Hi all, I've been looking for some more innovative ways to show our animals to people, in the hope of raising a bit more awareness for Durrell. Here's a couple of examples that I'm quite fond of: Infrared imaging Extreme close-ups I thought I'd share them here. I'm working, with a handful of people, on some other ideas, too. Rick
The second one seems indeed much more interesting to me. The first one gives an unusual effect to the video but it isn't quite as 'touching' as the second one. The gorilla video seems way more personal and also shows the characters of the animals in my opinion. A few video effects or ideas that may be interesting to try and I could think of is stuff such as; a low point of view - or the point of view of an animal, if you wish - showing a very different aspect of the exhibit or the park. Another idea I can think of is the pacing of the video, maybe something could be tried with increasing or slowing down the rapidity of the video. Something else is using the depth of field to 'highlight' something important Effects such as black and white or focussing on one colour could also work, but that depends on taste. These are just some random ideas, I don't know if they would actually work out.
Thanks for the feedback folks! I don't know if it's worth mentioning that what you see on the first video is not actually an effect, but the 'camera' (actually a thermographic imaging device) building a picture using heat. The white and red areas are hottest, and the greens, blue and blacks are coolest... it shows blood in muscles, absorption of solar radiation and even arthritis hotspots in older animals' joints! Glad you like the POV videos... here's another for you! Orangutan POV
The thermographic images are interesting, but I think the POV videos are a brilliant idea. Especially with the current selfie craze, a few stills sent to the media will go very far.
Yup, the POVs are definitely the better choice I'm curious, how do you get the footage? A hidden camera inside of a toy or something? Attach it to the animals themselves? Both? ~Thylo
Thanks Thylo! It's a combination of all of the above. We started out with 'indestructible' Peli cases with GoPro cameras inside them – bolts through them and jubilee clips around them as an extra precaution. This works for the apes, bears etc, and the cases are big enough to negate any risk of swallowing. I've been working on a 'float' for the otters and waterbirds, that has a camera on one end and a counterweight on the other... the idea is that it sits right on the point of balance, and when a 'wave' (or an otter) tip it, the camera goes underwater, the reverse happening on the next wave etc. It should give an amazing amphibious POV as it were. Lately, I've been figuring out how to strip cameras and miniaturise them – setting only the essential parts into silicone tubes... watch this space for some cool stuff coming up.
Both styles are really cool and I think a lot of people will love the point of view ones with a very interesting new perspective. I however, think the infra-red one showing the temperatures is fantastic. It's just really, really cool and you can see more and more watching it again (especially if you have read the video description and know what things you're looking for). Though it doesn't give the immediate 'that's so cute' impact of the point of view videos and it may be too 'sciencey' for a mass appeal. I can't wait to see more videos!
Thank you for sharing, I personally enjoyed the Orangutan one the most, and I found the bit with the Cuban Rock Iguana particularly interesting (in the Thermographic Imaging Device one). I also enjoyed this one which was recommend at the bottom: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c6W3j2MzP_w
