Tiger World, first DSLR video project

[Ron Hunter]

I took two of my kids to Tiger World on July 4th of this year and I created a 3.5min video that illustrates our visit. Tiger World is an animal conservation facility in central NC. I learned that three out of four of their animals are "rescues", which shocked me because I didn't know that there were big cats in the USA that needed new homes. If you ever find yourself in central NC you should definitely check this place out.

I've had my DSLR for about 8 months and this was the first time I used it for video. Overall I'm pleased with the footage but I did learn some things:
- You must have some sort of viewfinder if you want to shoot DSLR video in bright daylight!! The DSLR requires use of the LCD screen for composition/focus determination and that screen is almost impossible to see in bright daylight. I'm now working on a DIY viewfinder project created by Knoptop and modified by Dave Dugdale.
- Focus is tricky on a DSLR; I had read that many times but this was my first actual experience. Lots more to learn there.
- Focusing on animals behind chain-link fences is even trickier! ; ) Focus is soft in some clips because of this (and the inability to see the LCD screen).
- I had previously modified the DSLR "neutral picture style" in accordance with what Dugdale recommended in his T4i video course. Turns out I don't care for those settings as the contrast and saturation are too weak. I ended up performing exposure/color/saturation correction on every clip. I'll use a different picture style for my next project.
- This was also the first time I used my new Rode Videomic Pro (shotgun mic) and the settings were too weak. Got to increase those next time.

I've used the "Essential Training for Final Cut Pro" tuts from Lynda and they were incredibly helpful. The more I use FCPX the more I love it!

Here's the video. Please let me know what you think!:

[sidd finch]

wow very interesting. Those were some big cats.



Sidd

[Dave McElderry]

Okay, so there were a few shots that might not be "technically" the best, but since when should a video project put the technical over content and watchability? I thoroughly enjoyed this little video! What gorgeous creatures. It's a shame that circumstances have put them in this situation, but good that someone is giving them care. Most of the time I didn't even notice the fence; my eyes were way too busy focusing on the animals. I give this a hearty two thumbs up! And of course I was wondering all the way through where you got the music. It was both a surprise and then an "of course!" when I found that it was another of Kevin MacLeod's compositions. The opening and closing titles were very nice too. How did you do those?

As a side story, the combination of large cats and North Carolina brought back a memory of an incident from about 15 years ago. A buddy of mine, John, and I were motorcycling on the section of the Blue Ridge Parkway that cuts through the northwest corner of NC. I was in the lead, and he was following at a leisurely distance, often out of line of sight because of the curves. As I exited one of those curves I was suddenly looking straight at a mountain lion crossing the road directly in front of me. He (she?) was not running, but moving at a quick pace, only in my vision for a few seconds. It seemed to be six feet long, with what appeared to be another several feet of impressive tail stretched out behind. I don't know how long it really was, but I remember thinking how much of the width of the road was covered by this feline. I was astounded, to say the least. I quickly got on the CB to tell John, but by the time he reached the same point the cat was long gone. A few hours later when we reached the ranger station at Great Smoky Mountains National Park I told one of the rangers of my experience and asked if mountain lions were indigenous to the area. He said that they were not, but that people who keep them as "pets" sometimes release them into the mountains. It was a rare sighting.

[momoffduty]

Yes, using the screen in bright daylight is useless. I don't like the auto focus much. Quit using it. This is how I focus: in camera mode set the focus, switch the lens from auto to manual, switch the camera to video and shoot. Setting up the shot is tricky. I try to compose when I am setting the focus and from there try to hold the camera in the same position. Still shooting blindly. A loupe would be good. Please share your DIY project on the view finder!

I prefer neutral and to edit in post. Try the different picture styles to see what you like. I tried the portrait and things were too pink for my taste.

I liked seeing the tigers and looks like some great shots. Building memories with your sons too! Also liked the title and ending graphics. Clean and modern. Great job!

And Dave, enjoyed reading your close encounter. What a sight! Last winter a juvenile cougar was spotted behind our house. Neighbor got a photo. I was afraid to leave my dogs out alone. As if I could fight a cougar!

[Ron Hunter]

Thanks everyone! Answers to questions/comments:
- The opening/closing graphics are stock "title" templates in FCPX and are quite customizable.
- Kevin MacLeod always seems to have a piece of music to fit any project.
- Dave Dugdale actually recommended adjusting the neutral picture style to reduce saturation and contrast, so I did that but learned I didn't like the result. I have since "reset" to the default picture style.
- I also like control over things in post, but if the camera can do most of that for me, it's a time saver.
- The Lynda tuts showed me a "color correction workflow" using the video scopes in FCPX. Wow, what a difference that makes. I had no idea the quality of the footage could be improved so much.
- I plan to finish the DIY viewfinder tonight and I'll post how it works; it's a very inexpensive build.

And thanks for sharing that story Dave. I didn't know those cats were around here, but I also didn't know people had tigers and lions for pets!