Best Oscar

Ten years ago for one of my final projects in Art 30 we were tasked with creating something out of clay.  Being the humble movie lover that I am, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to craft an Oscar for myself before leaving for film school in the fall.  This was the result.

The top half and base were created and fired in the kiln separately, and I spray painted the top half gold and rubbed the base down with shoe polish for a really deep black. The two pieces were then attached with super glue, and it's held up ever since.  For an art project that I had in my room in high school, in my various dorms, back in my parent's basement, and now in my own place, it's become a symbol of my successes in moving forward with my career.

I couldn't be more proud of this little art project, and it actually contributed to a real achievement at the time.  I received a scholarship from the Art program at Hat High for having the highest mark in the program that year - which was actually more of a reflection of my willingness to experiment with every medium they'd let me try I think.

In any case, the nominations for the Academy Awards come out tomorrow and I'll be ready to check out as many of the films as I can before the broadcast.  In the meantime I'm going to continue working at completing my faux E.G.O.T.  A few months ago I found a gramophone statue at Value Village that looks just like a Grammy.  Emmy and Tony here I come!   

Enough To Do Something

I saw the new movie, The Descendants starring George Clooney the other night.  It was a great flick about embracing ones past and the future it presents, and there was a quote that stuck with me.  When Clooney's character is discussing inheritance for his kids, he says something along the lines of, "I want to give them enough to do something, but not enough to do nothing".

That's a brilliant way to think about it.

These days (and as a goal for this year in fact) I find myself in want of doing and experiencing more things. I want to go places, see things, and I'm not even referring to grand vacations necessarily.  I want to go to several museums in Alberta this year, I want to go to a car show, it looks like I'll be going to the Rockies a couple of times this summer too.  The idea that we should be content to stick to a routine or adopt entirely predictable habits is a bad one.  

Having enough money (or time in a lot of cases) to do something is just as important as the personal time to do nothing.  However, the goal shouldn't really be to do nothing at all, the goal should be to have the freedom to do a bit of everything as you see fit.  Rich or poor, it's easy to be lazy.  Finding new ways to be passionate about life takes work.

The lesson perhaps, and what I took away from that quote, is that we should feel accountable to the decisions we make in the pursuit of our own happiness.  We should feel a bit pressured to experience things while they're there to be experienced. Whether you realize it or not, your time is actually your own.  And, it's enough to do something.

Flip Cam Wide Angle Lens

Last Christmas I got my Flip Cam and was excited about the opportunity to shoot more home videos with it.  I actually used the camera so much throughout the year that I began looking for ways to enhance it.  I'd come across several wide angle lens adapters on Amazon, and this Christmas I finally got one.

The Rokinon lens comes with several adhesive magnetic rings that you can easily attach to your Flip Cam.  The lens itself has a magnet in its base so attaching it is a breeze, and for any skeptics, the lens really does make a noticeable difference by increasing the field of view 0.45 times.  The connection also feels very secure so there's really no fear of the lens coming off unless you want it to.

As far as simple upgrades for your video equipment are concerned, this is by far one of the most affordable options available for what's already a very consumer-friendly camera.  Below I've posted a clip to give you a better idea of how the lens works and what the footage looks like.  Pick up one of these lenses for a bit of added versatility when capturing your next home video.