Editing Luke in 2007

This post wasn't made in 2007, but it should've been (which is why it's been dated as such).  To fit with all of the my yearly recaps that came after 2008, I decided to create the one recap I missed the first time around.  Here's what highlighted the first year of Editing Luke in 2007.

May 31, 2007 - After retiring my old blog, I launched my brand new site Editing Luke on this day.  Here was my first post and mission statement.

June 2, 2007 - Having recently returned from a road trip to Mount Rushmore, I debuted a series of video postcards that I cut from a mix of my travel footage.  Uploading these projects to YouTube was a new experience and this marked the first time that I shared a lot of these edits publicly.

June 15, 2007 - My summer in Regina, not to mention this blog, was really kicked off with the creation of a little project titled, Buick to the Future.  Over the course of the summer a trilogy was created that resulted in thousands of video views for my underdeveloped YouTube channel.

July 28, 2007 - Creating a new site and trying to figure out how to brand my work wasn't an easy process.  The first few weeks especially saw me constantly redesigning my blog header and attempting different styles of posts.  I called attention to these changes with this post.

September 8, 2007 - My final year of film school kicked off and I wrote about my past and my fears about the future as Welcome Week ended.  

October 21, 2007 - In what became the template for how I showcased my other projects, I wrote my first indepth post about one of my film school shorts, Keys to Existence.

October 23, 2007 - Like every aspiring YouTube personality did before me, I created my first lip sync video.

November 28, 2007 - This was my first mention of the Sasktel video competition that I entered with my short, Give it Time.  I had no idea how essential my blog would become in helping with my promotion.

December 16, 2007 - After shooting what would become my second Sasktel submission, The Gizmo Tree, my friend Tyler and I had fun building one of the worst snowmen in history. 

December 19, 2007 - Before heading back home for the holidays I debuted The Gizmo Tree and officially kicked off my campaigning for the contest that would become in January.

Happy Holidays!

Well it's finally that time where I take that lengthy drive back home for Christmas. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been checking in on my blog since it started back in the summer. In that time I've been able to share over 30 of my original edits, and generally speaking have been motivated by the feedback and support many of you have given me. I wish all of you a happy holiday season and look forward to creating and sharing new videos with you in 2008!

The Gizmo Tree - Please Vote!

As of this morning i now have 2 videos uploaded into the Sasktel Cell-ebrities competition, where if you remember my previous posts about it, the grand prize winner gets $5,000!! What makes this right up my alley is that it's a video competition where you can do almost anything you want in regards to a cell phone themed video.

My first video 'Give it Time' was a sketch/commercial concept, but my 2nd submission, 'The Gizmo Tree' can be described as my narrative/mainstream entry. I think both short films have a different appeal, which was my goal in making two submissions. 'Give it Time' is a semi-experimental comedy and 'The Gizmo Tree' is my mainstream comedy piece. The deadline for submissions is less than 2 weeks away, at which time 10 finalists will be selected. Like i mentioned in my other posts, i could really use the money to help pay for school. Combating my debt is a huge incentive.

This latest film was shot on Sunday and partly yesterday afternoon. My friend Tyler helped me out with some of my initial scenes, but I'm proud to say that both my films have been largely independent endeavours. 'Give it Time' was obviously easier to do, but the entire second half of 'Gizmo Tree' was done completely solo. Keep in mind i have no crew or budget, so the fact that i starred in, wrote, directed and edited both of my projects should show just how committed i am.

In any case, the link below will take you directly to my video where you can view it and rate it. Be kind, it's nearly Christmas! haha.

The Gizmo Tree:

http://www.cell-ebrities.ca/site/node/137

Thanks for checking it out!

Sad Little Snowman

Today was a busy day of shooting projects before heading home for the holidays later next week. The first project shot today was a brand new contest video (The Gizmo Tree) which will be uploaded within the next couple of days.

Besides that though, I had wanted to make another little time lapse video (similar to my dorm Christmas tree one) for my blog/YouTube account. At the end of a long day of shooting these projects, here is the sad little snowman that my friend Tyler and I made to wrap things up. Personally I love it, although by the end of the day the wet snow had stopped and what was left was too powdery to make a snowman. This was obvious, however it didn't stop us from giving it an honest effort in Tyler's backyard.

