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Author Topic:   Boston Whaler's Photography, Videography

Tom W Clark posted 02-14-2014 11:16 PM ET (US)
Though Jim may not be able to enjoy the Boston Whaler Owner's Club Facebook page, here is a YouTube video I saw posted there that may interest him (and all the rest of you).
It is a very stylish compilation of still and video taken during a recent Pacific Northwest photo shoot featuring the 285 and 315 Conquest.
It's fun for me to see because I am well acquainted with the area; they were in British Columbia.
Interesting that the support boat used to accommodate the photographers/videographers (and also to catch those salmon!) is not a Whaler but a welded aluminum boat, I suspect an Eaglecraft, manufactured to the highest standards in Campbell River, BC.
Also of note is the camera equipment they used including a drone for aerial footage which is now becoming all the rage for capturing video of pleasure boats underway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OsBaCnI0ZM
Tom W Clark posted 02-14-2014 11:18 PM ET (US)
And one thing I will say of Boston Whaler as a boat manufacturer and marketer:
They have never skimped on their photography which has always been of the very highest quality.
jimh posted 02-14-2014 11:54 PM ET (US)
Good stuff in the behind-the-scenes or making-of short documentary.
For some time Boston Whaler was also not using professional models in their photography, and, instead, just used some employees from their main offices and plant. They have some handsome people working for them, and you see them in many catalogue shots.
jimh posted 02-15-2014 01:05 AM ET (US)
The quad-copter remote camera platform is really amazing these days. I bet it has put some helicopter pilots out of work.
Tom W Clark posted 02-15-2014 11:58 AM ET (US)
It appears that the aerial footage was captured with a DJI Phantom
http://www.dji.com/product/phantom/
JMARTIN posted 02-15-2014 03:27 PM ET (US)
That was cool as poo. Thanks for posting the link Tom. I agree on Boston Whaler's commitment to fine photography.
John
Tom W Clark posted 02-16-2014 07:03 PM ET (US)
Here's the video they made from the footage collected:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04qvexU0yNM
jimp posted 02-16-2014 11:10 PM ET (US)
Jeez Tom, never thought the PacNW was such a mill pond!
Nice shots. Can you identify some of the locations?
JimP
pete r posted 02-17-2014 03:57 AM ET (US)
The quad copter was developed to take video of our major cricket games, by some young guy still at University and is now getting global attention. I hear they are thinking of a way to use use them to deliver pizza's
tombro posted 02-17-2014 07:41 AM ET (US)
Thanks for those links! Now I want a Conquest--Bad!
jimh posted 02-17-2014 09:31 AM ET (US)
I am not too sure the quadcopter was invented in Australia. It dates to the 1920's. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadcopter
In addition to the beautiful scenery, the Boston Whaler film might have been shot in Canada in order to avoid a problem with illegal use of remote flying vehicles. See
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/15/ faa-halts-mans-drone-photography-business-over-regulations/
Tom W Clark posted 02-17-2014 06:51 PM ET (US)
tombro -- I think that is precisely the idea.
Tom W Clark posted 02-17-2014 07:03 PM ET (US)
jimp -- It does look smooth, just like all those photos you send me of your Whaler cruising in Alaska. Who knew the PNW and Alaska were such good places for waterskiing?
Actually, I think you see smooth water in part because they got up very early in the morning for these photos shoots. The water is calmer, the light is good for photography and there are fewer other boats out churning up the water.
Yes, I can identify a few locations. Vancouver is obviously the urban backdrop, Point Atkinson in West Van is the larger lighthouse shown and Portlock Point lighthouse on Provost Island in the Gulf Islands is the smaller one.
prj posted 02-17-2014 09:33 PM ET (US)
This ca. 1978 print ad seems to represent well that attention to quality and detail that Boston Whaler poured into, not only their product line, but their marketing efforts. Thats probably a Rockland employee, pulled right off the fiberglass line pointing to one of my favorite models, the 70's 19' Outrage.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25169902@N00/12603317935/
martyn1075 posted 02-18-2014 01:19 AM ET (US)
The quadcopter is great until you crash one. Some quadcopter's are quite reasonable in price but the camera in some cases very expensive! I can handle losing a quad but not my camera.
Martyn
K Albus posted 02-18-2014 08:57 AM ET (US)
Yes . . . pointing.
Tom W Clark posted 02-18-2014 10:21 AM ET (US)
In this instance the aerial footage was captured with a GoPro Hero, a camera that costs significantly less than the quadcopter that carried it.
martyn1075 posted 02-18-2014 11:41 AM ET (US)
Yes the go pro is good risk choice can deliver HD format. Is it really "pro" quality HD imaging no its not but its $200 and up, and in some cases can satisfy most peoples needs for a short clip or two. If you lose one of those I probably could still sleep that night.
