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FAQFrequently Asked QuestionsWhat format is the DVD and how do I know it's going to play on my system? [top] We have pressed the DVD's at a commerical DVD press, the same way as major movies are duplicated. It is in NTSC format and nearly all DVD players and TV systems are now made to play this worldwide format. The benefit of this format is that no matter where you are in the world you should be able to view our film. If for any reason you have trouble with your copy, we will be happy to make a VHS copy for you in Europe and either refund or replace your copy elsewhere in the world. How did you make the film? [top] The programme began filming in July 1997 and was mainly shot on the then mainstream broadcast format Betacam SP in 4:3 screen aspect ratio. However in July 2000 Ged upgraded from analogue Betacam SP to widescreen Digital Betacam which was now the top broadcast format in Europe. The film continued to be shot on Digital Betacam but in 4:3 screen aspect to match the earlier footage. Richard was amused at the use of other formats that crept in as Ged reviews new broadcast cameras for the television sector, so there are a few alternative formats making an appearance in the film! These included JVC’s D-9 format, Panasonic’s DVC PRO50 and DVC PRO25, and a new MPEG format from Sony for broadcast called ‘MPEG IMX. These did cause some headaches at the editing stage and fortunately this was simplified by them being dubbed to either Beta SP or Digital Betacam. Some archived shots on oxide Betacam were used occasionally and coupled with a very brief shot recorded on Hi-8 and the underwater shots on mini DV this brought the total number of formats used to nine! Richard shot the underwater footage and genuinely suffered for his art. At one stage he sat in eighteen inches of water for two weeks in the last week of November and first week of December in snow and icy weather with frequent severe hail showers so he could capture the breeding cycle of the salmon. Near hypothermia became a daily experience for him. Richard also shot the time lapse sequences of Uig Bay showing the tide coming in and receding across the Bay. Again this involved a lot of patience as each shot though on screen for a few seconds took an average of eight hours to record. The underwater shots and Uig Bay time lapse shots were done using a Sony VX-1000 mini DV camera. This is not a bad camera though it is now considered long in the tooth but was a new tool in 1998 when first used. Richard used an ‘Ewa Marine’ splashbag to record underwater which is not very user friendly and did result in some frustrating moments for him. The remaining time lapse shots were filmed by Ged using initially Beta SP recorded in real time over twenty minutes then speeded up in editing to last around fifteen seconds. The use of a Sony MSW-900P MPEG IMX camera produced results comparable to 16mm film time lapse. There are several shots from this camera used throughout the film for time lapse shots. The IMX camera uses a new system known as 25P progressive scan which has a filmic look. It has an extra circuit board that allows eight seconds of footage to be accumulated in RAM memory. When the memory is full it automatically records it onto tape. Camera VCR tape mechanisms cannot really record single frames easily but eight seconds is easy for them so filmic time lapse on video was now a reality. Mini DV was definitely the most cost effective solution for filming underwater but despite its popularity it is not an ideal format for broadcast programmes. The cameras colour rendition is limited as are the lenses and they can be quite grainy in low light levels, such as a murky river in December! Any problems encountered were technical to do with the video signal. Basically it resulted in some colour correction at the editing stage as these lower cost cameras have a bad habit of introducing a colour cast to the footage. The small size of this camera though did enable it to be used far easier and less intrusively than a bulky broadcast camera underwater housing in the shallow rivers and the shots Richard filmed of the salmon underwater provided a rare and intimate view of the salmon in its habitat. The use of mini DV on time lapse was a bit of a post production headache as the VX-1000 camera takes five frames in time lapse as opposed to the superior ‘single frame’ traditionally used. This required a further speed up in editing as sequences that had recorded over eight hours resulted in duration of around five minutes on tape. These were speeded to a new duration of about fifteen seconds. It was decided that big shots showing the bay and river system would be needed but this involved taking to the air. To fulfill this requirement a helicopter was hired from Inverness based helicopter charter firm PDG. The helicopter used was a Eurocopter AS350B Squirrel. The pilot who flew the helicopter was called Andy Lindner and he was a superb pilot. It was decided to film two passes of the Fhorsa River system from the river mouth in Uig Bay to the top in Loch Suinaval. The first pass was shot at a height of 150 feet and as Ged wanted a forward motion for the camera view Andy flew the helicopter sideways with the passenger door removed enabling a clear forward shot. The helicopter took off