[ Note: I needed some escape, so I dug back to when I had looser weekend evenings during less hectic times and was experimenting with Living Section entertainment templates.
Gordon had given me a carte blanche to experiment with anything creatively for general interest material for VT to help build a more diversified audience. These were relaxing and a lot of fun to do, and could be done while drinking without endangering anyone.
Our meeting of the minds was that I was looking into the black hole of needing to crank up a full multimedia website for my Heritage TV archives. I dreaded the learning curve, and also the five years of building an audience. So the timing was right to throw in with VT, help them evolve from the online newspaper format that had worked so well, and take it to the next level. And here we are… sort of.
I got thrown into the deep end of the pool to learn online publishing with no previous skills. That took off right away, but bringing the HTV video onboard remained a rear-view mirror activity. I used the Vimeo material as a market test, knowing that it had an indefinite shelf life, which has been confirmed over the last few years with the reruns from time to time.
Vimeo was a prize discovery, but I don’t have time much anymore to cruise the new material. Last night I did a midnight to 1 a.m. shift to log in some new goodies to post later. We all have had a hell of a blood and guts week, and rather than have you wait for a new creation, here is a 4-pack gem from February 2012.
The Vimeo buttons used to take you to their site for full screen viewing, but that seems to have been nixed with a site upgrade or something. I am just seeing full quality now with a new Ultra HD monitor, 2560 x 1600. The photos are incredible, and I am seeing 1920 HD for the first time. Compared to my old Westinghouse monitor-tv, 1388 x 766 is a huge difference, as if you have had lens implants put in your eyes.
A USS Liberty Salute day at the AIPAC convention in Atlanta
My DV archives, even the broadcast quality, are 480p which will be fine for online viewing. But I was tickled recently to learn that the upgrading technology has gotten really impressive, although seeming to start at 720p and taking that to 1080p.
I have a big project in front of me to database and archive the best of the Heritage TV material, so those clips can be embedded into VT articles. I have some treasures, more than a few – and more than a few of the interviewees have passed on.
This will take “weekends off” the regular VT work so these projects can get the ten-hour days they need. In that regard my first request for readers helpers got a good response, and there is a lot of talent out there willing to chip in. VT has simply outgrown us, and it’s time to build it out or we will just implode.
Anyone who might like to help out, just shoot me an email with some basic background info. Click on my hotlinked name on the article, and my archive page will have the email for you.
I am switching over now to the Cyberlink Power Director new editing software that I had to get a new 64-bit computer to run. So the work begins to keep building our own in-house media capability to keep us fresh and on the cutting edge. We thank you all. It’s been a hell of a ride… Jim W. Dean ]
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– First published February 4, 2012 –
Make You Own and Save the Five Bucks!!
To keep movie night fresh I will be changing the formats…sometimes doing a total variety mix, and then having a theme night when I spot a thread connecting some of my Jim’s Gems picks.
For tonight it was easier because I found a wonderful group of people who loved what they do…daredevils, nature film makers, and a couple of surprises that I just loved.
These are shorts so you can watch them all, or just two, and save the link to catch the others later. I designed this to work with people who have flexible time availability.
And don’t forget you can always double back to find these and past ones in my archive by clicking on any Jim W. Dean hotlink you can find on a VT page.
I actually re-watch these, the concerts and these gorgeous HD Vimeo picks as it part of my continuing reward for finding them. I can enjoy them when I get the urge during the day, or cruise some past ones for my own evening film festival, a la carte. Our thanks to Vimeo for their great independent film maker HD archive.
VT passed the 20,000 article mark itself today so we celebrating that vast amount of work, which like Vimeo, is always available to our readers, and now viewers.
For new folks be sure to watch these full screen as they are full HD. I have an HD light video editing monitor…720p or 1080i and it all looks great. I have the advantage of having had the model color balanced to make sure I that nailed.
If you have a cheap pair of $10 computer speakers, save them for a back up and get yourself a decent 2.1 set up as you need a subwoofer to get any base sound. With the great media they have on the net these days, and most of you are on broadband, you might as well enjoy the best quality.
Enjoy your best seat on the house. Pop the wine cork, or whatever, and enjoy our little magical mystery tour. We enjoy these artistic get-a-ways as they are good for the soul.
The opening act is a thriller. This one had my heart in my throat. As past viewers know, I would not jump off a cliff if you shot me. These Team Need 4 Speed fellas that do it with their Batman outfits, from way way up, and then go zooming through the cliff passages at 100 mph is quite a rush. The filming work on this is superb. I would have though that at that speed the wind vibrations would be quite obvious.
[vimeo 35368665] -Base Jumping Speed Divers
Next up is a touching redemption film of this wonderful Japanese man sharing his old school coffee truck portrait, where he goes around to tsunami-damaged areas making gourmet coffee for those trying to rebuild their lives. As a surprise treat, he shares his American swing music vinyl collection with them. He is the philosopher coffee aficionado…a one of a kind. I am happy to present Yoshi’s blend.
[vimeo 35676569] -Yoshi’s blend
Off to Yosemite now. A lot of new filmmakers are making fabulous time-lapse features of gorgeous natural settings. Most of the time, they nail the accompanying music to enhance the footage. I’ve never been to Yosemite, but for all of us who eventually get there, we will not bring home the visual memories that these fellas catch.
This is a time-consuming business which requires you to be in shape for the hiking, lucky on the weather, and have a love for camping, because you have to stay out there to get these shots. That said, I like the idea of how they set up a night shoot on a timer, hit the sack, and then enjoy viewing the rushes at breakfast… that is, if it’s not raining.
[vimeo 35769757] – Yosemite Project – Time Lapse
And last, I share with you a rare find that you can run across at Vimeo that you check out on the fly, and then are so thankful that someone got the idea of making a film of it. Danny Cooke treats us to an intimate portrait of how printing was done 500 years ago using the Guggenheim process.
We have a melding of the best of the old and the new, because Cooke is a talented filmmaker as you will see. I must admit a bit of prejudice on this, as for us modern day publishers, this is literally like taking a time machine trip. You can feel the love of both men for their respective art… something we at VT can share, as we consider what we do here an art form also.
Vimeo – A short film about letterpress and one of the few remaining movable-type printing workshops in the UK, situated at Plymouth University, featuring Paul Collier. plymouth.ac.uk
[vimeo 35688592] – Time Travel back to the first printing
That wraps up this weekend’s show. Share your thoughts in the comments so I’ll have some input to ponder when choosing the next batch. My main screening is saving the stuff that I would want to watch again, either for the artistic or content quality. See you next time… my popcorn is almost done. Jim Dean, VT
Jim W. Dean was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022. He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews.
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