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Tag: Live Action

November 15, 2016: Hair – Let the Sunshine In

Published by Betsy R. Marks on November 15, 2016

From Wikipedia:

Hair is a 1979 musical war comedy-drama film adaptation of the 1968 Broadway musical of the same name about a Vietnam War draftee who meets and befriends a tribe of long-haired hippies on his way to the army induction center. The hippies introduce him to their environment of cannabis, LSD, unorthodox relationships and draft dodging.

I was a sophomore in high school, and working on my school, newspaper when the movie came out. I wrote a review for the paper, which I have around here somewhere and may add later, if I feel like it.

My father, who had seen the musical onstage with the original cast, had the music on reel to reel tape, and it was a regular request in our house.

When the movie came out, I was excited to see it for the first time. (Nudity wasn’t a thing for kids then or now, really.)

Until this scene came onscreen, I was all about listening to the music and seeing how it played out in real life.

Now, here’s the thing. Dad used to take us to airshows when we were kids. We would see the old WWII planes as well as more modern military craft. After the movie, I wouldn’t go near the C-130s. I couldn’t shake this scene, no matter what I tried.

It is virtually impossible for me to see these airplanes and not see Arlington National Cemetery on the other side.

This song has popped onto my Pandora feed a couple of times since I added HAIR to the playlist for my Modern Musicals channel.

Today, I’m sharing this with you.

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January 21: Bread and Milk…

Published by Betsy R. Marks on January 21, 2016

This is the one and only repeat video, because I just couldn’t resist. Now with new and improved second link!

Viral video responses to real world events. They’re a thing. And particularly appropriate, given last night’s Alberta Clipper in the DC region. Schools delayed or closed over the equivalent of two inches of snow, because we were too busy preparing for #SnOMG!, the 2016 edition.

Honestly, you’d think people would remember that this is what happens when El Niño is active, but no. Not so much.

So here’s today’s installment, viewed over 14 million times. Accept no substitutions.

Bread and Milk

But wait! There’s more!

Bread and Milk – Part 2

Now go forth and conquer the grocery store. Hurry. Before it’s too late!

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May 12: Three Time Lapse Travel Videos by DeFrees Productions

Published by Betsy R. Marks on May 12, 2014

A few months ago, while exploring Time-Based Media options for class, I came across these videos produced by DeFrees Productions. generated with a couple of [Sound and Video warning] GoPro cameras and a LOT of time on the road, Brian DeFrees created these videos from around 200,000 images.

I’ve wanted to do something like this for years, but from inside the car. Been pricing out GoPro cameras, thinking that might be the way to go. I dunno, but these are awesome, particularly since Brian hit a lot of the highlights I’ve seen.

Roadtrips were a staple of my family life from the time I was around 8 years old until I settled in my current area. I’ve started taking them again because I miss travel and because for me it’s much more about the journey than the destination. I like the concept of camper travel (never did it as a kid – we were all about car camping then) but the cost of gas makes me think it’s not practical. Maybe if I could get someone to back me for it…

Well, while not precisely history, there’s a lot of history behind the sights and sites Brian visited.

Happy Monday

And…

And finally…

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March 1: LEO the anti-gravity show

Published by Betsy R. Marks on March 1, 2014

What would happen if the laws of gravity changed?

Taking advantage of the camera’s viewpoint and some exceptionally creative and athletic perspective adjustments, LEO, the brainchild of Montréal actor and director Daniel Briére, based on an original idea by Tobias Wegner, asks the question. For more about LEO and other works, go here: http://boatrockerentertainment.com/

Check it out!

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February 23: IF ONLY FOR A SECOND // Mimi Foundation // EN

Published by Betsy R. Marks on February 23, 2014

This video is for all my family and friends, past, present and future, for whom cancer is personal. In fact, I suspect the video is for everyone. I don’t think I know anyone…ANYONE…who hasn’t been touched by cancer, either because they have had it themselves, or because they know or knew someone who did.

