Homemade climbing vids

[octavius]

I just finished my 2nd homemade climbing video and posted it on YouTube. Both of these videos are of friends climbing at exit32 (Mizuki and Anne).

 

 

Neither climb is extreme (just 5.9/5.10 sport stuff), this was more a learning experience for me in placing myself around the climber and getting the footage, and then editing it with Premiere and adding some tunes.

 

I'm curious who else here makes climbing videos? Some challenges I faced included... sitting on rappel in my painful harness while filming (need a better harness), figuring out if I should stay in a fixed location, or try to move around the climber.... which might interrupt their climbing. I'm thinking multiple cameramen are probably needed for quality footage and filming a single climb in a single shot, or else having the climbers do the route multiple times for different shot angles.

 

Feedback welcome.

[olyclimber]

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[olyclimber]

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[olyclimber]

thoughts after making a few of myself:

 

• you need something that ties the whole thing together
  
• if crag climbing, good scenery (if nice scenery, an cut to crux climbing (if belaying, your leader will love this )
  
• Alpine can be cool because lots of great scenery, others may not have been there and would like to see what it is like.
  
• Good editing and good soundtrack really make a difference
  

What are you shooting with? For Youtube/Googlevideo, my Canon SD600 works great, but if you're doing it for other usage...well, of course DV and even HD cameras are getting cheaper.

 

[octavius]

Thanks for the suggestions and linking the vids right into the thread.

 

I shot this with a Panasonic PV-GS180, which is the lightest and smallest 3CCD camara out there at the moment. Not super high resolution but good enough for YouTube. I agree that a higher end camera would be better for serious work, but also a lot heavier to haul around... and a bigger loss if you drop it :-/

 

I'm still learning. What editing system do you use for your vids? Are they posted anywere?

Edited November 30, 2006 by octavius

[olyclimber]

I just decided to try it out myself (making climbing videos that is), and I'm just using a little digital point and shoot for the video (Canon SD600)....but I think it would be a cool additions to trip reports on the site. We have added two buttons (one for YouTube, the other for Google Video) in the Post Editor...instructions for use are in the site FAQ.

 

I'm using iMovieHD (on a Macbook Pro) for editing...integrates right with your iTunes library for music...it is the best consumer grade editor I have found yet, and it way easier to use than Premiere, etc.

 

I have only done a couple of things, such as the video here (there are two versions, the original and another version lower in the thread).

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/609831/page/1#Post609831

[kurthicks]

I use a Sony miniDV camcorder for most of my video. Some shots from from the Canon S2 camera. Adobe Premier to edit. "Borrow" music from friends to make the soundtrack.

 

A tripod is a worthwhile investment (or make sure your camera operator has a stable hand). They are invaluable if you want to speed up the footage later.

 

a trip to the Fin in Idaho (definately not my best work, but the most recent).

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[mountainmatt]

If you really want to get serious about shooting good video, I think a lot of it comes down to patience. You have to be willing to have the person climb the routes several times and get different angels. The biggest thing is to avoid the ass shot which most climbers end up getting to much of. One trick that some of the pros use is to actually get a large bipod to push them out from the route. This allows you to get a better perspective of the climber and the route below.

[octavius]

I have only done a couple of things, such as the video here (there are two versions, the original and another version lower in the thread).

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/609831/page/1#Post609831

Nice work.

[octavius]

I use a Sony miniDV camcorder for most of my video. Some shots from from the Canon S2 camera. Adobe Premier to edit. "Borrow" music from friends to make the soundtrack.

Nice. Reminds me of Phil's work on www.mtnphil.com any connection? Edited November 30, 2006 by octavius

[billbob]