There was one shot in the video I noticed where the operator caught the quad copter. That arrangement did not look like a go pro to my eyes. I'm led to believe that was a modified custom camera arrangement. Most of their footage was from a Canon 5D mark II or III with selective red line lenses. Very nice setup but actually quite affordable in the big HD camera world.
jimh posted 02-18-2014 01:10 PM ET (US)
The "professional" quality of any camera is really not challenged if the mechanism for seeing its images is a highly compressed small-format streaming internet video displayed on the screen of a small handheld device.
Quality of photography comes from many elements besides the camera. Lighting, composition, and subject matter are very important.
The camera quality used in the production of the finished Boston Whaler movie (linked above) is hard to judge because any particular individual shot is only on screen for a maximum of about two seconds. The style of many very short frames with a cut once a second gets a little tedious, at least it does for me--I can only watch these staccato cuts for so long.
I think this style tends to come about when there really is no script or plan for the film. You just go out and shoot for a week, then give all the footage to an editor, who cuts it into a montage.
The film also uses a technique of slowing down or speeding up the frame rate of certain scenes where there is movement. When I see that being done, I figure the original shot was probably an accident, and it had to be slowed down to stretch it to fill a particular gap or timing. Having the time base change from shot to shot is bothersome. Some shots are still, some have movement at natural speed, some have movement at slow motion, and some have motion at accelerated speed.
In the present day there is access to very powerful cameras and editing equipment at a cost that, in comparison to the traditional costs of film editing, is extremely low. This has given access to this gear to almost anyone, but it does not mean that anyone using the gear can turn out extraordinary work.
martyn1075 posted 02-18-2014 06:42 PM ET (US)
It actually starts long before that as well. It begins with a good script or storyboard. I have to say this video has good vision in that regard. If you look closely you will always see a shot that leads you to the next part of the story. Many film makers lose track of this even though their intentions may be good. Using great equipment is secondary in that manner.
Reminds me of when I helped my father create a documentary about eagles. We started back in 2000. We had to choose a format we wanted HD and felt by the time we finished up the shooting of the film (7 years) HD would be probably almost main stream but the problem is if you can believe it HD technology was not really there for the masses and most programing was still SD "Go Pro" back then would be more like 50k technology. Professional mid to full size shoulder style cameras that were in the cost of 10k and up. Eagle eyesight is so sharp, not be so obvious was an imperative strategy to get the shots required to fit the story.
We went with the SD format because the cameras were really small and HD wasn't there yet. The goal and storyboard is really what takes front seat and not being stuck so much on the tech talk stuff. Unfortunately though distributors don't see it that way so much it has to be main stream format and using the highest level of quality camera is a very large bonus and encouraged by producers. The distributors who can sell to the networks and they to are really sticky on tech data. It pretty much has to be whatever it is they want, and if its sub par your movie will not make it despite storyboard light AND subject matter.
Take a peak if you wish the trailer is below. Its funny looking back at it now when HD is so readably available. This file is also really compressed I think its only 8mb so it doesn't have much left in the signal.
http://media.jon.ca/streams/smart/inthepresenceofeagles.mov
or (not sure which one is still current)
http://media.jon.ca/streams/smart/itpoe_trailerflash.html

martyn1075 posted 02-18-2014 06:44 PM ET (US)
http://media.jon.ca/streams/smart/inthepresenceofeagles.mov
http://media.jon.ca/streams/smart/itpoe_trailerflash.html

jimh posted 02-19-2014 12:31 AM ET (US)
Your Eagle film holds up rather well.
I watched the Whaler short again, and the fast cutting was not as bothersome as the first time around. When I initially watched the film I was more interested in the boats than in watching an arty film. As an arty film it is not bad.
Also, I guess there were not any continuity problems with the lousy overcast weather in the PNW.
JMARTIN posted 02-19-2014 01:32 PM ET (US)
"the lousy overcast weather in the PNW."
Ouch, a slam. But it is 43 degrees right now with a 5 mph wind. I could go boating without worrying about ice. In fact I was invited to go Blackmouth fishing this weekend.
I think Michigan has the lousy weather.
John
DVollrath posted 02-19-2014 02:28 PM ET (US)
Higher multiple sclerosis rates traded off against lower melanoma rates (and designer shades optional...)
I can live with that.
Did I mention that mosquito populations are relatively lower in many areas here?
