Welcome to my Lair

Motion day 5

As I start getting deeper into motion I am starting to notice that I have more questions than answers. I understand that the generators and what they do but I am not sure how to incorporate them into something I can use. I get thats where my imagination comes in but I need to see some of these in action to truly understand what I can do and what I cannot do. I will need to try an experiment and let you know how it goes but in the mean time I will play with my lights and get back with you.


Tomorrow:
I will post the experiment and what needs to be done to improve.

I know these post are getting shorter and shorter but as we all know life gets in the way of chasing your dream. I will admit I am slowing down but I am not stoping :) These post will pick up more, later.

"To change the world you must first share your story"

Motion lesson 4

Welcome to my lair

Motion lesson 4
Today's lesson dealt with importing video and generators.

Importing video:
There are multiple ways to import. You can either go and click on what you need and import or click and drag and drop into your canvas. Either ways are good, but you have to remember to always make your video the bottom layer or you won't be able to see the effects you are creating on screen.

Generators:
Now these are things that you can put in your video to make it all the better. Maybe you want an flame to add on the end of a stick, or maybe you want to add a waterfall to some rocks, or whatever you can imagine. There are thousands of these generators, some can affect the whole background while others, like a flame, can be manipulated into a flame thrower. There are so many generators that I might need to camp out on them for a while until I see what all of them can do.

Tomorrow:
I will be in an interview with an local news station. I can use the extra hours and pay. Also on thursday I am doing the highlight reel, and setting up light kits, so my week will be long. Life is like a game of chess, one move at a time.

"To change the world you must first share your story"

Lights, my favorite

Lights have come in:
To my surprise today the light kit came in. It weigh a shocking 66 pounds, and it took two of us to bring it up to my apt. I have not been able to play with the lights yet but oh I will soon. I'm taking it slow this week due to all the chaos that's going on. So I will start up the madness in the next few days.

Equipment is coming in

Long weekend:
Well I missed yesterday, I was very busy testing new equipment and looking at videos on making a steadicam. We also check out the canon rebel t4i. And let me say, it's a sweet camera. It's going to take a while to figure out but once I do, look out, I'm going to make head spins.

Motion
No lesson today but I will start up tomorrow.

Class update:
I might be talking to a good friend of mine Tuesday morning about having a class on tricks you can use to improve your video. I hope I get to do this.

This week
Pictures, videos, and more lessons on Motion. Later

"To change the world you must first share your story"

Short post tonight

Welcome to my Lair

Short post tonight

I have taken the day off and enjoyed it with the family. I will be back tomorrow to share the adventure of testing new equipment. So go and watch a movie, a cult horror movie that is, and if you need help, the netflix horror guy is there to help. Sweet dreams and I will see later.

"You can only change the world after you share your story"

Motion day 3 and blogging about my dream

Welcome to my Lair

Ah this is nice:

Ah, you see on this blogI have the go fund me on another post I have found a widget from go fund me. It will be there for the next two weeks in hopes that people will go to it and support my dream of creating my company. If anyone has a project or dream you are trying to achieve, I encourage you to go and try it out. Worst case is that you raise no money. 

Ladies and Gents, I have a dream and I am not going to stop until I either make it or die trying. Have you ever felt in your bones that you were meant to do something, a calling as some will say. And no matter what you have done to walk away from this dream, you always come back to it wanting more. I have. I have tried giving this up for foolish reasons, only to find myself back on the road I first started on. I am not going to sway from this no more, I understand the difficult path that is in front of me, its time to walk this path and begin this journey.

Motion Day 3:

Today I learned about the timeline. It was a simple lesson, it just explain what the timeline was and how my objects were place on it. So lets break this down, your timeline is where your project is layed out in such a way that you can see which effects happen when and what they are doing. Anyone can take a  certain object in the timeline and move it around or adjust how long you want it on the screen. Like your layers, it will show what is on the bottom layer and what is on the top. Really neat stuff. I am cutting this short tonight but will continue my journey in Motion tomorrow.

Blogger of the Week:
+Patrick Ryan blog has not been updated in a while, but it is still a blog I will recommend reading so go check him out, hugecowpatty.

"You can only change the world once you have shared your story"

Motion day 3 and go fund me widget:

Crowdfunding

Welcome to my Lair

Ah this is nice:

Ah, you see on this page I have the go fund me on the upper right corner of this post. It will be there for the next two weeks in hopes that people will go to it and support my dream of creating my company. If anyone has a project or dream you are trying to achieve, I encourage you to go and try it out. Worst case is that you raise no money. 

