Time Lapse Tree Work

[bonner1040]

Some technical notes:

Playing with the color/spectrum transitions I found that with a standard .5 second transition or no transition it created a jump or a flash. Using 2-3 second transitions (dissolve) gave the effect of it kinda swaying from color to color. One method isnt better than the other, it depends on the mood you are going for. For example if you are trying to match a base drop in your music a fast switch from live color to a spectrum-change and then back again gives a totally different energy to the shot than the slow rolling color changes I used.

It was different editing it though because say a 3.8 second segment with a 3 second transition on either side is reduced to less than a second, this puts more emphasis on the colors before and after BUT gives an extremely fluid transition. ie: <'blue 5sec'><'2sec dissolve'><'black and white 4sec'><'2sec dissolve><red 6sec'> looks very different from <'blue 5 sec'><'2sec dissolve'><'black and white 8sec'><'2sec dissolve'><'red 6sec'> The underlined part being the only difference.

I am sure thats all very un-interesting to most but there it is! I had a lot of fun editing that one and I learned a lot.

 

[rskybiz]

Very nice Nick.

 

[pantheraba]

Nick,

I am slowly catching up on this thread...some great stuff!

The crane video was very good...it's WOW watching those pieces float away.

Your pruning video is a good example of what can be done...watched it 2x.

Now...in your Silver Lake Blues (39" maple takedown)...did you see the meteor at the 58 second mark???? It sure looked like a daytime "shooting star".

What think ye?

I haven't read all the pages after that video...maybe someone else already commented on it.

Good stuff.

 

[bonner1040]

Thanks Gary! Regarding the meteor I would have thought it was a plane, but who knows?

Check out 'Whole TreeRigging' on my channel, that one has some neat plane flybys at the end.

 

[pantheraba]

It seems to me an aircraft contrail signature would not look like the one you captured...but I am no expert.

 

[bonner1040]

Well believe it or not aeronautic contrail signatures ( ) arent my speciality either! Somebody call NASA!


It was cool though, I have watched it a few times now to look a that.

 

[pantheraba]

Well, there's gotta be at least ONE aeronautic contrail signatures specialist in the House. If not it'll just remain a mystery.

 

[stig]

Maybe on the newest stealth fighters the contrail is masked to look like a meteor.

 

[pantheraba]

hahaha...well put friendly Dane.

 

[bonner1040]

... excellent for customer education imo, quick and informative video on what it means to prune a tree.

I took this one step further. Let me know what you think... 2:26 with good music!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HxncJS6CEPA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Also played around with using some Ken's Burns photo sweeps and various levels of zoom in addition to the color tinkering to keep the timelapse interesting.

 

[Tucker943]

Nick, the movements in this prune looked much more efficient than the video I critiqued last time. You used that polesaw to do lots of work from one position. Now, as one climber to another, my point last time was take that polesaw and set your rigging points and set your tip tied bowlines. Less running around the tree, faster work. Nice video though. Think about my logic and maybe sometime try integrating that pole saw into your rigging tasks.... From my perspective, your pruning work showed that you have the ability to be an even more efficient rigger. Don't ever take me as praising myself and claiming I have all the answers. Just sharing my perspectives. I think you know by now I would never suggest something to you in an arrogant or condescending way that could seem belittling.

 

[bonner1040]

Thanks Chris, I had a lot of trouble getting a throwline in that tree and ended up settling for the low tie in, then used the polesaw to advance my line a few times.

 

[Tucker943]

You toss a monkey fist much? I personally don't do this all the time but sometimes I'll a monkey fist in the tail of my climb line then hook it to a snap on the rear of my saddle. Hit the first crotch, unsnap the MF, and whip it to the next crotch, overhand loops slack up to it until it feeds down to me. Tie in to that and carry on.

 

[bonner1040]

As much as anyone I guess. I am not terrible at it, but I am also knot a shining example of throwing accuracy.

 

[Bixler]

Nice vid Bonner, really smooth, and groovy music. The color changing and the zoom thing worked great. How long (in real time) were you in the tree for? Was the ground crew moving the camera to different spots?

Tucker I think you might like the Jameson combo handsaw/polesaw... Have you tried it? Also, those lightweight blue poles are great. What do you use?

 

[bonner1040]

It was all shot from one place with the TLC200. The Ken Burns Effect ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Burns_effect ) gives the impression that the camera is moving. There were a couple of shots that showed the full frame, everything else was dissected from that composition.

I was in the tree exactly 73 minutes according to my math and analysis of the original footage. Add in time spent with the throwline, cleanup etc and that time increases.

 

[Bixler]

Trouble with the throwline? Did the guys forget the bike pump again or is DAVEY crackin' down on the APTA?

 

[bonner1040]

I dont actually have a functioning APTA! I have a super heavy prototype but its missing parts, and Big Green does not allow the APTA. Not like they dont allow the HH but I use it anyway, as in my boss boss head honcho told me, 'Do not put that on the truck, it is pretty sweet though!'

 

[Koala]

I took this one step further. Let me know what you think... 2:26 with good music!

I really enjoy watching your videos Nick.
They're cool.

Wish I had your editing skills.....

 

[bonner1040]

Thanks Marcello, I enjoy making them and it isnt as difficult as you think. iMovie does most of the work!

Sound should be up soon...
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Hw1LTtG1zic" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

A characteristically dismal day in NE Ohio. This large Oak tree was almost entirely dead, or in decline. Most of the tree was rigged out to limit the damage to the lawn and surrounding landscape.

The chipper truck could not be put in the drive way due to excessive ice and weather conditions. For the large pieces that were rigged out, the chipper winch was used to float the material from the plum point under the rigging to the chipper 50-60' away.

The rigging point, interesting enough was placed at the top of what as actually the lowest limb on the tree. All rigging done with Pinto RIG pulley and Portawrap.

At the end of the day we had to remove a small tree all the way at the top of the drive. Luckily the 150' winch cable just reached and we were able to use the winch to assist in pulling the truck backwards up the driveway as well as provide additional holding power for driving back down the grade with a full load of chips.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Slow down! Stop and smell the roses!!!

 

[pantheraba]

That looked like a LOT of work. What's the charge to remove a tree like that? Maybe $2k? Certainly at least a thousand?

 

[bonner1040]

We had 30 man hours bid for that job, so at winter rate it came to $1950 I think? We were way ahead of the bid which is why we didnt just let it all fly.

With morning BS time, travel to and from, dumping, and fueling up we ended up putting in 24 man hours portal to portal, 7-3 with 3 guys. I am sure we billed/paid the whole 30 in the bid.

 

[pantheraba]

Thanks, Nick. Good to see my instincts were close. Mr. Shamblin was gettin it DONE!

 

[Tucker943]

Nice work. Its dismal and grey here all winter as well. Horrible.