This Morning

[LumenLux]

ThisMorning is a 2-3 minute personal presentation posted on Beechbrook. It's another brief and simple "life-share" episode.

In another topic, PTE forum here, there is a little discussion of the menu system used on this one.

As always, all comments are welcome.

[ADB]

Lumenlux

I see this show was posted way back on 6th May so I am proud to be able to make the first comments on it. Please note I will be scoring this show but only because I have already applied a scoring to "This Morning #3" and I would like to retain some relativity. Future reviews I make (if any :-) will not have the scoring component.

Note: I have based this review generally on USA version of the show but some comments apply to the Austrian version as well.

PHOTOGRAPHY/GRAPHICS

4 - Similarly to #3 photograpy on the day was limited to using the light that nature had provided for those three hours HOWEVER I enjoyed the visuals more in this presentation. There were fewer record shots and more high quality landscape images. I think you have pulled in the mountains more with a telephoto lens and the greater amount of snow around compared to #3 has given added drama to the show. I REALLY like the shot of one of your crew on the skyline in silhouette. I see your Shadow/Highlight enhancement example included in the show but don't know if it works in the full context of the show, it may have been better having one or the other included but not both as to me it takes away from the imagery and "drama" (if that's the right word) of the show. You have maintained continuity by showing the hikers going up at the start and down towards the end.

SOUNDTRACK

5 - For this show (which in my eyes is more than a record show) the soundtrack is perfect and contains more emotion with evolving themes which add tremendously to the power and imagery of the show. I go on about sound tracks but I think they are just as key to any show as are the images. There is a period in the music where it builds to a crescendo and this where you have placed the images of the Hiker silouette, the triumphant hikers at the peak of their hike and dramatic snow covered mountain shots that really suit that change in the music.

I did appreciate the quick transitions during the upbeat section of Austrian version!

TIMING / SYNC

4 - Timing generally in this show is good especially during the "crescendo" I mentioned earlier. Getting back to my soundtrack comments the music is such a big part of the show that if the transition points aren't "riding" on the changes in music then you are missing out on that special "flow" in a presentation. I think in particular some of the transitions in the first half of the show could have been tweaked to tie in more strongly with the soundtrack. The other minor thing I felt was that the ending was a bit abrupt given the nature of the show but having said that it also kinda worked :-)

PTE MASTERY

4 - I hadn't thought of making 2 shows available with your only additional data being another sound track so was very impressed how you handled that in this presentation's context. There wasn't a lot of panning or zooming in this show but it didn't really need it.

There are just two little things I noticed and they both have to do with "flow". I try and avoid having things moving then stopping just before the next slide changes or having something stationery after the last slide change then start to move (unless for special effect), to me it breaks up the flow of the show and destroys the illusion of being "in" the show (a little like seeing a sound boom inshot on a feature movie). The first of these occurences was your opening title, it zoomed up from the bottom then stopped zooming then went vertical for a small amount then stopped then shortly afterwards the next slide came on. I thought this would have flowed better if you had just made one single zoom that actually kept on going untill it had either gotten so big it wasn't on screen or faded. There was some discussion in the forum recently about how you could extend a Keypoint in the O&A window beyond the end blue line into the next slide, I didn't really understand why you would want to do that but I can see now why. In your case as the next slide came on screen you title would still be zooming and fading out over top of it making a very smooth transition from title page to the action! The second instance was you panorama of the mountain, the fade from the previous slide went to the static view of the mountains, then a split second later it started to pan, I feel if you had started panning from the very start of the transition you would have "hit the ground running" so to speak and maintain that all important "flow".

WATCHABILITY - Couldn't finish / Watched Once / Would watch again / Would watch many times

OVERALL COMMENT

17/20 - I have to be honest and say that I did see your show when you first posted it but didn't bother commenting :-( (along with 85 or so others that viewed it) however now that I have actually taken some time and set about to closely examine it I have seen and appreciated aspects in it which I completely missed on the first viewing. I have also learned something from your show and maybe you have learned something from my comments. I think this show is a great record of your trip but also has a nice feel all on its own. The way you have provided the veiwer with two choices is very clever. One thing I get from your show is that you are very lucky to live where you do and to be able to go on these walks so close to home.

Again I would be very interested to know how you feel about this review and if was helpful and constructive.

One last thing... as useful as I think these reviews are they are actually quite a bit of work! It's a good/bad thing I'm currently procrastinating about doing my next show otherwise I probably wouldn't have started on this whole Review Process thing :-)

Regards

Andrew