Adios, ocho

Well, it's almost time to ring in a new year and I'm already late for dinner plans, so that leaves time for a short post, my last of 2008. More to come in 2009...

Happy New Year everyone. May the chilling bite of the economy not sink it's teeth too deeply into you this new calendar cycle.

Late plugs

Blech. I got mightily distracted from blogging the last two weeks. I started a post on Monday and wrote about half a sentence before something pulled me away.

There's plenty I've been meaning to write here, too; some Saratogian-related, some not. I think I'll try and do a few short posts throughout the day (or the next two days, even though I'm off Friday until Dec. 30) and whittle down the list that way, rather than banging out one long post.

First up: Some overdue plugs for videos, and a little background from me, the videographer/director/producer. Please note that I use those titles facetiously.

Video #1 is of the 2nd-grader/freshman poetry collaboration that took place recently in the Saratoga Springs City School District (click here for the details).



Students and teachers involved in this project all seemed to have an enjoyable time. My original concept for the final product entailed following a pair or two of students through the "getting-to-know-you" portion and then presenting the poems each wrote in their entirety.

Unfortunately, the footage didn't lend itself to this very well, so I opted with what you see above. So my thanks to those students whom I interviewed in Mr. Luciano's class - I appreciate your time. Plus, you still made it into the video. And I enjoyed your poems.

Personally, my favorite form of poetry is the haiku. I still compose them from time to time, when struck by something particularly beautiful in the natural world. Here's one I first composed over 10 years ago:

"Colossal white clouds
Overlords of the blue sky
Wandering vagrants"

Video # 2 is the full "Dancing with the Capital Region Stars" production, which was a lot of fun to shoot. In fact, fun is the reason I wanted to film the event: I thought it would be an amusing video to create, and more importantly, an amusing video to watch. Hopefully that's the case. (Read more about the event.)



I'll admit I'm a fan of Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" program, so my goal with this video was to mimic the basic format: Interview with the dancer as they practice, then show the final result. Of course, I also did the "teaser trailer" to both promo the event and the coming, "full length" video.

I apologize for the darkness in the latter half of the video. I really thought they'd have some lights on the dancers as they competed. I did my best to lighten the video with our editing software, but the dark colors still really bleed into each other.

Aside from that, I'm quite pleased with the results. I employed some subtle things that, I think, add some polish to the overall presentation (and yes, I acknowledge this is nowhere near high quality production). I like the audio fades between each scene; the segment during which Andrew's talking about Melody giving him a nudge or two and the film cuts back to show his facial expression as he says "...discreetly. No one can see."; and especially the transition between "The Practice" and "The Competition" with the sudden, blaring, exotic music and the extremely animated dancers with the crazy fast dance moves. It worked out perfectly.

Again, this video was all about having fun, and I hope people see it was produced with a bit of tongue-in-cheek, all the way from the beginning to the "MMVII" in the credits rolling over "New York, New York."

Groove thang gets shaken

As promised, a "teaser trailer" of Friday night's "Dancing with the Capital Region Stars." The event is a benefit for the Saratoga Springs History Museum that will feature heated dance floor competition between local media personalities, including our own Andrew J. Bernstein.

Personally, I second the sentiments of the TU's Dennis Yusko. Then again, despite the fact I wouldn't be starting from scratch (I have about seven swing dance moves, four hustle maneuvers and about two meringue flourishes that I break out at weddings, remnants of my participation in a ballroom dancing club when I was in college; plus a wicked vicious forward split) I simply don't have the wattage of these local celebs. Oh well.

I hope you get a kick out of the video (I certainly enjoyed making it) and look for more video coverage of the event on Saturday afternoon/evening (yes, the event is Friday, but I'm not staying up into the early morning to edit).

Monday bits and pieces

Gov. David Paterson will be interviewed tonight on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" program at 5:30. Tune into WAMC radio at 90.3 FM, 1400 AM or streaming online at their Web site.

