I don't see any movement in the first few shots. Are they stills or video?

echo lawrence - if stills maybe some creep or crawl? otherwise pour me a glass......

Same here, this is something it me a while to learn, why roll a camera for minutes on a locked off static shot, I mean the guys dead, he ain't moving! I can't really explain why but it does not feel the same.

Bob.

Cliff, I liked it. Biased by country upbringing.Got to thinking about the intent of the teaser.

The Brief?: Objectives driving the visual interpretation to get what response from the viewer?
An idea, if each objective presented/interpreted as a visual sign post gently guiding the viewer.
Grapes take time in a rustic setting.It's not mtv.Aspiration, in USA, do people want to identify with the cowboy or the Australians with the Great Outback?.Here is the tangible product meeting a particular aspiration.Wine pitched to different viewers?Transporting viewer to their own virtual vineyard?
Creative:
Audio/Visual analogy: Song/music have a hook that attracts & engages?
Opening footage (guess stills convey best quality allowing eye to linger.To appreciate quality of the grapes?).Establishing shots? for setting the theme?Teaser length increased to develop?

Teaser: When is the real grab for viewers attention introduced?
Site Refs:
Blog. http://www.bluprojekt.com/portfolio/commercial/noble-estate-winery-teaser
http://www.nobleestatevineyard.com/about.php
Marie says, "It's all about capturing the sun.".Mark is dedicated to making the very highest quality wine
Each soil produces grapes with a distinct character and taste.

Site providing a Flavour that might interest from a treatment viewpoint?
http://www.graperadio.com/archives/2008/12/31/the-art-of-blending/
http://www.meetthefarmer.com/mission/
Thanks for interesting & positive blog items detailing your experiences.
There have been a few bumps from what I remember in posts long past – it sounds solutions have evolved...
michael

all images are video - was taught to not move the camera - keep it still for minimum of 10 sec. Have recently obtained a Glidecam 2000 and although have shot some with it - I'm still not happy with the results yet - probably due to my inexperience with how to shoot with one.

I'm still in the process of shooting this project - The winery is in the middle of crush/fermentation of grapes picked. Suppose to head back out in a week or so to get the talking head footage to add v/o for existing content shot.

This is my first attempt at conceiving/shooting/editing a project of this scope in a self contained solo production capacity so I'm really stretching myself to become more skilled in producing this kind of content.

Thanks for the constructive feedback so far :)

Cliff Etzel
Videographer : Producer : Web Designer
bluprojekt

The Glidecam is not easy to use, it takes lots of practice, at least dozens of hours until the video starts looking good.

The secret? Move as little as possible. It doesn't take much to get viewers' brains to begin to process the 3D information you are presenting.

I gave up on using the Glidecam for myself and switched to using a jib and dolly. PITA in so many ways, but slightly easier.

I have to repsectively disagree. The opening works for me, Cliff.

Not every, not most, not many shots have to contain camera movement. This is a constant problem my students have (and it's no wonder based on what they're watching now days). There is certainly nothing "wrong" with an opening such as this one using all static shots. When camera motion was introduced (the zoom out on the approaching gentleman) it offered a contrast to the static opening.

Camera movement should, more often than not, be motivated. If you constantly move the camera what do you have left when it comes time to "move" the camera?

Camera movement is just one of many colors on the artist's pallet.

Thanks Jay - I was of the same creative vision - the place is still, peaceful... so show it that way - it was early morning - the quiet time of the day... :)

Cliff Etzel
Videographer : Producer : Web Designer
bluprojekt

Some days there is a little wind, some days there isn't. Maybe a bit of a fan to simulate a gentle breeze when none exists naturally would help.

If there's no movement whatsoever, a still picture with a bit of movement added with the pan crop tools can look great.

Cliff,

Looks nice so far. IF you are looking for suggestions, I would consider changing the FADE TYPE (ramp) so the dissolves would seem a bit smoother. Right now they seem like they start easy and then rush at the end.

My two cents worth.

Dave T2

"[i]... a still picture with a bit of movement added with the pan crop tools can look great.[\i]"

Laurence, just for the record, I agree with you, in theory. It "can" look great. But tell me, why must it have movement to make it better?

I personally like stills, for example you can have a few stills with just vine and leaves with a slight pan for movement and then a shot of the grapes
with no movement and then static has more impact

Nice Cliff, only suggestions maybe flip the red grape pic so that’s it’s also on the right almost exactly overlaid on the white grapes so the transition fade the grapes will be in the same place and the feel for the grapes will be enhanced and keep the text on left for both

Or Slow the walking guy with bucket down a bit as he walks cut to a still pic grape back to walk clip few frames back to grape pic still back to walk
The text for passion should come up when the grapes are being poured into the container

Anyway often I do a project and I have to please 20 different people, some who have overdosed on mercury, and somehow still manage to walk and talk, and the final result is disappointing , so if you are happy that’s the way to go and its always beneficial to get outside input from folks who do the same craft

Two things getting mixed up here, movement in the frame and moving the camera. The former is about time, the later is about space.
Making wine takes time, time is the key player in the story so movement in the frame can tell the story,
Cliff says he rolled the camera for 10 seconds. Perhaps this was not helped by my watching it at postage stamp size and/or the encoding but darned if I could see a pixel move. Solution is not to move the camera, solution is to roll the camera for longer until it captures something moving. A drop of water sliding down a leaf, a wisp of cloud moving over the moon. Length of the edited shot is fine, waiting 10 seconds just to see the droplet of water move gives the feeling that time moves slowly.

