Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

The Elks - A 4K Mountaineering Film

J

Joe Kyle

Active member
Joined
Jun 20, 2014
Messages
35
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Hey friends -

I think this is my first post here so I'll just get right to the good stuff:


Or in 4K: The Elks - 4K, on YouTube

If you're interested in a little bit of backstory, you're in luck :smile5:

I've always wanted to take a camera out to Colorado and just shoot...anything, really. It wasn't until late 2013 that I actually got serious, planned out a trip, thought through the logistics of shooting, and booked the tickets. I live in PA, so it's a little bit of an ordeal to get out to the Colorado high country.

I knew that I wanted to make a short film, and I knew that I wanted it to be finished in 4K. If you coupled that with the technical requirements I had for hiking and climbing (and having to carry EVERYTHING on my back), it really only left me with two reasonable camera options: 1DC or a Red. And the Red was barely reasonable, in view of what I was trying to accomplish. The 1DC was smaller, lighter, cheaper, and had the familiar form factor and interface from the 5DII on which I learned to shoot. But the Red was...Red...and well, suffice it to say that in August of 2014 I ended up at Maroon Lake with an Epic in hand.

My camera configuration tipped the scales at almost 11lbs. Extra batteries were a two pound penalty to my pack. I only took one lens - the Sigma 18-35 1.8. I don't mean to toot my own horn here, but shooting this film was seriously physically demanding. It's a a major accomplishment for people to go out and climb these peaks with a small pack with just snacks and water. I was loaded down with some pretty serious filmmaking equipment that included a tripod and a custom motorized/programmable slider.

This was only the second time I've ever used a Red. In light of all the challenges I faced going into this trip, it's downright stupefying to realize what the Epic allowed a rookie like me to accomplish.

scale_small.jpg capitol_small.jpg IMG_0464_small.jpg slider_ledge.jpg MVI_0418.MOV.Still001.jpg

And just for some fun bragging rights: I'm 99% sure I'm the first person to take a Red camera to the summit of Maroon Peak (14,156ft), Pyramid Peak (14,018ft), and Capitol Peak (14,130). :cool:

Anyway. I hope you guys like my little film. With any luck, it won't be the last thing I shoot out there.

Joe
 
Very very nice film. Colors are beautiful. And the shot at 5:20 is just superb! Very good job, Joe. :thumbup1:
 
I got exhausted just thinking about the idea that you did this on your own. Never mind the incredible challenge of hiking with all of the gear but also setting up some of those shots you are in that required you to then do the shot, then go back to get the gear. It just seems physically exhausting but at the same time, incredibly personal. I commend you on the effort. I think it pays off. I like how you start off with you back home getting ready for the trip. It shows a lot of the technology and conveniences you won't have on your hike and I think that sets us up for the beauty and as you say honesty that the mountain will provide.
I wish you luck with the project and look forward to seeing more from you.
 
Karel Šimůnek;1489978 said:
Very very nice film. Colors are beautiful. And the shot at 5:20 is just superb! Very good job, Joe. :thumbup1:
Click to expand...

I love that shot too! That little rock I walk out on is called the "diving board" - there's basically nothing around it except a drop 1000+ft into the valley below.

Steve Sherrick said:
I got exhausted just thinking about the idea that you did this on your own. Never mind the incredible challenge of hiking with all of the gear but also setting up some of those shots you are in that required you to then do the shot, then go back to get the gear. It just seems physically exhausting but at the same time, incredibly personal. I commend you on the effort. I think it pays off. I like how you start off with you back home getting ready for the trip. It shows a lot of the technology and conveniences you won't have on your hike and I think that sets us up for the beauty and as you say honesty that the mountain will provide.
I wish you luck with the project and look forward to seeing more from you.
Click to expand...

I'm VERY glad that you can appreciate how difficult it was to shoot. I had to be so judicious in my shot selection because getting a simple 20 second slider shot cost me about 25-30 minutes. Almost all of the shots I used were the only take - I just didn't have time to retry them.

It would probably be really funny to cut a reel together of all the clips of me running franticly back to the camera to save card space and battery life :smilielol5:
 
JOE!! This is gorgeous. I've watched it like 4 times already. Funny enough my internet connection at home is faster than at work so I finally watched it in 4K this morning. The detail is what catches my eye the most. It really takes me back to the times I've been to the mountains. I can almost smell it.
Really beautifully crafted. Like Steve mentioned about the production of it, I had to force myself not to think about that and try to enjoy the imagery. A little difficult but man you can tell this was labor of love.

Well done, sir.

Everyone WATCH IN ON YOUTUBE!!! Vimeo does not do it justice.
 
Joe Kyle said:
It would probably be really funny to cut a reel together of all the clips of me running franticly back to the camera to save card space and battery life :smilielol5:
Click to expand...


I would love to see that.
 
Adam Rook said:
JOE!! This is gorgeous. I've watched it like 4 times already. Funny enough my internet connection at home is faster than at work so I finally watched it in 4K this morning. The detail is what catches my eye the most. It really takes me back to the times I've been to the mountains. I can almost smell it.
Really beautifully crafted. Like Steve mentioned about the production of it, I had to force myself not to think about that and try to enjoy the imagery. A little difficult but man you can tell this was labor of love.

Well done, sir.

Everyone WATCH IN ON YOUTUBE!!! Vimeo does not do it justice.
Click to expand...

Thanks Adam. It does look pretty good on YouTube, considering how compressed it is. I also learned a TON about how to get the best image out of the camera for this type of shooting, and I definitely hope to apply that knowledge to shooting this year.

Adam Rook said:
I would love to see that.
Click to expand...

Ha, I probably will do that at some point.
 
Can I use some of your footage? Some of them looks great.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top