Friday Film Thoughts

I mentioned earlier this week that I would post something regarding my journey into video production, so I've decided that Friday would be the day.

I twittered yesterday that we ordered our gear for the CSI TV Studio, and yes, I'm now like a kid waiting for Christmas to come!  Many years ago, my brother and I used to commandeer my brother-in-law's video camera and make our own segments.  I vividly remember, "Arctic Dentistry" (we lived in Canada), where at the time, my brother at age 9 or 10 had a tooth that he could remove.  Here was the script:

(Dentist walks up to patient (Bob) standing out in the snow)
Dentist: "So, you've got a tooth that's been bothering you?"
Patient: "Yes, doctor, it's killing me!"
Dentist:"Well, let's take a look.  Yep, looks bad alright, think we better get that removed."
Patient: "uhhhhhh..."
(Dentist punches Patient in the mouth, fade to black)
(Fade in from black, patient's mouth with tooth missing)
Patient: "Thanks Doc!"
Dentist: "No problem"

I so have to find that footage to post here.

Anyway, here's a look at what we ordered yesterday to get started, try not to drool on your screen!  Click Here if you want a detailed list.

Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan

I've been reading some great encouragement lately regarding this.  I know, it sounds like so much of a cliche, that we are tempted to pass right over it.

But have you ever stopped to notice how easy it is to drift and just coast in life?  It's usually a sign that somewhere along the way we've given up.  We've been knocked down by someone or life's circumstances.  Then we start to justify the drift.

Recently, I've had to do some planning surrounding an idea we had at work for developing new marketing strategies.  Yes, I had to force myself to sit down, do some research, talk to experts, list necessary items and delivery mechanisms and develop a spreadsheet of topics and deadlines.  Stuff that I've tried to just "wing" in the past.

And WOW!  You talk about OPEN DOORS!  You've heard the terms, "Forward Momentum", "Failing Forward", etc.  I'm here to tell you it's true.  There is something about a well thought (not perfect) plan, that helps all involved to see the potential and get excited about moving the plan along!

God is a planner, just read a couple of these verses:

Jeremiah 29:11 MSG
I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

Job 15:8 MSG
Were you listening in when God planned all this? Do you think you’re the only one who knows anything?

Hebrews 8:8 MSG
But we know the first was found wanting, because God said, Heads up! The days are coming when I’ll set up a new plan for dealing with Israel and Judah.

This morning, we begin implementing the new plan, and of course, there will be some tweaking along the way, but this is also going to be a great adventure!  Life is good because God is good (re-read Jer 29:11 above) and moving forward under the favor of God is the best plan of all!

A New Focus in 2011

2011will be full of new adventure for this guy living the good life.

We are starting a new video production arm of our marketing department at work.

Which means next week I get to order some new toys.

Cameras, Lighting, Audio, and lots of accessories.

And building out Studio space.

If you're into video production, filmaking, etc... stay tuned for a once a week update on our efforts.

Now, to go find a beret... and ACTION!

The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 24 / Do You Hear the Bells?

The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 23 / Christmas Party Gone Wild

Sooo... last night was the annual Christmas party with the Clintons and Campbells.

Most of our friends are afraid to go with us, but we always have a wild and crazy time!

The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 19 / Cutting It Close

Ever been under the gun?

How do you deal with stress when you need to be ready sooner than you thought?

It happened today when cue-ing up video to show at our Greenville campus. We got only 1 minute behind the main Anderson campus, so prepping it to roll was tight!

But we made it, and no one else will know how close we came (unless you're reading this) to being late!

Confidence in the process helped us to be ready even under unexpected pressure.

Kind of like life... how do we cope with life's pressures? As Clayton King is reminding is today, "Peace is not the absence of crisis, but the presence of Christ"

Preparation for life and eternity starts with Jesus. He brings the confidence to cope AND THRIVE in this life and the next.

A relationship with Jesus makes you ready for anything. It's the best preparation!

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The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 17 / Last Day of School

Kids are out of school.

Kim and Jessica have done some baking already.

Jessica is coloring Christmas pictures.

Steve and his friends are planning fun and writing songs.

Nicole is getting ready for a ski trip with a friend.

The Christmas tree is lit and looks nice!

Christmas week starts now.

Love it!

The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 16/The Digital Nativity

So, this is pretty cool.

