PaintingThrough Air

I don't know how that looks on a laptop or desktop monitor, but it looks like crap from where I'm sittin'.  I used iMovie, which is like trying to draw a map of Denmark with an Etch-A-Sketch.  Anyway, hopefully, you'll get the idea. 

Before I started focusing on music full time, videography was my trade.  A lot of the work-for-hire was drudgery, but the fun projects made up for all of that. Especially when my Steadicam JR was still functioning.  The Sony VX was like nine pounds of camera and the Steadicam floated it along like it was on rails.  I freakin' loved that thing.  It was like doing a dance with a partner, with no feet to step on. There's newer technology out there, I think even from the Steadicam team, so who knows what's even possible now?  I'm taking delivery on some kind of iPhone stabilizer with auto pan and tilt.  But I got excited about that before dropping into the drone world. 

It's ridiculous and exquisite how easy it is to set up these amazing shots.  I can see my subjects through the FPV (First Person View), frame them up and reposition the camera anywhere that it needs to go.   

Having a blast down here in the Keys with a couple of musical gigs and some flying time with some of the best views in the world.  I'm in one of the few places in Florida where you can fly without having to contact the local air traffic control tower.  Fly with caution. 

The Solo has performed stupendously - just a mean beast of a copter.  By the time I decided that the wind had won, it was starting to gust up to 21 mph.  Most of the footage that you see in the video above was at about 17 mph wind speed.  You can tell by looking at the ripples on the water and there are also a couple of bobbles in the picture where a gusts rip through.  Having faith in your drone makes flying it out over the water a hell of a lot less nerve wracking.  This does get easier. 

I binged four episodes of "Grand Tour" before leaving for Key Largo and enjoyed it immensely, though could've done without the self-referential chatty bits.  Moar driving.  Moar ridiculous car segments.  The show is a big, slick, glossy feast of visuals and I love its energy when they're road and track testing cars.  It's got me thinking in terms of camera placement and shot arrangement for upcoming episodes of "Dulcimerica."     

But I won't be building any dulcimers out of mud, plants or animal bones anytime soon.

SSA Video Of The Year - shot in one day with a furniture dolly as a moving camera - low frame rate, so you're missing the cool "Star Trek" transporter beam effect.  Watch for the ghosts, though. 

What was proposed to be the pilot for a reality show about a British man attempting to open an Orlando attraction.  One of the strangest periods of my life. 

So, I'm looking forward to really getting back into the visual side of things.  Hell, I don't even have a music video, what's up with that?