Bud Light Film Crew #2

My second video in the series is now posted at

www.BudLightFilmCrew.com

You'll see it follows a similar format to the first one (intro -> montage -> interviews), but I guess that's because the format seems to work. There will be chances to mix things up in the future. My main goal this time was to get the job done more efficiently than the first time. I shot less footage (18 minutes versus 52) and didn't spend as much time on the editing. As a result, the final product looks less ambitious than the first, but I think that's okay. Nobody said these were supposed to be the next Godfather films. I'm pleased with the final product though. It has a spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment feel, yet enough polish to make it very watchable.

Bush in town

President Bush visited R's work site in Wilmington this morning to tour a greenhouse where researchers are working on alternative fuel sources. R did not get the chance to see him firsthand, but it sounds like there was a lot of commotion around her office due to the short visit. R quotes, "They totally re-did the greenhouse in only two days -- cleaned all the windows, replaced the carpet, installed new stairs, and re-mulched all the landscaping around it. I've never seen our contractors work so fast. " She also encountered the Secret Service on her way to a meeting. They probably placed her on their list of suspicious persons after she peaked inside one of their cars. Read this article from the local paper for more details about the visit.

Raisin Bran rant

I had Raisin Bran for breakfast this morning. We're talking about a generic Raisin Bran here, not Kellogg's or Post. Get this: there was not a single raisin in the whole bowl. It was the bottom of the box, and sometimes crazy things do happen at the bottom of a box, but usually with Raisin Bran it's a matter of finding too many raisins. It's the top of the box that is typically short on raisins, although even in that first bowl you expect to see at least a few. This box was the exact opposite from what is normal. Maybe it was packaged backward or at least stored upside down (although not in our pantry, I can tell you). Is it too much to expect to have raisins distributed evenly throughout a box of cereal? Maybe it's time to switch back to a name brand Raisin Bran or, possibly, give Honey Nut Toasty O's another run.

Off topic

How about we talk about something other than my video projects today?

The "Wrong Number Project" is almost complete. Dang it--there I go again. I'm having trouble with this.

What else is there to write about? I can't offer any unique perspectives on politics. If you want to read about that stuff, check out CNN.com. Sports are out of my knowledge base too. I could probably give you some more movie reviews (we recently watched Volver, The Illusionist, A Scanner Darkly, and Sweet Land), but I don't want you to think I'm too obsessed with movies (although I am).

Is it narcissistic to write about one's self on one's blog all the time? Probably. But if this is meant to replace my written journal, then I shouldn't feel guilty about it. It serves a purpose. Part of the reason I write in here is so that I have a record of events in my life and also to chart the progress of my video projects. When I decide to look back on my past, that's the stuff that will be interesting to me. I may have one or two regular readers out there, but I am my own audience more so than anybody else.

January is a month with a history of inspiring creativity in me. I like having the cold as an excuse to stay in and dream up what I will work on next. This year, between editing three projects at once, writing a screenplay, updating a blog, and the always-fun surfing of the web, it's possible I have too many things to do on my computer. I don't want to neglect social events or cut into my time with R, so I am trying to keep it all in moderation. I do enjoy other things too. Maybe I'll try to explore some of those other interests in replace of some of my computer time. That might keep me from getting burned out and also give me something else to write about.

Yeah, maybe I'll hook up the ol' Super Nintendo again : )

One last thing for the night--check out these splendid trailers for the new Lynch film. My anticipation is building for a second viewing.

French trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6CIhk_AMRw&eurl

Italian trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtzSSG8X9e0&eurl

MLK Day... hooray!

I have the day off, and I'm loving it. Ironically, most of my day off has been spent on my computer... but editing video rather than configuring insurance software. I shot the second Bud Light Film Crew video on Saturday, and now I've got to put the post-production time in. For the video we covered an Eagles vs. Saints pre-game party at a local sports bar. Because we shot it early in the evening--before many people had the chance to get very tipsy--I'm not sure if it will be quite as dynamic as the first video, but I guess it's coming together all right. Think more interviews, less dancing this time.

Sorry to cut this short, but I have too many things I want to get done today, and time is being its usual relentless self. I'll try to write again soon.

Coming somewhat soon

In the short lapse between Bud Light videos, I have started editing a trailer for a movie project titled "The Winter War." The movie itself is a 22 minute piece that I spent about a year of my free time editing back in 2004/2005 and subsequently "released" on DVD. Now it feels like the time to bring a condensed, web-friendly version to a computer near you. I'll post the whole story of the project's creation, as documented on the DVD, when I finish the trailer, but the interesting thing you should know up front is that this movie was directed by my little brother, T. I was not involved in the original production phase at all. I was, however, totally inspired by it, and editing it became my passion project. I changed the title, shot one new scene, wrote and recorded the narration, and sort of reinvented it as a companion piece to one of my earliest movies "Marco Polo: A War Film" (which has yet to receive a web treatment as well). Of course T's fingerprints are still all over it too, so the movie plays like a strange hybrid, unlike anything he or I have ever worked on before or after, yet it stands clearly as our own. You can expect to see the trailer in maybe a month or two.

Bud Light Film Crew debut

The first video in the monthly series I am shooting and editing for Out & About is now available on the magazine's website. Check it out here:

http://www.out-and-about.com/BudLight

This will, without a doubt, be the most widely seen video I've made up to this point, so I'm pretty excited about it. It's also the first video of mine to face the censors. I had to remove a few shots that were deemed family-unfriendly. As you can still see in the video, it was a rather wild bar scene and definitely a lot of fun to shoot. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Xmas blur

And we're back. Our visit to Minnesota wasn't quite as hectic as the title of this entry implies. In fact, parts of the trip were down right relaxing. We spent nine days between three sets of parents, all of whom happen to live in the northern part of the state. We chatted, walked, played board games, ate a lot, drank some, crafted and threw snow snakes, helped put a puzzle together, watched a little DVD, and brushed up on our winter driving. It was a low-key vacation but also a welcomed one. We really enjoyed spending time with the families.

Courtesy of a generous Christmas gift, R and I are now subscribers to XM Radio. It's like listening to an excellent, endless mix tape. The exposure one can get to good music by various artists and bands via a satellite is incredible. After a few months of listening in the car and during dinner, I should be pretty well versed in popular (and some unpopular) music.

I guess 2007 is here. If I was feeling more reflective, I'd probably get into something about resolutions or maybe about how there are so many distractions in today's electronic media saturated society that it's hard sometimes to get any work done. Well, work starts up again tomorrow, and I'm going to do my best at concentrating on the not-so-exciting world of insurance software. I'm feeling strangely motivated at moment. Here's to a rewarding new year!