I think our snowman's depressing stature does for snowmen what Charlie Brown did for Christmas trees. Happy holidays everyone!

Desert Island Flicks #10

See the updated review by clicking the badge below.

A Vote A Day . . .

Keeps my video in play! I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to check out my entry in the Sasktel Cell-ebrities Contest. It's great hearing your feedback, and i couldn't be happier about the support i've been receiving.

There's still plenty of time left to cast a vote, whether you've already placed one or not. You can vote once every 24hrs! I'm not far from begging people to check out my video as the rivalry on the site is starting to heat up with the competition coming to a close at the end of the month. So far i've been in pretty good standing, but all of the other films in the top 10 have quite a few more votes than i do (although my rating isn't too bad). If you have the time, please click the link below to watch and vote for my short 3min video, Give it Time.

http://www.cell-ebrities.ca/site/node/124

Once again, i just want to thank all of you who have checked out my project and helped me along in this competition. You can be sure that i'll be updating more about how things are panning out in the contest in the coming weeks. Thanks for your time folks!

Sirens of Treasure Island

This is another new edit I put together from my 2005 Las Vegas footage. Sirens of TI is the free live show that they put on out of front of the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. You've probably seen bits and pieces of it, it seems to be as common as the volcano in front of the Mirage. In any case, I wanted to share a bit of the show. It's cool to see, but it might actually be better as a highlight reel without the lame dialogue.

I Need Your Vote!!

Hey Folks!! I've entered a video contest here in Saskatchewan called Cell-ebrities that's being put on by the provincial phone company (Sasktel). All you had to do was make a video that had something to do with cell phones and then upload it to their site for a chance (after judging and public votes) to win a grand prize of $5,000. I've made a video called Give It Time, and now i need your votes to help it get noticed.

Being a post-secondary student I could use the money for another semester, and considering that I'm a film major this contest seemed like a fun assignment to take part in regardless. This stage in the competition is just about sharing your work and creating buzz for yourself to be selected as a finalist. The contest officially wraps at the end of December, at which time finalists will be chosen.

Still, your votes at this stage could help my film get recognized and give me a better chance at making the next round. You can cast a vote once every 24hrs.

TO VOTE FOR 'GIVE IT TIME' CLICK HERE:

http://www.cell-ebrities.ca/site/node/124

My friend Tyler also has uploaded a video called 'GILLIGAN' so i encourage you to check out and vote for his film as well. To see it click here:

http://www.cell-ebrities.ca/site/node/119

Desert Island Flicks #9

See my updated review of Almost Famous by clicking the image below.

Mini Film Fest

Sorry folks! I've been busy working on a couple new projects so I've been neglecting my blog. I'll try and get back in the swing of things soon, but with the holiday season fast approaching there are a few things i want to finish so i can share them when visiting with family and friends. In the meantime here is a mini Editing Luke film fest with a few random projects from the last few months.

Flying - Random Edit

Alphabet - Video Poem

Vegas 2005 Postcard

It Got Me Thinking

"In the future, everybody is going to be a director. Somebody's got to live a real life so we have something to make a movie about." - Cameron Crowe (director of Almost Famous)

WGA & the 2007 Strike

You must be aware that the Writer's Guild of America is striking. How could you not be? It seems to be the only thing people on tv are talking about anymore. I get it, I understand, I think the writers deserve their share but I'm sick of it. Especially the late breaking excuse for news on ET. Let me tell you ET this is not breaking news, it's the same bloody thing everyday! Execs, just give the writers their share and let's move on!


My patience with striking is also wayning due to the strike going on with service staff here at the university. It's already in its second week and I just finally starting getting my mail again (since I live on campus it's kind of a big deal to have people working in the office).

It's pretty much the same issue, the big guys at the uni holding out on everyone else even though they've been increasing tuition every friggin' year. Anyway, I thought I'd start a new category on this blog titled 'In the Media' where I'd share bits and pieces every now and then about what's going on in the entertainment world - or the real world. Sorry, no celebrity gossip, but tidbits about highlights that grab my attention.

I don't plan on repeating much of the news, that's what everyone else is for and honestly I don't get enough readers that it would even matter. Mostly I'll share things that I've found in relation to bigger stories more or less. Here are several interesting videos I came across in regards to the WGA Strike of '07.

