My thoughts on Vine

Sunday 17th March 2013

Yesterday I decide to download the Vine application for my new iPhone 5. Vine is mobile application released by Twitter that allows users to create small videos with audio of 6 seconds in length. This appears to keep it in line with the 140 character limit of tweets ensuring the message is short and to the point.

After downloading I was intrigued on how you would use the application and what flexibility there was. On completing the setup where I allowed it access to my Twitter account I was up and running. It didn't take me long to make a quick video just after I finished mowing the lawn.

vine.co/v/bdxtTWJVwZY
— Nicholas Eggleston (@neggleston) March 16, 2013

I then scoured other videos that people had created to see get some ideas. Given the short amount of time to work with, I decide that I would make a short film about my coffee machine that I got as a birthday present (thanks Mum and Dad!) back in January.

Me with coffee machine vine.co/v/bdYVBAMrr91
— Nicholas Eggleston (@neggleston) March 16, 2013

I must admit I quite like the possibilities and opportunities. Being the first release the functionality is very limited. There are a few features I would like added such as :

• Being able to start creating a video, save it off and come back to it later. On the iPhone you can navigate to another application and then come back but you need to complete that video first before moving on. 
• Ability to use the front facing camera so if you need to film yourself you have some idea as to where the camera is pointing
• Edit clips together
• A dedicated iPad app 
• Create videos on PC/Macs etc
• Option to update the text/tags on videos  

 

Tropfest Australia 2013 - Review of Finalists

Tuesday 26th February 2013

Okay I've sat down and captured my thoughts around the Australia Tropfest 2013 finalists. Here is what I thought of each film.

Great Day - well the story behind this film certainly made it look like a good day for the main actor. I didn't mind the story on the second viewing. Was hoping for a little bit better production around the slow motion effect. Looked like it was shot in someones garage.

Let It Rain - I think most guys can relate to this film. Adult in body, child in mind. Loved the ending and I think that is what makes a great Tropfest film, keep the audience guessing to the last minute then let them visualise why you imply.

Time - This was my favourite film. Beautifully shot and the acting by the young cast was fantastic. Couldn't really fault it. Was glad that the young boy won the male acting award of the night. I see a successful career for him in the future.

Scene 16 - Professionally shot with some great acting. This film reinforced the fact that I should never date an actor.

Monobrow - I think most people can at least associate with this film is some way. The film leads the audience down one path and then takes you a completely different direction. Nice use of a song to assist with the story as well.

Inside - Thought this was creative film and great use of visuals to get it's point across. Again, some well known Australian actors assisting to create a worthy finalist.

The Pledge For Mr Bunny - Really struggled with this film. Just didn't get it. Appears that it was crowd funded as there was a stack of people noted on the credits. That's all I can really say. Cross referencing Facebook firends with the film makers and that of staff at Tropfest really makes me wonder how this made the final 16.

Cash Cow - Certainly had a few chuckles with this flick. But how can your average film maker compete with bringing in such well known TV personalities into your film. Well shot and complimented with some good acting.

Cargo - I have been watching a lot of The Walking Dead lately so didn't mind this zombie movie. With minimal dialogue we are taken on a journey that goes from bad to worse. A very nice "carrot and stick" analogy which allowed the film to progress through to the end.

Taser - This film reminded me of Momento, one of Christopher Nolan's first films. The earlier scenes of the story are played back more and more and you start putting together the pieces until you have the full story. Professionally shot with the main actor appearing in one of the recent Underbelly mini series, this film has highlights some issues around policing in NSW and the use of Tasers. Some very powerful scenes in there.

Punctured - What a simple little film, but loved it. With not a spoken word in sight it took us along for a fantastic ride. Loved the animation and the soundtrack. Well within my top 3 so glad it made it.

Better than Sinatra - As I've worked in Sydney for 15 years I have seen this guy, Raymond Borzelli, do his thing in a number of locations. We used to refer to him as "Dancing Man" and have vivid memories of him dancing at the food court at the back of Australia Square. I see him all the time when I go for a walk through Hyde Park. This is a very honest documentary. A very worthy recipient of the 2nd place.

Remote - Rather disappointed with this film. Whilst nicely shot in a rather exotic location I was left a little deflated once I realised the film was over. And coming from a previous finalist I was expecting a little bit more.

The Hustle - I enjoyed watching this film. Clever use of misdirection where the main protagonist leads you in one direction and then in the final moments the other side to the story is played out. The first in a couple of out of work "Sea Patrol" actors to appear in Tropfest this year.

