Hawaii Video

stoneinapond

stoneinapond

Veteran
Wanted to share a video of a recent trip to Hawaii. It's in the vein of a travelog (without commentary) and 18 minutes long, so that's by way of a warning for those not interested in that type of content.

Shot on an un-hacked GH2 with the 14-42mm kit and 45-200mm zoom lenses, mostly handheld and very much run and gun. And apologies for the lurching car shots in the beginning. It settles down after that.

Enjoy, and comments are welcome (a download is available on Vimeo, but again a warning, it's big).

 
You put a lot of work into this piece. Nice job. I love well shot travel footage. Makes me want to hop a ship to Hawaii.
 
that was a good piece, man I gotta get to the islands before I die. Looks like paradise if there is such a thing.
 
maranfilms said:
that was a good piece, man I gotta get to the islands before I die. Looks like paradise if there is such a thing.
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Thanks!

Our exact feelings but we found it easier than we thought. September, October are off season months and apart from the lack of crowds, there are lots of deals going. Food is expensive but it's easy to find cheap alternatives. And of course, paradise is what most people that live there call it.
 
If that is handheld you are one of the best cameraman/woman i have seen :shocked: i just cant film with mine without good support :cry:
Lovely shots.
 
flinty said:
If that is handheld you are one of the best cameraman/woman i have seen :shocked: i just cant film with mine without good support :cry:
Lovely shots.
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I guess I should have been a little more detailed and added that stabilization was added in post. FCP X has a very good algorithm. Of course the original has to be decent to get those kinds of results and I do shoot exclusively using the EVF which adds a lot of support. Also on the Vimeo page I did mention that a tripod was used occasionally, but only for about half a dozen of the clips.

Thanks for watching.
 
Just wanted to add to Flinty's observation. I've practiced Tai Chi for over two decades where a strong base (feet) and smooth body motion is favored. So, my method is to use the EVF, bend the knees, hold the breath, and rotate using the hips and knees (not the upper body). If a shot is locked off and I can brace myself against something, so much the better. This will give good results along with the Panasonic lens IS that then translates well using post stabilization. I wouldn't try this kind of work with manual, non stabilized lenses.

The shots that used support (GorillaPod and a set of lightweight sticks) were the lighthouse and adjoining houses, and the Honolulu skyline in the second sequence, the sunrise and sunset sequences, the waterfall, and the few opening shots in final section. Everything else was shot handheld.
 
Simply amazing. Excellent work.You had me waiting for IZ's Somewhere over the rainbow. I knew you wouldn't disappoint by not having that song in there. I didn't skip a second of it. And I skim through a LOT of videos, especially these types of videos... Kudos to you. And of course, thanks for sharing.

p.s. - throughout the whole video I was thinking about how steady your shots were. Nice smooth (hand-held) pans!
 
JOEinSD said:
....You had me waiting for IZ's Somewhere over the rainbow...
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Thanks for the encouraging words.

I knew before I left for the trip that I wanted to use that track somewhere, but couldn't find a CD store in downtown Honolulu (like anywhere else these days). But the ranger station near the top of Haleakala had just what I needed except the poor ranger cashier was so slow that by the time she had finished processing my order, the exterior vantage point for the sunrise was packed and several people deep, with no way for me to set up a tripod.

This was going to be once in a lifetime event and I was pissed. So I crawled on my hand and knees between people's legs to the edge of the overlook (apologizing to the startled visitors) and fumbling in the dark and cold, quickly set up the camera on my GorillaPod. And then prayed as I couldn't repeat that maneuver too many times to monitor the takes.

Maybe it could have been better, but I'm happy with the results. And I got my track.
 
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