Everyone's A Critic

I'm about 20 hours into a video project. I think that estimate is more conservative than I care to admit... but I digress.

That's a lot of time on something. I'm very excited about it. However, I'm also very scared. I don't know how it's going to turn out.

Right now, all the footage looks great. However, I have no idea if I will get it open in post production (the step after production, usually editing) and realize I have wasted the equivalent of a day of my life on a failed effort.

It's scary.

Creative projects are like that. I love them. Being able to envision something and then make it happen is one of the most rewarding things in life for me. It's also the scariest. You're investing a part of yourself in something. Then, exposing that something to the world. For them to enjoy or hate. Love or reject.

I was thinking about this while spending a few more hours on the project. I am putting a lot of myself into this. What if it fails? What if no one likes it?

Then I got thinking about my own attitude towards other peoples art. 

I'll dislike a cd, and write it off as junk. Someone put a lot of heart and soul into it, and I'm writing it off. Same with movies... games... books. Someone spent hours toiling over this thing... and I'm going to hate on it?

Which is why I'm going to try and be less harsh towards stuff. Was that movie good? No. But someone tried really, really hard to make it good... and failed. They don't need us being negative. They need us being positive to encourage them to pick themselves up and try again. 

That's what's on my mind at least!

Hopefully next week I'll have a music video for you!

Texting

There are a lot of things I love about my Smartphone. It's basically a pocket computer. Awesome!

It's also very easy to zone out of reality and into my phone. A few years ago I decided that whenever I'm out socially, the phone stays in my pocket.

Will I answer if it rings? Yes. Will I check a text? Yes. But I won't respond to a text unless it's an emergency. Call me old fashioned, that's just how I roll.

Really, the truth is, if I'd rather be talking to the person I'm texting than the person I am 4 feet away from... why am I bothering to hang out with that person at all?

If you've ever felt the same, this video should strike a cord with you!

The Ups And Downs of Photography

As I've mentioned multiple times before on this blog - I love film, music and radio. Those levels of love ebb and flow depending on the day, but all of them are things I get joy in doing. Something else I love is photography. Except... it's something that usually causes me more frustration than anything else!

Why? Well, photography is really all about luck. Yes, there is a load of skill involved too. Don't get me wrong. You have to know what ISO setting to use, how much light to let into the sensor... etc etc... But at the same time it's all about the timing.

You could have your focus perfect, settings exact with a great angle and still not get the a shot that is worth talking about. And if it's the last batch of photos I took... focus may be the biggest stumbling block!

Studio photography is different (obviously), but I find it less fun. I'd rather be shooting some video if we're in a studio.

So I guess I'm my own worst enemy... Don't like the controlled environment of studio photography and don't generally have the luck for live photography.

Thankfully Air Raid 24 was a different story. I was incredibly fortunate (BLESSED!) to be in the right place at the right time with the right focus (again... stupid focus)

The last one (one above this line) is one of my favourites. I know... it's dimly lit and there's no context for what's going on... but that's what I love about it. It looks science-fictiony to me. Gotta love that!

Anyway... that's my rant on photography. Glad I was able to get some shots at Air Raid. Here's hoping something good comes out of Heart of Worship this Sunday as well!!!

Best of 2013

Every year I do a music count down. I like doing it, but I also like to shake things up. So, this time round I'm going to do an everything count down.

That's right. Everything.

Favourite CD - The Almost - Fear Inside Our Bones

I love The Almost. It's rock music the way rock should be done! Fear Inside Our Bones wasn't as big a home run for me that Monster was, but it was still awesome. From the southern sound of I'm Down to the creativity that was displayed on Ghost, solid listen.

Favourite CD (That didn't come out this year) - FM Static - Dear Diary

This album is awesome! I feel like I would like it more if I first heard it while in highschool, but it's still a great listen/concept album. Really, if you want an example of how to do a concept album (telling a story throughout the disk) this should be your first stop. Paper Route's entire collection, vintage dc Talk, Newsboys and House of Heroes also got lots of play.

Favourite Movie (In Theater) - Gravity

I almost said Iron Man 3. I thought it was a great action/superhero film. But then Gravity came out. It's the first movie I've seen in 3D, and didn't regret seeing it in 3D. I normally hate 3D. Gravity changed my mind. It's a ride! An hour and a half film that feels more like 45 minutes. My only concern is it wont be as good on the small screen. You know, without the mammoth screen and 200 speaker surround sound...

Favourite Movie (Not in theatres) - Princess Bride

I loved it as a kid, but hadn't seen it in years. That changed over the summer. Then I remembered why I loved it so much. I actually like it more now. I get it now. Before it was funny looking people saying big words. Now I see the clever writing, great plot and genera bending. Adds a lot to the experience. Breach and Pride and Prejudice (don't judge me) also make the list.