Ladies and Gents, I have a dream and I am not going to stop until I either make it or die trying. Have you ever felt in your bones that you were meant to do something, a calling as some will say. And no matter what you have done to walk away from this dream, you always come back to it wanting more. I have. I have tried giving this up for foolish reasons, only to find myself back on the road I first started on. I am not going to sway from this no more, I understand the difficult path that is in front of me, its time to walk this path and begin this journey.

Motion Day 3:

Today I learned about the timeline. It was a simple lesson, it just explain what the timeline was and how my objects were place on it. So lets break this down, your timeline is where your project is layed out in such a way that you can see which effects happen when and what they are doing. Anyone can take a  certain object in the timeline and move it around or adjust how long you want it on the screen. Like your layers, it will show what is on the bottom layer and what is on the top. Really neat stuff. I am cutting this short tonight but will continue my journey in Motion tomorrow.

Blogger of the Week:
+Patrick Ryan blog has not been updated in a while, but it is still a blog I will recommend reading so go check him out, hugecowpatty.

"You can only change the world once you have shared your story"

Long day but the go fund me is up and going!!!

Welcome to my lair

Go fund me is up and ready:
Finally, after countless days and nights, thinking and brainstorming the go fund me is up and running. I will set up an widget later that will take a direct link to my page but for now click on this link, gofundme, and you can see my page.

Tired:
Tomorrow I will talk more about the go fund me account, what it is, and my goals I am trying to achieve with it. I will also get back to my Motion lessons and talk about the different timelines and what they are good for. I will also posts some more pictures.

Blogger of the week:

Yes +Patrick Ryan it is free advertising, but I will say it is worth reading. So go check him out hugecowpatty.

"To change the world you must first share your story"

Motion day two: Layers

Welcome to my Lair

Motion Layers:

Today I did another lesson on Motion and learn about Layers. Layers are pictures on your timeline and how they are laid out. I learn that you have to have a group in order to put things into Motion and without the group, you can't create anything. Now layers are like icing on a cake. First there is the cake itself, next you need to put an icing on the cake, then another layer of icing to create your picture of a sports car. And finally your name and happy birthday goes on top of the sports car. This is exactly how motion works. With each group there are layers and each layer is stack on each other until you have a final graphic that you like. You can have multiple groups on the canvas so you can become as creative as your hearts desire.
This lesson was a quick one but help me get a better understanding of how layers work.

Tomorrow:
More lessons on Motion and updates on all the latest projects.

+Patrick Ryan needs to write more blogs for people to read, but if you have never read any of his blogs I advise you to go check out his site hugcowpattys.

Later

"You can only change the world after you share your story"

Learning Motion today

Welcome to my Lair

Motion and what I have learn today:

I have work with graphics, and even did a whole project with graphics, but I am just a newbie when it comes to motion and graphics. I bought Motion understanding that If I want to bring these projects from good to great, I will use this program. Today I went threw four lessons. The first three lessons where about the interface and just giving a general detail where things are. Lesson four actually started taking objects and putting them in a timeline. After watching the video I decided to take what Learn and re duplicate what he did. So I made a Square and a circle, gave them color, change shape and size and finally put the two objects together. I also learn the paint brush and how to smooth out my pattern. Overall I spent about a hour just using four buttons. My goal is to just get an understanding of the program right now. Once I have an understanding of it I will start using it in my projects.

Go Fund Me:

This site is going up soon. I am wondering though if I should get the website up first, or should I just start with the go fund me. Either way I need to update my internet so i can put video up and since I will be using the internet to make money, I would say that it is on the important list.

Tomorrow:

Another lesson of Motion, working on making the site, and the go fund me account.

Blogger of the Week:

This week I am following +Patrick Ryan. He talks about all kinds of subjects, very opinionated, and loves stirring up trouble. So click on the hugecowpatty and enjoy.

Weekend ending, new chapters beginning

Welcome to my Lair

Long weekend:
I did not talk to the guy like I wanted to and I did not get to look at the Motion lessons like I wanted to either. Though I did get a chance to buy the equipment. When everything comes in I will have all the materials I need to get started. I just now need to pursue the knowledge and experience I need to succeed. Because I have the equipment the Go Fund Me will now be an account to help pay bills until I can get this business under my feet. Its going to be a long road ahead of me, but I can't wait to get started.