The shot of the farmer walking to camera is totally blown by the jerky zoom. That belongs in a rap music video, not in this story. If the budget doesn't allow for a lens with mechanical zoom and a skilled operator then don't touch that zoom button.

Editing will also play a large part in how well this story gets told. The visuals need to dance to their own rhythm, for this subject the waltz for the time for grapes to grow and wine to mature. Perhaps a tango for the timing and urgency of the harvest.

Bob.

Hello Cliff,
storytelling has a beginning, a middle, and an end...
I know you know this...
movies have parts as well... the establishment of the place, time, and characters involved; the conflict; and the resolution...
I know you know this also...
So for this sort of thing it appears the distant to the close up would be the way to work the prelude of the entire film to come...
1 - The moon, the mountains, the valley, and then the sun... (the distant establishing the where and the when)...
2 - The grapes and the plants ... establishing the conflict (getting the best grapes at the right time)...
3 - The resolution... handling the grapes by hand in an expeditious manner (the close up activity of the overall objective - making the best wine with the right grapes at the right time)...
It is a mini-prelude to the story to come in its entirety, no?
My only directing advice would be to eliminate the looking up of the person as though he is looking for direction - perhaps slowing down his actions and breaking it up with shots in between as suggested above... three parts perhaps - him walking slowing in the distance, then again closer up, and finally him dumping the grapes into the cart.

It is your decision to make, to be sure. . . but telling the story in brief from the start should help you create the story in its entirety - 1 - you identify the location and why it is special with narration from the owner; 2 - you identify the process from the field to the bottle with narration from the owner, and then conclude with 3 - the people and what makes their winery so special (their care and concern for making the best Pinot) with narration from the owner and selected employees... so the lead-in introduces the entire story - the actual film is simply a detailed version of the story you set up in the introduction...

Just my version of the storytelling process . . . I was an elementary school librarian in a former life so storytelling was a big topic for those who want to tell their own stories - I used it for those children who had not yet learned to read, they just look at the pictures and make up their own stories about what is happening to the characters... even to the point of the students giving names to each of the characters regardless of what I've read to them in the past...
Now, I'm getting way OT here - but the concept remains the same for video... tell little stories as an introduction and fill in the details with longer stories.

Sorry about running on... and please, I'm just trying to help you tell better stories, not to insult your intelligence . . . if I have offended, please forgive me...

Until that time... Earl J.

Gee... I didn't mean to kill the discussion. . .
Was it something I said?

Until that time... Earl J.

Yep, Earl, you did it. You murdered the discussion. There are guts every where. The forum walls are dripping with blood. There are no survivors. It's a gory mess.

Just kidding!

This happens from time to time. Sometimes it picks up; sometimes it doesn't.

Time will tell.

no killing Earl - just trying to meet the tax filing extension deadline - which looks like I'm going to miss it (DOH!) due to Turbotax 2008 not installing on Windows 7 64 bit, but will on Vista Ultimate 64 bit. My first major glitch so far with Windows 7

I still have alot of footage to work with and have more to shoot - so all is good :)

Cliff Etzel
Videographer : Producer : Web Designer
bluprojekt

Earl, excellent suggestions. For me, how to best tell the story is the most challenging part of the whole videography process. It would be great if you could visit us again at the Raleigh Vegas User Group and do a session on storytelling!

Jerry

Hello Jerry,
I can do that. . . with the holidays coming up, I may have more time to arrange for a late night during the week... that might be fun. . . it can be a little more complicated than the beginning, the middle, and the end ... but not by much... (grin)
_ _ _
One more thing Cliff... you really don't have to drag all the lighting and video equipment up there early in the morning to catch any dew dropping off the leaves, you know... just grab an empty, old 409 spray bottle and fill it with water. Lightly spray everything before the camera rolls, get it rolling up to speed, then gently spray the plant out of frame until drops form above and drop slowly into the frame... I think you probably knew that as well...
_ _ _
It is funny though; as I look back on my experiences in the military and since my retirement in 1990, I am amazed how often, in situations where it goes without saying was applied, it would have eliminated quite a bit of confusion, frustration, and lost effort if it had all been mentioned right up front at the beginning before anything actually started (was that a bit redundant or did I just say it more than once?) . . . (grin)
So, in my mind, it never hurts to mention concepts or techniques that might be common knowledge right up front to give everyone a push toward the final solution from a common vantage point, no? Once again, I don't intend to insult anyone... it's just who I am... (wink)
_ _ _
You also mentioned Windows 7 64-bit... I think I'm moving there soon myself. Jerry indicates he loves the i7 chip and Vegas 9.0b - right now, I'm waiting about an hour for 6 minute video renders... (sigh) It is partly my fault... I use USB hard drives... probably not even USB 2.0 (argh)...
I'm hoping Santa will be nice to me this year... I heard he moved to NYC; not far from where my son just set up residence. So, I expect that the new computer might just come from NYC ... the new home of Santa . . . hahahahahah

Until that time. . . Earl J.