Video.

So I decided to mess around with the video camera tonight, since Earl is out of town and I didn’t have much else to do other than on-call stuff.

You can take a peek at my latest special effects experiment here (requires Quicktime).

Or if you prefer the YouTube version, take a peek here.

I’ve discovered a lovely little sitcom on YouTube. It’s call “My Wife, The Ghost”. It’s filmed in fabulous black and white and edited in a traditional 50s or 60s style in the likes of “Bewitched” and whatnot. Sure, the premise is a little dark but it’s actually quite fun to watch.

I’m in awe of the production value of the episodes and now I’m totally inspired for my next video project.

Take a peek on You Tube.

I decided to mess around with the video camera this weekend and try out some ideas I had regarding split screen, among other things. My first attempt isn’t perfect, but it was great learning experience. You need Quicktime to see it, and it’s available here.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a huge “Bewitched” fan. I absolutely adore the show and have ever since I was a little kid. As a fan, I’ve often participated on the message boards at a website devoted to the show, Harpies Bizarre. There’s currently a discussion going on about who can twitch their nose like Samantha did and who can’t.

I’ve got about 30 years of practice behind me, but I am proud to say that I can twitch my nose with the best of them. And for the first time ever, this amazing feat is available for the general viewing audience.

If you have Quicktime, you can this wonderous act here.

Enjoy.

Earl and I have kicked back and relaxed most of the day. After the busy week we’ve both had, it’s just what we needed. After having supper at the local Greek restaurant, we came home and settled down to watch a DVD we purchased from the bargain bin a couple of weeks ago.

The movie was “Xanadu”.

While Earl and I had seen bits and pieces of the movie, neither of us had ever sat down and watched the entire movie from beginning to end. Being the fantasy and special effects buff that I am, “Xanadu” is right up my alley. The music is an added bonus.

“Xanadu” has 1980 written all over it in big, bold, colorful magical strokes. It’s not Shakespeare by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a great movie to escape to. The special effects are outrageously wonderful, the roller skating is wonderfully dated looking and the escapism of the movie is welcomed. I loved the movie and would watch it again in a minute. The crazy special and sound effects in the movie have furthered my interest in making my own videos; had I’d been old enough in 1980 and perhaps a little more focused in my creative endeavors I probably would have been making 8mm films in the spirit of “Xanadu”.

There’s nothing wrong with doing that in 2006. I’m inspired.

So I’ve been messing around with our camcorder and video software on the Mac Mini. I’ve done a little eight second movie to share. I’m being chased by bad guys and need to be beamed up and out of the way.

It’s not nearly as flashy as I would like to be, but we haven’t bought AfterEffects or Motion 2. That’s going to take some convincing on my behalf.

I’m pretty happy for my first little project. Now, on to the Oscars.

Here’s the movie. It requires QuickTime 7.