Ranunculus californicus - Buttercup
This is Clidemia hirta, a plant native to South America, but invasive in Hawaii. There it is referred to as Koster’s Curse, and its uncontrolled growth has been credited to its lack of predators.
The Pink Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium acaule) is an orchid native to eastern North America. This widespread species can be found in a wide variety of environments, from coastal plains, to pine barrens, to mountaintops. It is the provincial flower of Prince Edward Island, Canada.
(photo/text: Sasata | Wikipedia)
* for Labellum ;)
“Everything Scientists Thought They Knew About Cancer Might Be Totally Wrong”
(click link for article)
The Internet Rots Your Brain.
Actually, researchers think the abundance of information provided by the Internet may prompt the brain to re-prioritize and re-categorize information in your memory.
I thought I would take a few moments and write my thoughts about my Sanoviv - A Place of Healing video I shot and edited for Sanoviv Medical Institute. This video has more meaning to me than it would for anyone else. I’ll explain why in a moment. When looking at it as a marketing piece, the structure and flow are unconventional and do not make much sense. That’s because I didn’t make the video as a marketing piece but, rather simply for myself.
First off, Sanoviv did not ask me to shoot this particular video. I proposed it and they gave me freedom to create. In a nut shell, the Sanoviv - A Place of Healing video is a representation of my feelings of Sanoviv Medical Institute. I felt compelled to expressed my feelings about the facility and I did it in a way that I know how; through video.
Parts of the video have distinctive meaning to me and I am going to share those meanings with you now. I start the video with shots of the ocean and of waves. No matter where you are at Sanoviv, you can either see the ocean, or hear the ocean, or both. The Ocean is part of the Sanoviv experience. The sight, the sound, and the smell of that ocean air have an amazing effect overall on ones welfare. The ocean is part of the healing process. I wanted to set the stage and get establishing shots. Sights and sounds of the ocean tend to relax people. By starting with ocean shots I was preparing my audience to consume the rest of the visuals coming. What is important to understand is that the audio of the ocean in the video is actual audio I recorded while standing on the cliffs of Sanoviv. I set up two microphones with protective wind socks approximately one meter apart. I recorded two separate tracks to create a stereo track in post. The audio came out beautifully. I cut the beginning images to the tempo of the crashing waves of the ocean.
I am limited to the music I can legally use. I have to use properly licensed music which can be frustrating particularly with this piece because I had specific sounds in my mind that I wanted but, could not use. So I did my best to find a piece that was in the realm of the attitude I wanted to portray. Perhaps the future will allow me to revisit Sanoviv and make another attempt at hitting my minds eye goal.
As you watch the video, you may notice that I used time remapping throughout the piece. In other words, speeding up time or slowing down time. I’ll start with the time lapses. A couple of things are happening here. At this point in time, time lapse videos are trending. It’s a popularity thing. By including time lapse, I increase my chances of this video being picked up by some high traffic blog or it being shared with others through social media. Will it happen?… probably not. Honestly, this piece is not “epic” enough but, it’s worth a try. ; )
The time lapse portion of the video holds a subliminal message. Time lapse represents a passage of time in story telling. You may noticed, that the time lapse starts at mid day and moves toward sunset, even to the edge of dusk. To me, this sequence represents the urgency to utilize Sanoviv Medical Institute to it’s fullest or it too will fade out like the setting sun. The piece is a visual call to action for all who see it. Go to Sanoviv. It does not matter if you are well and healthy or ill and need care. Sanoviv is a healing center and we ALL need healing, one way or another.
It’s funny. I’m well known for my slow pieces amongst my piers. I have made many of them and all for self gratification. I often hear back from critics how my videos move too slow, that they are too boring to watch. I have heard this many times especially on this two year old piece: http://youtu.be/eAE_afCyVbU. When I make slow videos, what I am trying to do is force the viewer to slow down and take in the information. Some people simply can not allow themselves to slow down, hence the criticism. It’s OK. If a person is not willing to slow down to watch a one of my slow videos, then that person is not ready to receive the message I am portraying.
I want to point out two shots at the beginning; the shot with the seagull and the shot with the pelican. These shots were deliberate. The seagull represents Dr. Wentz before Sanoviv; his life at Gull Laboratories. The pelican represents Dr. Wentz with Sanoviv. The seagull is static where as the pelican is dynamic. I shot the seagull in real-time at 30 frames per second whereas I shot the pelican at 60 frames per second; double the frame rate. In post I conformed the 60 frames to 30 frames, therefore capturing double the information in the same amount of time. During play back, time slows down. This is called over-cranking technically. I wanted a surreal flowing image. What you see is the pelican soaring on the updraft of the rolling wave… always ahead of the wave, always gaining altitude. Sanoviv and Dr. Wentz are simply that… Always ahead of the curve; always soaring.
The pelican is significant. As the story is told… When Dr. Wentz was visiting the three locations for the last time to choose which would be the home of Sanoviv, it is said, that he walked out to the edge of the Strauss property to gaze over the ocean when a pelican flew up and landed next to him. The pelican accompanied Dr. Wentz for some time. Dr. Wentz took this generous act as a sign; that this was the home for Sanoviv. Pelicans adorn the deco at Sanoviv. When you visit, look for all the pelicans.
The rest of the shots are simply my perspective. What Sanoviv is to me. Slow moves or non-moves to emphasize the visual information; forcing the viewer to look. In the time lapses, I particularly wanted to capture the movement of the shadows. I tried my best to capture the beauty of the gardens and the grounds.
Before going to Sanoviv I had a vision in my mind of what I wanted to capture for this piece. I am sad to say that I did not achieve my goal. Circumstances prevented me for hitting my marks. I hope someday I will have the opportunity to go back and make the video that resides in my mind.
Thank you for taking the time to view this video. This video may not be the best marketing piece but, this piece represents my feelings and I wanted to share them. : )