headed out across the sands and descended down to the river and a continuous shot was recorded following every twist and turn of the river with the helicopter skimming across Loch Suinaval it then rapidly climbed to the steep slopes of the hill named Suinaval to a height of two and half thousand feet. The helicopter then flew back to the river mouth in Uig Bay and did a second pass from about three thousand feet for a bigger view of the Fhorsa river system. Richard had commented that he would not have enjoyed sitting in an open doorway flying a couple of thousand feet above the ground. He prefers to be in or near the water, not hovering thousands of feet above it! Editing took place in two stages known as 'off line' & 'on line'. Off line is the rough cut stage, the draft version and is a process that can be rewarding but also frustrating. The 'off line' cut was done initially on two machine Betcam tape editing suite but by 1999 the cut continued on computer using a 'non linear' suite. This is much more flexible and is easier to cut different versions of sequences before deciding which to use. Non linear is good once the material is captured in the computer. This unfortunately takes place in real time and is known as 'digitising' but it was not possible to load the 60 hours of footage into the computer at that time so batches of four hours were loaded. Two off line non linear systems were used a 'Pinnacle DV500' card which was not great so was superceded rather quickly by a turnkey system using a 'Digisuite LE' capture/edit system. The on line edit was completed by editor Angus Mackay using an 'Avid Symphony' suite at 'Studio Alba' in Stornoway. The sound dubbing was completed in Glasgow by Dave Murricane of 'Murricane & Murricane' studios. CLICK HERE TO VIEW WEB VIDEOS ABOUT MAKING THE FILM Will I enjoy it? [top] It is hard to guarantee any fisherman or naturalist will enjoy our film but we have yet to get any critisism. In fact, overwhelmingly the feedback has been that this is the best fishing film they have evr seen. This is of course flattering for us but we did spend a long time over it. This is where most fishing programmes go wrong, they are driven by the business model of modern tv where you have to churn out a lot of air time for little money. Because money was not the end aim for us we took or time to make this as good as it possibly could be. If we sell some, all the better, if our peers say they love it, better still. You don't have to take our word for it though. Check the reviews to see what others think.
I've heard that every take is real on this film. Is this true? [top] Not only is every take real but every fish is real and every bit of filming of adult fish was done in the wild. The smolts in the river were in the wild but the egg hatching was filmed under more controlled conditions for obvious reasons. That shot of the egg hatching took three months to set up with a forty minute window to capture it. We had a lot of help making the film and getting the egg hatching shot asked a lot of favours from several people and we are very grateful for it. What extras are there on the DVD?[top] There are not many extras on the DVD. There are interviews with both Ged and Richard and also a stills gallery. How many hours of tape did you use to get real action? [top] We have about 60 hours of tape and various sound recordings left on the cutting room floor as it were. Of course, many days were spent when we did not film but merely observed, waiting for the salmon to show us what we wanted to tell. This was sometimes fun but sometimes frustrating. We missed the waterfall leaping shots by an hour one year and had to wait a whole year for the next chance. We missed it again and waited a further year to get what we wanted. You can only imagine the frustration! Where can I find the
film elsewhere? You can of course buy our DVD online at this site. It is also available through our authorized distributors and retailers. They can be found in scattered locations throughout the country. Please contact us to find your nearest outlet - we may be able to help. What about Shipping And Handling? [top] There is no postage charge for all UK and Iinternational orders. Your order will be shipped first class post within the UK and air mail for International delivery. You should always receive your DVD within seven days of ordering if in the UK. We can ship to most every country in the world and the shopping cart payment system can accept credit car payment from just about anywhere too. How do I know my Credit Card and personal details are secure? We use paypal!! PayPal protects your financial information with industry-leading security and fraud prevention systems. When you use PayPal, your financial information is not shared with the merchant (us!). Once your payment is complete, you will be emailed a receipt for this transaction. PayPal automatically encrypts your confidential
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an approved browser - one that uses SSL 3.0 or higher. More: Do you have a privacy policy? [top] We do not disclose buyer's information to any third parties. Please refer to the Privacy Statement on our Terms page How do I contact you
if I have The first way of contacting us is to email info@salmonfilms.com
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