courierguy wrote: I tend to forget most think this unusual, hanging out here doesn't help.

HA! Story of my life, in more ways than one.

However, if you're gonna live in an echo chamber, I figure this is a damn good one to pick!

Congratulations RP! I think you put into video what most of us can't find the words for when we try to explain to non-flying family and friends why we do what we do. Your combination of drop-dead gorgeous scenery, brilliant editing and magical soundtracks provides a pretty good summary of what I feel during each flight over this beautiful land. Thanks for helping me tell the story to those that have not been initiated yet.

Nice work Darin! Can't wait to see what u think of the virb!

Great video! Congrats on winning.

Congrats Darin! Finally got to watch the video, well done, gave me goosebumps.

Like Vick I too just got around to watching your video Ranch Pilot. I am very impressed. I like seeing the places I have been in the video. Like a lot of us I have made some videos. I am not in the same league as you good guys.

I an curious. How many hours do you figure you have in shooting and editing?

Cheers...Rob

Thanks, guys. I really appreciate the comments, and am glad you enjoyed the video. All of this makes me excited to make more in the future.

Rob, I've gotten to the point where I strap a camera on just about every time I fly. Whenever I don't, I'm bound to see something that makes me wish I had. I've had mixed results with various remote controls, so I usually just turn it on and let it run. The problem with this is that it results in hours and hours of video in an average flight (often from multiple cameras), and I don't really have any good system for keeping and organizing just the good bits. Because of that, on the days when I don't just delete all the video because I managed to screw something up (which happens a lot), I basically just get home and mash together a video from the film I shot on any given flight.

All of my videos so far have been made in single sittings. They'd probably be better if I took more time to work on them, but it's a lot easier for me to make them when I'm still excited from the flight and I'm also not very good about coming back and finishing things up. When I first started about 2 years ago, it took a really long time. It was not unusual for me to start working on one at 5 or 6 when I got home from work, and still be working on it at 2 or 3 in the morning. The editing time has decreased a lot since then--I've gotten more proficient at using the software, and I'm better now about mentally cataloging what clips I want to use even while I'm flying. The average video these days probably takes me around 5 hours of editing (or until the whiskey runs out ). The "Flying Is" video took me longer than that because I went back through a lot of old video from 2 years' worth of flying to patch it together, but it was a really fun project to look back at all those flights.

More than anything, making these videos has allowed me to capture some really special memories--both to show others what it is like for me to fly, and also to remember myself. I can tell you exactly where each one of the clips in the "Flying Is" video was shot, and I have special memories about each one of those flights and the experiences surrounding them. As cheesy as it may sound, making these videos has added a whole new dimension to how I enjoy my flying, and it has given me an artistic outlet of sorts that I didn't even know I needed. The fact that others might get some enjoyment out of them just makes it all the better, and getting comments from people all over the world has been a mind blowing experience. I live in a town of 300 people in the middle of nowhere, so the fact that this video has been viewed more than 250,000 times in the past two months is hard for me to even comprehend.

Well, I gotta say, Darin, for a Farson boy, you sure am talented! Your video is darned good, too! Congrats!

Cary

Just received the latest FLYING Magazine today in the mail.



Neat little article inside:


Congrats, again Darin!

Haha... Friggin Awesome....!!! Seriously!!!

Great way to balance out the "grumpy controllers" issue. Congrats!

Ha! Thanks, guys. I had no idea that was even out there.

I only got the VIRB the day before HSF, so I wasn't as competent with it as I wish I had been. However, it seems to take good video, and the time lapse feature would be worth it even if that's all the camera did. It has the potential to be really cool.

Looking forward to making more memories with you guys in person, and making all our friends jealous by showing them what they missed! Everyone please feel free to drop me a line if you ever end up in SW Wyoming, whether on purpose or by mistake. Also, if you want to join me in some general airplane foolishness, check out my FB community page at the link below.

Congratulations, Darin! I think you did an awesome job on the Flying Mag entry, and I like your musical choice, too!

I frequent another Aviation website, and came across what I think is another one of your videos entitled "Water Wings", which is also an awesome video IMHO (read: humble)...

http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/viewtopi ... 25&t=99534

The folks at AvCan seem to be a tough crowd, though. Anyway, congrats again, and keep making those vids!

Alan

ViperPilot wrote:http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/viewtopi ... 25&t=99534

The folks at AvCan seem to be a tough crowd, though.

I like this guy's post:
"I always liked the joke about how we should take the warning labels off everything and let the Darwin theory control the population. Well, these Pilots seam like they could handle life without warning labels or instructions."

ViperPilot wrote:Congratulations, Darin! I think you did an awesome job on the Flying Mag entry, and I like your musical choice, too!

I frequent another Aviation website, and came across what I think is another one of your videos entitled "Water Wings", which is also an awesome video IMHO (read: humble)...

http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/viewtopi ... 25&t=99534

The folks at AvCan seem to be a tough crowd, though. Anyway, congrats again, and keep making those vids!

Alan

Wow. Comparing wayer skiing to a gear down amphib landing... I don't think I'd enjoy flying with that guy. Wonder what he did to lose his Canadian license...

Great article about Darin. One day I'm coming down the Wyoming to visit you.

David

Allow me to add another congratulations on the win. That was an excellent video. You talked a little about your editing process, if you don't mind talking a little more, what editing software do you use?

Thanks guys. I have only ever used the CyberLink Power Director editing program--both because I'm too cheap to buy a really good program like Adobe Premiere, and too lazy to learn how to use anything else. I've gotten better with it over time, but it is still a pretty bare-bones program. I would love to do the more involved kind of stuff Zane does, with multiple layers of sound and graphics, but that is way beyond my ability with this current editing software (somebody might be able to do it, but I can't), and probably beyond my ability, period.

For right now, just the ability to splice clips, fade between scenes, and add music is all I really need. One of these days I might break down and get something a little more fancy, but every dollar I spend on that is one less dollar for airplane gas!

Thanks for sharing, RP! Now, not knowing anything about your computer situation and whether it could handle the program I'm about to mention, there is a 'Free' editing program that offers a lot more functionality. I put free in quotes, because though the base program is available for free, there is a cost to unlock the full power of the program.

Black Magic, with the latest release of their coloring program Davinci Resolve 11, has turned it into a full editing software. And Davinci Resolve 11 lite is free to download and use (https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve). I have used this program, and it's very, very versatile, allowing not only custom color correction, but full editing capability and easy import/recognition of just about any type of footage. If you're familiar at all with the Final Cut program, Resolve is fairly similar in keyboard layout. Also, not much of the program's functionality is unavailable in the free version. For example, you can only master your video files to 2K or lower resolution, and not 4K, which paid users can.

Now, Resolve would probably take some serious effort and learning, especially if you're as familiar with more advanced editing programs, but if you're interested in much more powerful editing tools, and still saving the extra dough for your airplane, this could be a solution.

Anyway, keep making videos! They're great fun to watch.

Davinci Resolve is great. I use it for color grading video, but still prefer Premiere for editing.

If that video doesn't motivate people to learn how to fly nothing will !!!