Next week:
I will have to make adjustments to certain things, like getting better internet. I will also have to finish a test for my other job. I will admit I rather go watch chick flicks all day but I need to do this and get this test over with. I am hoping in two weeks that I have my equipment and start playing with them. Also in future post after I do a lesson on Motion I will make a post about it. I figure the only way to truly learn Motion is if I am forced to rewrite it. I think this will engrave what I learn.

Blogger of the week:
I dont have a new blogger, so I will continue with Ellis Fowler. I can't wait to see his story unfold and how it unfolds. I admit weekends are hard for me to write, but I will try harder to have better material for everyone to read.

"To change the world you must first share your story"

Not much today

Welcome to my Lair

Not much today I'm afraid:

I will be honest I am tired. So much happen today that trying to put it into words would give it injustice.
Will post all details later

"You can only change the world after you have shared your story"

Frustrating day indeed

Welcome to my Lair

Not an productive day:

I feel like little was accomplish today. The guy never called, I never got to order any equipment and I am back to where I was, square one. A part of me is throwing fits, you know how it goes...

• Why can't I get my feet on the ground
• How is it that whenever the ball starts rolling someone stops it
• Why can't I seem to make my plans work.

Its frustrating to run into obstacles and feel, well stuck.

What I have learned today:

I have learn that I need to sit and make a plan, to make a plan, to make a plan. I can't get this ball rolling on my own. (Sorry honey but I have to talk about ya) I first have to put every single detail onto paper. Then I need to talk it over with the Mrs. I need to learn to trust my best friend and let her be a voice of reason. I have been trying to achieve this dream the wrong way. I owe you an apology sunshine. For that I'm sorry. If I talk anymore she might have me on the silver platter :) So let's move on.

Motion:
I will start my lessons tomorrow on Motion. I will just have to get up early and just do one lesson at a time. I will get back to the go fund me account and have a reasonable start to it. Then I need to have a long talk with the pops. I have to take one step at a time and hope I don't fail before I even start.

Blogger of the week:
Ellis Fowler, what can I say he is out there making his dreams come true. Go check him out and our good friend, The Horror Movie Guy, is wrapping up his reviewing all nine Hellraisers films. So go check out his blog too, its intense.

"You can only change the world after you have shared your story"

big day tomorrow

Welcome to my Lair

Not going to like tomorrow:

Tomorrow will be somewhat of a rough day. I will meet with a guy tomorrow about a gig he wants me to do. He wants me to make a sports reel for him. I will be honest I think he is trying to pull the wool over my eyes. He says he needs this project asap. Last time we talk I was too busy to take on his project. I apologize and gave him some other cats who could do the job. He refused their service and said he only wants me to do it. If a man wants a project done asap but doesn't take your advice and keeps asking for you, you have to assume something is not right about it. So yes red flags are sailing at this point. Though I will meet with him tomorrow and be up front with him. I will inform him that I am not doing this for cheap, that I am going to give him a price and if he does not like it than I am sorry. Tomorrow I also have to get a list of equipment together and get with my dad.

Nothing like father and son time:

Now this won't be a bad time but I am guessing I won't be in a good mood after meeting with this guy. Anyway me and my dad are going to start buying equipment. This will be just the necessities I need to properly get started. I still have not started on the stabilization bar but I will talk to him about that tomorrow. He might have an idea that we could build. It's just a thought, worst he could do is say no.  I also have a four day weekend coming up, holiday, so this gives me ample time to get the paper work out of the way and put a good lick into making this dream possible.

Update on blogger of the week:
Ellis Fowler is starting a new life in L.A.. He just posted a new blog up and I must say it struck a cord with me. Like Ellis, I have to go out and tried to succeed. I have been lazy and fooling myself thinking that my dream would just hand itself over on a silver platter. I know that there are going to be rough times ahead. I won't go into my life story but I will say this, I rather know I tried and failed than never trying and wondering what if. But getting back to Ellis, give him time, you will see his name again one day and you can thank yours truly to being the inside guy with all the info. So go and check him out, you can do this by clicking on his full name at the beginning of this section. Also if there are any other blogger you will like me to talk about respond with a comment and I will check them out. They just might become the blogger of the week.