A World Without Writers

Voices of Uncertainty

End the Stike Now!

Land of Living Skies

Here in Saskatchewan the provincial license plates declare that this place is the Land of Living Skies. It may sound a bit generic, but it's actually true. One of the notable features of Saskatchewan (it's kind of a stereotype too) is how flat it is.  It's easy to take the landscape for granted, but it does make for some epic views.

From the roof of the university residence you can literally see from flat horizon to flat horizon. If you find yourself driving on the Trans Canada highway into Regina you'll also find that you can see the downtown buildings about 30 minutes before you're even in the city. The natural landscape can easily be described as bland because there's just so much of the same thing, but the more I've traveled (even just to other parts of the prairies) you really do notice that this place is unique. 

Perspective is an important part of filmmaking and something that's discussed at length in film school, but it's also an important part of appreciating the things that you didn't even realize were so defining.  These are a couple shots of a sunset that I snapped from the roof of the residence a couple weeks ago. Pretty incredible.

Dorm Xmas Tree

I'm a Christmas junkie, so as soon as Halloween ends the holiday season starts for me. The ritual has usually been pretty simple. I'll throw on a Christmas movie, this year it was Christmas Vacation, and I'll put up my plastic tree. It'll be up until mid-December when I take it down and head back to my parents house for Christmas. A tree is a great decoration though, and it certainly sets my dorm apart by making it feel more comfortable, relaxed, and home-like.

Here is a quick little video of me putting up my tree last year. There was really no sense in making a new video because the process and the look are pretty much the same every year anyway. It may only be me and the department stores setting up this early, but here's a little dose of Xmas to get you counting down too.

For A Degree

I recently started to seriously question whether or not I still wanted to pursue my degree in film production. This wasn't just a random thought, but instead the culmination of doubt, frustration and serious questioning about the actual worth of an already lengthy university experience. I'm not about to dissect the importance of a degree because it seems pretty obvious. What I went through in the last week, I understand now, has been about rediscovering and redefining my goals.

I'm on a break until next semester now, and with this time I plan on doing a few more personal projects, making some money, and setting some realistic goals for myself. I'm smart enough to know that no one just finds motivation or inspiration, it's something that you have to work for; something that you have to pursue. Being a student has a lot of positives and negatives, but it's temporary. I'll be working now to remind myself that what I do here will have more worth when I actually start my 'real' life. Motivation doesn't come easy on the path to a degree.

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." 

-Goethe

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." 

-Oliver Wendell Holmes

"If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves." 

-Thomas Edison

"I Got A Rock"

Halloween is fast approaching, and although my celebrations have been pretty lame this year it doesn't mean I haven't been watching some of my Halloween favorites. Going by the title of this post, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown has been one of them. I just wanted to remind folks to go easy on the rocks this year. They're hilarious to give, but not so much fun to receive. Charlie Brown even had to be censored.

Desert Island Flicks #8

Check out the updated post by clicking the banner below.

My First Lip Sync Vid

I thought since I was going for variety on my YouTube channel and blog it was about time that I did a lip sync video - just jumping on the bandwagon, y'know? I chose the song Army by Ben Folds Five because I think I relate to it somewhat, but mostly it's just a fun song that I already knew all the words to. Not much else to say I guess, so enjoy me making a fool of myself, haha.

Keys to Existence (2004)

In my 2nd year of film school one of the core assignments was to make an experimental film. As I remember it was all open concept, so you could pretty much do whatever you wanted to. I'm no experimental film buff, but the one thing that drives me crazy about avant-garde is that so many films just seem like random imagery that the filmmaker throws in, hoping that the audience or critics will give it meaning. I didn't want to do this. So in establishing my idea I got thinking about how I could create obvious symbols that would make my experiment a bit more accessible.

I woke up in the middle of the night a few days after the project was assigned, and I'm not sure why exactly but I started writing. I was thinking about the piano that my parents had, and I started working out different patterns that I could make between the piano keys and my hands playing them. A list of comparisons and contrasts evolved into a symbolic depiction of how humans interact with the planet. With countless hours of revision, it was these random bits and pieces of concepts became the basis of my project, Keys to Existence.

