27.3.10

The World is Your Kaleidoscope


I made another VERY amateur video by putting together a WHOLE bunch of photos on iMovie. It covers three random days: a hail storm one afternoon, a night of sitting on the deck watching the lights and movement below, and finally, a night of fireworks in reverse. I've been working on my bokeh skills, so most of the pictures are purposefully out of focus. I tried to go in and out of focus to reflect the way my mind often moves the same, clarity coming only so often. But I also hoped to show there is beauty and purpose in the in-between moments, before and after clarity. Watching it may make you a little dizzy, but that's kind of what I was going for because sometimes living in this world, even just watching it from above and then trying to make sense of it all in my mind is pretty dizzying. Sometimes, you just have to let go of all that trying to comprehend. There are times it takes a lot of courage to live that way, to just sit back and enjoy the view. Most of all, I wanted the video to represent this idea:

-quote by James Edward Allen

The song on the video is Ndabaiwa from the Stella Chiweshe album, Talking Mbira.
Anyway, here it is. I hope it doesn't make you puke.

7 comments:

cindy said...

Cool video! I especially like the fireworks in reverse. And I like your explanation for making it the way you did. Good song, too!

Ruth said...

I am pretty amazed at you right now. I think the out of focus in focus continuum is ingenious, and especially with the fireworks. It feels like a meditation, so mesmerizing. When Jason pokes his head out, it's perfect. The hail and the balls of light echo each other, and the music is perfectly synched.

Brava, madame.

cindy said...

Now that I've picked myself up from the floor i can type. Very cool video and very cool song. I'm going to figure out how to use your talents when i get done with UPS.

jaybarb said...

Excellent matching of music and images. Poetry in motion and light.
May I use it in class?

Ruth said...

Please tell me your favorite quotes from FP. ruth.mowry@gmail.com.

As for the pic at RUMI DAYS with the tree and daisies. In PhotoShop I just layered one photo on the other, lowering the opacity and fill until I liked it. Do you have PhotoShop? Lucky lucky lucky me, first a sister gave me CS2. Then, when I just switched to the Mac, I thought, oh rats, no more PS for moi. BUT, the lovely IT man who transferred all my stuff to the new laptop said, You want PhotoShop, right? I looked at him dumbstruck. I raised two fingers, with a question mark? He shook his head and raised 4 fingers (CS4, the latest). Yay. If you don't have PS (it's so darned expensive), I don't know if there is another program that lets you layer pics like I did.

(She bows and exits.)

Ruth said...

(I should have made clear that the IT guy had a licensed copy for my college, and so I got it gratis.)

Heh, the word verification: myrobe

lovely you said...

Thanks Mom & Dad! I'm glad you like it!

Hey Jaybarb! Yes, of course you can use it.

Dangit, Ruth, I was afraid you were going to say it was PhotoShop. But I was hoping you were going to say it was some awesome free photo editing site that I wasn't yet aware of. I just use Aperture and Picnik and can't layer with either of those. Maybe I will get PS someday, but until then, I will just enjoy your layered pictures. ;)