If you haven't watched it yet, check out last week's "man on the street" interviews about the possibility of Kirsten Gillibrand switching houses to take over Hillary Clinton's seat in the Senate. Of course, all weekend we've been hearing about Caroline Kennedy, so perhaps the video's outdated. Time will tell.

If you didn't hear, city reporter Andrew J. Bernstein will be struttin' his stuff for money this Friday night. Tonight is his second dance lesson in preparation for his debut performance, and I'll be there with video camera in hand and laughter in check. I'm planning on weaving most of that footage into a longer piece after shooting his actual routine, but I think I'll put up a "teaser" tomorrow afternoon. So be on the lookout for that.

Who knows? Perhaps he'll wow the audience and find himself on the road to becoming a backup dancer, perhaps for the increasingly frightening Madonna. And just think, we'll have those humble origins all on tape.

Either way, it's for a good cause (history is near and dear to my heart) so think about dropping some dough for a good time.

Stop me if you've heard this one

I was at the Borders bookstore on Broadway today, asking folks their opinion of the possibility their congresswoman could be picked to go to the U.S. Senate. Since I had to leave work immediately after for an appointment, however, I didn't get a chance to edit the footage. So, more on that tomorrow...

As I was wandering about the store, getting shots of the crowd, I heard someone muttering toward the back of the assembled. It was a little old lady, grumbling about how difficult it was to hear and how stupid a choice the location was for such an event. I got curious as she griped that she wouldn't be able to air her grievances to Gillibrand and asked her what she wanted to discuss. We chatted a bit about her financial woes, and I encouraged her to stick around, because Gillibrand and members of her staff were going to be available for consultation after the more formal Q&A.

She agreed, and we parted ways, her thanking me for the ear and me thanking her for the conversation. She called me back a split second later with the promise of a joke, which she warned might be a bit too ribald (my word). "I had a plumber once," she informed me, "and I told it to him and he never came back."

Thus warned, I assured her I wouldn't be offended. I've partaken in my share of crass humor and language, after all. So I share with you the joke this short, white-haired, 88-year-old woman with bright blue eyes told me (turn the children away if you're sensitive of their exposure to PG-13 content):

Q: "Why do men get smarter when they're having sex?"

A: "Because they're plugged into a genius!"

In an instant I had the day's blog topic.

Riddle me this...

...Which New Yorker will replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate?

Well, one name that's come up is Kirsten Gillibrand. Hence the photo illustration that ran with the story and that appears to the left here.

Now, I've always been somewhat artistically inclined: Since I was a wee lad, I have enjoyed drawing and sketching. Any ability I showed has remained undeveloped, however, as I've never taken a formal course (outside of mandatory art lessons in elementary and middle school). When I find the time, I'd like to rectify that. In recent years I've also taken a shine to photography, and would like to develop that as a hobby for myself.

What I'm not, however, is a graphic artist. Required coursework in my master's program showed me that beyond the shadow of a doubt. It's not that I lack an eye for design - I think I do, quite frankly - it's more the lack of ability with requisite software. That "photo illustration" about stretched my Photoshop know-how. I was only slightly embarrassed this morning when I saw the news desk ran my name as a credit.

I'm not sure how effective my photo illustration was. During our evening news meeting the idea, in all it's simplicity, popped into my head and I was off to execute immediately after. The message was clear in my head, but I don't know how well it conveyed what I meant it to. Still, I don't think it's too shabby.

In retrospect, I realize I must have been unconsciously inspired by a viewing of the 1995 "classic" Batman Forever over the holiday weekend.

Post-turkey

If you're bored, amuse yourself for five seconds by heading over to www.saratogian.com/news and answering our poll question: "Who do you think Gov. David Paterson should select to fill Hillary Clinton's seat in the U.S. Senate?"

Of course, as we're all no doubt aware after weeks of speculation and today's official announcement, Clinton has been selected by incoming-President Barack Obama as the nation's next secretary of state. I must admit her name didn't readily come to mind for the post.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and has been able to get back into the groove of the work week with greater ease than I have.