ENTRY NUMBER FIVE: DAY TIME SHOOT

Managed to get out today for about 3 hours of shooting

My main objective was to do some time lapse shots, very high angle and long, of traffic, subway trains and people.

I live right by the Allen Expressway and the subway tracks run along it at street level so I just walked over to a nearby overpass. For the timelapse I need to shoot a long sustained shot and then probably speed it up in Final Cut Pro. A tripod is essential for this; frame you shot the way you like, lock off the tripod and walk away from it. It was windy as hell up on the bridge but hopefully I'll get a long enough steady shot to do the effect.

Although I am kind of making this up as I go along, I do have certain shots in mind, I want some of the footage to be blurred and strobey and I would like other shots to have a distressed look. The weather today was fickle; clouds and sun and almost rain.

I was not totally happy with the very sunny shots. They will not suit the theme of the video very well. You have a few options to deal with this. While shooting you can adjust your iris and your exposure; the Sony does have manual exposure settings but they are not very sophisticated. My XL1 has terrific manual focus controls but that goes with having a kick ass lens. So my options here will be to do the effect in post.

Generally I am not a fan of in camera effects. That's what I have Final Cut for. I would rather get the best quality video I have than build any effects I need in post. While shooting I would rather concentrated on the essentials: Rule of thirds, head room, lead room etc. If you have a properly composed shot you have a world of possibilities

I'm thinking a lot about trains, subway trains for this video. Toronto has a subway of course but it actually took me a while to realize the true inspiration: On the home page for Hello Future contest there is a picture of Moby .. with a subway train in the background. Duh

So I have exterior shots of trains and I recorded some footage while riding the subway into the downtown core. More to come I'm sure

One of the other shots I knew I wanted was going to be at the Eaton Centre. My theme here is one of urban isolation, of being lost in the crowd (not terribly original but I have to start somewhere) and I thought Canada's largest mall (I think) would be a great place to get that footage. I went to the highest level in the mall, mounted the Sony on the tripod and took some very long shots down through the various floors and levels. Lots of people in the mall of course, and I got the whole "they look like ants" thing going on

I took similar shots outside from Varsity Stadium and at the intersection of Yonge and Bloor. I couldn't get an elevated shot on Yonge St, I had to shoot from street level but it's a busy intersection, lots of traffic both vehicle and pedestrian. I think it will work for me.

The next series of shots I want to try to capture will be night shots; high angle trains and hiway shots again and the lights of the city.

ENTRY NUMBER ONE

OK, here's the deal

If anyone follows my other blog The Hairy Edge, you have watched, or perhaps run from, the many videos I have posted there. The site to which I upload those videos is Vimeo. Vimeo is not only a free place that will host your videos, it is a very active online video making community. From casual videomakers like myself who regale the world with endless videos of my dogs, to aspiring film makers, to bona fide movie creators, Vimeo attracts and encourages idiots with cameras from all over the world.

One of the things Vimeo does is to host contests. All kinds of contests, inspiring video makers to create movies on a variety of themes, genres and topics. Inspiration is how I view contests. I don't really have a good psyche for contests, I've learned that about myself, or at any rate I should not take them too seriously

I shouldn't ever enter a contest trying to win. I'm a bad loser. Waa waa. Like that.

But contests can be inspirational. I have a variety of video making tools at my disposal, both concrete (cameras, video decks, editing computers) and ephemeral (training, experience, delusions) but I sometimes do lack inspiration. Making videos for a living as many years as I have, I've become very concerned with producing product; I enjoy making product, I enjoy the challenge of making something for a client, something that satisfies their bottom line as well as my creative side

I really enjoy shooting and editing videos on the events that Collette and I attend, videos of the festivals, videos with the girls. But it's been a while since I've made a video ... for no reason. I don't think I'm good at it. The more I think of it, I don't think I've made a video without something driving it, be it a contest, a class assignment or wanting to make a record of some experience Collette and I have shared.

So, along comes a new Vimeo contest. The first one that actually got my juices (excuse me, I may need a bib) flowing.

Moby is a musician. If you think you haven't heard his music, you probably have. I have actually edited video to his music, but for clients (um, did I just confess to some kind of crime? I plead the fifth, and I'll take a fifth of Jose Cuervo). I like his music. It has a cinematic quality that lends itself to soundtrack applications. Moby himself has utilized video along with samples, electronica etc.

Not surprising that he would team up with Vimeo to create a contest to inspire videomakers. What was surprising is that he has made available three tracks from his upcoming CD, making them public realm, that us Idiots With Cameras can use to create a video to

Oh, cool

The winner of this contest will have their work at Cannes. Yeh, right. I ain't going to Cannes, any video I make will not be shown at Cannes and I'm quite comfortable with that. I really am. There will be film crews entering this contest, shooting with Red cameras and lights and digital audio, they will have grips and Production Assitants and Directors of Photography ... oh my!

That isn't me. I think I'm going gonzo on this one. I think. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do but I want to do something.

The date of this posting is April 29, the deadline for the contest is May 9 ... what the fuck. What the hell am I doing

Well, I'm not sure but me being the Idiot With a Camera that I am .. and an Idiot with a Blog .. I decided I'd chronicle this little debacle ..er .. I mean adventure.

I have been asked in the past to describe my creative process as well as my production processes ... yes, when people are drunk they will ask you anything

So I guess with this blog, we'll find out. And I do mean we because as if this point, I really don't have any clue how I'm going to do this.

This blog will be entirely devoted to me creating a video for this contest. All my other bullshit will be hosted on The Hairy Edge as usual

No promises here. I may not get this thing done. It may be a total piece of shit. But I'm an Idiot With a Camera ... and my idiocy will not be stopped

Trust me, people have tried