Favourite Thing I Did - Earthquake/ Walk Away

I shot two music videos in 2013! To top that would take a lot! It's not too often you can check something off your bucket list twice. I kinda like the video for Walk Away a little more... but still love Earthquake. Close runners up were going to the Dove Awards, The Covenant Awards, Nashville and Kingdom Bound. Plus starting at a new church and beginning a new position at LIFE 100.3. Whooo! Busy year!

Resolutions

I tend to do them every year. They're never really "you must do this or else." I have found that tends to fail. I prefer to have loose goals. Don't hit it by the end of the year? At least you tried and learned.

One thing that I always forget to do is write them down in a place I will look a lot. 3 months from now my list of goals will be different due to losing the list and having to re-write... maybe I should make that a resolution... not losing my resolutions!

This year most of my resolutions are
professional or hobby related. Becoming a better audio producer, video editor/director/camera man, guitarist. It's actually a long list. Good thing I have 12 months.

And after almost $300 in windshield wiper repair, I'm tempted to take an automotive repair course.... stupid freezing rain.

What about you? What are you resolving to do this year?

Heart of Worship 2013 - Recap

This might surprise a lot of people, but I love worship music. I'm not 100% sure why, though I have a hunch it's the singing songs to God bit. I love that. Especially when you're singing worship songs with other Christians. There's just something about having that community.

That's exactly what we had at the Heart of Worship concerts! Man, was it good!
Shae-Lynn August, Scott Towaij, Jordan Donald and Jon Bauer in Barrie and Peterborough totally free!

I missed out on the Peterborough show at Christian Victory Church, but managed to make it to the one at Hi-Way Pentecostal in Barrie. I haven't regretted it yet!

If you missed out on the show, here's a quick recap of all that happened!

Surprises

I love a good surprise. Note I said good surprise.
Finding out I didn't pay my phone bill when I thought I had, isn't something I love to have happen.
Having something happen that causes joy, on the other hand. I'm all over that!

As much as I love to receive (good) surprises, I think I like to give them more. Putting loads and loads of planning and prep, dropping subtle clues and foreshadows to the soon to be surprise-e... it's a little too much fun!

A week ago today, I got to be part of a huge surprise. I didn't really do anything either. I just showed up!

Anthem for Today had a secret show at Unity Christian High in Barrie. The students thought they were going to a boring lecture or something and got hit with a rock show instead! The look on some of their faces was priceless. It was a mix of shock, awe and .... wah??? Where am I?

To commemorate the occasion, here's a quick video chronicling the adventure.



I can't wait to see these guys at Air Raid 22!

Earthquake

I've always wanted to shoot a music video.

As a kid I would get super excited whenever one would come on the t.v. As I grew up, I discovered this fandangled thing called the internet. This discovery lead to another - An infinite supply of music videos. Sometimes they're the traditional "band on a roof/garage/street", sometimes they reenact the song, sometimes they just make you wonder what the band was thinking and others are flat out AWESOME!

Imagine my delight when the offer came my way to shoot a video for Anthem for Today. After dealing with the logistics of it, I accepted.

If you read Scott's blog, you likely know how the shoot went. Really, really well! A good crew helps with any production. This crew was fantastic.

It only took around 15 hours total to shoot and edit. Hard to believe in retrospect, but it's true!

So sit back, relax, grab the cat, some popcorn and enjoy!


Now... what to film next?

How Animals Eat

I kept seeing a video pop up on the interwebs last week. I just ignored it. Then my sister sent it to me.
Did I laugh? Admittedly, yes...

I'm not sure what it is about this video. The stupidity of? Maybe. The concept? Perhaps. The fact that it's got a pink morph suit? Likely. Whatever the case, I got a few good chuckles out of it. Hopefully you will too.

The most surprising part for me is the view count. 40,000,000. That's a lot of people! Especially when you figure this was likely shot in a guys bedroom.

**Disclaimer - Shut your brain off now, it will save you the bother later**

Clever Movie

Cleverbot is a very (very) smart machine. You basically say stuff to it and it will reply.
Sometimes you think it's a real person, others you realize you are talking to a talking website.

I have spent a bit of time on it. Mostly to hilarious results.

One thing I never considered Cleverbot good for was writing movie scripts. Thankfully, this guy did.

Enjoy.

Time Lapsed = Awesome

I've always been a sucker for time lapse photography. In a minute you can see hours, days, weeks and even years (!) pass before your eyes.
It also takes a lot of work.
We're talking thousands of photos over hundreds of hours. However, like all good things, all that work pays off.
Especially if you have a good sound track.

