leaps and bounds. I am not sure that I render it properly. I'll do a bit more and try and work the job out.
It's a good little village for Scotland.
PS. the locals are friendly, for the most part on the dole but they survive and a few halves and halves a night. It seemed a rotten way to drink but Scottish beer is so rank that even I require a whisky to help it down and take away the taste.
DeleteAdrian cooked again with such a man do not go out? The advantage is if you vde camper on two sides put open he is again equal gelucht.een nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteBas, it's a hard life. You have a good weekend.
DeleteThats the best laugh i have had this week ..............you swearing at the dogs and your story about the Badger s**t. great work.
ReplyDeletepeter
Peter, I really should get Keith to film me making a dogs breakfast of me shooting video.
DeleteI haven't worked out how to split the audio track and cut the bad bits out in CS6 I can do it it in Lightworks but then i have trouble with CODECS or something obscure.
The dogs stink.
Dogs and beds, never a good combination, especially when one farts. I laughed at the other smeller of badger poo. We took a walk to Old harry Rocks yesterday, and watched with amusement as a young couple tried to verbally encourage they King Charles away from a great big pile. We passed them at the point they were beyond themselves as it rolled over and over in it....bless. Some tough wherever all over the UK generally, but I would rather be in a house than a camper van. Stay warm and safe.
ReplyDeleteGary, I have always slept with dogs. They like to feel part of the pack.
DeleteI got some special shampoo in the summer, I was robbed. It can't get rid of Badger.
It's okay here the maximum on the weather station was 65mph. average 22mph. Temperature a balmy one degree.
Watch out Quentin Tarantino! Watch out Ang Lee! Mr Adrian shall soon usurp your film-maker's throne. I loved the castigation of the dogs but had previously thought that this was a veterinary procedure reserved for male dogs only!
ReplyDeleteYP, it is very difficult is this video malarkey.
DeleteAlf went to the vets for proper castigation. That was a few years ago.
I have looked at several tutorials on video editing and from the ten percent I understand I gather that the art is in binning footage. If I binned any I would be down to a second or two......The uncharitable would probably think this a wonderful idea.
Now it is almost bed time and you have reminded me of 'Kill Bill'. I'll stop up a while and try to drive the images of Uma Thurman from my mind.
That was a very funny post. You made me smile at your smelly dogs. Wait until they try goose poo - now that really is special! We have had two quiet days today - much deserved after the battering we have had up here on Lewis. Hope your days are windless and fragrant.
ReplyDeleteSpesh, It is hard work being an idiot but after years of practise I find it gets easier.
DeleteThey don't bother with Goose, they confine themselves to fox and badger. They eat rabbit, deer and sheep muck but this is probably too much information.
Two quiet days then another storm next week.
Mid January I'm thinking of going to Harris but I'll probably stop in Glencoe and then move to Skye. I now have to clean salt spray from two lenses and a camera.
Were those birds flying around or just being blown about? Adrian, I liked it. You did an admirable job of keeping the picture level and it wasn't a bit jerky. The sound was good too. You should be here for the holidays. It's been cold at night but bright sunshine during the day. Many people out in just shirt sleeves.
ReplyDeleteYour story was good too. I'm glad you and Alf and Moll survived it all intact, even if suffering from too much stench. :)
David, the birds in the air were flying, the birds on the ground were not birds but bits of seaweed. Seaweed just blows about. The tripod keeps the picture level but it really wanted anchoring down with a screw and bungy chord. It kept trying to blow over. for years I've used a 190 Manfrotto tripod but found an ex demo Gitzo carbon 6x. It is an amazingly rigid bit of kit and will take twenty to thirty pounds of gear in it's stride. I must stop moving the camera and just reframe and shoot again. Fortunately I can't zoom as I only have prime lenses.
DeleteThis van has to be entered for one to fully appreciate the stink.
Yes, extremely windy ~ no way you would find me out in that cold. Brrrr. The panning was very steady on the horizontal, so well done in that wind for that. I was expecting some Glen Campbell music, but alas there was none. What are you using to edit?