Next time:
I am also downloading a tutorial on motion. As I go through this I will post about what I learn. And I will also post on what happens with the guy tomorrow. What a day tomorrow will be. Later

"To change the world you must first share your story"

how I miss the days of stabilization

Welcome to my Lair

Oh how I miss steady cameras:

When I worked at the news stations I would work on a jib. A jib is a crane looking machine with a camera on the end of it. We would do music videos with the jib and I just loved it. How I could come in or out, up and down, side to side, the shots always look fantastic. Not to mention if you  also use the zoom, man don't get me started with those shots. If you time it just right you could create something you only see in the movies. Which got me to thinking about ways I could create a stable shot like that.

Think like a 12 year old:

My dad once said that when he enter an office, his boss would ask them to think like a 12 year old. You see, a twelve year old has no limits to his or her imagination. Once you start to think without limitations you start creating things that are not of this world. If I want to have a stabilization bar, I am going to have to build one. Right now I don't have the money and the money I am raising is going to the things I need. So if I want to have this I will have to build it. Now I need something small, not a massive steady cam body suit, just something that will take away the vibrations from my hands and let me have smooth transitions and freedom I need to create. This will be a side project of mine while I am not busy. That could translate me never doing it and buying a bar later but still, I know I could make one, just need the right material.

Update on creating the business:

It seems the more I do, the farther away I am of getting this business off the ground. Though its not because of laziness, its because I am finding more and more things that need to be done before I launch my business. And Studio Now accepted my profile, so I need to finish all that paper work if I want the job and money. I also notice that I will need to work on coloring my projects. I notice that a lot of videos out there color correct and if I want my film to sparkle I will have to do this. My list keeps getting bigger and bigger and I am happy about his because it shows that I am accomplishing something.

Blogger of the week.

Go and check out Ellis Fowler, he has moved to L.A., and hopes of becoming successful in film. Also the Netflix Horror Guy is doing a week long series on the on the hellraisers films. Enjoy 

"The world can only change once you share your story"

Few more surprises coming your way

Welcome to my Lair

Changing the companies name:

Ah I have come to the conclusion that it is now time to say goodbye to B.A. Productions and start looking for a new name. It was nice while it lasted but I feel like B.A. was giving the wrong message. So I have been coming up with some names. When I get closer to a new name I will tell you.

News from the world:

I received a phone call from Studio Now about using my freelances skills. After talking to the gentleman and answering some of his questions, he ask if I would be interested to freelance for their company. I told them yes and now I just need to get started on the paper work. YES!!!!!!!!

Last but not least:

I did a little writing on the go fund me today. I also got some reviews and now I will make my changes and continue with my quest for money .... (Insert mad scientist evil laugh) I hope to have the site up by the end of the weekend. I will keep everyone posted on this and that completes my blog for today

Blogger of the Week:

Go check out Ellis Fowler: He just arrived in L.A. and is getting ready to challenge the world and become one of the greats. His blog is about his move to L.A. and he hopes his story can help others when they decide to do the same.

"You cannot change the world until you first share your story"

A few Surprises

Welcome to my Lair

Something not Expected:

Tonight I received a phone call from a friend of mine. He is a pastor at a church and he was telling me of an idea he and his wife had for the kids in their church. They want to make a project with the kids. They want the kids to come up with an idea and then let them videotape it and put it together. He ask me if there a possibility I could hold a small class for them and maybe give them a few pointers. Wow, how cool is that? I get the chance to share my knowledge with kids, and play with cameras... way, way cool. He wants to meet soon and maybe iron out details. I must say my mind has been going 90 to nothing since this, how awesome of a chance would it will be if I get to do this. Now I know that these are kids,  and I will not have the ability to share what I want to share. I wish I could have a long time and explain all the great things that make videography so amazing to me but I will take what I can get.

Moving on:

I am still writing out my business agenda. I am still trying to come up with a mission statement, and I am still in the stages of collecting all my thoughts. What I mean by this is that, I want clients, friends, and family understand that I have put a lot of thought into this. I want to answer the questions that have not been ask and give people the impression that if they ever decided to use me for work, they will not be disappointed. So I have a long ways to go this week and the journey is only beginning. One of the next things I need to do is talk with people I know who own businesses. I need to answer questions that have bother me. And work on things I do not understand. If I am going to be an one man show then I need to know the business side of things so I don't lose my company because I screw something up.

