San Antonio 2007 Videos

For those of you that weren't able to make it down to SAICFF this year--or those who were and just want to remember it better!--thank God for Christian filmmakers who have YouTube accounts! Quite a few of us were there this year, video cameras in tow, shooting things here and there. Some, like Nathaniel Bluedorn, had VERY nice video cameras there and were shooting quite professional interviews. Some of us had consumer video cameras and just shot handheld videos. All of them are interesting though--little clips and cuts from sessions, meals, the award ceremony, and the all-important discussions in the hallways!



There are 9 movies on the playlist at the moment, and more will be added as they are uploaded and I find them. If you have good videos of the '07 San Antonio events, please reply back in the comments and I will add them to the list!

In His Service,
John Calvin Young

Globe Reacher TV: Tutorials and Tips for Filmmakers

My good friend Daniel Rivera, of Spring Branch, Texas, has announced a new series of short filmmaking technique videos to be posted on YouTube. The first episode deals with a quick fix to help improve camera movement on a tripod. I won't reveal the secret--go ahead and watch it below!



If you have a YouTube account you can comment on the video here--we want to see more things like this in the future!

IHS,
John Calvin

Messages gone awry: American Gangster

I recently read an interesting analysis of "American Gangster" by George Will. I have not seen this film--from what I've heard, though, it doesn't look like one which I will be seeing...

However, this review includes some very interesting scrutiny of how morality and our impressions are manipulated in this film. I don't know how accurate George Will is overall, but this is pretty incisive.

In "American Gangster," Frank Lucas, proud of the purity of his Blue Magic heroin, upbraids a dealer for selling a less-pure product under that name, denouncing the "trademark infringement" that damages "the brand." Message: A drug kingpin can master MBA-speak; the line between commerce and crime is blurry. (paragraph 5)

Read the whole story here.

"And rise up from the waters anew..."

I have been listening to some new music recently--prerelease music from EliEli's new CD He Went That Way. The band is composed of three brothers from Saskatchewan--Stephen, Nathan, and Aaron Nasby. They have put together some beautiful new music in traditional, yet new styles--glorious instrumental Celtic-tinged music interwoven with solid, God-honoring lyrics and the brothers' complex vocal harmonies. My favorite song from the album is "I Am Called"--

I hear, I hear a voice out of heaven
I see the heaven’s open up
I see, I see the dove is descending
A sign from God in whom He is well pleased

Chorus
And I am called to take another simple step of obedience
An open witness of my faith for you
So I will sink underneath the waters to crucify the old man
And rise up from the waters anew

If by faith I have accepted
All my life I yield to you
If by example you say follow
Then by water I will prove

Chorus
That I am called to take another simple step of obedience
An open witness of my faith for you
So I will sink underneath the waters to crucify the old man
And rise up from the waters anew

Repeat Chorus

Awesome baptismal hymn--Stephen said they sang it at his baptism. Unfortunately you won't be able to get it on CD for some time yet, but you can see why I can't wait to get the full CD if you listen to this sample from "I Am Called" here.

They have more samples and lyrics on their website--check it out!

Adobe OnLocation CS3

I recently had the opportunity to help shoot Hoplophobia, a short film that we shot DURING the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival--yes, screenings all day and shooting all night! More on that later...

Anyrate, I was handling some of the audio/computer stuff, and so I downloaded a thirty-day trial of Adobe's new product, OnLocation CS3. I want to get CS3 so bad! (Actually, OnLocation is bundled with Premiere Pro now, as is Encore DVD, so I don't HAVE to buy Adobe's CS3 Production Pack to get it...) On that set we had some filmmakers who really KNEW lighting--such as Josh Moore out of California. He and Jesse, our DP, used my laptop with Adobe's wonderful scopes (vector and waveform) and DV monitor all night long both nights to help adjust the camera and preview footage. Wonderful stuff--can't wait until I can get it for real.

I'll post a quick screenshot when I can find one from the set--I'm about run out on the trial. I might be able to find some video of it in action from the set on my camera to post on YouTube. For those that can't buy Adobe yet (like me) there is an alternative in some things--Blender has scopes in its Video Sequence Editor pane, although they don't work on live streams. For live previewing, VirtualDub works for a 1394 DV monitor when put into capture mode. No zebras though--pity--I really got used to using them in OL and will miss them on my next project, as my camera doesn't have zebras...

Ah well, I guess we'll have to wait and see what the Lord does--it isn't out of the realm of possibility that I could have the Adobe pack come January!

In His Service,
John Calvin Young

"This Award Belongs to Him!"

I had Scottie shoot this video with my camera @ the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival, during the awards ceremony. Not a very formal speech, but very much the sort of thing that has made the SAICFF what it is.



This would be either Stephen or David Bowman, makers of the winning trailer, "A Glorious Sunrise".

I will post a link to the trailer if and when I can find it. Rumor has it that Doug Phillips posted it on his blog, but I haven't been able to locate it.