As pointed out in my London saga when Winston loves his Happy Pills, my psyche flourishes. This is a very welcome development. I started blogging in an attempt to jump-start my creativity which has lain dormant since law school. Law school by its nature teaches to think inside the box and by the law; creative legal thinking could very well get your client 20 years to life. Over time, my right-brain hemisphere, the seat of creativity, has been very slowly awakening to the idea of returning to things I loved: writing and drawing. I even darkened the door of an art supply store for the first time ever inspired by Zelda’s wonderful artist blog. Schools supplied my earlier tools, so this was a novel experience for me just to buy pencils, charcoal, knead-able erasers and sketch books. I felt a sense of accomplishment walking out with my supplies.
So armed with writing and drawing tools I’m getting right to it, right? Wrong!
Instead I entered the addictive world of video making! For those of you who miss the daily chat room discussions (usually 8:00PM onwards CDT), the topic of video making arose. Video maven BccMee explained the programs she used to make her great videos. She pointed out Windows Live Movie Maker 2011 bundled with Windows 7. (It also is downloadable for Vista). Now, I’ve never paid any attention to this program for some strange reason, I felt compelled to try it. I had gigabytes of video taking up space in my iPhone that needed to seen by somebody’s eyes. So I downloaded it all and proceeded to make movies – for hours. Now I understand the addictive quality of making fanvids. This program is so elegant and simple, it’s almost – I repeat almost- idiot proof. It’s fascinating watching the movie coming together piece by piece to create the finished product. Finally I produced my first actually watchable videos. Who woulda thunk it? So for my 100th post, I’ll share them.
My first attempt is July 4th fireworks filmed live with an iPhone 4 in HD. YouTube blocked it so I had to audio swap (which you can watch) but the original is now on Vimeo. There’s also a short slideshow tribute to my dog Lance if you wish to view.
I filmed the next videos at one of the most interesting places I’ve ever seen, the Bicycle Museum of America in New Bremen, Ohio. I visited this summer with Trinalin who does the honor of correcting my lousy vision. These videos are entertaining and informative especially if you remember the old days and love bikes. Try to watch close to HD if you can.
So, I know you’re thinking: does this mean you’re making fanvids? I don’t know, the idea is tempting. However considering the quality of some of the fabulous ones I’ve seen, I will certainly take my time with the music and compilation. The bar is so high in this area.
So what do you think about fan vidding? Any tips, stories, recommendations? Feel free to share!
I’ve come to love vidders the way I love fic writers. Your sense of humor should lend itself well to vidding…I can’t wait to see what you come up with.
Thanks for the encouragement. I may have been experimenting last night, thought I refuse to confirm it… 😉
LOL, dude, if you could involve the Bonanza theme song I would worship you forever.
BONANZA?! I think that BccMee’s territory. LOL! 😀
Bonanza, Love Boat, Dallas…whatever your inspiration 😉
So you’re into 80’s TV themes too… gotcha 😉
I think the Armitage fanvidders have really set the bar high. However, I loved my flirtation with vidding last spring and I have much better tools now, so I want to try again. There’s something about making the video conform to your plan that is really seductive.
There is something about working with film that lends of a more urgent sense of instant gratification. A story may have to go through numerous drafts, but building a video gives you something to see *now* so you keep going to view the finished product. However, the work is more painstaking than writing, focusing too long isn’t a good thing.
I’d love to see your fanvids!
I also experience the weird effect of falling in love with what I’m creating much more easily while vidding. When I’m writing, the superego editor is firmly in place, but for some reason that doesn’t happen, or at least not in the same way, with fanvids. Maybe because I’m essentially doing patchwork rather than weaving a pattern myself?
I think the falling in love part has to do with the instant gratification effect. You can view your baby (no matter how unformed) at any time. It’s the same thing with drawing. That just doesn’t happen with writing.
Bravo Judiang!!
Yeah, that creativity seems to trying to slowly rise to the surface. All I need now is a proper working spigot. 😉
Hi Judi!
Loved the fireworks! I missed ours this year. So, you filled a gap for me.
My hubby and I once found a spot out in the country where we could see five towns’ fireworks displays go off at once. He did a long explosure panorama shot and caught all five displays in one picture. Amazing!
I’m just a kid at heart when it comes to fireworks.
Happy vidding! I need to learn how to retrieve moving clips and then I’m ready to go. You’re right, the Windows Movie Maker editing window is a breeze! Snap!
Cheers! Grati ;->
P.S. Ooh! And my hubby would be so jealous about your vids with bikes. He’s a bicycle nut–rides, repairs, etc. Ha!
That’s exactly where I was; I could see the fireworks of several towns and they blended together. I’ve always loved fireworks and never miss a July 4th. Glad you enjoyed it. Better show him the bike vid then! 🙂
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