Incredible Lighting for a Wedding

OK so let's say you have rented a castle in England for your wedding and you're looking for a little something extra. Actually, something spectacular which your guests will not soon forget. May I present...a very special light show.

Life in Stop Motion

Want clever? Watch!

If you would like to see a behind-the-scenes "making of", check this out.

Mean Kitty Video of the Week

It's Friday and you know what that means...time for Video of the Week.

So why does this piece deserve to be our Video of the Week? 

1. Visual images, lyrics and music are complementary.

2. The order of the images tells an entertaining tale.

3. We like cats.

4. The guy is kinda cute.

This is a fun piece of fluff. It doesn't have to be lofty to merit 3 1/2 minutes of our time.

What a Girl Wants

Proof- once again - that what men want and what women want are two different things. Even though this Heineken ad is in Dutch, you will have no difficulty understanding what you are seeing.

If Today Was Your Last Day on Earth

This is the season of graduations. We've all heard at least commencement speakers. Some boring, some inspirational. Sure, there was Ellen DeGeneres' Tulane speech last week, and President Obama's Notre Dame speech. But, we selected Steve Jobs' 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University. 

Why?

We as a species are story tellers and Steve Jobs spins a wonderful tale. He's not eloquent. He reads from his notes. His presentation isn't stellar. But, his words and thoughts are powerful. This speech changed my opinion of Steve Jobs. That's powerful - changing minds. 

At first I thought I'd watch this 15-minute piece for a few minutes, but gradually, I was drawn in and wanted to hear more. And I stayed until the very end.

Among other things, Steve said, "If you live every day as though it is your last, one day you will be right. If what you are about to do today is different than what you would do if this was your last day, then something has to change."

Danny Macaskill, Video of the Week

Who inspires us? Sometimes it is someone you've never met. You feel as if, as with Michelangelo's painting, the Creation of Adam on the Sistine chapel, that man is touching perfection. When you witness someone doing what they love and what they are so good at, you feel a special sort of joy. 

With a well-crafted movie, the content, the filming and the editing all help you feel the joy that the performer feels. So here is the Video of the Week of the amazing bicycle acrobatic skills of Danny MacAskill.

Tribeca Film Festival: The Confession

The Tribeca Film Festival in lower Manhattan is just ending this weekend. It's one of the best-known film festivals which showcase independent films. Even if you can't get to NYC, you can view some short features online. One of the shorts is our Video of the Week.

Why does it deserve this distinction?  It is a well-paced 3-minute story which ends with a great punchline. [Caution: content is somewhat racy and definitely sacrilegious.] We've often said that a great movie creates emotion whether happiness or sadness. In this case, it is most definitely laughter.

Most Watched You Tube Video - Susan Boyle

Here is the Video of the Week. It is one of the most inspiring performances I've ever seen. Over 70 million people have watched Susan Boyle's performance on You Tube. So, why is it our pick of the week?

1. The content. The performance itself was stunning. From the first note, this singer touched almost every person in the audience.

2. The song. I Dreamed a Dream. Who in this wide world hasn't had a big dream that everyone scoffed at? What would you give to have triumphed in such a public way?

3. The reactions. The video was edited beautifully. The change of heart by the audience and judges was captured very well. It enhanced the video. And our reactions to their reactions amplify the thrill of Susan's triumph.

4. The complete story. Ultimately, this is a story of a person who dreamed a dream, had confidence in herself, but LOOKED like the most unlikely person to pull it off. She LOOKED like she would sing off key or forget the lyrics or do something kooky. The judges and audience weren't just neutral about her. They had active contempt for Susan. They were laughing, hooting and jeering.

But then, a miracle happened. She sang the first note in a pure and truthful way. Instantly the audience and judges changed their minds about her. And when they did, her dream came true. 

Only when you HEAR her performance, SEE her performance and witness the judges' and audience's change in attitude does the miracle occur. The video reveals the whole story. The difference is that in the photograph Susan Boyle is nothing extraordinary. 