Everything seemed to go pretty fast after that. Suddenly I felt I had a fresh and exciting idea, although it's always tough to make others see what you're thinking right off the bat. I remember going around the table in production class to share what we all planned on doing, and I recall some blank expressions. "You're making an experimental film about playing the piano"? In retrospect, had I been on the other end of the table I probably would have questioned the exact same things.

As I refined my idea, and worked out my finished storyboards and shot lists it became more clear that I'd come up with something pretty original. It also met my criteria for being meaningful and poignant without seeming too cryptic or unnecessarily arty for the purpose of faking a message.

At the end of the semester my completed film received a 95% which is probably the highest mark I've ever got on such a major assignment in university. I'm pretty sure that was the highest mark of any assignment in our class, because as an added bonus I won the 'Jury Prize' that year (Best Personal Project in 2nd Year Production) as selected by my film profs. The award was a certificate and a secondhand trophy.

This is the original 2004 version of Keys that I submitted in class.



In the spring of 2005 I submitted Keys to Existence to the Medicine Hat Student Film Festival (back in my hometown) where I ended up winning 2nd place overall in the festival. However, the real highlight was winning the Audience Choice Award. That festival, although it was the first that I had ever taken part in, became the primer for several larger events. Over the summer of 2005, I decided to improve my short further by cleaning up some of the filters and adding several brand new scenes to broaden to the scope of the project.

Due to my success at the MHFF I next submitted my film to the Youngcuts International Film Festival, a competition for filmmakers 25 and under held in Toronto that year. Out of hundreds of entrants, I received an 'Official Selection' as part of the Top 100 movies, which meant that my film was screened in a movie theatre for the event. All this was quite a rush, because for the first time I experienced what it was like to have the support of complete strangers. Even more exciting, and remember that this was before my blog, it was great to feel like I was actually doing something with my work besides storing it on a shelf.

Several months later, I submitted Keys to BUDi2006 - an international digital media festival in Busan, South Korea. Out of 280 global submissions, I was thrilled when I heard that Keys to Existence was selected. Furthermore, out of 31 films in my category, I was shortlisted into the Top 7 and had my film played in an open exhibit with an estimated 10,000 people in attendance.

*Update 2008: Thanks in large part to this blog and my YouTube channel, I was contacted directly to have Keys screened at a giant outdoor multi-media festival/concert in the UK this summer. Only days later I was contacted again to have my movie featured in a short film series broadcast in the USA. See Mom and Dad? Those piano lessons in elementary school paid off after all.

This project continues to mean a lot to me because it symbolizes the start of my film festival pursuits and it got me thinking about my career seriously. Perhaps most significant though, Keys has influenced everything I've made since. It was this project that gave me the confidence to acknowledge my own potential and push through the criticisms and doubt that hit head on in early film school. Although filmmaking is as simple as merely filming something, being a filmmaker is something else; Keys helped me realize that.

Without further delay, please enjoy Keys to Existence.

Keys to Existence (2005)
Keys to Existence Promo (2008)

What Movies Teach Us

Not only are movies entertaining folks, they're also based on reality . . . or maybe not quite. I got a kick out of this list of film cliches that you only need to see about 10 movies to know are hilariously true. So, to repeat, movies teach us:

• During all police investigations it will be necessary to visit a strip club at least once.


• If being chased through town, you can usually take cover in a passing St. Patrick's Day parade - at any time of the year.


• All beds have special L-shaped cover sheets which reach up to the armpit level on a woman but only to waist level on the man lying beside her.


• All grocery shopping bags contain at least one stick of French Bread.


• It's easy for anyone to land a plane providing there is someone in the control tower to talk you down.


• Once applied, lipstick will never rub off - even while scuba diving.


• The ventilation system of any building is the perfect hiding place. No-one will ever think of looking for you in there and you can travel to any other part of the building you want without difficulty. There is never any dust or lint in them either.


• If you need to reload your gun, you will always have more ammunition - even if you haven't been carrying any before now.


• You're very likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.


• Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German officer, it will not be necessary to speak the language. A German accent will do.


• If your town is threatened by an imminent natural disaster or killer beast, the mayor's first concern will be the tourist trade or his forthcoming art exhibition.


• The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window in Paris.


• A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.


• If a large pane of glass is visible, someone will be thrown through it before long.


