colours

I took some stills at the fleamarket and also some photos of anime on my TV. I then used the Movie Wizard feature on Ulead 9 to put together the slide show. Then I exported it to Ulead Video Editor to add FX.

I think it turned out pretty good.

When a Still picture is not Static

In recent years I have begun to take still photos only during our travels. Once, i attempted to do the movie thing, but was unhappy with the results. You simply can't control enough of the elements of picture making. Everything is unscripted. AND it takes a lot of time. Recently we traveled in France and drove 4500 kilometers in about three weeks. Needless to say, we did not stay in one place very long. Therefore, the time constraints of movie making prohibit this activity. At least for me.

Now I only shoot still pictures. Then I assemble them into slide shows. I hate that term: slideshow. I brings back images of darkened rooms and narration in monotone. I like to show our vacation pictures in a video of still images. Obviously, the simplest way to add to the effect is to add commentary. However, visual effects are more effective to add interest. Without using any effects, one of the best ways to create visual interest i to vary the length of time each photograph is shown.  The fades, zooms, and other effects provided by the software can be used to create interest.

(Unless otherwise noted the software used is Windows Movie Maker)
In Example 1 we have our photograph.
In Example 2 we have the blur and fade effect added.
In Example  3 We have added the sound effect (a camera sound) to Example 2.

EXAMPLE 1

EXAMPLE 2

EXAMPLE 3

You'll note that the final example mimics focusing a camera before taking the picture.

Cyril and the Geese

In France one of the food delicacies is foie gras.    By force-feeding the geese their livers become fat laden to produce what is known as foie gras. This delicacy is frequently served as a pate.  According to the guide book we could find a goose former in the area we were visiting. We wanted to meet a goose farmer and see how he fed the geese. After a few wrong turns we found Cyril's farm at the end of a dirt road. It had that typical farm appearance of farm house and out buildings.   We saw a man with a ladder at a fig tree and a gaggle of geese. He was dressed for the cool October air, had a round face with gray hair on is head and a gray stubble on his chin. The most noticeable feature of his face was a big smile.  It took only a few minutes for me to realize that Cyril's English vocabulary was equal to mine of French.  We each knew about ten words of the other's language. But, through pantomime he understood that we wanted to see him feed the geese. There was a goose in the farmyard that followed him like a faithful dog and Cyril had to scold him not to follow us into the feeding room. 

In the feeding room the geese were in pens and Cyril sat on a chair designed for goose feeding.  He had one leg over the goose and the goose's neck extended up between his legs. He showed us the he was not holding the goose with any pressure, his leg simply kept the goose in place. From the overhead he inserted the feeding tube into the goose's bill and down it's throat and deposited a measure of corn into the goose. He then massaged the  neck.  He allowed us to feel the corn inside the goose by feeling it's neck. Cyril laughingly petted the goose before releasing it. Contrary to popular opinion the goose does not appear to be stressed out or unwilling to undergo force-feeding.

He then led us to the room where the geese were slaughtered and processed. We ended up in the sales room and bought some of his product.

As we were leaving, Cyril beckoned us to stop our car so he could give us a double handful of freshly picked figs.

My Metro Adventure

Parisian Adventure
We were on a crowded, I mean we were packed in like a can of sardines, Metro car. Metro, that's what they call the subway trains in Paris. I was holding on to my leather jacket with one hand and the overhead rail with the other. Claudette was close by hanging on too. Right after it started moving I got this sensation in my leg. You know, like when bug or something flies up your pants leg. Then it felt like there was a hand in my pocket like somebody was gonna play pocket pool. I knew it wasn't my hand and looked across at Claudette an saw that she was holding on with both hands. I took a chance turning loose that rail I was holding on to to check my pocket. 'Bout that time the train was slowing down I barely missed grabbing the twelve-year-girl's hand that was in my pocket. The train stopped, the door opened, and she was out the door like a bat out of hell.
So if you're in Paris and you feel a hand in your pocket, make sure it's yours or your main squeeze's.

Sleep Tight

We were on the morning train from Paris to Vernon to visit Monet's garden at Giverney.  I could not help but notice the young woman across from us sleeping she seemed so relaxed and peaceful.  At one of our first stops the according player boarded the train and began playing.  At the next stop a saxophone player joined him.  The music was lively as another horn player joined them later.  They played loud and lively and left the train before we got off at Vernon. But she never awoke and we left he on the train fo Roeun.