Name changing:

Thinking I should retire the B.A. Productions. I could make the name B.A. to mean only B A. The letters would have no meanings, then the letter would be, well, just letters. I would like to read a response from anyone about this and read your opinion. I have other names in mind so I will give them out upon request.

Blogger of the week:
Ellis Fowler is a man with a dream. He, like others, want to make it big in L.A. He is making a blog about his journey and hopes this can help others one day. Go check it out

To change the world you must first share your story

Failure is an option

Go Fund me: A NO GO:
As I write this today it somewhat saddens me to tell you I did not get the chance to put my account up. But I am glad to say that today was a learning experience. I went over to my parents house to watch the game and seek some wisdom of the decisions I was about to make. I am always a believer of getting opinions and seeking wisdom. Anyways after a lot of talking and discussing, I have plan to not do the site until next week, I need to answer a few questions I did not think about. And I also became aware that my plan has loopholes in them. If I want people to be serious in my work than I need to present myself in such a way that shows I am business. So even though I did not get the task done I did learn a lot. That is an accomplishment in itself. ( on a side note the grammar is not that great tonight, I am tired so forgive me this time)

Next Week.
I will be planning doing more research and writing what I want to say. I will also touch on the program Motion as I want to try and make graphics.

New Blogger IS......
Blogger of the week is Ellis Fowler. He is posting about his move from Memphis to L.A. He believes his story could help others who will make a similar move one day. Gents and ladies I know these last few posts have been short and to the point. I will go back to my normal posting starting Monday. Later

To change the world you must first share your story

Playing today

Welcome to my Lair

Not much going on today:

Doing a simple project for the Mrs. I am going through photos we have taken and seeing which ones are worth printing. I have to be honest she takes way, way more pictures than I. She has a natural talent of composing a shot together. It's another reason I am trying to get another camera, so she can takes more amazing pictures. Speaking of getting stuff...

Making tomorrow the day:

I will officially put up the go fund me account tomorrow. And for the next two weeks I will put a link so people can go to the site and check it out. I am somewhat excited and scared of this go fund me but my passion to break out is more powerful so for me it will be a sink or swim moment.

Next Week:
We will have a new blogger for the week. But today I will give you Making of a Midwife, good stuff you need to read. And for cult horror lovers go check Netflix horror guy. I have been enjoying reading about movies I have never seen. Thanks for stopping by.

To change the world you must first share your story.

Weekend is here, and savings !!!

Welcome to my Lair

Savings:

As I am about to launch my gofundme site, I decided to go and look up prices on equipment so I can have an ball park figure I need. To my surprise I have found great deals on microphones and lights. How good you might ask about, you will have to find out later after I have finished looking online. But I plan to set up the account be saturday and hoping for some return.  I don't like this idea for the whole pride thing. I want to do this all on my own and I don't want anyone's help but thats in a perfect world so I will put my pride aside and go for it. The worse thing that can happen is that they look at this and say no.  

The Weekend is here;

Guys the weekend is here and I need to make best of my time. I think I will wake up early and experiment with the camera. I want to take some more pictures and post them for you all. I also want to take time and start on my promo reel. If I want to show off my talents, I need to have one. I also saw something I want to try out. 

Coloring:

I watched a video yesterday dealing with Lindsey Stirling, and the piano guys. They did a mission impossible theme and I like it. After the video I watch the making of the video and notice the contrast of color between what they filmed and what they displayed. I want to try and create something similar. I am not good at coloring but hey I need the practice right. 

Weekend ahead:

I might not post as much as I have in the next few days. So don't be surprised if they are short and to the point. And as Always go check out Making of a Midwife. She is the blog of the week, if you would like my to give you a shout out, please send me a request on the response part. And last but not least special thanks to Ellis Fowler, you gave me some great insight on these products. And LAST Reminder I am changing up the blog of the week Sunday. Later

You can only change the world after you have shared your story.

The art of looking

Welcome to my Lair

Looking for pearls:

This weekend will be the start of my search to items I need. If you have not been reading my post, this is what I need from most important to not so important.

Mics: got to have sound
Lights: got to see
Compressor: need to format

Memory cards: record stuff on
lens: change views
camera: DSLR baby

To get these items I will need around 3500. Minus the camera I have been eyeing and its around 2500. I wish I could snap my fingers and get these items. But like this picture, I need time to mold my options into something that is worth getting.