Back to looking for my umbrella.
Dennis
Chuck Tribolet posted 02-19-2014 04:31 PM ET (US)
In photography and videography, the most important piece of
equipment is just behind the viewfinder. I've seen serious
photo contests one by folks with low-end equipment and
high-end skills.
Chuck
jimh posted 02-19-2014 05:58 PM ET (US)
In Michigan we have to compress our boating into the ten weeks of decent weather we get in the summer. That is why we enjoy it so much.
Unless they shot the film in one day, I was thinking how remarkably consistent the weather was: one gray, overcast, low cloud cover day after another.
JMARTIN posted 02-19-2014 06:55 PM ET (US)
"one gray, overcast, low cloud cover day after another."
We call that Winter. Sometimes we call that Summer but we wear shorts anyhow.
John
lizard posted 02-20-2014 11:24 PM ET (US)
Well stated, Chuck.
frontier posted 02-21-2014 12:10 AM ET (US)
You got that right, John!
But the gray and the rain kinda grows on you.
It's why it's so green up here.
One of the areas on Puget Sound we take the Whaler boating looks the same today as it did 50 years ago. Beautiful.
We have new neighbors that just moved up here to the PNW from Phoenix.
Reason for moving? Constant sun was boring. Always the same.
17 bodega posted 02-25-2014 02:18 AM ET (US)
Those drones with gopro mount are quite nifty. They are being utilized for surf photography due to their skill at hovering close to the water's suurface.
BW covered all the bases with that video shoot. Very nice.

I agree with Chuck too. Some talented filmmakers have made amazing films with a cell phone camera.
EJO posted 02-25-2014 08:17 PM ET (US)
Hey Tom the quad camera you referring to has max speed of 20 knts not fast enough to keep up with a cruising BW
Tom W Clark posted 02-25-2014 09:28 PM ET (US)
Well, not mine.
Not sure that matters too much. Watch the videos again and you'll see the good aerials are not taken with camera traveling along with the boat.
I am actually very impressed the quad copter can travel at 23 MPH (20 knots).
martyn1075 posted 02-26-2014 12:18 PM ET (US)
They only get 8 mins of recording before they fall from the sky. Better set your stop watch.
Tom W Clark posted 02-26-2014 04:31 PM ET (US)
Recording time depends on the camera.
The new Phantom 2 is touted as having up to 25 minutes of flying time.

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Author	Topic: Boston Whaler's Photography, Videography
Tom W Clark	posted 02-14-2014 11:16 PM ET (US) Though Jim may not be able to enjoy the Boston Whaler Owner's Club Facebook page, here is a YouTube video I saw posted there that may interest him (and all the rest of you). It is a very stylish compilation of still and video taken during a recent Pacific Northwest photo shoot featuring the 285 and 315 Conquest. It's fun for me to see because I am well acquainted with the area; they were in British Columbia. Interesting that the support boat used to accommodate the photographers/videographers (and also to catch those salmon!) is not a Whaler but a welded aluminum boat, I suspect an Eaglecraft, manufactured to the highest standards in Campbell River, BC. Also of note is the camera equipment they used including a drone for aerial footage which is now becoming all the rage for capturing video of pleasure boats underway. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OsBaCnI0ZM
Tom W Clark	posted 02-14-2014 11:18 PM ET (US) And one thing I will say of Boston Whaler as a boat manufacturer and marketer: They have never skimped on their photography which has always been of the very highest quality.
jimh	posted 02-14-2014 11:54 PM ET (US) Good stuff in the behind-the-scenes or making-of short documentary. For some time Boston Whaler was also not using professional models in their photography, and, instead, just used some employees from their main offices and plant. They have some handsome people working for them, and you see them in many catalogue shots.
jimh	posted 02-15-2014 01:05 AM ET (US) The quad-copter remote camera platform is really amazing these days. I bet it has put some helicopter pilots out of work.
Tom W Clark	posted 02-15-2014 11:58 AM ET (US) It appears that the aerial footage was captured with a DJI Phantom http://www.dji.com/product/phantom/
JMARTIN	posted 02-15-2014 03:27 PM ET (US) That was cool as poo. Thanks for posting the link Tom. I agree on Boston Whaler's commitment to fine photography. John
Tom W Clark	posted 02-16-2014 07:03 PM ET (US) Here's the video they made from the footage collected: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04qvexU0yNM
jimp	posted 02-16-2014 11:10 PM ET (US) Jeez Tom, never thought the PacNW was such a mill pond! Nice shots. Can you identify some of the locations? JimP
pete r	posted 02-17-2014 03:57 AM ET (US) The quad copter was developed to take video of our major cricket games, by some young guy still at University and is now getting global attention. I hear they are thinking of a way to use use them to deliver pizza's
tombro	posted 02-17-2014 07:41 AM ET (US) Thanks for those links! Now I want a Conquest--Bad!