It’s all about control, in a place where we have none. For all the talk of cures and prevention, there is still the simple truth that there’s a great deal we still don’t know about how our bodies change and degrade. But there are some things we can still do, to defy the changes, to take us out of ourselves. If only for a second. And that’s precisely what this project is all about.

We reveal our spirituality in our ability to rise above it all. At over 15 million hits, it’s clear that this viral video, a neat embodiment of that spiritual essence, has struck a chord.

For more information about the project, visit their website:  http://www.mimi-foundation.org/en/ifonlyforasecond.html

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January 19: Touch Wood

Published by Betsy R. Marks on January 19, 2014

On some Sunday mornings, I forget (sort of on purpose) to turn off my alarm so I can tune in to Krista Tippett’s morning meditation. The show, which used to be called Speaking of Faith and is now On Being, has made my Unitarian Universalist exploration of life a lot more interesting over time.

I was wondering whether to post one of the video links I have stored up for Sunday, but I thought I’d wander off for a little inspiration and it didn’t take me long to discover this blog post. I remembered seeing the commercial when it made the rounds a few years ago, but apparently that predated my blog because it’s not included in last year’s entries, though I can’t imagine why.

So, with that hat tip, here’s some stunning beauty for your Sunday.

To see a little of what went into the production of this commercial, watch this:

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January 18: Casting a Fire Ant Colony with Molten Aluminum (Cast #043)

Published by Betsy R. Marks on January 18, 2014

Kids, don’t try this at home. For that matter, the same goes for adults.

For those who object to the destruction of the colony, let me just say that fire ants are an invasive species. Wikipedia has this to say about the ones infesting the southern US:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates more than US$5 billion is spent annually on medical treatment, damage, and control in RIFA-infested areas. Further, the ants cause approximately US$750 million in damage to agricultural assets, including veterinary bills and livestock loss, as well as crop loss.[44]

On the whole, I’d rather see art than poison as a result of their eradication. Considering over 23 million viewers have watched (fascinated? horrified?), there must be something to the method in this madness.

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November 7: DJI Phantom ~ Niagara Falls and Over the Grand Canyon at Sunrise

Published by Betsy R. Marks on November 7, 2013

In the science of the new Millenium. we have invented aircraft that are used for absolutely heinous acts but they aren’t all used this way.

Here are two nifty examples that help change your perspective, thanks to Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) drones and Go-Pro cameras that can go where no human has gone before.

Inventing new and innovative technology is only half the battle. It’s what we do with it that matters most. 

I have stood on the exact spot where the liftoff takes place on the American side of Niagara Falls. The photos I took while I was there do not begin to match the view from above.

Likewise, with the Grand Canyon, many years ago. The effect isn’t quite as stunning but still nice.

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October 28: Zbigniew Zbig Rybczynski,The Orchestra, Funeral march

Published by Betsy R. Marks on October 28, 2013

There’s a story behind this clip.

At some point (and by this I mean *years ago*) I caught a brief clip on the Classic Arts Showcase, If you’ve never encountered it in channel cruising on Cable, you might not have a frame of reference, but for me, often dealing with insomnia, being able to tune in for random clips of ballet, classical music, ancient theatrical films – think Shakespeare – and more, it’s awesome.

One night, I caught the majority of this piece, which (it turns out) was part of a larger whole, called The Orchestra. And then it took me forever to find out who made the film so I could watch it again, because a random chance encounter on CAS rarely produces a second viewing of the same clip.

I knew of the director (Zbigniew Rybczyński) from short films like Tango and music videos for The Alan Parsons Project, Pet Shop Boys, Art of Noise and more, but had never seen this clip before.

Enter YouTube and IMDB.

YouTube had the full clip at one point, but it’s gone. The fragment below is all I can find at the moment. That said, there’s now a copy of the Making Of, which is at least as cool as the original full length version of the Funeral March.

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October 18: Honest Trailers – The Avengers

Published by Betsy R. Marks on October 18, 2013

Okay. I loved – LOVED – The Avengers and I’ve totally bought into the series, but there’s a lot of truth in this trailer. Not that it matters, because it’s worth every moment of the movie to see The Hulk get mad.

