A Film That Moves

For the second movie, we were instructed to create a movie that includes moving images. Since there were no specific content requirements, I let the creative juices flow. For the first movie, I chose the music first and then laid out the images on top. For this film, I decided on the clips before I chose the music. As you can see, I chose multiple sound tracks as opposed to the one I used in the first.

I find slow motion movies to be fascinating - everyday occurrences, such as a dog drinking water, never seemed so interesting until viewed in slow motion. You would think there would be significant contrasts between Larry David and Timothy Leary but if you give it some thought, they are more closely related after some exploring - which is why they ended up together. I had a difficult time choosing the Hendrix interview clip as well. I was torn between that and a great clip of John Lennon and Mick Jagger but ultimately I thought the Hendrix interview kept with the flow. Check it out.

Teamwork

Anyone that works in an organization that stresses the importance of teamwork should be able to confirm their aggravation when an individual, or individuals, don't contribute at the level that is expected - or at least the level of other team members. When there is work to be done and not nearly enough manpower to get all of that work done in the expected time frame, you're already working against the odds. But when team members are doing anything but working to achieve the set goals, what can be done other than trim that fat - or at least threaten to trim the fat. And will threatening do anything at all? Maybe the fat wants to be trimmed.

When everyone pulls their own weight, the moral of the troops tends to stay relatively high even if goals aren't met. All that counts is that everyone gives it their all (kind of). When the deliberate slacking is witnessed by fellow team members, it becomes nothing short of frustrating and even distracting to one's own duties. "Well if she doesn't get her work done, why should I?" This can relate to "If all of your friends jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you do it to?" Most would say no, but there are of course some that would reply: "Well, yeah because I would have no friends left." I would make new ones.

I guess what I am trying to stress here is the importance of team work in a professional environment and the significance of bringing as much to the table as you can or at least as much as your fellow team members. So much more can be accomplished if all parts are equal.

Sometimes the Songs that We Hear Are Just Songs Of Our Own

It was very difficult to sum up who I am in such a short movie, but I have attempted that here. I have left out all of the negative aspects in my life even though they define us just as much as the things we enjoy.

There are a few photos from my personal albums but most have been pulled from the internet. I think the most challenging aspect was deciding on the music. In the end, I feel as though I made the best choice. Keep in mind, this was my first venture into the world of iMovie.

The First

Watching Usher reenact Gene Kelly's every move in a Singing in the Rain "tribute" got me thinking about Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon played over the Wizard of Oz - aka Dark Side of the Rainbow. While there were obviously many collaborators in the Singing redo (it is quite remarkable), I wonder how many people it took to decide to play Dark Side over the Wizard of Oz. I'm not sure of the correlation between Dark Side of the Rainbow and Usher's Singing in the Rain - but it got me thinking.

Was it one lonely stoner sitting up at night who just happen to throw on the multi-diamond selling album (45 million) that stayed on Billboard's Top 200 chart longer than any other album in history (741 weeks or 14 years) while the Wizard was just beginning? Or was it a few music/movie geeks that experiment with splicing two different types of media that happen to come across this combo? A combo that just happens to be two of the most popular, best selling pieces of art this world has ever seen.

Of course Roger Waters and company have denied any connection between the two and are said to find rumors about the connection amusing, but it has to make you think. There are so many correlations between the two when they are synced properly that a connection, even if it is coincidental, cannot be denied.

At times it is simply scary - the alarm clocks in "Time" when we first see Miss Almira Gulch riding her bike down the dirt path, "Great Gig in the Sky" beginning just as the tornado is stirring, "Brain Damage" beginning during Scarecrow's "If I Only Had Brain" and of course the cash registers of "Money" clangining the second Dorothy opens the door in Oz and the screen turns to color. There are dozens of small details to look out for as well.

Here is the entire piece in 6 parts if you have 45 minutes or so to kill.














Pretty amazing.