Happy Christmas

It's that time of the year again. I love it.
Flashing lights, the smells of awesome coming from the kitchen and the sound of kids on sugar highs using really loud and annoying electric toys.
Can't beat Christmas.
Material fluffy traditions aside, it's important to reflect on what Christmas really is.
Jesus.
Babe, born in a manger. The saviour of the world in a barn. That's such a mind bending thought, isn't it?
One song that truly captures what Christmas is (for me at least) is Downhere's How Many Kings.
Listen to the lyrics... and have a Merry Christmas.

The Grinch

Monday night commemorated one of my family's few "normal" Christmas traditions. Watching How The Grinch Stole Christmas.
Not the Jim Carey abomination blasphemy cash grab mess from a few years ago.
The Dr. Seuss classic.
I've always loved that cartoon. Not sure how much of it is sentiments and how much of it is genuine love of the show, either way, it's a great half hour special.
If you don't know the Grinch (tisk tisk), it's the story of a green guy that hates Christmas. Lights, sounds, smells... not a fan. So he takes all the gifts and food away (and pretty much everything else). Then, when Christmas morning rolls around, he's shocked to hear the residents of the alpine town of Whoville sing despite the lose of gifts. That causes him to realize the true meaning of Christmas is love and family (we know it means something else as well, but it doesn't go that far).
From the stellar rhymes of Seuss to the character arc of the Grinch. It's become a staple.

Last year I discovered that now defunct Christian band Queen's Club, did a cover of the song from The Grinch too! Score!

Enjoy.
  

Hawk Nelson - Words

The first time I heard the song, I was a little concerned.
For me, there is a thin line between profound and cheesy... the verse started out great, but the odds of the chorus bringing the cheese seemed really good.
Thankfully, I was wrong.
This song is totally awesome!
Not only from a lyrical and musical stand point, but content as well.
Something as simple as joking around with friends can cause hurt feelings. You say something without thinking, wham. Someone says the wrong thing to you on the wrong day, wham.
What I love about this song is the reminder it gives us to watch what we say. If it's going to come back to bite us, we're better off keeping it to ourselves.

After this, I'm more than excited for the new Hawk album in the new year!

Helping The Least Of These (Behind The Screens)

Last week you got to experience my first "major" motion picture (major meaning using real mics and shooting it in a room other than my bedroom).
Little would you know, but there was drama, daring and intrigue that plagued production for the entirety of the day.

Here are the top 3 things I learned.

#3 - Malls like when you ask if you can use them 
After getting kick out of one mall for bringing film equipment into it, we were kicked out of a second (this time we started out checking with management). Thankfully the security guards were very nice at the first mall... intimidating, but nice.

#2 - Sunnidale Park has a lot of blind hills
While setting up, we managed to have numerous people wonder in out of the blue/ be scared silly by a camera crew in the middle of a forest.

#1 - Shooting an outdoor video in November is a really really really stupid idea
For the record, it was supposed to be an indoor shoot (see lesson #3)... but the lack of coats/gloves began to wear on us... it took 3 hours to regain all the feeling in my legs...

In the end, I'm still happy to say it worked out... frozen hands and feet aside.

Christmas Music

It seems every year Christmas comes earlier for me. This year, I've been singing Sleigh Ride since early October.
I'm not complaining, I just love Christmas.
I also tend to have "Christmas Theme Songs" every year.
Two years ago it was "O Come O Come Emmanuel"
Last year it was "War Is Over" (both of which are awesome songs)
This year it seems to be "Love Came Down At Christmas"

We seem to always focus on the fact that Jesus was born to die. Which is profound and all, but we often forget the motivation behind that. It was love.

As Francis Chan/Hawk Nelson would say, Crazy Love. That God would care enough about us, despite us spiting in his face, to send his son as a human to die. That is true love.

That's what I think every time this songs come across my mind.

Merry (early) Christmas

My iPod (Which I don't really have...)

I have seen loads of these floating around the interwebs (and the LIFE dj blogosphere).
I don't tend to listen to songs on their own outside of LIFE... I usually listen to the entire album, but here goes nothing.

Owl City - When Can I See You Again



Anberlin - Someone Anyone



KJ-52 - Brand New Day



Mute Math - Typical



And that is pretty much what you will sit through when you go on a super long car ride with me.

When Engineers Get Bored

Is your church looking for a drummer? They can be hard to find. Especially a good one. So why not get this guy? Not only does he keep perfect time, he's also never late and goes until the battery dies.

The only real draw back I can see is the whole General Grievous/Alien look.

That may scare some people...

But once they hear his drumming chops, all will be right in the world again!

Melodie Joy Interview

I recently had the chance to chat with Miss Melodie Joy author of such fine musical pieces as Savior and Psychobabble. Here is how said visit transpired...



And just cuz I can post one of the songs....

Useless Box

I really don't have a caption for this or a cleaver catch phrase.
It's just a legit idea.
Useless.
Pointless.
Just sits there.... but when someone comes over and starts pushing the button...



I'm thinking this may be a good Christmas present...