Once Upon A Time In Oasys Mini Hollywood - Andalucia, Spain - (2023) [GH5 + Contax 18mm f/4]
During my vacation with my family this summer (2023), I visited Oasys Mini Hollywood - a theme park used for multiple Western movies - near Almeria in Southern Spain.
Because I wanted to challenge myself, I had only brought my Panasonic GH5 and an old Contax 18mm/f4 lens. I didn't know I would film their live Western show - and I could have used a zoom lens.
When I got back, I decided I wanted to create a story from the footage I got from the live show.
This proved to be extremely challenging.
First, there were tourists all over the place! And I didn't want them in the film. So in the editing, I cut each clip before I got any tourists in the frame.
Second, I saw the show twice. But the first time, I accidentally shot everything in FullHD instead of 4K - with a wide-angle lens far from the action. This made all the action appear far away, and zooming in ruined the footage.
But it was an excellent opportunity to test some new AI upscaling tools. I used Topaz Video AI to upscale some HD shots to 4K and even 8K!
I wish I could go back and film the show again without any tourists and with more lenses. Or even better, shoot a short film or commercial in Mini Hollywood; you can rent the place for this purpose, and it's not just facades... you can walk into the buildings - and they look just as good inside.
In another video edit, I'll show more of the Western town and the Cine museum they have with old movie projectors.
For now, I hope you enjoy this fun short film from my last vacation in Andalucia, Spain.