• When paying for a taxi, don't look at your wallet as you take out a bill - just grab one at random and hand it over. It will always be the exact fare.


• Kitchens don't have light switches. When entering a kitchen at night, you should open the refrigerator door and use that light instead.


• If staying in a haunted house, women should investigate any strange noises in their most revealing underwear.


• Mothers routinely cook eggs, bacon and waffles for their family every morning even though their husband and children never have time to eat it.


• Cars that crash will almost always burst into flames.


• The Chief of Police will always suspend his star detective - or give him 48 hours to finish the job.


• A single match will be sufficient to light up a room the size of a baseball stadium.


• Medieval peasants had perfect teeth.


• Although in the 20th century it is possible to fire weapons at an object out of our visual range, people of the 23rd century will have lost this technology.


• Any person waking from a nightmare will sit bolt upright and pant.


• It is not necessary to say hello or goodbye when beginning or ending phone conversations.


• All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they're going to go off.


• It is always possible to park directly outside the building you are visiting.


• It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts - your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessors.


• Police Departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned a partner who is their total opposite.


• When they are alone, all foreigners prefer to speak English to each other.


• You can always find a chainsaw when you need one.


• Television news bulletins usually contain a story that affects you personally at that precise moment.

Calgary Zoo: African Savannah

This is a follow up to the previous post. I took footage from the new African Savannah building at the Calgary Zoo where the hippos, giraffes and zebras are, and edited it into a short video. Like I mentioned before it's a really beautiful zoo.

Calgary Zoo: Elephants

A couple summers ago I took a trip to the Calgary Zoo and shot a ton of footage of the various animals. The zoo itself is pretty amazing for a city of just over a million people, with several brand new complexs. Anyway, I thought that since I had shot so much footage I'd start going through it to see if there was more I could do with it. Turns out that there's quite a bit that I never used in my finished video (At the Zoo), but at least now I can share the extras.

Since my visit in 2005, they've built a brand new building for the elephants, and when I shot more footage the next summer construction was well underway. The elephants have always been one of my favorites, especially when they interact with each other. It's just watching for those little moments when they show their personality that makes it such a great experience.

Across the Universe

So it instantly gets attention because of the Beatles tunes, but what do you think of the movie? Have you seen it yet?

I hope to catch it within the week. I've got to come clean that I'm a pretty big Beatles junkie so I feel obligated to check it out even if the critics rip it apart. The covers are pretty good from what I've downloaded, and how can the music suck considering the source? I'm certainly intrigued!

Any perspective on Across the Universe?

Desert Island Flicks #7

Click the banner to check out the revised post.

More Music Video Concepts

I've always enjoyed watching music videos as a way to study editing and unique concepts in general. More than other mainstream entertainment, music videos have such a wide range of creative freedom that it's not uncommon to see experimental and stylistic techniques executed in wonderfully original ways. Like i've mentioned before, it's not always about complicating things, sometimes simplicity seems much more clever. Here's a few examples of music videos that have inspired me in one way or another.

Okgo - A Million Ways
I love the dancing in this video, but it's the single take and static image that makes this video unique because it's still fun to watch despite any editing!

Such Great Heights - The Postal Service
The song has a great energy to begin with, but the 'grand design' concept is superbly executed in the precise movements of machinery and computers.

Living On Video - Pakito
The music may sound like typical trance, but the video is a visual overload of kaliedoscopic patterns and ridiculousness.

In-Camera Ontario Edits

These are the three original in-camera edits I made back in the summer of 2000 while on a family vacation.  We visited Ottawa, Toronto, and Niagara Falls, and I shot these videos entirely on the go, timing my shots them while listening to the songs I picked out on my discman.  Only the graphics and music were added in post.

The Office Season 2 Bloopers

I love bloopers, but even more than that, I love the Office. It's one of the funniest shows on TV today, and now in its 4th season it's still just as hilarious as ever (the British version that inspired it is great too). The mockumentary (documentary spoof) style of the show allows for some great unscripted moments, and nothing shows the chemistry and process better than these season 2 bloopers. I could sit here and write out why I think you should like the show, but the reasons are all too obvious for anyone who has caught an episode. Check it out.
 
