Adventures in Promotion - My first Movie

There are times when I feel like I'm on the right path simply because of the way things seem to come together.  Surtex gives you the opportunity to create a Mini Video Ad to be shown in the Video Lounge during the show.  It's a great idea and it is located right by the tables in the Cafe which is shared by both the Stationary Show and Surtex.  When I walked the show last year, I watched while I ate and saw many of the other attendees doing the same.  I really would be curious how many people were compelled to visit an artist at their booth after seeing their video. 

Now I've never even opened IMovie before so I thought I should at least look at the program if I am following my mantra "Start Now".  A few months prior I had taken some pictures of a flower I was painting for one of my collections, thinking that I would use them in a blog post.  Of course, I have not been the best blogger so they sat untouched.  Just as an exercise I strung them together using IMovie, and voila, it seemed to work!  God love Mac and their intuitive software!  I started playing with the pictures in photoshop until they overlapped nicely, I guess a scan would have worked better if I had any idea what I would have ended up using them for!

Now music, this had been on my mind for a while, ever since I saw that Surtex allows you to do a video.  This brings up the subject of copyrighted material.  Obviously, I do not want anyone using my work without permission, so I feel that I am fairly sensitive to the feelings of a musician on the subject.  I had done a lot of research for royalty free music or that which I found affordable, I am on a pretty tight budget!  Most of it just sounded like outdated 80's jingles to me.  Now believe it or not, my husband is actually a musician but we seem to be too far apart when it comes to style for it to seem cohesive. 

Again back to being on the right path.  In the fall, when I was jogging every night, (in case you can't tell, this is not happening now!), I used to listen to the same cd.  After I finished I would shut it off until the next night.  One time, for whatever reason, I decided to switch the laundry over and had left the music on.  As I was pulling out the clothes  one of my brother's songs came on.  I didn't even remember I had put it on there, and something just felt right about it.  Luckily being related to someone seems to grant you full usage rights for free or maybe a coffee, yeah!

So back to movie making!  Once I had laid out all of my images to create a very basic animation of sorts I dropped in the music.  I searched around for a part that seem to work and almost like magic, things pretty much lined up.  In the matter of hours, with no intension of doing so, I think I had made my promo video.  I shouldn't say "think" but I'm just so indecisive sometimes!  I usually prefer to have choices or a plan before moving forward, but again, (total theme of my year), some things have to happen because you are following your gut rather than a plan. 

Because I have so much to do before the show, for now, I am mentally checking this one off my list.  Its so funny to me to see this take shape where I have no animation (I do not mean to insult the wonderful animators with the reference to my work) or video experience.  Just seems like someone else is in the driver seat sometimes.  Weird?  I don't think so, I really think that when you are following your correct path in life, things do seem to fall into place.  A bit metaphysical?  Perhaps, but I'm going with it! 

Now for the premier....