Hi gang.
I've just started playing with my new gadget, a video camera. This is the first film I've taken with it and it shows , but I still wanted to show you it. I mounted the camera on to the handlebars of my bike with a gorilla pod and while I was on the flat it was ok but overall I think there is too much vibration, I'll have to address that somehow.
Does anyone have any experience of such things or any advice? I seem to remember mas made a great video of his trip to London last year.
This clip is of Hope Street in Liverpool. It is, I think, an appropriate name for the street that joins Liverpool's two cathedrals. On the way there is the Everyman theatre, Liverpool School of Performing Arts which also was the school that John Lennon and Paul McCartney met prior to forming the Beatles.
I'm planning on making a film of the ferry crossing the Mersey and the cavern in Matthew St. If I can reduce the vibrations on the bike I also want to make a little film about the dangers faced by cyclists every day from motorists and especially lorry drivers. I'm going to get a bicycle helmet and see if I can mount the camera on top of that, see if that my improve the vibration levels.
Also I'd like to take you on some of my rides using the camera so you can see the city I live in and the countryside and forests I love.
From: The Land of one Headlight on. Insane since: May 2001
posted 07-03-2008 15:21
First time out..... not so bad Tao.
Don't know anything about the steady bit but I am curious tho' about the camera. I've been looking at one of the cheaper Canon models... all digital no tape.
Next thing you'll be doing storyboards, your name will be up in lights... " I'd like to thank members of the academy...." =)
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?It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.? Voltaire
Not sure if there's a good way for doing the same thing on a bicycle but maybe you can figure something out. Mounting the camera on the helmet could be a little dangerous tho because you'll be focusing on keeping your head straight instead of on the traffic...
I was really lucky with this one NoJive. The camera is a Panasonic SDR S7 It was a demonstration "shop soiled" item that I haggled down to £125 and that included a case, 4gig memory and a spare battery. The usual shop price is around £190 give or take. Oh yeah I paid an extra £10 for the really handy gorilla pod, I'll have to get one for my Canon DC.
You've got me, in one, with the story board. I've started two already. The speech is in it's first draft
Great link Arthurio thanks. I'm taking notes of all the instructions in the guide to construction and see if I can't do a little Heath-Robinson jobbie myself. Just a few hours ago I bought myself a cycling helmet, I promised my sister I would after getting knocked off my bike a couple of weeks ago. My hand still hurts quite a bit from that but is steadily on the mend all the same. I will try mounting the camera on the helmet but I'm thinking that may not be the best way to go as the cameras viewing screen can't be closed while filming (at least I don't think it can) which will make it more prone to vibration and easily knocked I'm guessing.
I think you may well be right about my concentrating too much on the camera rather than where I'm going too, I hadn't thought of that.
Those who look for monsters should look to it that
they do not become monsters. For when you gaze
long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.
I'm no expert on video, seeing as I've never really done any myself, but I enjoyed the clip, Tao.
The one thing that did seem to "take me out of the moment" as a viewer, though, was the zooming. For one, zooming while in motion only exacerbates the jiggles. It also removes the viewer from your (or your handlebars') point of view and reminds them that they are seeing an image captured by a machine. During the stretches with no zoom, I was able to almost lose myself in the video and imagine that I was riding through the streets of Liverpool with you.
And I would agree to an extent with Arthurio about mounting the camera on your helmet. If you think you're going to be very conscious of it, it could be dangerous. If, however, you're willing to let go and just ride around normally, it could provide a unique "Tao's-eye" point of view.
I think (in my completely non-expert opinion) that the key here is to be natural and not try to force it.
Loved the music, by the way.
Overall, good stuff. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent stuff master Suho, I completely concur. The zooming does all you say it does and shall be stopped. I'll only use it if no other method works. I've been editing other clips and every time I have zoomed in it has spoilt the scene. Spot on buddy and thanks.
The inspiration you have given me here is to try to achieve a more natural flow. In the previous cuts I have taken out a couple of instances of people I know passing me in the street and saying hello or waving, perhaps I should keep some of them in.
I've also discovered that I used the lowest quality setting for "Hope St" and I think I'll try the higher quality setting to reduce movement blur.
Those who look for monsters should look to it that
they do not become monsters. For when you gaze
long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.
From: The Land of one Headlight on. Insane since: May 2001
posted 07-04-2008 07:12
quote: Tao said:
perhaps I should keep some of them in
Absolutely. It could lead to all sorts of great diversions. Stopping in for a pint with a friend.
"Where are you off to then?" and there you go with them.
You could actually set something up with a friend ahead of time.... but leaving the actual adventure a basically impromptu affair.
pump this into google. diy helmet cam
and don't forget to check images after the initial search.
enjoy! =)
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?It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.? Voltaire
Honestly, I'm such a plonker at times, a complete twit!
Did I think of searching Google for a helmet camera? No, why? Because I am a peripatetic twit and numpty.
AH well it's tough being me sometimes
Thanks NoJive for steering me in the right direction, I'm actually in the process of securing the camera to the cycle helmet now for a test run after I finish work on one of my gardens. Got to get the garden work in as it looks like rain this weekend in the grim north of England, and for the dosh too.
Those who look for monsters should look to it that
they do not become monsters. For when you gaze
long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.
In the previous cuts I have taken out a couple of instances of people I know passing me in the street and saying hello or waving, perhaps I should keep some of them in.
I agree with NoJive on this: definitely leave them in.
I've been thinking of that a lot WebShaman, I even stopped two special constables to-day to specifically ask about where it will be OK to film in public. One said she felt threatened by my camera, which was not on, and I told them so straight away, and they both said there might be an issue with nakedness on the beach!!!!!
