So here is Webisode 1 of “Work Stories”, I say webisode because I’d like to parlay this into a series. Let me know what you think of that idea and this piece. And thanks to all that helped!*

P.S:  I’m gonna put a self imposed rating on this one as PG-13 as there is one instance of a drug related story.  If there are youngin’s present, parents please use your own judgement.  You could view it first and then see if it is harmless in your opinion or not.  But by no means does this video support drug use, nor does it make it glamorous; it does however exploit the fact that doing drugs can have weird and often humorous outcomes!

*Beatles song used with love, please don’t sue, I’m not getting money for this whatsoever!

Well, I don’t have children, so I don’t care. All I know is that I’m in Rm. B43 at Mitchell Hall, and I’m pullin’ another all-nighter.

All is quiet. All is calm. I’m listening to Spoon. They rock.

Ok, back to work, my video is done being captured, finally.

I had mentioned earlier this sememser to my fellow classmates that I had unearthed a wonderful mash-up type CD entitled “Cello Submarine”.  This is the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic playing new arrangements of Beatles songs.  Given the fact that I highly admire the cello and the Beatles, this album has it all, it is a tasty treat for  the ears.  My favorite tracks would have to include: Let It Be, Something, Michelle, and Norwegian Wood.  Have a listen for yourself and see what you think.  Let me know if you agree that this CD is awesome.  

And speaking of the Beatles, many of you may (or may not) be aware that there’s a new Beatles album out: Love.   Stemming from the days when George Harrison was still with us, comes the next evolution of the collaboration of The Beatles (with the approval of remaining alums Paul and Ringo, and of George’s widow and also Yoko Ono) and Cirque de Soleil.  I highly recommend this CD!!  It’s georgeous in it’s design.  Favorite tracks include: Something, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Lady Madonna.

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Well, as you may have noticed, I got a little delayed with my project. At any rate, I’m just glad it got done! Although there was some setbacks I am really proud of the work I produced. As this is the first videos I have ever created, I think this is a promising and encouraging start. It makes me think I’m on the right path. Yet, with any path there are obstacles, and this project had a few. First off, I’ve been sick for like a month. Mono really kicks your butt, know what I mean? So I had to sleep more than film or edit. And even though everything turned out great with all the people that helped me, I realize that working around other people’s schedules can be a struggle. Actually, for these projects it was more that my schedule didn’t mesh well with their availability.

As for my ideas and how they changed or evolved throughout the production process, they really were quite fluid in the way I shaped the ideas into a visual output. Since I haven’t been working with Final Cut Pro very long (to which there were computer kinks that were otherwise overcome with some sage guidance), so I didn’t have a clear idea of how to edit my work. Basically, it came through trial and error, just seeing what felt right. I think finding music (which through much searching is completely usable as they hold Creative Commons Licenses of Attribution only from Archive.org) was the key for editting, as it allowed for a framework to be established that I could construct my video around. Overall, this project has been a great learningexerience from which despite it’s rocky start has finished well indeed.

The title, though seemingly too simple, is the most accurate description I can come up with. My proposal is to interview a hand selected story tellers, those whose story is above and beyond the average daily work experience. I want to record these stories for all to enjoy, and let the people who experienced the tale first hand to describe it to the audience.

I think that the internet is a great place to distribute this kind of video. The stories I have so far found are mainly humorous; although some are just odd, they overall lean toward the comedic. I hope if this is successful to continue to record the work stories, as I ultimately have an endless supply of stories to choose from. Essentially, everyone has a story, and more often than not, they have more than one.

Being that my time is limited and my resources low, I would at first keep things simple. Choose a few friends with the best stories and interview them. With any luck I can get the shooting done in one or two days. I had another idea of creating a Twilight Zone/Unsolved Mysteries type webisode to dissect one of the more unusual of the stories, however, that would require more people and more time. Time is a resource I am in need of in great quantities these days, so I should not waste it. Maybe I’ll try that idea at a later time.