A Man Walks Into A Bar - this to me is a film that is ideal for Tropfest. Small amount of actors and the film is based purely around a situation and good use of dialogue. Enjoyed it watching the second time through and picked up on a few things that I had missed on the first viewing. Was probably made on a small budget which if is the case another win for the short film maker.

We Have All Been There - thought that the film was well shot and had some well known actors. I certainly like Laura Wheelwright in this along with her previous role in the movie Animal Kingdom. Some of the other actors were familiar faces in Australian film and TV. Certainly shows how competitive Tropfest has become in use of professional actors. Disappointed though in hearing this film was based on other work. Surely for a 7 minute short film people can come up with something original.

Tropfest Australia 2013 - The Finalists and other thoughts

Sunday 17th February 2013

For a number of years I have wanted to submit a film to Tropfest. And for Tropfest Australia 2013 I finally did. I had great enjoyment in realising the dream. Though I didn't get shortlisted or become a finalist I can still be immensely proud of what I had achieved. Tonight the 16 finalists will have their films shown with one of them taking the ultimate prize.

Now looking at the finalists what sort of people was I up against? A quick analysis of the directors involved; 3 have been Tropfest finalists before, 13 are trained in the industry and 11 work in the industry. That I would say is pretty tough competition. I have absolutely no formal training, nor do I work in the film/TV industry. What I do have is passion of films and a belief.

Whilst the winner is announced tonight it won't be until late March when full rights to my film, "Last Flight of The Madhu", is returned to me. It's at that point I will have great joy in letting the rest of the world watch it.

I feel quite lucky that we live in a time when anyone can post a video for the whole world to see. Sites like YouTube and Vimeo offer your average Joe the ability to post your material. I look forward to looking at the viewing statistics. Where people are from, how they found the video etc.

So how will I get people to watch the film? I think an easy way is to post it on the usual social sites such as Facebook and Twitter and have friends of friends watch it. I will also rely on people who participated in the film and their circle of friends. What sort of numbers of viewings should I target? Do I be realistic or aim for lofty hieghts? 

Time will tell.

Total Solar Eclipse from Port Douglas

Wednesday 14th November 2012

Well the vodkas last night certainly helped with a good nights sleep. I didn't want to be waking every 15 minutes and clock watching. This is what typically happens when I need to catch an early morning flight. Woke around 5am but did not get up until about 5.30am. The bags were already packed so getting ready was not going to take long at all. Wandered down to the car park at around 6am and started setting up.

The sky had scattered cloud and a lot better than what had been there in previous mornings . The winds were rolling the clouds through so it is going to be a lottery if we are going to see anything. Setup of gear was pretty easy given I had practiced enough times. Connected the laptop to the 7D and it was just a matter of counting down. My little QStarz GPS was showing only the smallest of clock errors through the Eclipse Orchestrator so sync'd the DSLR clock.

By this time a number of other people had joined me in the car park. A few other people were jumping into cars which I though was strange at this late stage.

As we approached totality a rather thick cloud moved in front of the sun. I was rather annoyed at this stage but there is nothing I could do. The Eclipse Orchestrator application called out for filters to be removed which i did. At the point of totality the remaining sun beams that were appearing around the edge of the cloud disappeared. That was very dramatic and the gasps and wows from people around highlighted the spectacle. If I could describe it, it was as if the worm hole from Star Trek DS9 went from open to closed.

The DSLR was snapping away at this stage, every image was of cloud. About 30-40 seconds into the totality the eclipsed sun started to appear. There were no other clouds approaching so was going to experience totality pretty much to completion. To have just 1 second of totality, for me this was a success. Any additional time was going to be a bonus.

I turn around to look at the other people and some are still wearing the glasses. I shout to them that they can take them off.

Now to the beauty for the eclipse. It was really stunning. Most spectacles we see these days are accompanied by music to give atmosphere. All there was was an eerie silence and I found this very appropriate.

For the remaining time in totality I adjusted the positioning and exposure levels of the video camera. Then contact 3 when the diamond ring effect occurred for the last time it lit up the and surrounding cloud that had moved across. The automated photos on the DSLR had now completed and the call to replace filters had been made. Cloud had completely rolled in at this point so started packing up the gear.

I judged that I had experienced around 30 seconds of totality. But on returning to the hotel room and checking the video footage it was more like 70 seconds. A few SMS's had come through from people back in Sydney and abroad. I exchanged a few thoughts of the experience with them.

During the rest of the day I read reports from other eclipse chasers. Looks like people in Cairns were completely clouded over. Then people located only a couple of kilometers away were also clouded out. It simply came down to pure luck. Looks like it was on my side.

