My 2019 video editing reel. The majority of the work that I've done over the past several years hasn't been anything in which I've operated camera, and most of it was under intellectual property ND. So in lieu of a normal, annual reel, I've put together a little something highlighting some of my general skills and interests in audio/video creation, even though the focus of it is the editing nature.

It's been a while since I've posted anything, especially since most of what I work on is proprietary, nor is it my own camera work, and therefore not really legitimate to post.

However, in my spare time I've been doing a bit of singing on the social network called Bandhub.  I joined in October of last year, and have at this point been involved in nearly 40 "collabs".  I'm beginning to get in fairly high demand for doing lead vocals, and it's pleasing to know that people have confidence in my musical vocal abilities.

Other than singing though, I can contribute scarcely more, as I don't play any instrument.  But I've found a different way to contribute and that is to take the "Brady Bunch" view that you get from a finished collab, and using the raw materials I create a slightly more interesting music video that the participating artists might use to promote themselves hither and yon.

Here's what I mean by Brady Bunch view:

There's actually another equally-sized image of the rest of the participants in this particular collab, but this should suffice for you to get the idea. And the final product ...

As always, please click on the broken rectangle icon at the bottom right of the YouTube video screen to make the video full screen, and when it's done, simply press Esc on your keyboard.

I've made several other videos, not only of the collabs in which I've participated (though that's my primary MO), but I've also been so thrilled with the performances of other BHer performances that I've volunteered my services.

And now I'm beginning to get requests for those, but unlike playing or singing in a collab, these videos can take anywhere from 4.5 to 6 or more hours to create, depending on their complexity.

But anyway, it's a lot of fun -- both performing the music and creating the videos.

Wedding Invitation Animation

This is a little something special I like to do for the couples for whom I produce their wedding video -- a little animation made from their own wedding invitation, to include in their wedding day video presentation on DVD.

Two previous animations may be seen in my 2014 reel, but this is my most ambitious to date, though it's actually simple. The ambitious part came in the cutting out of virtually every asset on the invitation, and connecting an appropriate animation with it. The happy couple really enjoyed it so, mission accomplished :)

As always, it's best to watch this as large as possible.

In the true production, this is set to the song "Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)" by Frank Sinatra. YouTube blocked the music and so I found a reasonably suitable musical piece from their free collection.

Show Reel

My Show Reel, created for my Associate Portfolio class at New England Tech. Even though I enjoy just about every phase of story-making (Pre-Production, Production, and Post-Production), I suppose my (current) strengths and interests in motion graphics are the most prominent thing that began to rise to the surface, so I went with that. Hopefully this will be sufficient to show I've reasonable potential for being a bona-fide motion graphics artist/engineer.

To see this video larger (and you really should) please click on the image above, then move your pointer to the upper right of the little movie window, and click on the link that appears, which says "Show Reel". This will take you to my Vimeo site, and there you may view it even larger if you wish.

Olivia and Tahlé Wedding

This is my (and Ryan Sherwood's) second wedding trailer video. Once again Ryan edited it, but both of us operated cameras. This one is a bit different from the first in that we were invited guests, and were asked only to film the wedding ceremony. So we tried to comply as much as possible, all the while sneaking in some extra footage here and there, at our leisure, to make it a little more dynamic.

Olivia and Tahle Highlights from Ryan Sherwood on Vimeo.

The whole experience was fabulous, from the location of the wedding ceremony (St Luke's Catholic Church, in Barrington, RI) to the reception (Venus deMilo restaurant). Lots of smiling faces and the wedded couple were a lovely match.

Thanks so much to Sarah for asking us to be the videographers for Olivia and Tahlé's wedding!

Cameras used were three CanonT3i, with 70-200mm, 35mm, 84mm, and a GoPro camera.
The music is Ben Rector, "Disarm", licensed through Music Bed.

Not shown, but included in this project, is the long version, which is basically the ceremony; the DVD authoring, and packaging, all of which was done by yours truly.

DSLR Introduction Test

Assignment to acquaint us with the Canon T3i DSLR; shot with the standard 18-55 lens, only with available light; 7 shots. We shot it in 24fps. The original assignment was to have no sound, since sound wasn't a factor for learning how to use the camera. My partner was Dennis Cabral. Music is from freemusicarchive.org.  All scenes shot in the library at New England Institute of Technology. Special thanks to the head librarian for giving us permission to shoot the card catalogue.

[To see this video larger, please click on the image, then hover your mouse pointer near the top of the video and click on the link. This will take you to the YouTube page from whence it comes. You may then click on the enlargement "buttons" at the bottom right of that new video screen.]

My First Live Studio Production

Please forgive the scripts on table and lap.  The guest was not able to make it for the interview, so my instructor Mark Foley sat in for her and called himself "Jerry".  Basically he and the host (Mario Lima) had to learn everything on the spot.

But like the title says, this is my first attempt at a live studio production.  It's an assignment in my Studio Production class at New England Institute of Technology (NEIT).  For this one we tried to get ahold of a lady named Cheryl Vargas, a missionary and co-founder (with husband Carlos Vargas) of Hope Of Life International, for the sake of orphans in Guatemala.

I wrote the script -- both questions and answers, I was the director and technical director, and I created the lower third graphic.  The rest of the credits are listed at the end of the short.  All of the action is live.  The only thing I did in post was to add the lower third (there was a problem in the control room and we couldn't get it to work that day) and I made a little trim on the commercial break, so that everything fit into precisely 5 minutes.

The idea was that all four (there are only four of us left!) of us would have a 5 minute segment in a 30 minute show.  The five minutes includes time for one full minute of commercial break, which is substituted for some HD footage.

