Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Green River & Other Video Clips

Green RiverWe are working on a bunch of Green River fishing videos. These are still works in progress but you can see them here.

Some time ago we interviewed Dennis Breer, a prominent Green River fishing guide, and had him give tips to help people catch more fish on the Green. We intended to set up demonstrations to show the tips, but never found time. Dennis passed away a couple weeks ago in a freak accident.

His tips are very good and we elected to use them. So the videos include his voice and generic fishing scenes from the Green River. The clips would certainly be better had we filmed the demonstrations, but they are worthwhile in their present form.

Over time I'll link the clips to articles that elaborate on the tips.

We've also completed and posted our Notch Peak hiking video. On our hike to the peak we shot video as well as still photos, and you can see the resulting clip here. I think it is pretty good - it gives viewers a realistic idea of what the hike is like.

On trips like that we just shoot as we go, not taking time to stage scenes or control the environment like you would do if you were making a Hollywood movie. We're more like news photographers, just out to capture whatever action we stumble upon.

I'm probably heading to Monument Valley and the Four Corners Monument this weekend, on assignment for utah.com/ with specific instructions to create a video clip that gives an overview of the Four Corners area.

Utah.com gets a lot of traffic from search engines and it is interesting that Four Corners consistently ranks as one of the top search terms. Apparently there is considerable interest in the monument.

We’re not quite sure why, because there really isn't much at Four Corners itself. The area right around the monument is flat and has little scenic appeal.

The monument is on Navajo Nation land and they control it. They have set up a visitor center where they sell craft items and traditional foods. It is kind of neat to see the monument and I always enjoy viewing the crafts and visiting with the craftsmen. But the monument is quite a distance out of the way, no matter what direction you are going, and so I seldom make the effort to drive to it.

Perhaps all the website hits come from fourth graders doing reports for their US history classes.

In the greater area you have Monument Valley, Mesa Verde, Hovenweep and other fascinating places that I love. I visit them as often as possible.

Anyway, I'm supposed to make a video that shows what the monument is really like. Should prove interesting.

While down there I plan to search out some ancient rock art and Anasazi ruins. If the weather cooperates it will be a fun trip.

- Dave