Category Archives: home video

Video on Instagram… Vinekiller?

video for instagram

Well, well, well. Bless their little monopolistic hearts, facebook has just blown up Vine with video for instagram. And as much as I want to say it sucks… I can’t.

Quick run-through:

  • iOS and Android – Good move but I personally don’t care. But it is huge.
  • 15 seconds vs 6 – Don’t care that much, this is like bar mitzvah videos to me, sometimes less is more. Brands will love it. Little 15 second spots all over town… great opp.
  • Editing – This is big. Not sure why it is not in their bullet screen above; this is a big feature. The Vine purists will say that capturing it in one take is the artform – it keeps it fresh, it keeps it real. I get that, but really? Bullshit, everyone likes to edit.
  • 13 custom filters – Yum and they had to do it. And filters by frame can be beautiful, or really tacky depending whose hands they are in like anything else. I admit I love filters but as an artist I am in that crowd that wears the #nofilter hashtag proudly whenever I can. Because, you know, ‘I went to art school, yo.” (and yes, I am way to old too say ‘yo’)
  • Cover frame – lovely, I like that I can pick the frame for the feed. And brands… this is huge for you.
  • Cinema – OMG, I actually can’t say anything bad about stabilization. (Seriously, who doesn’t aspire to stability? What? That is not what it means?) There is no need to take a Dramamine when watching these vids, they are crisp and beautiful (with only a moderate amount of drinking while shooting, I am assuming).

I am still a huge fan of looping and think it is what makes Vine so cool when used correctly, so I am not sure not including it was wise. But I am not sure if Vine will survive this. On the other hand, Vine is the new frontier and the younguns’ are getting sick of the facebook clutter.

What are your thoughts?

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Filed under carry a camera, communities, current events, design, facebook, home video, photography, product reviews, technology

If I had eyes in the back of my head…

I would have told you that you looked good as you walked away. – Jack Johnson

Could good ole Jack have know about Wafaa Bilal, the NYU photography professor that is having a camera surgically implanted in the back of his head?  Yes, you read that correctly. Seems Mr. Bilal has been commissioned by the government of Qatar to partake in an art project called ‘The third I”. It is intended as “a comment on the inaccessibility of time, and the inability to capture memory and experience,” according to press materials from the museum. Um… ok.

The camera will take pictures at one-minute intervals and will stream to a computer database. It will appear in different sequences on monitors in an exhibit between December and May.

Anyone find this just a little too over the top. First of all, ouch! I mean how does one surgically implant a camera in the back of someone’s head? Apparently through a piercing device. Ouch, again. And really, what happens to this guy’s personal life? I can’t help but think that half the time there will be streaming video of his friggin’ pillow while he is sleeping. Then there are the hours that he is teaching when he promises to put a ‘lens cap’ over the camera. I am guessing that would cut into the hours too. What if he really boring and most of the images are of the wall in his apartment?

This guy is known for some wacky antics in the name of art. I suppose his thing is pushing the edge. I mean look at that expression in that picture… this guy has nut written all over him.

Hey, I am all for conceptual art. I love a good performance piece. I am a huge fan of streaming video. Hell, I watched the puppy cam for hours last year. But this one? The idea of the surgical implant is just a bit more than I am willing to accept.

Then again, what parent has not wished they had eyes in the back of their head? Who knows, we may see them recommended on cool mom picks next holiday season.

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Filed under absurdities, art, carry a camera, home video, photography

Soup Dog

I am pretty tired and suffering from a little bit of social media overload today so I thought in celebration of my girl Ginger coming back for another weekend visit tomorrow I would simply post a little vid of her eating chicken soup from a spoon the last time she was here for no other reason than every time I watch this I laugh till I cry (but I don’t have time).

Damn I love a good run on sentence, don’t you?

Enjoy!

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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Filed under absurdities, carry a camera, family, home video, humor, movies, pets

Carrot Legs

Ok, I admit that I have an affection for suggestively shaped vegetables. And the odd thing is they seem to find their way to me often. Keeping with the theme of the butt potatoe, the phallic horse radish and the cucumber that was the envy of all the vegetables, this carrot (is it still singular if it has two legs but is attached at the top?) came out of the bag I bought this week. Imagine my excitement.

Imagine how dull my life is that I found this exciting.

Hey, it’s the little things in life that keep things interesting. That could explain the way Gary peels an orange.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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Filed under absurdities, home video

Time to Cry Tuesday – Nothing Like Family

Before I start this post check this out! One of my 50-something moms posts was picked up by the Fresno Bee! (ok, so it’s not the NYT but it’s a start)

This Time to Cry Tuesday mixes things up a bit and starts with a laugh. For those who are regular readers, you have heard mention of Gary’s toddler dance more than once.

Now don’t get all excited out there (especially you MizLiz, as I know you are dying to see it), this video does not feature Gary. But it does star our kids who named this dance and hold it close to their hearts. So without any further ado, I bring you The Toddler Dance by Danny and Jana.

Where is the time to cry piece, you ask? No worries. A good friend once told me it is good to both laugh and cry every day, then you know you have lived your day to its fullest.

Family. Some cringe at the word, break out in hives, get indigestion, run for cover. Especially this time of year with all the forced reunions and pressure to celebrate. Me? There is nothing more important. I was raised this way, it is in my blood. And I am fortunate enough to be able to say that when I hear the word family I am happy.

There is no feeling greater for a parent of a college student than the moment before they close their eyes and know that everyone is in their own beds under one roof. These times become more rare and increasingly precious. My kids may roll their eyes when I get this way – certainly Danny does because he has not left yet – but I know that in their hearts they feel the same way.

It is a tough world out there, and we as a society are facing very scary realities. But when you sit at a dinner table with your whole family and can laugh and enjoy simply being together, the world out there seems a little easier to face.

Thanks kids, for humoring me. Oh and being the first video on my great new Hannukah present…

a Flip Video camera.

How did daddy know I wanted this? Oh right, because I only mentioned it 1,000 times.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at Mid-Century Modern Moms and at 50-Something Moms Blog.

For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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Filed under carry a camera, danny, home video, Jana, products, teenagers, Time to Cry Tuesdays