My wife and I have been working on a video scrapbook for our son now for about a year. The project originally started out as a movie of all of our video clips but it was immediately apparent that this scope was far too great. As time went by and as more and more full DV tapes stacked up, we narrowed the scope to be just the first six months of his life instead.
But even this seemed to be a Herculean task. Where were we going to find the time to go through all of our tapes and catalog clips into their subjects and time indexes? Add this to the time it takes to transfer the footage to the PC, assimilate the clips in order, narrate specific clips, add music, transitions, titles, make a DVD menu and burn it to DVD and you can see that the time costs seem to far outweigh the return.
But this value assessment is only half the story because I saw the determined look in my wife's eyes as she sat at the PC the other night putting the movie together after almost six months of not even touching it.
She wasn't happy about getting back to the project once she opened it up and got going because half the files weren't there anymore. You see, I am anal-retentive about my computer files and about two weeks ago I went through a massive reorganization of my digital photographs. Oops, I forgot that we had about 40 pictures in the video scrapbook and moving them around meant big gaping holes in the movie. It took about an hour of her to repair the damage.
But she did it. And she had fun while doing it.
She went at it for about two more hours after that and she felt completely accomplished after it was over. Now, I find myself remembering back when we made our first movie-a memento of when our two little nieces visited us in Cincinnati. I followed my wife and those little girls around for two days through the zoo, the Cincinnati Museum Center, and our little apartment. We had enough footage by the end of the weekend to put together an hour long video.
I went out and bought a computer movie program and we began working on it right away. She was so uncoordinated with it at first and back then I didn't have much patience explaining programs to people. But we braved our way through it and ended up with a very good film which we were able to transfer to a VHS tape and give it to our nieces as a gift.
But the woman who sat at the computer the other night for three hours was not the same person who cursed the mouse because it wouldn't take her where she wanted to go three years ago. This woman was confident with her computer skills and with the program (although it is not the same program we started out with-they are all essentially the same). She was making production decisions on the fly, not even consulting me anymore about how to do it. She was trimming video clips, adding transitions and titles and she was having fun while doing it.
It just goes to show you that if you truly love what you're doing then the skills and experience will come with time. We started out just wanting to celebrate and share our child with our loved ones and this desire developed into an art form. The computer is our canvas and while we can't pin a video to the fridge, we can make scrapbook pages based on themes from our move and put those on the fridge.
Video Scrapbooking has become a method of communication for us; it allows us to talk about the things that mean the most to us-our family. In fact, we were communicating so well the other night that I got hit up to have another child-soon was the key word in that conversation. Perhaps we had better lay off the scrapbooking for a while and just teach others how to do it. Whew!
Joshua Minton is a father and husband as well as a writer. He currently serves as President and founding partner of Family Bliss Enterprises, Inc. but his background is in the health insurance industry where he has spent the last two years serving as Executive Business Analyst for the Executive Director of the nation's largest health insurer. Josh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Bowling Green State University. He has published two novels, a book of poems and several short stories. He has won awards for his poetry and fiction, including the BGSU Alumni Book Award and was included in the 1999 edition of Who's Who in College America. Josh currently serves as President of Family Bliss Enterprise, Inc. and is webmaster and content editor of joshuaminton.com where you can view samples of his essays, poetry, fiction and much more.
maide service in Lincolnshire ..If you are like most people today, you do not... Read More
Early childhood educators have called play "children's work". Many parents... Read More
Although it's hard to say when the first stuffed dogs... Read More
Jason Roberts listened to his son's explanation of the missing... Read More
"Will my doubts and fears affect my child?" This father... Read More
Since so many would rather avoid the use of stimulant... Read More
Many research studies have shown the overall effectiveness of stimulant... Read More
"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds... Read More
Thank you to all of our professional educators who dedicate... Read More
Does music need to be "dumbed-down" for kids? The answer... Read More
Home schooling. What is it? What does it mean to... Read More
There are few thoughts as terrifying as the abduction of... Read More
Hey Parents! I hate to tell you, but there is... Read More
Advocate: you've probably heard the term before. But what does... Read More
No matter what you say or do, your kids will... Read More
"Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing... Read More
Here is something that you might want to keep if... Read More
Life is funny.My twenty-year-old daughter, Melanie, has a her new... Read More
Looking back through my files I've come across several great... Read More
"Not another meeting!"That tends to be the reaction from many... Read More
Learning responsibility is an ever widening and lifelong process.As thinking,... Read More
Former students would probably attest to the fact that few... Read More
In today's mental health system there is a pattern of... Read More
The internet is a dangerous place for your children. Don't... Read More
How many times have you flipped through the pages of... Read More
cleaning lady near Deerfield ..Q. With the school year just beginning, what can we... Read More
Peaceful Parenting? ideas are very different from other kinds of... Read More
You're trying to catch up on some sleep on a... Read More
In the movie, Finding Nemo, Nemo's father, Marlyn asks the... Read More
It is human nature to feel competitive and envious toward... Read More
The 'phone conversation had nothing at all to do with... Read More
LOS ANGELES (May 19, 2005) - With Memorial Day weekend,... Read More
The initial state of happiness about an own child is... Read More
What is the mystery of motherhood? I know that when... Read More
1. Create... Read More
'And all because of a damned cat! It's only a... Read More
I thought I was the only one in the world... Read More
Arabella Greatorex, owner of The Natural Nursery, reports on the... Read More
Parental example, whether for good or for bad, is undoubtedly... Read More
Ah, potty training! Go to a local bookseller and you... Read More
When your child shows signs of potty training readiness, it's... Read More
Homes should be run by parents, not children. So many... Read More
Handing Down Malignancy.Children may begin bright and eager to face... Read More
Here is an easy, inexpensive and fun kid experiment for... Read More
Dexedrine is not prescribed very often for the treatment of... Read More
Finding out that a child has been born with a... Read More
One of my first memories of childhood is that of... Read More
Bearers of life, wipers of noses, givers of unconditional love... Read More
When it's time to put your child into a daycare... Read More
"Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing... Read More
Parenting |