Rocket Challenge amateur film crew.

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 12:01:52 -0700, In the heat of the moment, "Joel Corwith" posted: .

Agreed.

Are you telling me that before you launch a rocket you do not know what to expect?

I would not expect rocket professionals to get them all. They are not video professionals. Video pros are supposed to be good at taping any subject. There were plenty of shoots to practice on.

There were how many launches at the meet? They would have only needed to get some of them right in order to air mostly continuous shots.

I think it likely that they had plenty of good shots but ruined it when editing.

It is a common failing which is hard for a pro to resist. The tendency when editing is to get too "artsy". The result is a choppy unfocused product.

-- I am a member of the rabble in good standing. -- Westbrook Pegler --

As an avionics tech on C 130s, I have seen many dirt strip landings. Oddly, they do sometimes make skid noises. OTOH...I have never actually heard a car make skidding noises on dirt roads, but in the movies, they always do. :)

-- I am a member of the rabble in good standing. -- Westbrook Pegler --

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 11:37:41 -0800, In the heat of the moment, Jerry Irvine posted: .

Thank you for having an open mind.

BTW... Why are so many rocketeers so fat? (Hey... I just couldn't resist.) ;))

-- Bill

I am a member of the rabble in good standing. -- Westbrook Pegler --

that is exactly correct. you almost NEVER know exactly what to expect.

I have missed shot because the rocket "hung" on the rod for a split second. by the time I realized this and panned down it zoomed up through my field of view and I never got it again till ejection.

it is VERY hard to get "good" video of rockets (by good video I mean nice close tight and cropped)

ESPECIALLY looking through a viewfinder !!

the videographer for the texas clubs launch (the texas naram) gave me an idea that I am working on implimenting with my camcorber.

a huge 50mm optical gun sight. with a bit of alignment tweaking I can use THIS to see the rocket just keep the red dot on the rocket. the "real" view and not digitized micro view is FAR higher in res and easier to keep the rocket locked. he had great success with his rig.

Chris Taylor

Bill Schowengerdt wrote: > BTW... Why are so many rocketeers so fat? (Hey... I just couldn't > resist.) ;))

Wide angle lenses? Media conspiracy to stereotype us? Government plan to cause us to gain weight and die young? Accurate sampling of American population?

The camera crew would have to know what to expect. There's rise off the pad and there's gone. Now being professionals, they should have discussed the type for the project they were filming. However, if some says 'don't blink', how fast do you raise the camera?

They were following projects. They filmed those few launches which were the rockets from those projects. If they had shot every launch there, they would have had more footage where rockets were in the frame, but you might have noticed the rocket in the picture was not the project they had announced. When the project rocket disappears, the cameraman don't stand a chance. I'll have to watch the build a rocket race and see how many they got after the first one. Should have had plenty of practice by the last!

I didn't understand leaving in the shots as they were trying to focus the camera. I'm at least THAT professional! ;) Joel. phx

On Mon, 10 Nov 2003 13:36:28 -0700, In the heat of the moment, "Joel Corwith" posted: .

Good point.

As I recall... they did not improve.

Yes.... The tracking and focusing problems were particularly disquiting when you consider that modern electronics should have been of great help.

-- Bill

I am a member of the rabble in good standing. -- Westbrook Pegler --

All the above.

BTW... I am 6' 3: and am down from 450 to 250 . But I still don't wear T-shirts in public. Particularly if I were being filmed for a national broadcast!!.

-- Bill

I am a member of the rabble in good standing. -- Westbrook Pegler --

You forgot to add that one of their people was mean to poor Brent McNealy. The editorial section on my ER has his tears all over it...

Can we have a group hug for poor Brent .. the f'in pussy!

Phil Ste>I just finished watching the very poorly filmed, three hour show. I find

Phil Stein

I have (or had) no interest in choppers either, but American Choppers is an addictively entertaining program, and it's very popular. IMHO, the "people are important" aspect of this kind of documentary is critical. Three hours of launch videos, no matter how well done, would have bored most people to tears, as would three hours of technical lectures.

The show was, I thought, reasonably well done and balanced. Reality was manipulated a bit in editing, there were a number of technical goofs (though generally not critical ones), and it worked a little hard to emphasize the competitive aspects and danger. Also, three hours isn't nearly enough to do the subject justice, so I think expecting a lot of technical info is a bit unrealistic.

But over all, I was delighted with these. The short segment on the kids' launch was pretty much everything we could have asked for in good PR, and I also really liked the speech (I forget who made it) about "...bringing out the best in American innovation..." Those two little segments do worlds to justify our hobby.

He's a pussy on ROL chat too but since he owns it and all, and it is a wonderful resource that Darrell Mobley created from SCRATCH, I do not rag on him on his own site. But he is a pussy indeed.

And no failed ignition attempts ....

I do think the video of the rockets in flight aren't as good as in the DVDs I've bought from Extreme Rocketry. The shots from the cameras next to the pads was cool, though. And the video of the people at the launches and building their rockets was very well done.

-- Roger

I hate to agree with Chris Taylor, but, the ignition timing is always unpredictible.

That's not fat. It's "well fed". Just ask Korey Kline :)

I liked the shots from above. Especially the one with the snitch motors flying at the camera above. How did they do that. Was it an RC Balloon?

Layne

You could hear the RC Helicopter in one scene.

Joel. phx

Trust me, Tim has done testing with cigarettes and rocket motors. He has touched them to grains before and nothing happened.

The Beast was lifted hydraulically, They had to assist it.

RC Helicopter