This is hard!

So, blogging and creating videos is hard stuff. Fortunately, I love a challenge.

This post, however, is just a note to say that: I apologize. "What for?" You may ask. For not getting new content up sooner! I have been under the weather for over a week now. Not bad enough to skip my day job, but enough that me hacking on screen would not be pleasant.

I've been wanting to put together a quick "behind the scenes" on the latest "Thor" video. If not for your enjoyment, at the very least as a document as to our process, what we learned, and how we can improve.

I hope to have it out by...well...sooner rather than later. My intent is to have an "original" video posted once a month, a BTS video, and separate blog post of my creative choosing.

We'll see.

How to Act Like Thor :: What we learned

 

Learning a lot through this video making process and above is the final product. Here's what we learned:

• Time - you don't have enough so plan, plan, plan!
• Preparedness - you don't have enough time so prepare, prepare, prepare!
• Money - non-essential! Borrow stuff and shoot in your friends' basement!
• Editing - is fun! But hard work! Here's where I picked up a bunch of my tips for audio, color correction, and work-flow: http://opensource.com/life/11/11/introduction-kdenlive
• Teamwork - get people to do this with you! I'm not the best writer, actor, artist, camera person. Recruit your friends and family to help out.

Here's the last thing about what I learned specifically: set the bar high. You don't have to spend tons of money or be a professional but when you have an idea expect a great product. What I found with this video was I had a high expectation, after shooting it was MUCH lower (I didn't get all the shots I wanted). However, after some tweaking and some compromise I got a sort-of different video near the quality of my original expectation. Hard work really pays off! I appreciate my Llama Create! team!

Don't forget to visit your channel: llama create!

Your Very Own "Sneak Peek"

Yes, I'm aware it's been a while since I made a post. Again, yes, I'm aware that I promised that I won't fizzle out on this blog. But, would you believe that I've actually been working? Didn't think so. So I'll prove it, I even have non-photo-shopped pictures and everything!

Let me begin by saying, I am not, I repeat, I am not, a programmer, designer, or web-developer by trade. I did take one class in high school and that was plain 'ol html. I've since "learned" cascading style sheets (css) to help me be a better designer. However, I have always been good at art, good with numbers and structure (ie markup and coding), and generally internet savvy. So there are my credentials for starting a web-based company. Ha!

Moving on. I won't go into the gory details of why I am embarking on starting a web company focused on college students, if you want to know the genesis of it all you can find it here. I've done the typical things you can find on the internet about starting a "start-up".  I've found 2 or 3 mentors in different stages of business careers with vastly different businesses and backgrounds. I've talked to people about my idea and gotten feedback. I've, partially, worked on a business plan. It's even true that I have recruited a partner for the endeavor. But, what I have been really lacking is the format of the business itself. If it were a retail store it would be like not having the building, sign, or merchandise! Well, no more, at least on my local machine anyway! I have created the "front end" of my "coming soon" landing page. (Meaning: it looks good but isn't quite functional; I need a programmer! Feel free to email me or contact me through the comments if you'd like to be part of our team!) All in all, I'm proud of the work Shaun (my co-conspirator) and I have done thus far.

So without further ado, here is the screenshot that I have been holding back:

Okay, pretty simple eh? Well I tried to operate under the KISS methodology: just Keep It Simple Stupid! So there it is, for now. I will continue to engage in learning more html/css markup and work on my programming skills to help nudge this project along (seriously if you can help me let me know!). 

Finally, I'm glad I have something accomplished. StartupWeekend, is this weekend! I really feel that having something to give a "face to the name" of my project can go a long way when I get to pitch my idea. I'm hoping to recruit some technical people and really get this idea off the ground, not to mention win the contest!

Whelp, that's all I got for ya! Hope that you aren't rotfl too hard right now.

PS: I'm planning on writing about the upcoming StartupWeekend in the next day or so so look out! Also, I will be tweeting (@LucusP) during the event. And, I'm going to attempt to capture some of the event and my team with some digital video!

Cheers!