Swallow Warning: Eat and drink at your own risk.

Happy Friday…

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September 19: Koyaanisqatsi and Home

Published by Betsy R. Marks on September 19, 2013

I started out hoping to embed the movie “Home,” but embedding is disabled. And the full-length version of Koyannisqatsi is not available online. So here are two movies that should be EASY for people to see, made more difficult by the distribution companies

No matter. Take this to heart, especially now, with the flooding in Colorado, a hard push to allow the Keystone XL project and fracking: We are risking the only home we have. Unless you have access to your own private greenhouse, your ability to feed yourself and your family is in jeopardy. And no, I’m not exaggerating.

I watched Koyaanisqatsi when it originally circulated in 1982 and I was floored, not just by the soundtrack from Phillip Glass, but by the visuals. Life out of balance indeed. The Blu-ray version is coming this winter. If you haven’t seen the whole movie, I suggest it’s worth the time.

Home, one of many, many environmentally conscious films to come in recent times, gives you a little more perspective on where you are. If we screw up this place, we still have to live here, unless we suddenly decide that suicide is legal and okay. For the vast majority of us, going somewhere pleasant to escape the nastiness simply won’t be possible. And water contamination can only be reduced so far. No matter what you believe about where you’ll go from here after death, your human goal is to stay here as long as possible.

That could be a long, long time. Watch this.

Home – Full-length film

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September 18: Life In A Day

Published by Betsy R. Marks on September 18, 2013

Need a little perspective in your life? Feeling run down or under life’s thumb?

This amazing film was edited from a crowd-sourced selection of 80,000 submissions amounting to 4,500 hours of footage from 192 countries. That it is only 95 minutes long says as much about the editor as it does about what was submitted.

It serves as part of my inspiration for this blog. As much as possible, I am pulling material from YouTube. It’s there because someone thought it was interesting enough to share. In this case, over seven million viewers have watched at least some portion of this film. It’s a slice of life, from a single day (July 24, 2010) as experienced around the world.

Is it earth-shattering? No. Action packed? Yes. Violent? Sometimes. (If you haven’t watched, take note that some of the scenes are graphic and depict animal slaughter.)

More information about the film’s creation and creators is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_in_a_Day_(2011_film)

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September 15: The General

Published by Betsy R. Marks on September 15, 2013

Time for a major change-up in theme, again.

While searching for material to highlight, I’ve discovered a wealth of cinema – full length movies – on YouTube. These aren’t your First Run favorites. Rather, they are groundbreaking, silent era, modern animation, thought-provoking documentary or fascinating takes on real world life.

We start with Buster Keaton’s 1926 classic, The General.

I was tempted to feature Chaplin’s The Gold Rush (1925) or Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last (1923), but this one caught my attention first.

I’m studying film and what makes it so effective as a medium. Netflix has a lot of what I’m watching, but not all. And the wonder of YouTube is that it takes the whole process and puts it in your hands. As we’ll see later this week, some of the results of that control are simply amazing.

If you’ve never taken the time to watch a silent classic, here’s a great place to start. In fact, make the time to watch all three. They’re among my favorites.

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June 30: Jon Cozart ~ ME ME ME

Published by Betsy R. Marks on June 30, 2013

Okay, so I can call it.

Jon, now 21, is in film school in Austin. I predict awesome things for his future. Here’s his channel, if you want to keep up to date with his work as he progresses: http://www.youtube.com/user/Paint

Wrapping up Jon Cozart Week conveniently on Sunday. We start a whole new theme come Monday morning, with the beginning of the second half of this project. Happy Sunday!

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June 12: Thomas Dolby ~ Airwaves

Published by Betsy R. Marks on June 12, 2013

Thomas Dolby was one of the few who took serious advantage of the medium of music video to create something as visually interesting as it sounded. The Flat Earth follow-up to Golden Age of Wireless has a completely different sound, more mellow but a fresher fusion of New Wave and Jazz. At least, for some of the tracks…

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