Options:
Well theres not really many options. :) But thankfully there are some. I am still doing the gofundme this weekend. But I can't just sit and hope that will work so I am also going to set up an account with studio now.  Next thing is start looking at sites and comparing prices. I need to shop smart and go with the material that will work. What I mean by this is that I don't need the best things, just the things that will get the job done.

Thanks for reading:
Ladies and gents thank you for stopping by. Somehow someway 209 people have read these posts. Wow, I know its equates to like 20 views a day but it goes to show that if you write people will read. And if you have not already discover I am a true believer that you can change your life and the ones around you one day at a time.

The blogger of the week.
If you have not done this yet, go check out Making of a Midwife. I am glad that she has decided to tell her story. I do believe she will be one of those people who could change the way people think about childbirths. So go and check her out. Sunday I will introduce everyone to a new blogger. I will drop more hints later.

You can only change the world once you shared you story. 

Looking for the next project

Welcome to the Lair

Looking for the next project:

Starting tomorrow I will be looking for my next project to tackle. In the past year all my sources have dried up. People either left to other cities, or got out of shooting video or just moved on to bigger badder projects. So its time for me to start looking for gigs all on my own. I have never been a fan of doing that, but if I want to bring home the bacon, then thats what I will do.

Looking for equipment:

Before I look for projects I will first visits the websites to try and find deals. I am in need of a few items:

1. Mics: I think my shotgun mic is on the brink of breaking: I also need wireless lavaliere mics so people can move freely around and I can make better videos.
2. Light kits: This is not my strong suit. I always have had a hard time lighting people and never bother getting one. But if I want to be taken serious I need to get one, and I need to get better at lighting.
3. Compressor: You ever had projects that were too big or projects that needed to be coded in a certain way? I have and even though I have been blessed lately and did not need it, I know that it will be only a matter of time before I need this tool again. 
4. DSLR: Wait, I thought you had a camcorder? I do, the canon XA10 is a awesome camcorder but I need a camera that can take wonderful pictures. plus it never hurts to shoot with two cameras. I need to become versatile with the two this way I could be ready for anything.

Things coming up:

I am getting back on track with making a web series, hopefully in the next few weeks I will have something online for everyone to see. Even if its videos of me getting back into shape than so be it.

Check our Making of a Midwife, All her posts are great reads I have provided links so you can go check her out. Also if your a horror fan, check out The Horror Movie Guy. 

To change the world you must first share your story.

Project is done

The project is done. And the client really like it. He says he will be in contact soon to do another one. That's awesome, I just now need to find lights and mics. I think i will not do anything tomorrow when I get home from work and on Thursday, I will begin my gofundme account. It's a short one tonight folks see u later.

Rough draft day

Welcome to my Lair 

The day many artists get creamed or succeed :

Today was the day I showed what I have done to my client. He knew up front it was not done and there was more things to do but the project was in good enough shape that he could get the main picture. I gave him three difference edits, each edit had different music in it. This way if he or she hates a song I have put in, then I know I have something to back up on. Anyway he like what I had and gave me some minor things to change. now I have to finish.

I have had projects in the past that you could see the disappointment in the clients face. Man let me tell you, to put all those hours and to get a horrible response in return will really make you mad and frustrated. You want to tell that person "hey I think I did a great job and I don't care what you think" But the problem is that you do care what they think because they are the one who are paying you. I have learned to take the critiques and turned them around so I can get what the person wants.

Not much today:
I have to get back to editing but in the mean time go check out Makings of a midwife. She is doing an incredible job at telling her story. And I always believe stories need to be shared and told because we can't change the world around us until we do. I think I just found my ending to my blogs. Later peeps

To change the world you must first share your stories.

editing day 2

My Goodness:

Between listening to the games, family, and editing my day have been swamp. I put a good eight hours of editing which means I did a total of 16 hours in two days. I am pretty much done. I need my client to say he likes it and then its all about the final touches. I really hope he likes it. I mean it sucks when you do something and they look at you and call it garbage. But I don't think he will, it looks good.

Graphics and music:
today was about graphics, making and positioning them. One of the most challenging things is maintaining the grab you have on your audience. The average person has the attention span of 3 seconds. For anyone who doesn't edit let me break this down. If you have a video and its 2 min long, you will , at very least, need 40 different view points or a lot of crazy action going on in your shots, one of the two. I have the mixture of both on this one.  I also had the fun of finding music that fit the video. Unless you are a music genius and can compose in the matter of hours, you will be looking through royalty free music forever. And I did eventually find the songs that do work for this project. But I can't complain I have had a blast this weekend.

