This is a short film by Home Video Productions: International, a student group of filmmakers and creative types at Shepherd University. It was entered in the Frederick, Maryland 72 Hour Film Fest. It won the “Head of Class” (Best Student Film) award and was one of 5 nominations for “Best of Fest” out of over 40 other films. More info at www.72.fest.com.

Do yourself a favor, set it to 1080p (or at LEAST 720p), go grab a cup of coffee or pop some popcorn, then enjoy the short 5 minute film.

Synopsis: A young lady wakes up from the repetition of a melancholy life as she rediscovers her past love of art and it shakes her very reality.

Technical Specs: Used 3 Nikon lenses (wide angel, 50mm, and telephoto). Used 2 Canon T2i, Zoom H4N, boom pool, slider, tripod w/ fluid head, and more. Used LED and florescent lighting.

Software: Adobe Premiere & After Effects CS5 for all editing, post-production, animation, and sound design.

Credits:
J. P. Schmidt – Director – http://vimeo.com/user864373
Anthony Bellissimo – Editor – http://anthonybellissimo.com/
Matt Richards – Producer – http://www.mattc0m.com
Ashli Chesire – “Amy Jackson”
John Meeker – “Mr. Clark”
Hans Mertens – “The Gentlemen”
Stephen Wittkamper – Assistant Producer
Thom Huenger – Composer – http://www.myspace.com/thomhuenger
Cody Cheesebrough – Music Producer – http://www.myspace.com/erikgoestogermany
Justin McKenzie – Sound
Joey Diaz – Camera Operator – http://joeydiaz.carbonmade.com/
Zack Shelly – Equipment Coordinator
Sarah Crickenberger – Assistant Screenwriter

In other music news, I’m the Band Manager of Erik Goes to Germany.

Came across this interactive piece of flash artwork today and it’s fantastic. A very professional and artistic piece, I fully recommend you set aside a couple minutes and check this out. It follows along a brush within this song, allowing you to weave up and down, while changing the pace and adding beautiful animations that go along with the music. Really, you’ve got to just see it to believe it.

http://soytuaire.labuat.com/

If you liked that, check out more on this article at Smashing Magazine.

That would be a lot more fun.

The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.

Terry Pratchett
One of my absolute favorite authors of all time

This quirky adventure mixes the irony of psychic warfare in the US army, a tale of self discovery, political commentary, a mix of great actors, and a premise that is guaranteed to be off-the-wall. While this may seem like a sure winner, it stumbles rather than taking flight and becoming a true classic.

Interested in what I’ve got to say? View my review posted at MovieSector. It’s got the full text, screen captures, a trailer, and my final score (you can also add your own score).

I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and I believe that you, too, should have the experience of watching it.

You read my review posted over at my new website called “Movie Sector.”

I’ve considered buying a replacement for it. As I mentioned, it’s a fantastic headset. It featured superb sound quality, amazing comfort, good voice quality, and it just rocked for gaming. It was pretty much the perfect headset. So why didn’t I just spring and buy another one? Well: the price tag of $100 was a bit of a turn off. Plus, I wanted to try something new. And thus my adventure began.

So I turned to Sennheiser, knowing they’ve got some great sounding headphones. I wanted to turn away from gaming headsets and towards more professional headsets. Don’t get me wrong, I’m mainly going to be using them for gaming, and gaming headsets are great quality. But it was part of a larger picture. My eyes fell on one particular model that stood out: Sennheiser HD-280. I ended up getting a pair for $70, which is a great deal in my opinion.

I also got a stand-alone microphone. The Logitech Desktop Microphone has actually got some really good reviews, and since I’m only recording voice (namely for shoutcasting / podcasting work), it fits within my budget. My only concern is that it may pick up the sound of my computer fans / air conditioning. Mics on headsets generally have been better at canceling out background noise.

This was not a quick, easy selection for me. I spent about three to four hours digging into reviews, looking over all my different options, and eventually decided this was the best route. I was also thinking about the Creative Fatal1ty MK II (good noise cancellation + on sale), RAZER Carcharias (good bargain), and the RAZER Megalodon (7.1 surround sound in the headset).

The long term plan is eventually I want to get a turn condenser microphone, as well as a mixer board, and do some really professional audio work. But for now, I’m satisfied with this equipment. And in the end, I only spent $90. And once I do get them (in about a week), I’ll be sure to post my impressions.

Now, let’s not talk about the $50 I spent on buying 12 video games (there was some really good deals this week! Curse you, GoGamer!)

UPDATE:

Well. Guess it’s gonna be longer than a week!

Dear Buy.com Customer,

We apologize for the inconvenience, but at this time we are not able to fulfill your order.
Order #48813615 has been cancelled because you have a PayPal UnVerified Account or you are shipping to a PayPal Unconfirmed Address.

NOOO!

Muse has some pretty powerful lyrics, but as always, they continue to just send chills through my body whilst listening to them. My new favorite song is “Sing for Absolution”, which I quoted above.

Watch the music video of the song. It’s got some pretty interesting visuals.

What is really interesting, is I watched that exact music video over a year ago. I hated this song. I thought it was slow and needed a better beat, and the chorus was lame. I was far more interested in listening to Hysteria or Time is Running Out.

Now, I totally dig this song. From it’s mesmerizing lyrics, to the kickass guitar, to the echoing scream when he’s repeating the chorus, to the climactic finish. I am really loving this song, and it’s currently my favorite Muse song. It’s kick ass!

The song has has a lot of meaning to it. “Lips are turning blue, A kiss that can’t renew, I only dream of you” speaks to a lost love, perhaps death, and a feeling of regret and love that is endless. The chorus: “Sing for absolution, I will be singing, Falling from your grace” speaks to a feeling of guilt, and he is literally begging for his absolution. It’s also a bit more grand, and the music video accompanies this – perhaps he’s pleading for the absolution of our entire civilization? The last lyrics agree with this: “Our wrongs remain unrectified, And our souls won’t be exhumed”. Epic stuff.

In other news, I also really like the new single, Uprising.

It was kinda “meh” at first, but like all Muse songs, after a few listens I was hooked. I love the political-ness to it, even if it’s a bit “in your face”. It feels heartfelt and very passionate, and it makes you want to get up and do something.

They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious

Sure, I can dig that.

So. they have a new album coming up in September.

So. they just released one of their songs from it. It’s called United State of Eurasia. And it is my favorite song (for now).

At first, it was kind of a turn off. It’s a bit quiet (at first), and it just seemed a bit cheesy. It was also a bit too political. But after I realized it wasn’t just silly American bashing and it actually had a legit point, I enjoyed it a bit more. It look a couple listens to truly begin enjoying this song.

I really like it, now. The beginning is a soft mixture of music, not seeming rocking at all. But it’s nice. it sets the tone of the song. It slowly builds up, and then it kind of breaks out of its box and just explodes with music. The piano is dramatic and booming, as always, and mixes in perfectly with this kick-ass rock song.  The lyrics are pretty smart, and they’re delivered with a true sense of passion. I like it. Hell, I love it.

In fact, I think Muse is getting even better. If that’s possible.

Read more for the YouTube link and free mp3 of the song! Hopefully you’ll given it a few listens and get what I’m talking about.

That’s cool, isn’t it? I love listening to that song. I’ve listened to it. a lot. Haha.

Oh, and here’s the mp3 download: http://www.mousehold.com/unitedstates.mp3