This week started my first real experience in semi-professional video
capture and editing. It never ceases to amaze me how far technology has come.
Years ago, video editing was a much more time consuming and physically
demanding process. Thanks to the advent of computers and digital video, a
novice with a bit of time and dedication can make a half-decent product,
provided that their creativity is flexible, their patience thick and their heart
willing. I have a pretty powerful, but easy to use program and access to the
city’s HD digital camcorder. I’m not going to say I’m a pro by any means. Even
if technology has adjusted, so have the demands and actual professionals can
whip out a product orders better than what I can do, with computers that are
focused on this job.
I finally condensed the video I shot last week into a short video of
just shy of thirty seconds. I sent it out and got some feedback. Surprisingly,
what I’ve received was positive! My voice was not unbearable. I snuck up into
the office at 6am to record my voice and get to work before a staff meeting at
8 Monday morning. I will need to reshoot a couple of things however, one of
which will require me to wait until the weekend for capture. Breezy said she
didn’t want to stomp on my creative vision but, to be perfectly honest, I don’t
really have one. My creative vision is whatever they want it to be. None the
less, I’m pleased with my first draft and looking forward to filming again.
After all, my vision is black and white, in a city where vice rules
and crime never sleeps. Where a man’s worth is measured in grit and bullets…
Credit to Karva Javi on Flickr.
I was formally introduced at the city council meeting on Monday night.
I’m impressed that Palestine has gone to such great lengths to make an aloof
eccentric like I feel welcome, even though I’ll only be here for five weeks.
Five weeks. It’s difficult to believe I’ve only been here two weeks, and I’ve
got about three weeks left to go.
Mark Price was also sworn into the city council. It’s been in the
works for a while, but he officially took the oath Monday night. Mark Price is
an extremely likable man with a playful and bright attitude. He’s definitely a
character that sticks in your mind. Congratulations to him and thank you for
your service to Palestine, sir.
Mark Price being sworn in.
Last weekend was fairly uneventful. I went grocery shopping and did a
little more tasting of Palestine. On that note, the Taste of Palestine is
happening this Thursday. I’m hoping to be there to not only snag some footage
but some food as well. I’ll hopefully cut together a short video on Friday for
release on the city’s YouTube channel.
It’s one day after getting my schedule set out for the next three
weeks and circumstances have already thrown it into disarray! I had planned to
meet with the owner of The Redlands about producing a video for her; however
she’s not able to meet me until tomorrow morning. And while I have access to
the video camera, I don’t have access to the transfer cable, meaning I cannot
really work on video editing until Thursday, when I can get it again. So much
of my work for today has been pushed to tomorrow. What did I get done today? My
work for Wednesday, which was mostly research and preparing backlog blogs that
the city can post after I leave. I created and researched two blog entries and
part of the events for next week. I want to call the venues that are having
events for some more information I can publish. I even gathered some creative
commons images to use.
One positive: Breezy brought me a pair of peaches today. Thank you!
Tomorrow, after I film my videos about the Redlands, I’ll start out
writing my script for the video I was supposed to do today and wrap up my
events for next week blog. That should hopefully put me back on schedule for
Thursday, when I’ll cut up the videos I need to do and film some of the taste
of Palestine. Friday, I’ll cut the Taste footage together and get some footage
of the big Business Expo on Friday. These last two will take less time than the
video I cut yesterday since I don’t need to sync up narration with video or do
too much editing.
That would put me at the end of my third week here in Palestine, and I’ll
officially be on the downhill. I haven’t
decided what I’ll do this weekend, but it’s only Tuesday. It might storm
tonight.
Clouds gathered above in ill omen…
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