Surviving Monastery Beach Diving Video Snippet

[Thalassamania]

Doc,

I seen a lot of projects in my life that were done to increase diver safety and this is the first one that I can unconditionally guarantee will save someone's life. Thanks for doing it.

 

[stillhope]

Doc,
I enjoyed watching your Monastery video sample. Good work! I assume that what you posted was more or less a "proof of concept" to get the idea across of what you had in mind. As such, I think it worked well. You've got a great idea, and it looks like you're taking the right steps to get it done.

Some suggestions:
1) get the camera closer to the action. Zooming in from such a distance loses the sense of depth and consequently loses the drama inherent in your frolicking in the waves. It appeared that the camera could have been much closer to the waterline without being in danger of getting wet.

2) a second camera in the waves would have been good. It wouldn't necessarily have to have been synchronized with your actual experience, but just similar. It could have been after or before and provided some great b-roll for the in-water part of the video. Actually it's not too late for someone to go in an get that footage.

3) good audio. After exiting the water and approaching the camera, the voice was clear yet the wave sounds were strong -- a good combination. The framing of the image of you in front of the waves was good too. Good for establishing and reminding the viewer what this is all about. Although cutting between that and a close-up would have been better.

4) I thought having the guy helping you with your gear, and talking to him about taking your tank off, etc. was a good touch -- it made it less formal and easier for me as a mere mortal to identify with.

5) When you were talking to the camera after the dive, it would have been much more interesting to intercut you with scenes of what you were talking about. E.g. when talking about having the reg in your mouth, show a close-up of you with your reg in -- a shot in the water would be even better. You can still get that shot and cut it in with your existing footage. When talking about rolling, replay the rolling sequence. Show white water when talking about it, etc.

All in all, it looks like a great start! If you want any other comments as you proceed, I'll be happy to chime in. Let me know when you've got it done, and if it's not too long I'll put it into my TV series!

 

[DocWong]

Doc,

I seen a lot of projects in my life that were done to increase diver safety and this is the first one that I can unconditionally guarantee will save someone's life. Thanks for doing it.

You're welcome, thanks for the kind words!

That last scuba death we had at Monastery really brought that point home.

 

[DocWong]

Cool, thanks for the feedback, this is valuable as I'm a very novice videographer.

I"m looking forward to what you have to say in future clips!

Doc,
I enjoyed watching your Monastery video sample. Good work! I assume that what you posted was more or less a "proof of concept" to get the idea across of what you had in mind. As such, I think it worked well. You've got a great idea, and it looks like you're taking the right steps to get it done.

Some suggestions:
1) get the camera closer to the action. Zooming in from such a distance loses the sense of depth and consequently loses the drama inherent in your frolicking in the waves. It appeared that the camera could have been much closer to the waterline without being in danger of getting wet.

2) a second camera in the waves would have been good. It wouldn't necessarily have to have been synchronized with your actual experience, but just similar. It could have been after or before and provided some great b-roll for the in-water part of the video. Actually it's not too late for someone to go in an get that footage.

3) good audio. After exiting the water and approaching the camera, the voice was clear yet the wave sounds were strong -- a good combination. The framing of the image of you in front of the waves was good too. Good for establishing and reminding the viewer what this is all about. Although cutting between that and a close-up would have been better.

4) I thought having the guy helping you with your gear, and talking to him about taking your tank off, etc. was a good touch -- it made it less formal and easier for me as a mere mortal to identify with.

5) When you were talking to the camera after the dive, it would have been much more interesting to intercut you with scenes of what you were talking about. E.g. when talking about having the reg in your mouth, show a close-up of you with your reg in -- a shot in the water would be even better. You can still get that shot and cut it in with your existing footage. When talking about rolling, replay the rolling sequence. Show white water when talking about it, etc.

All in all, it looks like a great start! If you want any other comments as you proceed, I'll be happy to chime in. Let me know when you've got it done, and if it's not too long I'll put it into my TV series!

 

[Teamcasa]

Doc,
Outstanding video. Seeing you in the Maytag just reminds me of beach diving down here in SoCal. I’ve done my share of spins in the washing machine as well and as I get older, (Grumpy Old Diver) I’ve learn to like boat diving more and more! Again, Thanks for posting it!

 

[Thalassamania]

Oh, yeah ... some footage taken whilst being tumbled to splice in.

 

[DocWong]

Oh, yeah ... some footage taken whilst being tumbled to splice in.

Thanks, I plan on adding voiceovers with scenes cut in as I'm talking to do exactly that.

 

[divinotter]

During my rant of a few days ago I neglected to say what everyone's been saying since and that is thank you for this project. Just the chance to talk about techniques is valuable to me and I'm sure many other people. This clip alone has brought some dialogue. I especially appreciate the posts back about the reg thing even though I felt like- oops I accidently hijacked the thread. Thassamania talked about the time someone holds their breathe and that just really hit home for me- My husband practices 16 x 25 yd underwater swims 3 times a week - so of course he's comfortable even in larger waves with a snorkle- I always bail on them - so it made me realize those little skills do come in handy and maybe he's right. Anyway- hopefully when the full video is done there can be a thread for questions/ discussion of techniques seen in the video. I know just the little bit done on the reg issue even though covered in other threads (I couldn't find - cause I'm lame on the 'search') helped me answer some questions and my technique might or might not change, but I have a better understanding of the principals involved to make a more informed decision.

 

[Thalassamania]

During my rant of a few days ago I neglected to say what everyone's been saying since and that is thank you for this project. Just the chance to talk about techniques is valuable to me and I'm sure many other people. This clip alone has brought some dialogue. I especially appreciate the posts back about the reg thing even though I felt like- oops I accidently hijacked the thread. Thassamania talked about the time someone holds their breathe and that just really hit home for me- My husband practices 16 x 25 yd underwater swims 3 times a week - so of course he's comfortable even in larger waves with a snorkle- I always bail on them - so it made me realize those little skills do come in handy and maybe he's right. Anyway- hopefully when the full video is done there can be a thread for questions/ discussion of techniques seen in the video. I know just the little bit done on the reg issue even though covered in other threads (I couldn't find - cause I'm lame on the 'search') helped me answer some questions and my technique might or might not change, but I have a better understanding of the principals involved to make a more informed decision.

See Doc ... work's not done and the project's already a success.

 

[DocWong]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the support!