In the video she is the personification of all of our inner most dreams come true. She inspires us to find a deeper meaning. To endure harsh critics with dignity and grace. To be vulnerable despite the doubts we hold in our hearts. To challenge superficial biases, prejudice and stereotypes in favor of fairness, courage and humility. This is why Susan Boyle has captured our attention and our hearts. And that's why this is our Video of the Week.

Frozen in Time

Today's Video of the Week has been viewed over 16 million times on YouTube. On cue, dozens of people froze in place at Grand Central Station in NYC. It's fun to see and hear people's reactions to this unusual occurrence.

An Extraordinary Life

What would happen if you lived the life you dream of? How do you get there from where you are? Today's Video of the Week may answer these quesetions.

Sex, Lies and Photoshop

How many of the images we see in magazines and everyday life have been altered? Virtually all of them. Why does this matter? Because altered images effect our idea of beauty. It negatively impacts girls' and boys' self esteem because perfect beauty can only be achieved with an airbrush. 

When viewing a work of art that is clearly labeled as art. We can separate fiction from reality. But advertisements with models that have been photo-shopped 20 to 30 times are presented as real. They are an impossible standard of beauty that prompts the filmmaker to ask, "If not even the models themselves can really measure up to their own images, what does it mean?" 

What can be done about it? In France new laws are being proposed to make it illegal to promote negative body image and eating disorders. They propose to ban websites, censor media and force magazines to disclose the extent to which their images have been retouched. Watch this 4 1/2 minute piece which appeared in the New York Times on March 10. It is powerful. 

Oh, and by the way, the photo of Chuck and me on the upper right of this page is retouched.

Stand By Me

This little Video of the Week reminds us we are more alike than we are different and that we are all connected no matter where in the world we are.

Stand By Me from David Johnson on Vimeo.

A Reason to Live: Signs

Imagine how this beautiful little movie would look as a series of still images, as a slide presentation. Since facial expressions are extremely subtle, you would miss a lot of the body language that makes this movie work.  

Why did I choose this as Video of the Week? Because you FEEL the boredom and ennui this man feels, slogging through the day until he finds a reason to wake up in the morning, look forward to the day ahead and bounce out of bed. You feel his dejection. You feel his elation. THAT is what a great movie does - allows you to FEEL what someone else is feeling.

Men's Brains, Women's Brains

This is my husband Chuck's suggestion for Video of the Week. This week we're featuring a piece that is not lushly filmed, but it does have an ingredient that is possibly even more important: it has excellent "content". That is, what you see is worthy of your time. 

This little video has improved our communication and our marriage. That's one of the secrets of a long and happy marriage. You keep looking for ways to explain each other's behavior. So, when we don't understand each other, we just play this video and it all comes clear.

Talk About Viral!

My good friend Karen from Ralston Hall Mansion shared a You Tube video with me, so let me share it with you.

Just a question...how would you capture the wonder and wonderfulness of this flash mob if you didn't have a moving image?

New Feature: Video of the Week

Starting today and every Friday, Life Is Like a Movie will scour the globe to bring you a new feature - Video of the Week, or Movie Trailer of the Week, in whatever form, MOVING PICTURE OF THE WEEK. The criteria are: (1) It holds your interest, (2) the moving image is essential to the piece and still imagery would be inadequate. Your suggestions for next week's Moving Picture of the Week are welcome in the comments section. As video becomes more ubiquitous due to professional cameras with greater technical capabilities; the availability of cheaper and lighter consumer cameras, and better built-in cell phone video cameras, there's a glut of video. Good video, bad video.

It's like going to the supermarket and buying fruit. Sometimes it looks good but has no taste. You'd pay anything to get a fruit that not only looks good, but you can be sure it will taste good too. Well, visit Life Is Like a Movie on Friday and you can be assured you will see a GOOD VIDEO. Maybe even a great video.

So without any more words, here's the first MOVING PICTURE OF THE WEEK. A picture is worth 1000 words? Here's a video which animates words in a creative way.

Now I'm not saying there's no place for a still image. There is. And here's a good example, taken in 1918 of 18,000 men preparing for WWI at Camp Dodge, Iowa.

What I am suggesting is that each of us be a critical judge of when a moving image and when a still image is the best alternative to capture a moment, an event, a movement or an emotion.