ReplyDeleteCarol, It is a wonderful tripod and for a few thousand pounds I could get a fluid head for it. That is unlikely to happen. The camera is manual focus in video mode and also manual exposure though that can be altered whilst panning.
DeleteGlen Campbell would charge me for his rendition of Garlieston. I bet he would cost more than my optics,
I hate editing video, I have a superb editing suite from Lightworks it is $40US. Or free for a cut down version. It is too complicated for me as it only accepts a few formats. I don't understand Codecs and stuff so although I've tried it I can't offer advice on it. Several big film houses use it so like Blender it must work. I use CS6 you can stack both audio channels and video channels in the time line and just sweep through them with a mouse. It's quick and simple. Transitions are limited to simple fades or cross fades but spirals and such I find distracting. You Tube don't do it any favours. When I watch on media player it is two hundred percent better. The panning is not as smooth as I would wish for. Not bad considering I was holding the tripod with one hand and panning with the other and trying to talk. If I did more I'd script it and get an off camera mic.
PS. I would pop the microphone into an MP3 recorder and kill the sound on the camera. I hate wind noise. I once worked as a tea boy for a proper video man. He did the Renault Cleo advertisements. He was full of knowledge but spoke in French so i only absorbed 10% of his rantings. His sound men used condoms on the microphones in windy weather. Had me worried they did.
DeleteNever too old for 'this nonsense' Adrian; even smelly dogs. A great life. I need another dog in mine I think.
ReplyDeleteSeems a lot of pre work involved in shooting video with the 5DII.
I only tried once with my 7D, and found it too difficult. The little video camera I have makes it all so much easier. Yes, I'm lazy.
Certainly good quality on yours though, and the steady pan with the tripod was impressive.
Keith, I regret having the dogs every day but as soon as they see a camera or rucksack they want to come and help. It is fine them being about when I know what I'm doing but video is hard to do. I think it is better just to forget and chat whilst filming. Thanks for the inspiration. You are now a polished performer.
DeleteI wrote about the pre work because I was getting a lot of chopping on the steam engine videos I shot. It is mostly gone but I notice it is there in the Scottish Water van. I'm going to try shooting at 1/50s and see if I can up the frame rate. The set up is a matter of hours but once I know what I'm doing it's a minutes job. I can also save the settings in camera pre sets but that is a waste for me as I can't for the life of me remember what I saved where. I don't really understand this video job. It took three hours to get this onto youtube Is that normal or am I rendering in too posha summat.
The pan is a twenty year old Manfrotto pan tilt head I got for a tenner ten years ago. It is smooth but not as silky smooth as the Benro I pop Bertha on. I strip it once a year and use powdered graphite to lubricate it.
Uploading to YouTube can seem like a full time job at times; it can be hellishly slow.
ReplyDelete2-3 hours is about average for most of mine.
Cheers Keith, I thought it was me.
DeleteYou're bear for punishment with a storm and two dogs mixing things up.
ReplyDeleteAdrian the website I went to is Google groups blogger product forum. Click on something broken. The guy replied within two hours .
Cheers Red, I have to change blog titles to get them to post and feed. It works but is slow and cumbersome. I think on reflection that it is quick. It's free and I get all round the world in a minute. Only on a good day though.
ReplyDeleteLove the second paragraph ... don't you just love your critters on your bed ... wouldn't have it any other way ... in my case it's prince Theo, the cat ... thanks for the video ... and your voice ... smiles :)
ReplyDeleteCat, they are pack animals and are better for being included in life. If they live days and nights with me then they are good when I go out for a meal.
DeleteI like the 360 view. Very nice land and country. I got the Canon 70D, so I'm doing video also testing the AF in video. I didn't get the STM lens, but the AF feature works well on the USM lens also.
ReplyDeleteMaria, I'll be interested to see how you get on with it. It's taken me ages to work dubious video out on the 5DII.
DeleteThat looks cccccold...
ReplyDeleteMonica, it isn't cold but the wind and rain make it feel horrid.
DeleteOne of the most difficult things in my opinion is thinking of three minutes commentary for a video.
ReplyDeleteI talk as I go. It would be better to script it and lay it down as a separate sound track. I'll try it soon.
ReplyDelete