I made the silly schoolboy error of asking them questions. The law after all is always looking for trouble. SO I said my thanks quickly while backing away and jumped on my bike and got away from them as quickly as I could elegantly manage. :0
I'm still pursuing the legal questions.
All the filming I did to-day was far too shaky to work with so I'll have to make some refinements to the helmet mounting.
Here is my latest effort, on the Mersey Ferry. This was filmed on the same day as the last one. It's not up to much but you may find it interesting.
Those who look for monsters should look to it that
they do not become monsters. For when you gaze
long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.
From: there...no..there..... Insane since: May 2001
posted 07-05-2008 04:12
quote: Tao said:
Because I am a peripatetic twit and numpty.
I love that saying. Never heard "numpty" before
I love the files Tao. Keep it up. I dig seeing where you inmates live. I loved it when Krets (where is he by the way) used to share photos of his travels. Good stuff.
Excellent second installment! The zooming was not as obtrusive this time.
As for the whole filming in public thing, you would think a place like England, which has (or so I hear) closed circuit cameras set up on every other street corner, would be less paranoid about. So it's OK if the government wants to watch our every move, but a private citizen can't take video for pleasure.
Then again, I suppose you could be mistaken for a terrorist...
(The nakedness on the beach thing I can understand, though. I don't think I'd want to film that anyway. *shudders*)
From: The Land of one Headlight on. Insane since: May 2001
posted 07-05-2008 05:18
quote: Tao said:
where it will be OK to film in public
I'm sorta there but mostly not.
I'm aware of what WebS is saying but the operative is public, is it not?
Public is not necessarily the same public as it is in the USA. If I'm not mistaken the people of Blighty, London specifically, are the most heavily survielled people on the planet. I doubt that even Rumpold of the Bailey could successfully argue that someone did not consent to being part of a film as they walked down a public street.
If you wanted to follow them home and jump into the bath with them... well they'd have a point wouldn't they.
Must run... She who must be obeyed is beckoning.
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?It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.? Voltaire
Yeah 'tis a tricky little dickie is it not?
I've twenty minutes or so of film from last Thursday where I am walking through the centre of the city. It would be practically impossible to stop and ask all of the people who briefly appear in it for their permission. Having said that I have no wish to offend anyone and I do respect others privacy. There again, what privacy can a person expect in a public place?
What a palarva, what a rigmarole!
The nakedness question, brought to my attention by the hawkish, vigilant special constables, was especially focussed on children. Their words were something to the effect of "there may be children playing in a naked or near naked state on the beach. One quickly added that even though the intention was innocent enough, some people may react violently. While I see their point of view, I think, what parents are going to have their children parading around naked on the beach who would then get upset or violent about me cycling past, ten to twenty yards at least away, with a camera on a bike? I must have cycled passed at least twenty people with cameras on the promenade taking photos.
Anyway I wont be going near the beach again with a video camera stuck on the top of my head in a hurry. I don't trust humans, what's that word that I think I may be.....?~scoots off to check my list of words that may apply to me~ Ah, I think I'm a bit of a misanthrope.
As it stands now I am ultra aware of squirming little gangs of thugs whose modus operandi is the opportunistic attack. Apart from trying to be as aware and legally prepared as possible, there is not really a lot one can do.. I am looking into cycle gloves that look like "bag" gloves that also have a heavy lining inside to give your punch that added weight and power.
This is how the world twists us. The *!#**#! media can have us so hyped up to "possible" atrocities. The glare of media attention magnifying every possible nasty eventuality into what seems like a probability. That our lives seem to stagger from one disaster to another.
In my previous sentence I'm asking why would people think that way, and then adding that I myself don't really trust people. The irony is not lost on me. I nearly always try to reach out for understanding with people. Ah well, there y'are.
When I get some definitive answers on the privacy issue I'll post them up for future reference.
Here's a thought, what about the music I'm adding to the videos. I have been told that the Miles Davis tune is OK as it is over (x) amount of years old and the ownership thing has passed. I think x = twenty or is it thirty years?
I'm really not sure of this as there are so many videos out there on places like u-tube with music on them. Well that looks like more investigations need to be made.
NoJive I think it's Rumpole unless that is an adjective I haven't heard I've just been Rumpoled!
C:\ I love numpty too. I picked it up from some Irish friends a few years back, not sure of the origin but a Scottish friend assures me it's a Scottish saying, but she would wouldn't she?
That's the gorilla pod I've twisted and fastened to the helmet.
Those who look for monsters should look to it that
they do not become monsters. For when you gaze
long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.
From: The Happy Hunting Grounds... Insane since: Mar 2001
posted 07-05-2008 21:42
I think there is a profound difference between just catching glimpses and snapshots of random passers-by, and intentionally including someone, and continuing to film them.
In the first case, it would be as you have mentioned a difficult (and I dare say perhaps even ridiculous) task. In the second, is where I draw the line.
That said, carry on. Please forgive my meanderings here.
WebShaman | The keenest sorrow (and greatest truth) is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.
- Sophocles
It appears that there is quite a to-do on at this point in time about the Police trying to limit the use of photography outdoors. Looks like we arrived at this juncture just in time. I've sent an email off to my local MP via the UK Photographers Rights website. There is still a lot more to find out about the law and the way the police interpret it. I wonder if I'll get into mischief if I casually manage to capture one of the boys in blue while filming something unrelated. Especially if it's one of the "boys in blue" in full riot gear looking like Darth Vader with a machine gun tucked under his arm, and those boys hang round in groups!
Nuff said.
Those who look for monsters should look to it that
they do not become monsters. For when you gaze
long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.
If you want to have fun with privacy, why not take the bike and the camera inside Heathrow..just to see how the authorities respond.
Looking forward to the next installment.
posted 07-03-2008 14:11
