Dylan's Solent Films

dylanwinter

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Joined
28 Mar 2005
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Location
Buckingham
www.keepturningleft.co.uk
I post here not without some trepidation

However, I know that lots of you chaps are Solent based

I made 14 films about the Solent - around 200 minutes of films

they are all here without those obnoxious paypal buttons

http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/blogs/calling-solent-sailors/

the films, as you might expect, are for sailors rather than fishermen, paddlers, water-skiers, PWCs , mobos or moth sailors

you guys have your own videographers

this guy is brilliant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsooTp5CKCE&list=PLDC226E7F92094011

however, I wondered if you thought I gave the Solent a fair shot

I am very happy to listen to the opinions who only engaged with the series on the basis of one 50 second comment less shot of a passing mobo.

However, I am will obviously pay more attention to those who watched more than one film without being driven into paroxysms of invective

Dylan
 
Having watched the Chichester Harbour to Newtown Creek I have a sailing question for you. Why do sailing boats have a 1960's dumper truck in the bilges? Presumably fully Euro 5 emissions compliant ;)

Also I now know to avoid sailists unless they are in Cowes or have just left. That way they will have showered recently :)

I ribbed you for moaning about having to pay to use other peoples mooring tackle via your website so think I'm right in saying you are a professional camera person / one man filming, reporting, presenting and editing machine. I find it interesting that you use some shots which I, as an amateur would avoid, the wildly panning shots as you move from one view to another. I'm not criticising because your videos have a very easy going gentle feel to them and in many ways those shots engage the viewer, allowing them to identify with your films but I find it interesting that I'm doing everything to avoid shots like that.

I love to see different styles of work. Every day is a school day. Editing is the hardest part and I cheat by setting everything to a sound track. I think you capture the essence of an area I know very well.

Henry :)
 
Having watched the Chichester Harbour to Newtown Creek I have a sailing question for you. Why do sailing boats have a 1960's dumper truck in the bilges? Presumably fully Euro 5 emissions compliant ;)

Also I now know to avoid sailists unless they are in Cowes or have just left. That way they will have showered recently :)

I ribbed you for moaning about having to pay to use other peoples mooring tackle via your website so think I'm right in saying you are a professional camera person / one man filming, reporting, presenting and editing machine. I find it interesting that you use some shots which I, as an amateur would avoid, the wildly panning shots as you move from one view to another. I'm not criticising because your videos have a very easy going gentle feel to them and in many ways those shots engage the viewer, allowing them to identify with your films but I find it interesting that I'm doing everything to avoid shots like that.

I love to see different styles of work. Every day is a school day. Editing is the hardest part and I cheat by setting everything to a sound track. I think you capture the essence of an area I know very well.

Henry :)

good question

well done for watching so carefully and thoughfully

it is what they call a whip pan

the advantage is that it allows you to appreciate the geography

the eye can live with it

however, it is all about framing

you have to be in a decent frame and whip around straight into another usable frame

in the rushes I will often try the whip pan several times until I get it right

I agree there are lots of different styles

I looked back at one of my old American films - there was a 45 second shot in one

you could never get away with that now

so you will see that I go one frame - count to five

whip to another frame and count to five

I did a few of them coming down Montys River so that the eye would know which bank I was filming

it is always hard to know how to film these

there is no real precedent for them

making sailing films for sailors means that you also have to give them time to look at the sails and see the way they are set

for a non sailor there is nothing going on in the shot

good man H

D
 
Loved the first 1, well done and keep them coming

the weird thing is.... that the boat never gets sailed

it was an amazing six weeks in that boatyard though

I started sleeping aboard and the harbour master told me that I was not allowed to sleep there when she was ashore

so I had to drive back to Paynes ever night

man you gujys have some big time traffic jams down there

D
 
I post here not without some trepidation

However, I know that lots of you chaps are Solent based

I made 14 films about the Solent - around 200 minutes of films

they are all here without those obnoxious paypal buttons

http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/blogs/calling-solent-sailors/

the films, as you might expect, are for sailors rather than fishermen, paddlers, water-skiers, PWCs , mobos or moth sailors

you guys have your own videographers

this guy is brilliant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsooTp5CKCE&list=PLDC226E7F92094011

however, I wondered if you thought I gave the Solent a fair shot

I am very happy to listen to the opinions who only engaged with the series on the basis of one 50 second comment less shot of a passing mobo.

However, I am will obviously pay more attention to those who watched more than one film without being driven into paroxysms of invective

Dylan

I have watched all 14 Dylan, and they are excellent, and showing the Solent to be the great bit of water it is. I guess your productions are not designed to be in depth reviews, or navigational guides, but really do give an idea of the feel of the place. As you know, it's not often as peaceful as your videos portray, but that's something Solent boaters (generally!) cope with in good humour.
Thoroughly enjoyable - can't wait for some slightly warmer weather to get back out there.

PS Sorry if I was a bit rude on the thread about mobo wash!
 