I was wondering what you guys think about the commercial aspects of climbing videos and the ? Do you see it as acceptable to freely distribute your footage but anathema to receive money for it? I know there are "Professional Climbers" who work in various non-climbing jobs as well as being guides to paying clients, is there some line not to be crossed in the commercialization of climbing? Is it when it shows up as "Extreme Sports" or some venue wherein the gestalt, the soul of climbing becomes twisted? I was thinking about producing a weekly video show of serious climbs, starting in the NW and ending in Alaska. Big sponsors, full sponsorships, big name narrator, etc. Sounds like fun to me but damn, if the climbing community is going to bitch about ruining the sport while making a business out of it, then why bother. This idea would be to make a weekly sportscast-type show, not a screwey drama (K2) or documentary on a south american near-tragedy. The idea is to create a regular, professional, and interesting show about "The Climbs" with more emphasis on the climbing action rather than fictionalized drama around actors. Basically we would send out 3-5 cameramen every Sat/Sun on a challenging route to film, ideally with live broadcast and later available for download. Done well, I think this could provide employment for a dozen camera/sound/support people having good climbing experience as well as payment to the climbers on the route. Would it diminish the sport to have a lightweight crew filming the next ascent of Liberty Ridge or Yocum Ridge, etc. only to be watched by fatass couch potatoes who can barely tie their own shoes?? What if the climbers were just ordinary climbers, would that be more interesting than watching pro's? Both? What about when we break for commercials ? Gets kinda sticky there, huh? If it were successful in getting an audience outside of the climbing world (general sports population) such that even bigger sponsors could be gotten, the spin-off shows into the the Alps/SA/Himalayas might go forward, but would that be a truly good thing? Is climbing just for climbers? Do you want to show others and share the reality? Is it even possible to do something like this and not come off looking like an idiot or worse?

[olyclimber]

I think even if you do nothing then people will find something to bitch about

 

I'd say go for it, but do it because you want to, and not for what other people might think.

[JayB]

[gvideo]-8543589108027361685[/gvideo]

[AllYouCanEat]

Cool, that looks like a scrappy creek, and one of the guys going C1 too. Schweet. I love creeks like that.

[gapertimmy]

kyaking pr0n with some sick music! anthrax and public enemy.

 

flava of love!

[pup_on_the_mountain]

Cool videos all .

 

Not sure if I should ask this question here, or in the CC.com News forum.. but ask I shall .

 

I can click all the four video links in this thread, and all of

them play at the same time. I can hear the metal, Kurt's

commentary on the fin, gushing water (?), and a bunch of other

sounds. Granted the internet is fast at work, but wouldn't it

be nicer if only one video plays at a time from a thread? As

of now, I have to wait till the first video finishes before I

click another one. I can only see the pause button (and not a

stop icon) when each of them is running (but this might be a

"problem" with YouTube/Google). Could the settings be changed

such that the first video stops if I click on another video in

between?

[gapertimmy]

pup-

the videos and the related flash player plugins are made by youtube or google, so we really don't have control over which one is playing... that is up to you to click on the play buttons and make the interweb do its magick

[JayB]

Uno Mas

 

[gvideo]-7956486159340120738[/gvideo]

[octavius]

Was down in Joshua Tree over the holidays and hung out with Catbirdseat, FenderFour, and Oscar (does Oscar have a handle? ... o-scar would be cool). This is Oscar climbing Bearded Cabbage; thanks to FenderFour for the extra footage for the split screen and the other angle.

 

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Edited January 17, 2007 by octavius

[Alex]

"I'm curious who else here makes climbing videos?"

 

I try

 

"Some challenges I faced included... sitting on rappel in my painful harness while filming (need a better harness)"

 

Yeah it can be painful in a normal climbing harness. Unfortunately I sold my Cadillac big wall rig a while ago

 

"figuring out if I should stay in a fixed location, or try to move around the climber.... which might interrupt their climbing. I'm thinking multiple cameramen are probably needed for quality footage and filming a single climb in a single shot, or else having the climbers do the route multiple times for different shot angles"

 

I've also shot Mizuki and Jens recently, and experimented then with multiple ascents of the same route. I am starting to believe that the prime ingredients for good stokage are a combination of compelling climbing, attractive surroundings, multiple angles, and action.

 

Action: I think the single most compelling ingredient is real action...i.e. falls or near falls or some other something..something both climbers and non-climbers can recognize as dangerous/thrilling/interesting. Watching people simply walk up an 12D, smoothly efficiently and without struggle, is not AS interesting as watching someone take flight time on an 11A.

 

Compelling climbing: something that you wont see everyday. Alpine routes come to mind. Hard ice climbing, mixed climbing. Significant wall ascnets (appropriately condensed). BASE jumps from the top once your up.

 

Attractive surroundings: the day I shot at Jens and Mizuki at Vantage it was overcast, and it really becomes an issue through the video as it progresses and everything is just a grey day out in the desert. Especially for us sun-starved 206ers, sunny shots add value. Mountains in the background add value. Etc...

 

Multiple Angles: with a single cameraman this means people have to climb and re-climb the same route, which you then edit together later. With multiple cameramen it might enable your subjects to throw themselves at something harder, where only 1 "burn" might be doable.

 

[olyclimber]

nothing like a little rock climbing vid to get you stoked during the depth of winter.