You can watch/hear the video on YouTube below...

And I have put together an image based on a stack of 5. These were of the prominences just before C3.

Final Preparations for Total Solar Eclipse

Tuesday 13th November 2012

Followed the usual routine this morning. Got up early and confirmed the suns position for eclipse zero hour tomorrow. All looking good. Did my normal run into Port Douglas before coming back and parking the car in the spot from where I plan to watch the eclipse.

Headed back up to the room and then completed my setup for the Eclipse Orchestrator application. Did a number of simulated runs which is a great feature of the applications. Allows you to make sure that the gear is ready.

Dropped over late in the afternoon to Four Mile Beach. This was so that I could manually set the 100-400mm lens to infinity. Used a large passenger ship that was off the coast before using electrical tape to ensure that the focus wouldn't change. Chatted with a few people on the beach about their plans. Do you drive looking for clearer skies or do you sit tight? I have chosen to sit tight and take what comes.

Took down all the tripods and mount attachments and stuck them in the back of the car before returning back to the hotel room to put away a couple of vodkas in readiness of the big event early tomorrow morning.

Clear skies!

Visit to Daintree Rainforest

Monday 12th November 2012

The morning greeted me with patchy cloud, very similar to previous mornings. There also appeared to be accompanying winds blowing on shore. Scoped out my preferred spot in the car park. This time I had eclipse glasses so that I could  ensure that the sun was above the trees which it was.

Took a few more photos of the car park before getting in the car and heading down to Port Douglas. This has become my morning routine now and I ensure that I bring the iPad to have a read of the papers.

The wierd thing that I am not seeing yet is huge numbers of people. This could be because people are basing themselves in Cairns and other locations. Or people are out and about don't things like sight seeing before the big event on Wednesday morning.

After refueling and catching up on the news I headed back to the hotel and then onto the village of Daintree. I was expecting the village to be a little bigger but there wild have only been around 6-8 shops. I chose to go on one of the river cruises and grabbed the cameras and boarded the boat leaving at 10.15am. We headed up the river towards where the guide had seen a crocodile in the previous days. Though we didn't see any crocs we did see some snakes sleeping in trees and some nice birds. The cruise was pleasant and showed off the beauty of the area. Certainly reminds me of far north New South Wales.

After leaving the boat I was going to head up to Cape Tribulation,  a short journey over the Daintree River by ferry. But they didn't take credit card so headed back to Port Douglas for lunch and a walk around the shops. Heavy showers were rolling through and had been doing so for most of the day. Did some grocery shopping and refueled the car.

Returned to the hotel and did some setup and preparation.  Weather forecasts are not conclusive but sounds like they will be similar to the last couple of days. It will certainly be a lottery.

Cairns and beyond

Sunday 11th November 2012

Woke early again this morning and upon opening the blinds saw sunlight kissing the trees that make up the garden view I have out of the apartment. Dressed quickly and headed to the car park on the north side ofthe resort to see where sun light was kissing the ground. There were a couple of car spots that would be ideal and took a few photos for reference. Then headed over to the southern car park and there were some possibilities there as well. One other option on this side is a grassed area.

I then moved between the two car parks as the time approached when totallity would hit. Definitely have options and will not worry about going to the beach to watch.  Now the only thing we need is clear skies.

At this point I jumped in the car and headed downto Port Douglas to grab some breakfast. There were some markets down by the water that were starting up and had a wonder through. Stalls were fairly typical with jewelry, clothing, photos etc. I grabbed a pineapple juice but it as more like pineapple pulp. Sweet and enjoyable.

Headed back to the hotel and grabbed the camera camera before heading south to Cairns. The day was looking so nice that I wanted to make the most of it whilst I could. Took about an hour to get into Cairns and parked the car before walking down and around the marina. Then walked through some of the streets. Being a Sunday the majority of the stores were shut. Restaurants however were open.

Stopped by the Rememberance Day ceremony that was being held along the Esplanade before getting in the car and heading towards the town of Atherton. The drive snaked up the mountain range that is located behind Cairns and was there in around a hour.

Atherton is a small country. Fairly typical really. After getting some cash out I the headed onto the town of Herberton which was a further 20 km on. There is a historical village setup in the old tip mining town. It was well worth the visit as everything had been setup with authentic houses and items from 1850 thru to 1950. Then grabbed some food from the town itself before driving back to Port Douglas.

Settled in for the evening. Thinking about the next couple of days. One more day of sight seeing and then a day specifically for setup and final testing before the big morning on Wednesday.