I can definitely see where I lingered too long on a shot or two.  But I hope to learn from that mistake.  There were also some color differences in the cameras, which we tried to get corrected in the control room but, like the lower third, it just wasn't happening that day.

The music is an excerpt from the track "Heard Them Stirring" by Fleet Foxes.
The footage taking place of a commercial ad is from Mammoth HD.

[Please view this video larger by clicking Play, then pointing to the upper, left corner of the video, where the title appears; Click on that title, and it'll take you to the YouTube site on which it was uploaded. There you can also enlarge it even more]

Homeschooling Video for Corporate Media Class

Kelly Dwyer worked with me on this quarter final project for Corporate Media class.  The assignment was to be a promotional video, for either a product (whether real or imagined), a person, service, etc.  The idea of homeschooling came to me, though I was educated in publick skoole. I got such a visceral reaction from my instructor that we had a little chat about it for a bit, as I explained that virtually all of the homeschooled kids I'd ever met were very intelligent, and more personable than most of the public school kids I knew, and/or grew up with.  After a while he said "You know what? I hope you make that video on homeschooling.  I'm willing to be wrong.  Convince me."  I said "Well, I'll do my best."  I don't know if I changed his mind but I got a 95 on it ;)

[Please view this video larger by clicking Play, then pointing to the upper, left corner of the video, where the title appears; Click on that title, and it'll take you to the YouTube site on which it was uploaded. There you can also enlarge it even more]

After numerous searches, I finally located the copyright owner of the leaping rabbit image that I'd borrowed some time ago, for my logo. It turns out to be a tattoo company, and they did not want me to use their image in my logo, though they said "thank you for asking." So I've changed the design to a similar image, which I drew myself, basically copying the pose from their bunny, but an entirely new piece of art.  I didn't ask, but hopefully they won't object to my leaving the originals so that there's some context to all of this fuss.

[Please view this video larger by clicking Play, then pointing to the upper, left corner of the video, where the title appears; Click on that title, and it'll take you to the YouTube site on which it was uploaded. There you can also enlarge it even more]

Instructional Video Exercise

Dylan Titus and I created this instructional video, for the class Corporate Media -- an instructional video, on the topic of "How to Entertain Guests in Your Home".
The cheesy green screen "glow" was done intentionally, for added comic effect, though we forgot to apply it properly to the final appearance of Mr Sock.

[Please view this video larger by clicking Play, then pointing to the upper, left corner of the video, where the title appears; Click on that title, and it'll take you to the YouTube site on which it was uploaded. There you can also enlarge it even more]

Lighting Exercises

Part of my quarter final exam in the course FIELD SHOOTING/LIGHTING; exhibiting four types of lighting: 3D Modeling Lighting, Dramatic Lighting, Flat Lighting, Silhouette Lighting.

The actors are Sean Murphy, and a basket of ivy.

I chose to add a little interest to it by including the solo portion of the song "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" by Pink Floyd, but rather than simply posting it, I chose to attempt to do it Bobby McFerrin style, though this is nowhere near what such a master as Bobby can do.  If I had more time to work on it, and finesse it a bit, and if I actually knew how to read music (this is simply done by memory and guessing at how it might go -- you can tell I'm way off on parts with the "organ" parts) it might be be a bit more listenable.  But anyway ...

[Please view this video larger, clicking Play, then pointing to the upper, left corner of the video, where the title appears; Click on that title, and it'll take you to the YouTube site on which it was uploaded. There you can also enlarge it even more]

Continuity Project

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This is my submission for an exercise in Digital Non-Linear Editing -- a Continuity Project.  Continuity being, keeping a flow of action, in the form of a Match Frame Continuity, where there are many angles of an action or series of actions, along with appropriately arranged sound effects, to create the illusion that it's all happening in real time (I came up with the idea, I am also the actor, and Rachel Rodriguez does the camera work); and in the form of a Compressed Time Continuity, whereas events that would normally take place over a longer period of time, basically have all the steps in between removed so that the main point of the story moves along quicker (I, Eddy Alvarez, and Mishitaashen Conley came up with the idea, Eddy is the actor, and I did the camera work).

Project Final - Video Techniques / Studio 1

This is my project final for the class Video Techniques / Studio 1.  I worked on this with classmate Rachel Rodrigues.  We scripted it together, and I storyboarded it.  We took turns setting up the camera for the shots.

[Please view this video larger, clicking Play, then pointing to the upper, left corner of the video, where the title appears; Click on that title, and it'll take you to the YouTube site on which it was uploaded. There you can also enlarge it even more]

Rachel is the actor.  She arrives in the parking lot, steps out onto the running board of her car, and enters the building.  She takes the elevator to the second floor.  Alternately, she takes the stairs to the second floor.  Lo, and behold! As she crests the staircase, she sees herself coming from the elevator.  She waves at herself ... and she waves back at her other self.  The two Rachels meld into one at the entrance to a corridor.  Rachel walks down the hall to classroom 205, Video & Audio Production.

A note:

Since Rachel was a fellow student, and not a hired actor, I couldn't be as coercive as I might've wanted, in insisting that she make sure to land the same foot on the same spot, in order for the "meld" to take place.  Once it was all said and done, she was able to see what I was talking about.  But for a first attempt, I think it came out okay anyhow.  However, the part where the two Rachels are waving to one another, I must admit, was flawless.

I created the logo from a photo I'd taken a few years ago, and added the lettering via Photoshop.

The sound effects came from a SFX generator http://naturesoundsfor.me/

For this presentation, I removed the slate (as well as bars and tones) from the beginning.  The video quality is terrible, as I basically lost everything on my hard drive.  I only had a very low resolution version of this video that I made as an experiment.  I hopefully waiting for Rachel to send me her high quality copy of the file, so that I can replace the current one with a more pleasing version.