As we do over in UWOL land, bring the stories:
The good, the bad, and everything in between, about the making of your DVC/UWOL entry for the charity challenge.

Anyone found the inspiration yet?
Bring it! And good luck to everyone.

I am so uninspired I am thinking of doing a video titled "unINSPIRED".

That's also an inspiration, Tim. :)
I'm still twisting my brain trying to come up with any idea.

Dylan and I got together yesterday to start shooting...

And we were inspired to drink cheap tequila instead.

Nothing got done.

Shaun, that's an important part of the film making: "production meeting" :)

What brand of cheap tequilla works best, by the way ? I had one the other day, but found it had a worm at the bottom, and I had to dump it down the drain... :)

El Jimador is my go to cheap tequila. Note that in Canada, cheap tequila is $30 a bottle.
Of course, after the first 2-3 shots, it all tastes good.

El Jimador is my go to cheap tequila. Note that in Canada, cheap tequila is $30 a bottle.
Of course, after the first 2-3 shots, it all tastes good.

"Tastes good" is in the eye of the beholder...

I'm a $38 a bottle Cazadores drinker in the "cheap" stuff, although I AM nursing a 7 year old bottle of Don Julio Reposado I got FROM THE DISTILLERY in Mexico on a tour recently...

Not sharing that with Gut-Rot Couper...

Oh yes and THIS happened as well...

What brand of cheap tequilla works best, by the way ? I had one the other day, but found it had a worm at the bottom, and I had to dump it down the drain... :)

Dylan's OTHER nickname is The Drain, BTW...

30 + dollars per bottle ??. Ouch. Time to start running liquor to Canada. I was looking for a new occupation.....Talk about inspired...

YAY! We shot something today!

And there was very little tequila involved.

I actually woke up inspired this morning, and got up early as a result. Now I am tired, but still inspired.

My woes are now limited to producing my inspiration.

The inspiration has arrived. But ideas are still lost in space. Maybe they will be blown to me by today's storm.

"Tastes good" is in the eye of the beholder...

I'm a $38 a bottle Cazadores drinker in the "cheap" stuff, although I AM nursing a 7 year old bottle of Don Julio Reposado I got FROM THE DISTILLERY in Mexico on a tour recently...

Not sharing that with Gut-Rot Couper...

I should be called iron gut Couper... I drank the remaining 70% of the bottle on the rocks out ofa beer mug.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays! :)
Anyone hit by the inspiration?

Doesn't look good for me to finish an entry on this one. Scheduled for another round of eye surgery, retina this time. Google "retina peel" for a few videos if you're not too faint of heart.

Hope your surgery goes well, Bruce.

I have a rough idea for my entry, but it all depends on the weather for next weekend.
How I wish the endless storms and rain we have had for almost two months could take a break soon...

Have any of you guys read Bill Thesken’s new thriller “The Oil Eater” yet? It is available from Amazon. Well done, Bill! No wonder the stories for your videos are so compelling. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.

Thanks for the plug Mike ! I published 2 novels last year, and almost got a 3rd in under the wire, but ran out of time, kind of like what happens with these dvinfo video contests...
It's funny how editing a 3 minute video, and a 70,000 word book are similar in that they take time and patience, and even when you think you have it perfect, it's not, and when you review the work you find mistakes in the oddest places.
But, you have to move on and keep pushing forward, researching and learning, and creating new ideas.
Speaking of which, I have a great idea for this video challenge and I have it basically scripted out, and filmed about half of the footage, which looks spectacular, but need a certain type of interior space for the second half of the film. I think I can pull it off. Now the pressure is really on.

Amazon.com: The Oil Eater eBook: Bill Thesken: Kindle Store (http://www.amazon.com/The-Oil-Eater-Bill-Thesken-ebook/dp/B00G60WUK6/ref=pd_sim_sbs_kstore_1)

Well done, Bill!

Woe is me!

I have been inspired by a great subject for this challenge, but really I could devote forty minutes to it, not just four. I am halfway through the script and the editing will be vicious. Maybe I will end up just making four minutes of part one?

I just saw our rough cut.

Either an Oscar or the Stanley Cup awaits us!

Ah we are done and uploaded! WOOOO!

Sadly I think we're still self disqualified like we were with Office Time Machine for... wait a second... Shaun, did we break any rules this time?

Rules? There are rules?!?!?!

I think both Meryem AND Lorinda are going to be mad at us this time...

Heck... I'M mad at us!

The Canadians are upon us.. !