The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 15 / Christmas Shopping

Last night Nicole went shopping with me. I gotta say, when you've got a lot of shopping left to do, a 15 year old daughter comes in very handy! Nicole is a great shopper! We had fun working out our purchases to stay in budget and plan our route stop of stores.

This house of lights was a cool diversion between stores, too.

We absolutely knocked out our shopping, and I for one was thankful for the help! Thanks, girl! That was fun!

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The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 13/Jesse's Christmas Program

A little of the program tonight. Our LAST year in elementary school. Where does the time go??!!

The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 9 / Cool iPad Christmas Songs

Check out Northpoint Church's service Opener!

The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 8/Sing Off

Our family has really enjoyed the show Sing Off this December!  Really crazy talent in mixed vocals, no instruments!

Tonight the NewSpring Greenville campus choir met to lay down some augment tracks for the Christmas services.  This group was pretty amazing too.  In a matter of 30 minutes, this group had the melody and harmonies down and tight!  I was thinking as we were singing that we should be trying out for Sing Off!  That was a lot of fun!

We're really praying God uses this song in a big way to bring HOPE to all who will hear!  Christmas services are Dec 23 at 7pm, Dec 24 at 10am, 4pm, and 6pm, you can get your FREE TICKETS HERE!

The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 7 / Steve's Volleyball Championship Game

This ain't no backyard volleyball!

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The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 6/Defining Goals

Pushing forward is not always easy!  It's easy to dream, but it's even harder to put definition behind those goals to make them attainable.

We had a 2011 planning meeting in our marketing department today where we presented a big idea to our senior management.  Pretty cool stuff coming to take our marketing into the 21st Century.  They love the concepts we presented, but... they also wanted to see a concrete plan around it to make sure it's a sustainable vision that won't fizzle out after a few weeks or months.  So while we have done some preliminary planning, now the nitty gritty plan must be refined, and packages created for our Vendor partners to buy into.

What are your dreams and/or plans that you seriously need to define and implement?  Someone once said, Success is 20% Inspiration and 80% Perspiration!  Now I really know what they mean!  Time to get on it!

The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 5 / Sharing Jesus

Had fun watching Jessie in the Greer Christmas Parade. She did her squad proud!

Then cinnamon rolls and coffee at Grammy and Grampa's!

While there, Kim got a call from a long lost distant relative, who was looking for Kim's grandmother. She was here, and handed her the phone.

Nellie is 95, and very much with it. Listening to the conversation, I heard as they compared which relatives they knew and who was still living and who has passed.

Then she very naturally asked, as I have heard her ask so many people so many times: "Do you know Jesus as your savior?" He must have said yes, because then she said, "Praise the Lord, thats a good thing!"

"...and that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown..."

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The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 4/Jessie

Oops!  Missed a day!

So today we watched the Carolina/Auburn game.  Well, there's next year, right??

The funnest part of our day today was after watching Jingle All the Way, as the credits are rolling, Jessie put on a dance for us that has us laughing!  She is quite hilarious!

The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 3/Powderpuff

So tonight Nicole got to partake in a great Riverside High School December tradition - girls Powderpuff Football!

Freshmen v. Juniors  Nicole was starting quarterback for Freshmen, and threw a nice 17 yard pass for their only 1st down of the game.  They had 2 offensive lines and the the other line got our only touchdown of the game.  The Juniors only had a rushing game, and near the end, the Freshmen defensive line had the Juniors runs figured out and with a little more time the Freshmen might have pulled an upset.  But instead, they lost 14 to 6.

It was a fun little game to watch.  And really cool to see Nicole growing as an amazing young lady. 

The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 2/Exploring Passions

Getting ready to setup a video studio at work.  So I've been doing some research in the way of YouTube videos, and picking the brains of some smart production people!  I'll be starting on the cheap, so this video was intriguing! I love to find alternative ways of getting started in something new!

How does this relate to Christmas, you ask? You remember that feeling as a kid when you really got into something fun? That's a Christmas feeling! Part of it is discovering a passion that is new or was forgotten. Take time to rekindle the passions that God has placed inside you. You know it's there, waiting! Get on it!

The 25 Days of Christmas - Day 1

Well, can you believe that December is here?!  Thought I'd try something fun for December and gonna try and post something small each day this month.

Some days will be a video posting, music posting, thought posting, who knows!

So that's the challenge to myself!

Day 1 Posting: Oil-less Turkey Frying

A buddy of mine has one of these and is going to let me borrow it for my Christmas dinner.  These things are amazing!  Can't wait to try it!