• Film is a media format you are used to consuming.  It will help you better understand what it is you’re watching if you learn how it’s created.
• Film is a great way to preserve family history (especially with sound).
• Film production is a marketable skill for employment as many small businesses and large companies will find needs to have videos made.
• Young Men:  Can be used for cinematography merit badge.
• Young Women:  Can be used as a YW value project

Types of projects to consider producing:

• Time Lapse
• Family Car Ride
• Time Lapse Perseids Meteor Shower 2010
• Geminid Meteor Shower
• Stop Motion
• BYUI-This is why I don’t get any studying done
• Lego Stop Motion
• Monologue
• Ask a Ninja
• Stuffed Animals
• Bearlys Out for Dinner
• Sock Puppets
• Buck the Norm- Jacob Bateman
• Music Video
• Lindsey Stirling
• The Piano Guys
• Pomplamoose
• Montage
• Dian wedding
• Rainey’s Birth Day (mixed montage)
• 3D/CG
• Big Buck Bunny
• Created With Blender
• Download
• Tutorials
• Foley artist on a silent film
• (Royalty Free Silent Films Below)

Photography Basics

• Composition Basics
• Frame Rates (what do I record with)
• Film Basics:

Editing Basics

• Software:
• Sony Vegas (tutorials)
• iMovie (tutorials)
• Final Cut Pro X (tutorials)
• Open Shot -linux- (tutorials)

Editing Tricks and Techniques

• Ninja Vanish

• Layers/Multiple People

Resources

• Royalty Free Silent Films:
• Cops- Buster Keaton
• The Pawn Shop- Charlie Chaplin
• The General- Buster Keaton (download with easy youtube video downloader)
• Music
• Kevin MacLeod- Royalty Free
• Ronald Jenkees- Citation Required

An in-depth look at the Vibram Five Fingers (VFFs), New Balance Minimus Trail, and Merrell Trail Glove minimalist shoes.

Newcomers to minimalist running often get overwhelmed with information only to catch the “faddish” parts of this running technique when it comes to shoes.  The VFFs, Minimus Trail, and Trail Gloves are three of the most popular shoes in the minimalist family.

This video includes slow motion running samples of each shoe with commentary applicable to those in the Armed Forces.

For Customer Reviews and Latest Prizes check out Amazon:
VFF:  http://amzn.to/xwkrTB
New Balance Minimus:  http://amzn.to/ADbnBl
Merrell Trail Glove:  http://amzn.to/zGcCwe

Production information:
Filmed with a Sony HDR-CX100 http://amzn.to/tfZuce
Background music by Ronald Jenkees http://amzn.to/w1k7vT

Today is Rainey’s turn, and the boy just has good timing!  Recent upgrades in my video editing software have given me access to features I didn’t previously have available and allow me to increase the quality of the productions normally done here at home.

I’ll give the tech-specs and how-to’s later.  In the meantime, please enjoy celebrating Rainey’s birthday with us!

The kids and I have really been enjoying Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender series.  In addition to thoughtful writing and good artwork, the series features a wonderful soundtrack.  The end credits music is featured here as the background for this piece.  In fact, it’s what inspired this sequence.

This was Eliza’s and Daniel’s first role together where they had to take direction.  They’re still learning how their actions translate to the camera.  Although it was filmed over two days D, and E both remarked how it looked like it all happened at the same time.

The technical specs for this film are as follows:

• Filmed with a Sony HDR-CX100
• Edited with Apple’s Final Cut Pro
• Approximately 1 hour of principal photography, and 90 minutes of editing

The report included a draft of a more modern songbook that would include songs like “Scripture Power” among the revised music.  On page two the report plainly describes the need for this revision.  “It’s initial audience are now the parents who are loosing their hair and chasing after their own crew of primary aged children.  We’ve already alienated them by adopting songs such as Scripture Power which is not in the current songbook.  One of the major comments from newly called primary workers is their general frustration at singing songs not listed in the current songbook.  It’s clear that either Bishops need to be instructed to call younger primary workers, or the book needs to be revised.”

The review board was instructed to secure songs written by non LDS authors for inclusion in the new book.  Similar efforts were made to include now LDS favorite “Love at Home” in the current hymnal.  Among the list of new songs appears Tom Petty’s 1989 hit single, Won’t Back Down.  “We felt this was a way to connect with the now balding generation the Children’s Songbook was intentionally written for, while appealing to the younger generation that are their children.  We felt particularly passionate about this song choice after reading Malachi 4:6, specifically where it talks about ‘turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers.’  The song very plainly discusses standing by one’s beliefs even though the “gates of hell” are before you.  Clearly this is a message needed in these latter-days.”

Copyright issues with using the piece were easily resolved.  Missionaries in Mr. Petty’s mission district were all given a contract to have him sign if spotted in the area.  When one companionship spotted him entering a local Atlanta Bread Company they decided to fast the rest of the month in order to afford a meal with the Rock and Roll Giant.  They essentially gave Mr. Petty two options for the lunch conversation, baptism or copyrights.  Mr. Petty chose to discuss copyrights and the rest is history.

Of lesser note, a song about dinosaurs will be included in the upcoming version because (according to the report) “they’re just cool and certainly underrepresented in the LDS song library.”  I can’t disagree with logic like that!

If approved the English printing of the songbook will begin in the spring of 2012 with a announcement expected at General conference in October of that year. Translations in other languages will follow throughout 2012 and 2013.  This timeline would allow the song to be included in the 2013 primary program.  Although the church’s news and events website has not been updated to note any announcement of the upcoming songbook at the time of publication many in the LDS community (including this author) await its anticipation.

Author’s note:  This blog post is categorized as sarcasm.  I’m sorry to report that nothing in here is actually true.  This post actually started when my six year old started singing “Won’t Back Down”  At first I wanted to correct him, but then realized the song’s actually got a good message behind it.  Hope you got a laugh reading.  Please share it with your friends, and here’s to hoping the next songbook has something about dinosaurs!  After all they’re just really cool!

We don’t often get opportunities to fight our own personal demons sitting behind a computer desk, but pounding out a few miles on the road in heat you’re not used to, and those same demons start creeping up just enough to let you see them.  Running is a sport where you’re constantly smacking your feet into the pavement, but the mental sport is a lot like a game of whack-a-mole with your personal demons.

Kicks for this route were my New Balance Minimus, and my total time was 54 minutes putting me at just over an 8 minute mile pace.  My pace out was closer to 7, so I definitely slowed down on the way back.  The demons I was fighting were sore feet, dehydration, and sunlight.  The same route is on the schedule next week as well, I’ll let you know how it goes.