The Office Season 2 Bloopers

Las Vegas Video Postcard 2005

You may remember that I had already done a Las Vegas edit and shared it in the Dusting Off Video Postcards entry when I started this blog. After rewatching it, and since completing a few more edits, I thought I could do better.  I don't plan on doing a bunch of re-edits, but I do want my videos to stand out and I think there's a lot of value in showcasing the quickly evolving Las Vegas strip. Not long ago, I also did an edit of the Fremont Street Experience and downtown Las Vegas, which I think turned out pretty well too.  Here's a slice of my short time in Las Vegas from 2005.

Directing Class

I was sitting in my new Directing class last Thursday and it hit me that half of the people in it had glasses. I have nothing against folks with glasses (although I don't wear them), but it was the stereotypical thick rimmed black 'filmmaker' frames that really caught my attention. Do people go out of their way to get these when they decide they want to be a filmmaker? Half of the class is about 10 people, and it didn't matter if it was a guy or a girl they were still wearing the same style.

I've often considered myself outside of the expectation of what a filmmaking student should look like. I'm not 'artsy' looking, and have got the 'well, you don't look like a stereotypical film student' comment from new faces a few times. I'm not saying I've got it right, I just want to know what's the deal with the glasses!?

If the first few paragraphs didn't make it clear, the class lent itself to a lot of reflecting. It's not that don't care about the material (in fact I should be more interested considering it's a 4th year production class) but I feel that in so many ways I've already experienced, and put to use, what the prof is drawing diagrams of on the board. This kind of comes off as arrogant, but to be fair, I've done a handful of festivals so far and have gained a certain level of confidence from having my submissions accepted, and twice as often rejected. This kind of relates to some of the previous posts that I've made where I've expressed my desire to get passed all the prep for something more practical and real. I sat through class mostly feeling anxious about putting the lessons to work, and kept myself focused by doodling. Am I really paying for this? My attentive student skills seemed to have melted away in first year.

Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty I feel I need to learn, however I'm skeptical as to whether I'll learn it here. No matter how much practical training you really get, especially in the arts, it seems twice as valuable to learn through trial and error. There's also a fine line between how much responsibility I think the school has and how much I have in preparing myself for what I want to do. I guess it's fair to say that directing class is getting me thinking, maybe randomly, but in the right direction . . . I hope.

White Pass & Yukon Railway

This was the first vacation I ever recorded. It was 1998, I was 14, and I was on an Alaskan cruise with my Mom, Dad and sister.  I shot a lot of great footage on that trip, but some of the best was from the afternoon that we spent on the White Pass & Yukon Railway. The trip took us from Skagway, Alaska through the northern tip of BC and into the Yukon territory.  It was the definition of a scenic ride.

What makes the White Pass so incredible is that the rails are literally on the edge of mountains, which in turn allows for some incredible views and maybe a bit of vertigo too. It was used back in the gold rush to transport workers and miners, but now, and for obvious reasons, it has a lot of tourist appeal. I don't think any video could ever really capture what the experience and views are actually like, but it's certainly fun to try.

Desert Island Flicks #6

Check out my updated post for Toy Story here.

Newport Beach Edit 2004

Here's a new edit. I'm starting to run out of old vacation footage, but to say the least, all these little clips I've been putting together have been great editing exercises. I made this video from the footage I shot on an afternoon at Newport Beach in Orange County (on vacation with a friend and her family in 2004). As summer starts to fade away, the thought of going to the beach and escaping another Saskatchewan winter is sounding better and better. I guess the video will have to do for now. 

Welcome Week & Sam Roberts Concert

There's a positive vibe around campus, but this is familiar territory for me. To be honest, because I didn't have to move into a new room, because most of my classes didn't even start this week, and because the weather was mild at best, it's easy to say that it has been a stale start to my last year of university. Not that it's been bad or anything, it just hasn't been all that riveting either (concert excluded). 

I guess to an extent you expect life to throw some bookends or defining moments at you because it seems like it's the right time. Well, maybe it's too early or I just haven't been looking hard enough.  Probably a bit of both.

I've got high expectations for what this year will mean, but I'm also fighting against the reality of what I'll do next. I'm ready to move on, but it's funny how much you feel like clinging to nostalgia at this point. Where did the guy I was in first year go?