jimh	posted 02-17-2014 09:31 AM ET (US) I am not too sure the quadcopter was invented in Australia. It dates to the 1920's. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadcopter In addition to the beautiful scenery, the Boston Whaler film might have been shot in Canada in order to avoid a problem with illegal use of remote flying vehicles. See http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/15/ faa-halts-mans-drone-photography-business-over-regulations/
Tom W Clark	posted 02-17-2014 06:51 PM ET (US) tombro -- I think that is precisely the idea.
Tom W Clark	posted 02-17-2014 07:03 PM ET (US) jimp -- It does look smooth, just like all those photos you send me of your Whaler cruising in Alaska. Who knew the PNW and Alaska were such good places for waterskiing? Actually, I think you see smooth water in part because they got up very early in the morning for these photos shoots. The water is calmer, the light is good for photography and there are fewer other boats out churning up the water. Yes, I can identify a few locations. Vancouver is obviously the urban backdrop, Point Atkinson in West Van is the larger lighthouse shown and Portlock Point lighthouse on Provost Island in the Gulf Islands is the smaller one.
prj	posted 02-17-2014 09:33 PM ET (US) This ca. 1978 print ad seems to represent well that attention to quality and detail that Boston Whaler poured into, not only their product line, but their marketing efforts. Thats probably a Rockland employee, pulled right off the fiberglass line pointing to one of my favorite models, the 70's 19' Outrage. http://www.flickr.com/photos/25169902@N00/12603317935/
martyn1075	posted 02-18-2014 01:19 AM ET (US) The quadcopter is great until you crash one. Some quadcopter's are quite reasonable in price but the camera in some cases very expensive! I can handle losing a quad but not my camera. Martyn
K Albus	posted 02-18-2014 08:57 AM ET (US) Yes . . . pointing.
Tom W Clark	posted 02-18-2014 10:21 AM ET (US) In this instance the aerial footage was captured with a GoPro Hero, a camera that costs significantly less than the quadcopter that carried it.
martyn1075	posted 02-18-2014 11:41 AM ET (US) Yes the go pro is good risk choice can deliver HD format. Is it really "pro" quality HD imaging no its not but its $200 and up, and in some cases can satisfy most peoples needs for a short clip or two. If you lose one of those I probably could still sleep that night. There was one shot in the video I noticed where the operator caught the quad copter. That arrangement did not look like a go pro to my eyes. I'm led to believe that was a modified custom camera arrangement. Most of their footage was from a Canon 5D mark II or III with selective red line lenses. Very nice setup but actually quite affordable in the big HD camera world.
jimh	posted 02-18-2014 01:10 PM ET (US) The "professional" quality of any camera is really not challenged if the mechanism for seeing its images is a highly compressed small-format streaming internet video displayed on the screen of a small handheld device. Quality of photography comes from many elements besides the camera. Lighting, composition, and subject matter are very important. The camera quality used in the production of the finished Boston Whaler movie (linked above) is hard to judge because any particular individual shot is only on screen for a maximum of about two seconds. The style of many very short frames with a cut once a second gets a little tedious, at least it does for me--I can only watch these staccato cuts for so long. I think this style tends to come about when there really is no script or plan for the film. You just go out and shoot for a week, then give all the footage to an editor, who cuts it into a montage. The film also uses a technique of slowing down or speeding up the frame rate of certain scenes where there is movement. When I see that being done, I figure the original shot was probably an accident, and it had to be slowed down to stretch it to fill a particular gap or timing. Having the time base change from shot to shot is bothersome. Some shots are still, some have movement at natural speed, some have movement at slow motion, and some have motion at accelerated speed. In the present day there is access to very powerful cameras and editing equipment at a cost that, in comparison to the traditional costs of film editing, is extremely low. This has given access to this gear to almost anyone, but it does not mean that anyone using the gear can turn out extraordinary work.