The most important rule:
Have fun!! :)

Been a storm mixed with both rain and snow all this year, but I think I got most of my filming done this weekend.... for plan B, or was it C...

Lorinda, the project I'm doing would benefit from a small amount of b-roll footage filmed over the course of the year. Promise the vast majority of it would be filmed within the competition time frame. Happy to PM you with details if needed to make a decision.

Henry

Hmm...better send that message, Henry. If you follow the DVC rules no previously shot footage is allowed. But the UWOL rules allow just a bit. We might be able to bend a little for the charity round but should have a look.

Hope your surgery goes well, Bruce.
.

Thanks, Trond.

It was done this morning 1-6-2014. Up early at 4:30AM, Daughter drove me 90mi. to Abilene (no retina specialist here in San Angelo for an 8:00AM appt. 1 hour of prep, 1 hour of sugery, and about a half hour in a recovery facility. I was awake for the whole thing, 3 openings in the eyeball, the layer of wrinkled tissue over the retina cut around and then "peeled" off, some scraping to get rid of "debris", then all instruments removed.

Two followup appointmens later this week and then there may be some idea of the time element involved with healing inside the eyeball.

The wrinkled tissue was functioning like a very fine black net diffusion filter some portrait and fashion photographers used to make before commercial versions were widely available. I've been testing a Tiffen Black Diffusion #3 which has an effect much more subtle than what I was seeing through my left eye.

Good luck everyone, I look forward to seeing your entries.

Bruce, sounds like the surgery went well. Good to get rid of the "built in" diffusion filter.
Hope to have you back up and running with film making again soon.

Thanks, Trond.

It was done this morning 1-6-2014. Up early at 4:30AM, Daughter drove me 90mi. to Abilene (no retina specialist here in San Angelo for an 8:00AM appt. 1 hour of prep, 1 hour of sugery, and about a half hour in a recovery facility. I was awake for the whole thing, 3 openings in the eyeball, the layer of wrinkled tissue over the retina cut around and then "peeled" off, some scraping to get rid of "debris", then all instruments removed.

Two followup appointmens later this week and then there may be some idea of the time element involved with healing inside the eyeball.

The wrinkled tissue was functioning like a very fine black net diffusion filter some portrait and fashion photographers used to make before commercial versions were widely available. I've been testing a Tiffen Black Diffusion #3 which has an effect much more subtle than what I was seeing through my left eye.

Good luck everyone, I look forward to seeing your entries.

Hey, you know if you come up here to Canada, we do that surgery for free, eh?
Downside is, I'm the one who does it.

Bruce, sounds like the surgery went well. Good to get rid of the "built in" diffusion filter.
It did go well, Doc had a clinic here in San Angelo today and was pleased with how the healing is going. I had 20/50 in that eye (on a good well lit day) before the surgery, today it tested out at 20/70. He told me before surgery it would take a few weeks to get back to where I was so I'm almost there. Then over the next 3 months whatever improvement there will be will take place. Right eye is 20/20 thankfully.

Hope to have you back up and running with film making again soon.
Yes, me too! I've got new gear I haven't had a chance to fully put to the test yet!

Hey, you know if you come up here to Canada, we do that surgery for free, eh?
Downside is, I'm the one who does it.
With a Yeti assisting, right?

Hey, you know if you come up here to Canada, we do that surgery for free, eh?
Downside is, I'm the one who does it.

But the main thing it's free, right?

I was up until one thirty last night trying to find a quiet time to record voice over audio. This is not a very quiet house, with some road noise as well. I even turned off the air conditioning which was a bit much in the middle of a heatwave.

I got the film finished and have submitted it, so I am not going on "The Wall"!

I will be disqualified for various reasons, but I will submit an entry! Not on the wall! Not on the wall!

I had a concept. I had cleared an entire week of my life to produce it. I even started recording audio for it.

And then...the flu. the $%^($(## FLU. *sob*

just getting back on my feet now. Hang me on the Wall. Throw me in the Tank.

it's still a good idea. I may make it yet.

Better than me. I couldn’t come up with a single idea one. Absolutely no inspiration. Hope you are feeling better soon, Meryem.

I thought I was alone with the flu! -

Same situation as Meryem, I'm afraid - I had a couple of plans, then caught the worst dose of flu I've had in years - I even missed the incoming New Year celebrations! - Good work everyone, and maybe next time.....

Same issue for me, and my normal crew and cast. We had good intentions to shoot after Christmas, but the flu bug had different ideas.