(Silent) Young Adult Wolf!
I decided to spend tonight relaxing in my bunk and working on a Video assignment. I chose Alan’s “Return to the Silent Era” challenge.
I really had no idea what movie I wanted to do. Everything I thought about seemed like it would be kind of flat. And the, out of the blue, I settled on a movie that I don’t even really remember liking but that is a quintessential symbol of the decade I grew up in: Teen Wolf.
To do the assignment, I started by using SaveVid to download the trailer from YouTube.
Then, I pulled it into iMovie. I knew I wanted to make it black and white and use the iMovie “Aged Film” effect. But, unfortunately, in my version of iMovie you can’t apply to effects to a clip. So, I did the B&W effect, exported it, and then imported it back into the program. Then I was able to add the “Aged Film” effect.
Next, I began thinking about where I wanted to insert cue cards. The trailer soundtrack is mostly a voiceover with bits of dialogue beneath. Strangely, they seem to show each of the scenes the dialogue come from, but they are lined up together. I was able to pretty easily figure out, however, what dialogue went with what scene.
I wanted a realistic cue card graphic, so I did a quick Google image search and came up with this one (which is free to anyone to use!).
I pasted that image in wherever I thought the cue card should go, and started typing the dialogue straight from the movie. It was pretty easy to settle on a font that looked right. I did have to play with the title effects so that the text didn’t fade in and out (which wouldn’t make any sense on a cue card).
At this point, I felt like something was missing. I decided to see if I could replace some of the language in the movie dialogue with more “authentic” slang of the silent movie era. I found a bunch of Web sites with 1920s slang dictionaries. This PDF was probably the most thorough and useful. The translation isn’t exact in some cases, but I felt like it added some kind of additional authenticity to the project.
Next, I worked on the music. I knew I wanted to use ragtime piano, and I found this great radio show on the Internet Archive that was available with a Creative Commons license.
There’s a point in the original trailer where Teen Wolf turns on the car radio, and the music in the clip changes. I used this point to switch to a different ragtime tune. I’m not sure if the music works that well, but it is authentic!
Finally, I decided to speed up all of the video a bit. It seems to me that silent movies often have the quality of speed being off, so I thought this effect might work. I think it’s okay.
I added an opening and closing cue card, and that’s basically it! (Note I changed the title because the term “teenager’ didn’t come into use until after 1930! I’m not sure “Young Adult Wolf” is as catchy, though. :-)
Enjoy!
When I saw that today’s Daily Create was to share an annoying telemarking call, I realized that I had something that it might make sense to share. It’s not really annoying, per say, but it is relevant to the activities this summer. I had actually forgotten about it until the prompt sparked my memory today!!
Looking back, I guess it was a kind of strange way to get recruited…but, hey, look at all the great things that have come out of it!
Today’s Daily Create instructed us to share a short clip of whatever was broadcasting on Channel 106 on our televisions. Truthfully, since the bad storms a few weeks ago, the reception on the TV in the Camp Headquarters has been terrible. Most channels have been unwatchable. Channel 106 has been particularly strange — it seems to be picking up signals from a variety of sources. See for yourself.
Yesterday afternoon, I hosted the “Mysteries on the Mountain” radio panel to discuss the strange happening at Camp Magic MacGuffin. I was joined by Alan, Zazzy, Joe Beets, Uncle Hector, and Slide Guy! for about an hour of conversation.
Unfortunately, I forgot to start recording until about 7 minutes into the show. Some other things have been said about the show, but I think it turned out great. Don’t you? After all, we did solve the mystery of who has been breaking into Zazzy’s foot locker!
Magic MacGuffin Mystery Show
Today, in lieu of a weekly campfire, I’ll be hosting a live radio panel/call-in show to discuss some of the mysterious happenings at Camp Magic MacGuffin. I felt it was time to bring together a number of people to discuss exactly what’s going on at camp. There have been a number of speculations, some alarming, some downright horrifying:
- Zazzy investigated the truth behind CVI
- Joe/Ben/Kim Beets of DS106 Confidential has noted several strange encounters, particularly with my co-director, Alan Levine.
- Mike Berta’s mysterious Uncle Hector has appeared at camp, off-and-on. Why is he here?
- And, of course, there is Slide Guy! …
I’ve managed to contact a number of these people to discuss all of this AND MORE!!!