I have watched all 14 Dylan, and they are excellent, and showing the Solent to be the great bit of water it is. I guess your productions are not designed to be in depth reviews, or navigational guides, but really do give an idea of the feel of the place. As you know, it's not often as peaceful as your videos portray, but that's something Solent boaters (generally!) cope with in good humour.
Thoroughly enjoyable - can't wait for some slightly warmer weather to get back out there.

PS Sorry if I was a bit rude on the thread about mobo wash!

what a decent bloke you are!

no worries - ducks back - water

been a hack for a lot of years

I apologise if I made the solent seem quieter than it really is

mind you I was there at the end of the winter/beginning of the spring

I did the May bank holiday and if I was solent based I guess I would sit in my garden over the bank holiday weekends

the place does go slightly mad

the hamble scramble is an amazing thang to witness at close quarters

best boat handlers I have seen anywhere though

 
I've watched most of them and on the whole think they are very good. Just your mobo bashing lets you down and alienates a large section of your potential viewers
 
I've watched most of them and on the whole think they are very good. Just your mobo bashing lets you down and alienates a large section of your potential viewers

I agree.....

filming mobos coming closer and faster than would be considered acceptable anywhere else in the UK is likely to alienate some people

However, having sailed around most of the UK then there are massive variations in etiquette

so maybe the films should reflect that

I said nothing at all rude about them in any of the films

just let the shots run without comment

the alternative is not to film any mobos in motion at all

and a 40 footer on the chat is an amazing thing to see and film

however the films are not really aimed at mobos -

you have your own bards

a film made for mobos would be completely different from a film made for sailors

a run from hamble to Lymington for you guys is over and done with in an hour

for us sailors that is a whole day trip

the whole pace and priorities are different

even something as simple as the acoustic is a differentiator

the sound of the filming but also the pace of the music where it is needed

You guys run your lives at a different speed from the average sailor

as for more views

it used to be all about viewers and hit rates

now it is about paypal taps/tips

the income this month is three times what it was last year flogging DVDs

probably because I have been filming in a very popular area and people like to see what other people think about their patch

However, the American income has been higher as well

There has been a polar vortex in the states so lots of sailors have been stuck indoors and Americans are great payers

UK people are more reticent about tipping.

I have to say this is the most enjoyable but least lucrative project I have been involved in

it will be a while before I place the order for the Predator or even sell the Y reg Micra

D
 
I can see the point of whip pan, although i too have tried to avoid panning due to the terrible flicker my camera produces. I see the trick is to do it faster, hence the name...

I felt that the vid Henry refers to doesn't do justice to the others I watched. I like the free hand camera work and the slow pace, which to me as someone with very limited experience in sailing, conveys the feeling of being on a sailboat in a positive way. The commentary is spot on as well.

Maybe some of the shots could be shorter and some of the 'moving-from-one-shot-to-the-next-with-camera-on' -bits could be edited out without losing the authenticity.

I'm curious as to the camera you're using. I noticed quite shallow depth-of-field on some shots.
 
I can see the point of whip pan, although i too have tried to avoid panning due to the terrible flicker my camera produces. I see the trick is to do it faster, hence the name...

I felt that the vid Henry refers to doesn't do justice to the others I watched. I like the free hand camera work and the slow pace, which to me as someone with very limited experience in sailing, conveys the feeling of being on a sailboat in a positive way. The commentary is spot on as well.

Maybe some of the shots could be shorter and some of the 'moving-from-one-shot-to-the-next-with-camera-on' -bits could be edited out without losing the authenticity.

I'm curious as to the camera you're using. I noticed quite shallow depth-of-field on some shots.

thanks for that

losing the sense of geography and place is always a challenge

confuse the eye and the brain soon joins in with the confusion

one of the things the films really lacks is a second pair of eyes

there is only me so I have to take a punt on what works

depth of field goes up and down with the light

I use three cameras

http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/blogs/cameras-and-steady-shots/

as for the length of shots

I nevere know how long to leave them

I think the sailing mindset is slgihtly different

sailors tend to drop into a sort of reverie when under way

I have seen a bloke just satre at the stern wake for fifteen minutes or more

your way of travelling is far too frantic for me
 
Dylan I've, until now, not watched any of your videos because, to be blunt, your anti mobo stance gets on my wick and has left me with a bit of a negative view about you which is a real shame because I've just watched all the way thru to and incl part 8 where you enter Christchurch Sailing club and found it (and you) a delight to watch. Particularly Christchurch as that's a place I hold deep in my heart as it's where my late dad kept his boat for many years until his death in 2009. I can honestly say the part from The Run on, choked me up a little so...thankyou for that little gem. Simply lovely to watch you coming in there.
I now find myself looking forward very much to watching the rest as I find them all very interesting and somewhat educational. (love it when the odd swear word comes out...makes me smile.)
You have indeed done the Solent proud and yes...it gets busy but boy, what a beautiful area to explore as you have shown very well.
Good on you Dylan.
L
:)
 
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