No days off:
I normally have a few days off and can do what I want to do though I will not stop working till friday and I must tell you, I Love it. Man it feels good, I am in the process of already trying to find my next gig. And while I am not filming I will definitely be working on getting the equipment I need. This was the jump start I needed.

I was going to talk about the equipment I needed this time but I will save that post for another day

Drum Roll
This week I will be introducing Making of a midwife. Sadly there is only a few posts so far but I do believe she has a voice and I do believe she has a passion and desire to change the world. So go and check her out and leave comments.

The lair is always open.

The good and bad times of editing

Welcome

Day 1 of editing done:
I have finish day one of editing. If anyone just wants to know I am editing on the final cut pro x. It has its ups and done but I must say I miss the other final cut. With the other final cut pro I was starting to get the hang of the layout and really brought my film to life. This one however,  has been somewhat of a mental challenge. I have never been a fan of the imovie editing system and won't be. When final cut went there I told myself "give it a chance you might like it." This is my third project working it and I still feel like a new kid learning the system. Has it become a little bit easier, yes, but I miss my old editing system. How I could view my raw footage in one window and what I have put together in the other. Another thing I miss is the matte. It has to be on this final cut and I am just not seeing it. I used to be able to cut out what i wanted and put in other things. I just can't seem to find that option anymore. If I am being an idiot please tell me so I can overcome this sad time in life and get on with my editing. One of the other challenges I am facing tonight is the music. I have not yet found a winning combination that makes this project come to life. Could I leave it as is and give them a no music project? Yes i could, these people, who have never been in the film business,  have creativity and knew exactly what they wanted. So it made my filming experience really good and easy to edit them together. But I know that there is some kind of music out there that will put them over the top. I want to go on but I have stared at a screen for seven hour today. My eyes hurt and I am mentally exhausted. So this is the end of the computer tonight. I am going to watch football and possibly go to sleep early.

After the project is done:
I am making my list of things I need. I will update everyone on the editing tomorrow.

The lair is open to comments

wow what a day, mics, who knew

Welcome to my lair!

I am tired:
Man I am exhausted, it has been a very long day. The shoot went very good, and everyone had a very good time while we were there. Though I had a very hard time with the sound tonight. I was working with a wireless lavaliere mic, and the first thing I do is plug it into an XLR output. At first I could not get any sound form the mic. So I check all the connections and then I look at my camera and notice that I had the sound set for the interior mic. Thinking this was the problem, I change it to exterior mode. I went from no sound to low sound. The mic was picking up such a small amount of sound that there was no way I could use it. So the next thing I tried was switching out the XLR cord for a mini 8 in. cord. Now in school and the rest of the real world this is a no no. Mini plugs are way riskier than a XLR plus, in my opinion, it also sounds better. I said a small prayer and hook up my wireless with my plug and booya, it work. Oh the joy of making things work. Anyway after that the shoot manly consists of taking multiple shots and getting enough footage to make a video. I will be editing all day tomorrow in hopes to stay on schedule. So here is to staying on schedule and having a rough edit by Monday.

My last filming with Ellis:
I had borrowed some equipment from a good friend, Ellis, and return them to him after I was done with the shoot. Yesterday he ask me to help with a shoot he was doing for his move to L.A.. Basically he thinks he can help others, who are leaving everything behind, with there dreams of becoming the next best thing to hit L.A. My job was simple, just ask a few questions and let him talk into the camera. This only took about ten minutes and the rest of the time talk about projects and anything under the sun. I must admit I am going to miss this cat. He has a passion and talent for film that I have never seen with any other person around Memphis. I have known a lot of people who just love film but would not dare try to learn the craft like Ellis has. If there was something he didn't know, he would research it and make sure he knew how to do it by weeks end. This guy is one of the sharpest people I know and I think he will be one of the few that can actually make it in L.A.
So I crack open a coke and toast to you Ellis. May you become successful and famous.

Tomorrow:
I will try and not wait till 11:23 at night to post. I will make a post after I put in a day's work of editing. I will also make a list of equipment of things I need the most.