I think the style of the video should be that of a documentary, however, it doesn’t have to be very dry in style. One idea I have is to weave a few stories together, so that they unfold simultaneously and the conclusions given out at the end together. That may just get confusing, so I’m not sure exactly how to piece it together quite yet. The quality doesn’t have to be high, but not very low either. The tiny screen a computer allows for videos isn’t the greatest, so I will just try to make it acceptable. Overall, if this catches on, I’d like to create a series. A series would allow for expansion. For now starting small with a focused idea could draw people in by not being overly complicated.

My person video focuses on my sister’s boyfriend Mark Hubing. I really enjoy talking to Mark and learning about his many complexities. He’s always been an intruiging character, mainly because of his wit and sense of humor, but I also have learned as he became a part of our family about the other layers of his personality. This video examinies a little of these depths.

YouTube’s version of my video was rather poor on the image/sound sync, so to help correct that a bit I uploaded my video to Revver. Follow this link to my videos, and click on the one entitled “The Roastery”. For now it’s the only video I have on that site, but I’m sure I’ll upload my other videos there too!

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So yes my second video is up (sadly still delayed for the last one– don’t worry, it’s on the way!). My place of choice was the Cedarburg Coffee Roastery. I think I captured the essence of the place quite well. I hope the people who’ve actually been there agree with me.

This video is about people’s idea of home and what it means to them. I tried to find a range of ages that would cover the spectrum of life. I appreciate the fact that I found people I know who actually agreed to be interviewed on camera. Without them this video would not exist. So many thanks once again! I wanted to get honest answers from the people, and I think I succeeded. I tried not to have a long “pre-interview” so that for this video felt natural.

Secondly, the Place video, just need to talk with the owner and Steve to set up some times to film. The idea video, I have a list of people I’m going to talk to: My friend Toni (she recently had to sell her father’s home since he passed away last year), my friend Malina who lives in Las Vegas (I’ll do phone interview), and my friend Becki, who has moved a number of times in the last year due to new jobs and a new fiance, and she’s moving again… possibly to her childhood home.

That’s where I’m at.

Person:

I was going to do a video for my Basic Video class but my other idea was accepted (through a lot of option weighing since both ideas were well received by my instructor) so I was thinking that I could do a small version of that video for this class, like a prologue of sorts.  The person whom I find to be very interesting is Mark Hubing, my sister’s boyfriend.  Mark has a very unique personality which would show no fear of the camera, thus would convey well through this medium.  I think it may best to go about this documentary style and film snippets of Mark’s daily life.

My original idea was to focus on both Mark and his best friend Joe, because of the strong friendship that the two have, but I think with the time constraints of three minutes I will only focus on Mark.  He is a musician so some of the sounds I can incorporate would be of his original work.  I think scheduling may be the only possibility for problems to arise, but Mark is usually around enough that hopefully this would work out.

Place:

The place I think would be interesting to record would be this coffee shop I sometimes go to in Cedarburg called the Cedarburg Roastery.  Cedarburg in general is an interesting place to focus on because of the strange mix of conservative small town residents with the mingling of other more liberal minded residents (which are usually former out-of-towners).  The Roastery offers  a view of this life as people drink coffee at the tables outside while passersby take walks with their kids and dogs.

Besides this angle, the Roastery is very picturesque and quaint and offers the unique experience of being able to see coffee actually being roasted in a large roaster in the middle of the cafe itself.  I can incorporate the daily sounds of the the normal goings on and conversations that occur at the Roastery, and also the sounds of the roaster itself, which can be very loud at times (something which can be distracting at a coffee house, but  I guess it’s part of it’s charm).  The only obstacle I can think of is getting permission from the owners, but I am friends with someone who know the owner fairly well, so it shouldn’t be too big of a deal.

Thing/Idea:

I want to explore the idea of “home” in this last video.  One way I was thinking that could be done is with a series of small interviews with people about what they think “home” means, and what is “home” to them personally.  I would need to get some people that are willing to be filmed, which can be difficult when people get shy, but I think I know enough people that I could have enough material for a three minute video.  I might also then juxtapose the places people call home with their individual interview clip to help bring the idea out into the tangible world more.