Archive for category Videos
Back to Basics
The first CD I ever bought was Pearl Jam’s “Ten”. That being said, it’s been interesting to see the emerging styles of Eddie Vedder’s solo albums, “Into the Wild”, and more recently, “Ukelele Songs”. Eddie Vedder is married, has children, and seems comfortably relaxed with his life, which is reflected in his approach to his music, from the calm, deliberate, antithetical stance of “Society” to “Just Breathe” with its simple and pure expression of life, death, and love. I’ve been looking for a project in which I can edit around his music. Here’s “Longing to Belong”, a clean, perfect love song. Try to tell me you can’t see it too.
Skyler’s Celebration
I just finished capturing the footage from Skyler’s Benefit. This benefit dinner, which included a concert and silent auction, was held to help raise money for Rebekah Grant. Rebekah and Skyler Grant were in a serious car accident on Monday, Feb. 21. Tragically, 9 year old Skyler did not survive. When I film an event I’m usually so focused on my viewfinder that I don’t always feel completely present. But I couldn’t help but read the emotion on all of the faces. Looking over the footage, It’s awesome to see all of these aspects of the community come together in such a positive way. I’m just thankful I could play a small part in the evening. Below is an edited version the the balloon release ceremony.
Grant
Is Hi Def all Hype?
According to Nielsen, 56 percent of households now have at least some HD channels and an HD set. Only the VCR has rivaled High Definition’s speed of adoption. As broadcasters increase their HD programming options, and viewers become accustomed to HD quality sound & audio, it’s expected that the format will increasingly become the standard.
But is High Definition the right choice for your video project simply because it is the best thing we have to shoot on right now? I’ve shot in HD and I love it. Its rich detail is even more beautiful in widescreen. If you already own a Blu Ray player and High Definition TV, and you don’t mind paying extra for HD, then go for it. If not, we still offer alternatives.
If you choose to have your project shot Standard Definition widescreen 16:9 your final edited DVD will fill your large HD Television screen. In fact many Blu Ray players today can upscale Standard Def DVD’s, which improves the viewing results somewhat.
HD is definitely the future, without a doubt. Knowing this, onTask Media offers HD for those that don’t mind paying the extra expense that comes with a superior finished product
Grant
Thanks Adam
Spent some time during these snow days at home tinkering around with my website. Needless to say, I wrecked it. Blank white screen. That’s where curiosity gets you. Happy Ending: I Just want to send a huge thank you balloon to Adam Aaron at chuggles.com for bringing it back online. Whenever I run into trouble maintaining my site, he’s Johnny on the Spot. Adam is currently an associate creative director with esurance and a freelance advertising art director. Check out his portfolio at chuggles.com.
Grant
Kokomo Bridal Gala
Saturday I attended the 2011 Winter Kokomo Bridal Gala along with other vendors from all over north central Indiana. I always have a good time meeting with couples as well as other vendors. At the show, Rozzi’s Catering Continental Ballroom sponsored a cake dig contest in which brides dug through an enormous wedding cake to find diamonds. Actually the diamonds represented prizes. Still these brides really got at it.
The winner of the grand prize drawing was Kayla Ewing, and her extremely excited fiancé, Kevin. After Jeff Hodson makes the announcement, he and his wife Jennifer from Wedplan 101 introduce the couple to their prize valued over $1,900.
Confessions of a Mac-aholic
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a Mac guy. My editing suite (Final Cut Pro) is Apple software. My classroom is a Mac lab. I’ve studied Steve Jobs presentations online. I drank the Kool-Aid. I’ve wanted an IPhone for a long time. Over the summer my wife (whose contract was up) switched to Sprint to try out their service before our inevitable switch to the IPhone. The service was patchy, plus they don’t yet have a 3G network in our town, which is important to a data package.
So this fall we got a great deal on the Samsung Fascinate running the android operating system. The first thing I noticed was that the phone walked and talked just like an IPhone, from the hardware to the interface. It was more customizable, stored data on an SD card, & seemed to have as many apps. Plus my school is transitioning their domain to Google’s web based mail, so add frequent Google apps/doc use to the mix (for free btw). I even found workarounds for my contacts calendars and bookmarks, so I had no practical excuses.
I Love this phone. I’m warming up to Google. But don’t touch my Imac
Grant
Big Week
This morning I saw an ad in the paper for the Kokomo Bridal Gala. I’ve gone to this show for the past two years. I’ve gained clients from the show, but have especially enjoyed talking with couples. So this week I’m gearing up for next saturday. Printing new business cards, putting together a new demo video, getting a haircut. If you see me there, don’t hesitate to say hello and ask any questions you want.
Grant
Just Keep Swimming!
From July through November of 2010, my wife and I were the parents of 2 kids under 2 years old. It has given 9 pm a whole new meaning. I used to think 9 pm was early. It was time to relax & unwind. Now 9 pm means bedtime for the kids and time for me to go to work editing. This is the time when I look back and wonder where the day went. I can list the events of the day but somehow they slipped past me like ninjas. Having repeated the process week after week, the last 6 months have flown by. I don’t mean to sound unappreciative or full of self-pity. I have a lot to be thankful for. My family is happy and healthy. My classroom is growing more productive. At onTask Media we’ve had several projects to work on. We’ve streamlined our workflow, purchased new equipment, & made contacts, all of which will benefit us in the future.
Actually I’m looking forward to the next year. We’re lining up projects that will redefine onTask Media and enable us to serve a diverse range of needs. Cool stuff coming down the road. Hold on.
Grant
Keeping Track of Soundtracks
I subscribed to netflix this summer, which was a great decision. Around our house, we average a DVD per week through the service. Through this regular movie going I’ve found that movie soundtracks are a great place to find wedding music (duh). Among those I recently came across was Dan in Real Life. First of all, this movie is hilarious. The soundtrack was scored by Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche. The album features several mood-rich Acoustic guitar based instrumentals. Among the other tracks are whimsical, upbeat songs like “Modern Nature”, a duet which features Regina Spektor, or the love song “My Hands are Shaking”. Another standout is the cover of Pete Townshend’s “Let My Love Open the Door”
Like most married men, I have to watch “Chick Flicks” from time to time. Although I wouldn’t watch the movie again, “Just like Heaven” begins with a slow, acoustic version of the Cure song “Just like Heaven” as interpreted by Katie Melua. While searching for the song online I came across a number of other versions/covers. One, performed by Laura Cortese, which would work well at setting the mood in a wedding. On a side note, I’ve always preferred Dinosaur Jr.’s version of this song, although it’s much less romantic than others.
Perhaps you might find these a bit pedestrian, so……..got any others???
Grant