Our Panel:
- Alan Levine, Camp Magic MacGuffin Co-Director
- Slide Guy!, Internet Celebrity
- Zazzy, Camp Magic MacGuffin Counselor
- Uncle Hector, Unauthorized Magic MacGuffin Camper
- ????
You can tune-in on DS106 Radio at 3:30PM EST today for the show. If you’d like to ask questions of our panel, simply login to the DS106 TeamSpeak server. We’ll be using this to pull the voices of all of our participants together.
If you’re listening to the show this afternoon and have questions but can’t get on TeamSpeak, feel free to tweet them to @mburtis. I’ll be sure to monitor them.
If you can’t attend, feel free to share any questions you have in the comments below. I’ll be sure to fit them in.
And, I will be archiving the show and posting it here afterwards.
Stay tuned and stay safe, campers!!
Video of Camper and Furry Pet(?) Raises Eyebrows
I’ve been really busy lately at camp. Keeping an eye on everything in Shed #4 and all. A few campers have asked if they can come and see the contents of the shed. Please stop asking. I simply can’t grant permission at this point. It’s complicated.
Meanwhile, some more strange footage has emerged. This time it’s a video I found on one of the digital cameras we lend out to campers. (PLEASE PEOPLE, remember to delete your stuff when you return equipment!!)
Once again, I’m not sure what I’m looking at. I think this might be the inside of one of the bunkhouses, but I don’t recognize that camper or his pet. . chinchilla? Does anyone know the source of it, and should we be concerned that someone’s been spiking the KoolAid? Or perhaps this camper has stumbled upon those strange spores I inhaled out by Paddock 77 a few weeks ago?
It’s possible this was an attempt to complete a video project, since we’re smack in the middle of the video unit at Camp Magic MacGuffin. But, if that’s the case, I just have to say: go back to the editing room. This needs work.
Back from Special Assignment
Hi Campers,
I’m back from the special assignment that I left for on Wednesday. As you may remember, I received a fax fron headquarters Wednesday morning with instructions to meet a driver who would take me where I needed to go.
Yesterday afternoon, I woke up back in my bed in the cabin. I have no recollection of anything since being in the vehicle with the driver. I did find several tweets under my account and a bunch of photos on my camera. There’s also a video I recorded.
I just recorded another video telling a bit more about my experience. It’s very mysterious. I’m not really AFRAID. I mean, after the Shed #4 incidents last week, I feel so at peace with the notion of Magic MacGuffin. But I would be lying if I said this last episode wasn’t a bit…disconcerting.
If you have any idea what it all may mean, let me know in the comments.
Here’s a quick recap that I was able to recreate from my Tweets (there’s a link in there to the video I created while I was “away”):
And here’s the video I just made showing a few more photos I found on my camera… and some other strange discoveries.
Off on Assignment for Camp!!
After yesterday’s amazing experience in Shed 4, I visited again briefly with Alan this morning. I can’t describe the incredible feeling of peace and relaxation I feel. I don’t even remember what was bothering me before, and I almost can’t believe I ever doubted Alan or CVI. I will admit that my head has been aching fiercely this morning, but it’s a small price to pay for the feeling of empty calm that I’m experiencing.
What’s more, I guess the guys at CVI saw the video and are finally ready to really give me more responsibility at camp! I received a fax late last night with instructions about a special assignment they have for me. I’m heading out now to meet up with my transportation for the trip. I’m not entirely sure what to expect; they indicated that more instructions would be forthcoming. But I expect to be away on this assignment for the next three days. Hopefully, I’ll be able to communicate a bit by Twitter. I’ll try to share anything exciting that happens!!!
Wish me luck!
Evidence of Strange Activities at Camp
I think it’s probably obvious to anyone who is following camp and watching our weekly videos (particularly this week’s) that Alan and I are feeling the stress of directing Magic MacGuffin. I apologize that we aired our metaphorical dirty laundry today, but you can’t imagine how crazy it is to corral all the things that are involved in running camp this summer.
I feel like it’s time for me to start being more open about the things that are going on that concern me. I’ve mentioned several times in videos that I haven’t really seen Alan around camp for the last several weeks (since he returned from headquarters, actually). Despite attempting to set up meetings at various camp locales, I can never seem to pin him down.
Yesterday, I noticed his backpack on the ground next to the central campfire. I took a look for him, but couldn’t find him. On a whim, I dropped a digital recorder that I happened to have handy into the front pocket. It’s a pretty nifty device that transmits wirelessly back to my iPad. Unfortunately, I was only able to capture the first 45 seconds or so of his activity — presumably something happened at the end to interfere with the signal.
