Aug 12, 2007

Cool Video Concepts

Recently i've been into the music of Need to Breathe, a group that i came across when randomly downloading songs. This process is nothing new for me (or many others i assume), sometimes it feels twice as rewarding to find something good by accident. After having a few of their tracks on rotation for a week or so, i took the next logical step and did some research. In the process i watched one of their videos on youtube and was impressed at how the low budget concept and self-made music vid by the group was actually pretty clever. I like how the spectrum has expanded in mainstream entertainment, and Need to Breathe's vid for 'Shine On' is an example that it's not so much about the equipment used as it is about the idea. From my perspective, where i have no choice but to be low budget, it's reassuring and inspiring to see this. Not to mention it's a catchy song. Check it out:

Need to Breathe's 'Shine On'

Here's another music video with a basic premise and technique using stop motion with dominos and dice (it seems similar to the White Stripes video using Lego, another one to check out). The reality of doing this one would be somewhat more time consuming than Need to Breathe's vid, but talent is talent and good is good. Enjoy!

Fujiya & Miyagi's 'Ankle Injuries'

Aug 10, 2007

A Chill in the Air on CitizenShift

When I received an email from CITIZENshift in regards to a project I did back in January 2006, it took me by surprise. A Chill in the Air was an experimental film that I made for the Make Shorts, Not War contest. The goal was to take a pacifist perspective and by using footage of WWI provided by the National Film Board, create a message of peace. Overall, the experience was incredibly rewarding. My film was shortlisted as part of the English top 10 out of 280 submissions across Canada. Each week the public voted online, eliminating 2 films a week until the final 4. A Chill in the Air made it to that final round.


In the end I didn't win, but until checking on the CITIZENshift site I had just been using the 'top 4' credit for the film. What I found out though is that I actually came in 3rd place (perhaps 2nd place in the popular vote?). The 1st place film was the one that received the most votes (people's choice), the 2nd place was jury's choice (judges/organizers of the contest choice), and my film is listed as honorable mention (the leftover, haha).

The 7 other submissions are listed as finalists. Throughout the contest I was featured in the news in my hometown of Medicine Hat (a small city of 60,000 people). So if having a bunch of strangers vote and share feedback on my film from across the country wasn't enough, being in the local news ended up bringing me back into contact with people from high school who were suddenly seeing my name again. Of course, there was also a great rallying of support from my family and friends who undoubtedly made my experience such a success.

That winter in 2006 was a pretty eventful one for me. It was interesting to be reminded of that, and to rewatch my film again after all this time when I was contacted for an update for the CITIZENshift blog series 'Where Are They Now?'. My answer was, and is, simple enough: still in film school.

Here is the blog entry from CITIZENshift.


Aug 9, 2007

Some Old Fremont Footage

Sometimes I get in the mood to edit, but with no new footage I end up rehashing old stuff to make new videos. It's not so much that I plan on doing anything with the video when it's done (although the blog has provided a showcase for my whims) but I do find editing cathartic and relaxing when working on personal stuff. 

For one reason or another (mostly because I'd rather do anything than work on my history paper right now) I had Vegas on the brain so I started playing. I thought about all of the raw footage I shot on Fremont Street in 2005 and that was enough to go on. It's kind of fun to think of how many random edits of things I could make without shooting anything else. Around an hour later I came up with this.