Reminder:
After saturday I will pick a new person to follow but this week I am still following thenetlixhorrorguide. Go check him out

You may exit my lair

The Sky is Falling

Interview day:

Ah the interview day, the day that I never like, you never know what will happen. As I arrived the butterflies in my stomach always go crazy, and the first thought in my head is "run, run to the hills before your up to your armpits in martians." (Bugs Bunny quote) But I tell myself to be calm and be yourself. This guy on the phone sounded like he has a passion for his idea and when you meet these kind of people, great things always happen. As I am walking in the door, the guy on the phone introduces himself and we sit and had a good discussion. By the end of the discussion we stroke a deal and we shot tomorrow. YES!!!!!!! But I have encounter a small problem.

The problem:
This project has to be ready to go by Wednesday. Gulp, its a fast deadline, but I am thankful I have the weekend off. We shoot Friday, and that's gives me Saturday and Sunday to edit. That is a total of 16 hours to edit before Monday. I can give him a rough copy by Monday and hopefully he likes it and all I have to do is make some simple adjustments and boom, he gets the copy by Wednesday. In a perfect world that would be great, but it never goes by plan. So I will take this one day at a time and keep everyone up to on how the editing goes.

Next few days:
Since this is my first project I will be doing while trying to blog at the same time, my posts might become a little shorter than normal. Scary thought since these posts are short to begin with. Also when this project is over I will post some pictures of the project. Ladies and Gents, this is a good way to start off the year.

Coming up in the future:
After the project is done I will make my gofundme account. I have found a lead that says that I can buy lights as low as 250. I don't know if this is just for the light or for everything but I will investigate and make sure this is legit. Afterward I am getting back to trying to create the web series. On Sunday I will introduce a new blog for other viewers to read. I am excited to introduce her and hope you all will click on her link and read her blogs. But I will keep you in suspense until then. So, still go and check out thenetflixhorrorguide blog. This blog is finding films that I didn't even know exists and I know a lot of films. So if you like horror films go check it out. Leave a comment and tell me what you think. +Laile Griffin I found you Booya I'm awesome :)

Griff's Lair

ah the fun begins

Update on projects:
Yesterday I was talking about maybe having some projects coming up soon. Well I have no news on the ones I was talking about but I do have a interview tomorrow for a project. YES!!!!! Now I don't have this in the bag yet and I still have a lot to do before tomorrow but it is sweet. And hopefully I will show it to the world soon. But this got me thinking, should I open up my other projects.

Projects from the past:
I have some other projects on vimeo and anyone is welcome to see my work but there is one small problem. No one can get to them unless I first show them where to look. I never look at this as a bad thing until today. When the client ask to see my work, I had to give him a back door, a link to my vimeo account through a video I did,  to see my stuff. I need to make this easier so if anyone wants to see my projects I can give them a link thats to my page and not just to a certain video. So now I have put another thing on my list of things that need to be completed.

Problem has occurred:
I have found out that I need to newest version of compressor for my mac. I have the older version and now realized it is not compatible with the update. ( wish I would of known that earlier) So its another thing on my list of items I need to make projects compatible with the outside world. I guess its better to find out now than later

Other news
I have not set up my gofundme account yet. Hopefully I can have it set up by this weekend but there is a part of me that hopes it doesn't due to filming this project. Can't you tell how excited I am!?!? I can't stop writing about it. Anyway I want to create the account soon so I can get finally see if this is a waste of time or if I can really make some money and start buying new gear to help my chances of creating art that pays. Jaded Turk's site thenetflixhorrorguide is also going steady. He is reviewing the original Evil Dead movie and you should go check it out.

Griff's Lair

PS

Maybe I should start putting pictures and videos up what do you think?

Possibly new projects on the way

Happy New year everyone, as the new year starts, I am trying to get my feet under me and get projects going. The goal for the year is simple, to write a blog everyday and to get my feet under me. This is the year that I experiment till I get it right. I don't know what right is but I can't it figure out sitting on my butt wishing for something to happen.

Plans are brewing:
I have been in touch with a few people who are discussing about creating a web series. This web series would be just the thing I need to work on my editing and graphics. Now I can hold my own when it comes to editing, but I don't just want to hold my own, I want to dominate. I want people to see this and go wow, thats good. But let it be known that if the plans do fail, I will make my own web series and be a one man show. I rather go down trying than not trying at all.  I promise tomorrow post will be longer. I think I will take the rest of the day and enjoy it.

Next time:
Pictures and shooting

Again go check out thenetflixhorrorguide.blogspot.com.