I’m putting this here because I need everyone’s help understanding what I’m hearing and determining what to do next. I’ve known Alan professionally for several years, and I was eager to direct camp with him this summer based on his stellar reputation as a teacher, technologist, and generally good guy. But, honestly, after the last few weeks (and seeing the evidence I’ve begun to undercover), I’m not sure what to think…
Things Get Stranger During Week Four!!
Dear Beloved Family,
Well, week four has drawn to a strange close here at Camp.
The camp theme for this week was “design” and we asked all of our campers to go on Design Safaris, as they searched the world around them for examples of different elements of design. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to complete my design safari due to another incident that I was embroiled in.
About a week ago, I borrowed a camp camera to document some events here. To my surprise, the person who had last used it had been a bad digital citizen and had NOT cleared his old photos off of the device. I couldn’t help but look at what was there, and I found a set of strange, inscrutable shots of a grown man gleefully going down a small child’s slide. Who was this man? Why was he so joyful about sliding? Was there some hidden agenda at play? WERE THESE PICTURES LEFT HERE FOR A REASON FOR ME TO FIND THEM?!?!
In order to better understand the situation, I tried to reconstruct the original incident:
I wish I could say the exercice helped, but it really just left me with more questions about this mysterious character. I nicknamed him Slide Guy! and decided I needed to do more to understand him.
I created a new assignment in the DS106 assignment repository (did you know anyone could do that!!??), and asked others to help me spot this man and solve the mystery of his affection for sliding. So far, over 23 other Slide Guy! incidents have been identified. And, let me tell you, Slide Guy! has gotten around. Jim Groom spotted him going over a huge waterfall! Andy Rush discovered that he once starred in a movie! Mike Berta saw him in a bunch of places, including a jar of fermenting yogurt!
But then things got REALLY weird, when Slide Guy! was spotted IN CAMP. I don’t know how to feel about this. I mean, we try to be very open and welcoming at CMM, but we do have rules, you know?! No one fitting Slide Guy!’s description has officially registered here at Camp. Is he crashing? Does he have some underhanded intentions? Will he end up threatening us all with power tools and locking us in hidey holes underground?!?!
ANY WHO, in other news, we had our first campfire meeting around the actual camp fire this week. I took some shots of the event so that you could see just how magical this place is (and how strange some of our campers look). We were joined at this delightful event by the one-and-only Cheryl Colan (aka Doo Wop Girl), who is a designer herself. She gave lots of good advice and we had a fun and free-ranging conversation about design, in general.
Over the course of the week, I really tried to keep up with my own design assignments, and I’m quite pleased with my work. I think the one I’m most proud of is my reimagining of the cover of The Girl Who Played with Fire:
I think it turned out well, and it captures a certain VIBE that we have going at Camp this week.
But, really, the biggest turn-of-events was what happened on Saturday! I was all set to sit down and spend the weekend continuing to build duPont Hall at the camp site. (It’s coming along very nicely, as you can see below):
But then I received an unexpected memo from the head of CVI (Camp Magic MacGuffin’s holding company), telling me they had three new campers that were going to be arriving that evening, whom I needed to devote special time and attention to.
I was okay with that, of course! After all, welcoming people to Camp is my job! And I love nothing more than orienting newcomers to the magic and light that is MacGuffin. But the three campers that arrived at my doorstep, were NOT what I expected. The oldest is only eight years old! The youngest is three!
I think this is a bit young for MacGuffin campers, don’t you? Does this symbolize some new business venture of CVI? Why are they recruiting such young members?
As you can imagine, my hands were full entertaining, feeding, bathing, and tending to these three new arrivals. Right now, I just put a film on to keep them occupied so that I could get this letter written! I’m not even sure how I’m going to record the weekly video with Alan later today (he, by the way, has gone MISSING AGAIN!!! On Twitter he just tells me his sharing his “voice” up “north.” Whatever THAT means.)
Anyway, here’s a picture of our newcomers entranced by Peter Pan. I’m taking them off campgrounds later this afternoon for chicken nuggets and french fries (not sure how CVI will feel about that, but I’m all out of PB&J in the cabin). But after that, I’m going to make them start creating animated gifs. Nobody gets a pass at Camp Magic MacGuffin. NOBODY.
Til next week,
Your Beloved Martha
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