Cornish Treasures

Happy New Year everyone,

I've finally got round to uploading a short film I put together from a trip to Cornwall, so thought you might like to see what's down there.

If your broadband connection is slow, you may need to pause it at the start whilst it loads, to stop it stuttering as it plays.

Hope you enjoy,

Jo

Hi Jo

Happy new year to you too.

Looks like there are lots of cool things to shoot down there.

Well done.

What camera did you use?

Hi Jo and happy new year!!!

Really liked You'r video - specially the narration

Great job and thanks alot for sharing this!

Cheers

Karel

Hi Jo

Happy new year to you too.

 

Looks like there are lots of cool things to shoot down there.

Well done.

 

What camera did you use?

Thanks Wagsy. I was using a Sony XR520 in an Aditech Mangrove housing

Hope you're not suffering with the floods on your side of Oz!!!

Dive safew,

Jo

Hi Jo and happy new year!!!

 

Really liked You'r video - specially the narration

Great job and thanks alot for sharing this!

 

Cheers

Karel

Hi Karel,

Thanks for your kind comments. Glad you enjoyed it.

Take care,

Jo

Great close up shots of the Gobi. All that is good is not necessarily shot in blue.

Steve

Wonderful Jo,

Thanks, where is the music from?

Cheers,

Steve

Really nice, Jo.

Despite my Mum living there, I've only ever dived once in Cornwall. Where were you diving, it looks lovely? Or maybe that is just your filming.

Alex

Lovely footage and commentary Jo. I can feel the Manacles calling...

Really nice, Jo.

 

Despite my Mum living there, I've only ever dived once in Cornwall. Where were you diving, it looks lovely? Or maybe that is just your filming.

 

Alex

Thanks Alex, very kind of you to say so.

You definitely need to spend a bit more time diving in Cornwall if you get the chance. We were diving around Porthkerris and most of the footage was taken in the Helford River estuary, there's so much life there and really shallow, so usually plenty of light.

Dive safe,

Jo

xx

Thanks Steve, Steve and Tim,

Really chuffed you enjoyed it.

Take care,

Jo

xx

Great video Jo, great narration too.

Reminds me of when I used to live and dive down in Cornwall.

Its amazing whatr these little cameras can put out now days.

I am in Cairns, all fine here but yes south of us is one big mess all right.

Really enjoyed that Jo. You have some great shots there. Makes me want to dive in the UK again. Love the goby closeup and the shot of the goby on the flatfish. Also the music is very well chosen and just at the right level.

A little constructive criticism on the editing side.... In the conventional "grammar" of editing, a cross-dissolve/fade inicates a lapse in time or location. It's also useful for softening between 2 very similar shots. But apart from that I would use them much more sparingly. For example if you're moving from a wide/medium shot to a closeup, or between 2 angles on the same subject, with a significant change in the shot, I would just go with a straight cut.

Also the voiceover is nicely done and very informative but rather trebley. What mic did you use?

Great video Jo, great narration too.

 

Reminds me of when I used to live and dive down in Cornwall.

Thanks Jonny.

Yes, when the weather's good and the wind's blowing in the right direction you can have some cracking dives over here!!!

Jo

Its amazing whatr these little cameras can put out now days.

 

I am in Cairns, all fine here but yes south of us is one big mess all right.

Yeah, I looked briefly at the larger cameras and decided the excess baggage was not a good option!!!

The colours from the camera are pretty good at shallow depth (above 15 metres), but definitely struggles without lights any deeper. Would have been better they'd made it 3CCD!!!

Glad to hear all is ok in Cairns......you lucky person!!!

Dive safe,

Jo

Really enjoyed that Jo. You have some great shots there. Makes me want to dive in the UK again. Love the goby closeup and the shot of the goby on the flatfish. Also the music is very well chosen and just at the right level.

 

A little constructive criticism on the editing side.... In the conventional "grammar" of editing, a cross-dissolve/fade inicates a lapse in time or location. It's also useful for softening between 2 very similar shots. But apart from that I would use them much more sparingly. For example if you're moving from a wide/medium shot to a closeup, or between 2 angles on the same subject, with a significant change in the shot, I would just go with a straight cut.

 

Also the voiceover is nicely done and very informative but rather trebley. What mic did you use?

Hiya Nick,

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the kind words.

Am always looking to improve, so thanks for the pointers. Yeah, have taught myself to edit, so am learning all the time. I need to ween myself off the cross-dissolves!!! I'm using them less nowadays (Cornish Treasures is something I put together for a competition about a year ago).

Audio is not really my forte, I was using a Sony mic bought from a local shop (don't know the model I'm afraid), but I've since bought a Snowball, which I think is a bit better. I'm using Final Cut Express to edit, I'm not sure that you can adjust the treble in there....might be time to upgrade to FCP!!!

Thanks again for your help.

Take care,

Jo

Jo,

Now for the hardest part.....there is a clip or two which can be shortened. I encourage you to enter it in a few film competitions. Most have 5 minute duration limits not including end credits so go back, tear your heart out when cutting it down, and I bet it will be improved. Then enter it in the Wetpixel/Photo Guide competition and the San Diego UnderSea film festival. Even if you don't win, the feedback can be invaluable.

Steve

Jo,

Now for the hardest part.....there is a clip or two which can be shortened. I encourage you to enter it in a few film competitions. Most have 5 minute duration limits not including end credits so go back, tear your heart out when cutting it down, and I bet it will be improved. Then enter it in the Wetpixel/Photo Guide competition and the San Diego UnderSea film festival. Even if you don't win, the feedback can be invaluable.

Steve

Hi Steve,

I entered this in the British Underwater Film Festival early last year and managed a 2nd place with it in the British category, so was really pleased with that (just hadn't got round to loading it on to YouTube for ages!!), I guess that may well prevent me from entering it in further competitions? But I've been working on a new project, so hope to enter the new one in the competitions you mentioned and will definitely use some of the tips and advice given for the new one, so it's been really helpful all the feedback you guys have given me and much appreciated.

Thanks for all your help o wise ones,

Jo

Audio is not really my forte, I was using a Sony mic bought from a local shop (don't know the model I'm afraid), but I've since bought a Snowball, which I think is a bit better. I'm using Final Cut Express to edit, I'm not sure that you can adjust the treble in there....might be time to upgrade to FCP!!!

I'd be surprised if FCE doesn't include a basic EQ filter where you can adjust the levels, but perhaps it doesn't. But I'm not sure that tweaking the EQ would help much. It's more about the quality of the audio capture. I don't know anything about that Snowball mic. One way that videographers can get a decent voiceover on a reasonable budget, and kill 2 birds with one stone by getting a useful mic, is to use a shotgun mic (something like a Rode Videomic if you don't have XLR inputs on the computer/camera) and place it a few inches from the mouth, off to the side at an angle of 45 degrees so you don't blow directly into it on your plosives.