Lisa Learns How to Make a Video

AUGH! Seriously.  That.  Over and over.

For the past few days, I've been working on a mixed media painting.  We just purchased our new web camera that also shoots video (the Logitech C910).  I was so excited to roll out the red carpet and present my first ever Video (not just still shots) of my art process!!

Notice I said, "was".

The painting was done over 3 days time, shot in video segments of 33 minutes, 33 minutes, 17 minutes, and 55 minutes.  (Because the camera is connected to the computer, they record directly to the hard drive.)

My first issue?

1)  The last video - probably because of its length and size - continued to lock up (the program and the computer) every time I tried to pull it into any editing program. I eventually gave up and decided not to include it.  Thus, the whole last hour of the painting process was basically not included.

The second issue is mainly my fault.  I'm just too picky.

2) After over an hour of searching sites for copyright free music (mainly Jamendo and CCMixter), I came up with zilch.  I decided to just use music from Afro Celt Sound System as YouTube currently does not block videos using that music.  (I've made videos before and because of copyright and licensing issues, had the entire soundtrack blocked when uploading.  I learned my lesson.)

I spent all afternoon editing the video - adding transitions, cutting an hour and a half of material down to a few minutes.  I could see the video in progress in a small little window in my editing software and it looked good in there!  So I rendered it (i.e. made it into a format that could be uploaded to YouTube) and excitedly hit play.

The third issue??

3)  I discovered that the autofocus didn't work through the entire second segment - meaning over half the completed video is out of focus.  

By this time, however, I'd already put hours of work into this sucker.  If I were to get rid of that footage, there would be little left to share.

Why do I share all of this?


Because I - like my art, like my video skills, and like almost everything else - am a work in progress.  


All too often we see the final edits of online work, of art pieces, of blog writing...and think "I could never do that".  But we forget that everything is a process.  We forget and we disconnect from the humanity of anything which seems beyond it.  

So, with humility, a giggle, and a divine accepting smile, I share this video with you - blurriness, cut segments, human "oops-es" and all.

May you create and express likewise.