UKH

Hi everyone,

I thought there might be a few people on here who would be interested in this... Here's a short macro wildlife film I helped my brother make. Set in the New Forest in England it features dueling dragonflies, jousting stag beetles and acid-firing ants.

Filming took 30 days on location, with several months of research, planning and editing. Cameras used were the Sony FS700 and Canon 7D, alongside some home-made equipment (dolly, jib, 1000w LED).

vimeo.com/138236113

If you have a spare 10min please check it out...

In reply to robin mueller:

Very nice.

In reply to thommi:

Thanks!

In reply to robin mueller:

A fascinating film Robin. Amazing picture definition. particularly enjoyed the duelling beetles - reminded me of Liverpool on a Saturday night back in the old days!
Well done.
Rodgit

In reply to rodgit:

Thanks rodgit, glad you liked it! Must admit I wasn't expecting a comparison to yesteryear's Liverpool nightlife - you're not suggesting you watched John and Paul having a punch up are you?!

In reply to robin mueller:

The Beatles pun was totally unintentional Robin ........ But an amusing thought!

In reply to robin mueller:

Liked that - well done

In reply to nniff:

Thanks!

In reply to robin mueller:

Excellent, my science minded 7 year old has just watched it 3 times on the bounce

In reply to robin mueller:
Really good film, nice one mate. Have a bump.

I'd get in touch with the new forest tourist board or equivalent sure they'd love to use it.

In reply to mike123:


Ace, that's great to hear!

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:


Thanks!

In reply to robin mueller:

Hi, I enjoyed the film. Nicely photographed - obviously a lot of time, effort and care has gone into it. It may be me but I did get distracted by the sound effects which seemed artificial and clunky. Each time I heard one I wondered what had been used to make the noise. Were any of the sequences 'set up' (e.g. the emerging stag beetle)? I don't know anything about the lifecycle of stag beetles, so this may be a ridiculous question to anyone better informed than me.

In reply to RichMoss:

Hi Rich,

Glad you enjoyed it!

We did make some sound effects extra clunky on purpose. For two reasons - first we wanted to make these creatures feel like monsters, and sound like they would if you were smaller than them (I reckon it would be terrifying!). Second, with the stag beetle we wanted to hint at a medieval knight, so we added a bit of clunk to suggest armour, which actually isn't far off what those tough exoskeletons are. Who knows what they would really sound like if we could hear at their level, but they do look like they stomp a lot. So yes, a bit of artistic license, and experimentation. In big films they sometimes add tiger roar to engine sounds to give them more growl - we were thinking along those lines. I guess whether it works or not is up to you - some people have said they loved the sound effects, others aren't so keen.

Yes, the stag beetle emergence was set up, though we did have advice from a stag beetle expert who seemed happy that the behaviour was authentic. There are a few scenes filmed in sets we created so that we could get the camera in the right place - this seems to be pretty standard for filming insects. They just do what they want to do, and being in a set doesn't affect their behaviour.

In reply to robin mueller:
Superb work, I know a bug mad 8 year old who's just come back from the New Forest that will love this. Any plans for more, though I'd imagine they are hugely time consuming to get the quality you've achieved?

In reply to robin mueller:

Quality work! Beautifully filmed, with a good narrative voice too.

In reply to Deri Jones:


Brilliant, great to hear! I was a bug mad kid when I was that age too - I'm glad our film appeals to kids!

No immediate plans for more - this was my brother's student project and now he's looking for work as a wildlife cameraman. We both really enjoyed working on this though, so perhaps we'll find a way to do it again in the future. As you guessed, very time consuming and quite expensive. We spent a month on location, plus there were months of researching, planning, building equipment and editing. Pleased it all turned out so well, and glad people are enjoying it!

In reply to Queenie:


Thanks! Yes, the narrator is fantastic. A last minute find after trawling the internet for suitable voices. We sent him the script and he sent us his recording the next day!