martyn1075	posted 02-18-2014 06:42 PM ET (US) It actually starts long before that as well. It begins with a good script or storyboard. I have to say this video has good vision in that regard. If you look closely you will always see a shot that leads you to the next part of the story. Many film makers lose track of this even though their intentions may be good. Using great equipment is secondary in that manner. Reminds me of when I helped my father create a documentary about eagles. We started back in 2000. We had to choose a format we wanted HD and felt by the time we finished up the shooting of the film (7 years) HD would be probably almost main stream but the problem is if you can believe it HD technology was not really there for the masses and most programing was still SD "Go Pro" back then would be more like 50k technology. Professional mid to full size shoulder style cameras that were in the cost of 10k and up. Eagle eyesight is so sharp, not be so obvious was an imperative strategy to get the shots required to fit the story. We went with the SD format because the cameras were really small and HD wasn't there yet. The goal and storyboard is really what takes front seat and not being stuck so much on the tech talk stuff. Unfortunately though distributors don't see it that way so much it has to be main stream format and using the highest level of quality camera is a very large bonus and encouraged by producers. The distributors who can sell to the networks and they to are really sticky on tech data. It pretty much has to be whatever it is they want, and if its sub par your movie will not make it despite storyboard light AND subject matter. Take a peak if you wish the trailer is below. Its funny looking back at it now when HD is so readably available. This file is also really compressed I think its only 8mb so it doesn't have much left in the signal. http://media.jon.ca/streams/smart/inthepresenceofeagles.mov or (not sure which one is still current) http://media.jon.ca/streams/smart/itpoe_trailerflash.html
martyn1075	posted 02-18-2014 06:44 PM ET (US) http://media.jon.ca/streams/smart/inthepresenceofeagles.mov http://media.jon.ca/streams/smart/itpoe_trailerflash.html
jimh	posted 02-19-2014 12:31 AM ET (US) Your Eagle film holds up rather well. I watched the Whaler short again, and the fast cutting was not as bothersome as the first time around. When I initially watched the film I was more interested in the boats than in watching an arty film. As an arty film it is not bad. Also, I guess there were not any continuity problems with the lousy overcast weather in the PNW.
JMARTIN	posted 02-19-2014 01:32 PM ET (US) "the lousy overcast weather in the PNW." Ouch, a slam. But it is 43 degrees right now with a 5 mph wind. I could go boating without worrying about ice. In fact I was invited to go Blackmouth fishing this weekend. I think Michigan has the lousy weather. John
DVollrath	posted 02-19-2014 02:28 PM ET (US) Higher multiple sclerosis rates traded off against lower melanoma rates (and designer shades optional...) I can live with that. Did I mention that mosquito populations are relatively lower in many areas here? Back to looking for my umbrella. Dennis
Chuck Tribolet	posted 02-19-2014 04:31 PM ET (US) In photography and videography, the most important piece of equipment is just behind the viewfinder. I've seen serious photo contests one by folks with low-end equipment and high-end skills. Chuck
jimh	posted 02-19-2014 05:58 PM ET (US) In Michigan we have to compress our boating into the ten weeks of decent weather we get in the summer. That is why we enjoy it so much. Unless they shot the film in one day, I was thinking how remarkably consistent the weather was: one gray, overcast, low cloud cover day after another.
JMARTIN	posted 02-19-2014 06:55 PM ET (US) "one gray, overcast, low cloud cover day after another." We call that Winter. Sometimes we call that Summer but we wear shorts anyhow. John
lizard	posted 02-20-2014 11:24 PM ET (US) Well stated, Chuck.
frontier	posted 02-21-2014 12:10 AM ET (US) You got that right, John! But the gray and the rain kinda grows on you. It's why it's so green up here. One of the areas on Puget Sound we take the Whaler boating looks the same today as it did 50 years ago. Beautiful. We have new neighbors that just moved up here to the PNW from Phoenix. Reason for moving? Constant sun was boring. Always the same.
17 bodega	posted 02-25-2014 02:18 AM ET (US) Those drones with gopro mount are quite nifty. They are being utilized for surf photography due to their skill at hovering close to the water's suurface. BW covered all the bases with that video shoot. Very nice. I agree with Chuck too. Some talented filmmakers have made amazing films with a cell phone camera.
EJO	posted 02-25-2014 08:17 PM ET (US) Hey Tom the quad camera you referring to has max speed of 20 knts not fast enough to keep up with a cruising BW
Tom W Clark	posted 02-25-2014 09:28 PM ET (US) Well, not mine. Not sure that matters too much. Watch the videos again and you'll see the good aerials are not taken with camera traveling along with the boat. I am actually very impressed the quad copter can travel at 23 MPH (20 knots).
martyn1075	posted 02-26-2014 12:18 PM ET (US) They only get 8 mins of recording before they fall from the sky. Better set your stop watch.
Tom W Clark	posted 02-26-2014 04:31 PM ET (US) Recording time depends on the camera. The new Phantom 2 is touted as having up to 25 minutes of flying time.