I guess the obvious highlight this week was the Sam Roberts concert on the green, although the beer gardens was a big draw too. There have been numerous talks of back to school celebrations for several weeks, and it seems we've had 3 false starts (good times that didn't go as planned). Oh well. I guess most note-worthy is that Brother Down by Sam Roberts sticks in my head as one of those songs that takes me right back to first year. It was really his big break, and I guess there's some poetry in that he was here singing it.  I actually met Sam Roberts briefly when he performed with the Tragically Hip a few years ago.  We went to see them arrive and he came out to chat with us for a bit.  It was especially cool now that he's even more popular.

Next week school is officially in swing, and as the old adage goes 'good things come to those who wait'.  Maybe I'm trying to look for too much meaning, but then again I am an arts student. I guess that was the point of all those classes.

Lost Animation

Back in 2004 I took an animation class where for my final project I ended up making a claymation project called Over at Grandpa's. The premise was simple: an old man goes to change a light bulb, shocks himself, and gets the energy to dance the day away. The project was completed, but I've only got a rough copy of it on film. I can't even transfer it because the film is so rough. It's kind of a shame, but I was thinking about all of this because last night I was going through some old picture CDs and actually found the scanned images of the backgrounds I had drawn. To clarify, the old man was plasticine and he pretty much just ran through these various scenes on his dancing escapade - it was a stop motion test really. Here's the proof the project even existed.

Update - You can view the film strip from this project here.

Film 486: Found Footage

I've done some pretty weird projects over the years and the found footage project that i did for my experimental film class is one of them. The idea was to use whatever footage you wanted and switch up the meaning, or tell a new story. My film, The Other Time Machine isn't difficult to understand, but it is kind of strange. Crazy to think that this project is nearly a year old now, but in any case, enjoy my experiment!

Back to Film School

It's officially September now, and a final year of classes is but days away. If I'd have gone home for the summer I would've moved back into College West (residence) yesterday (Aug. 31). I was lucky to escape moving, not just between home and school this time around, but within residence itself. 

I put up with a headache back in April when the residence office had me move ONE room over. Still no good reason for that decision. After another ordeal about a week ago (proof that the squeaky wheel gets the grease) I was allowed to keep my current room. It wasn't so much that I put up a huge fuss, I just begged and pleaded. Pitiful that I have to fight to NOT move when I'm already living here, but at least it worked.

To some extent there is a lot that I could say about how I'm feeling at the start of this year, but mostly it's just the same feelings I've had every year at this time. I'm excited, anxious . . . really I'm used to it all. School is still several days away so it's too early to say what's good and what's bad, but I will share with you my back to film school tradition.

Back in September 2002 I came to the University of Regina to start my first year of post-secondary education. The Buick (which wasn't mine yet) was packed to the brim with my stuff, and I was incredibly nervous. I didn't know anyone in Regina, but it felt great to finally be stepping out on my own. 

The first thing I did when I got to my dorm room was set up my TV and DVD player to watch a flick while I unpacked. September '07 marks the 6th year in a row (ya, time to graduate I know) that I've started off by watching (what has now become) my back to school movie: Dazed and Confused (1993).

To be honest, I think I chose to play this movie when I first moved in because I figured it would make me feel less nervous to realize that there was no way things were going to be as bad for me as they were for Mitch Kramer (one of the incoming freshmen). Dazed and Confused is a comedy about "the last day of school at a high school in a small town in Texas in 1976. The upperclassmen are hazing the incoming freshmen, and everyone is trying to get stoned, drunk, or laid, even the football players that signed a pledge not to". -IMDb

What can I say? Another year of school can leave you pretty damn Dazed and Confused, so I figured I might as well just start out that way. That movie helped me with my educational transition at the beginning, now it's helping me at the end. It's great for a laugh, and no, it's probably not the best message to live by. But, it is a good time and that's what I'll be looking for in my final year of university!

Universal Studios Hollywood: Video Postcard

I ended up editing a new video postcard and thought it would be nice to share it before school starts.  This is old footage of Universal Studios Hollywood (originally shot in 2004) but the edit is new. Check out 'My Travel Edits' tag to see more of my video postcards, or check my YouTube channel. Anyway, here's one more send up to the end of summer. I'll pretend that heading back to film classes will be just as exciting as this.