tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34262131975411682572024-02-06T21:52:00.102-07:00Black Hat MediaBrynniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720126355845667802noreply@blogger.comBlogger237125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-27822859256013295702019-02-13T13:51:00.004-07:002019-02-13T13:51:32.383-07:00Phoenix Inc: The Short Film-Writing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZ0_tfLLLqlH2TZUO_vUJCJTy2QiXXAdrYGH_5xOhGBTaAR0ablQUOYEUpyL0VtOYyBIkYH1S2Q5N9ncVleKbagnZ9Vcz-FwY4dq6RuQ1em7xugcT0RFB_s7XN02tc4jI6oxKO2R96-Yx/s1600/IMG_0651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZ0_tfLLLqlH2TZUO_vUJCJTy2QiXXAdrYGH_5xOhGBTaAR0ablQUOYEUpyL0VtOYyBIkYH1S2Q5N9ncVleKbagnZ9Vcz-FwY4dq6RuQ1em7xugcT0RFB_s7XN02tc4jI6oxKO2R96-Yx/s320/IMG_0651.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I'm not the greatest writer in the world, but I can get a story on its legs very quickly because I plan like crazy ahead of time. Before I ever put pen to paper (figuratively speaking) on a script I create a roadmap. This takes a lot of extra time, and some writers don't need it but I find that if I don't prepare properly my stories get sluggish in the middle. The best way I can explain it is to say that the story gets doughy in the middle. I'm great at coming up with beginnings, endings and scenes in the middle but making it all piece together nicely, and keeping a fast paced natural flow is not something I can do without preparation.<br />
<br />
With this story I spent even more time than usual. Originally I wanted it to be a feature film, but I could see that I wouldn't have the budget for that and I was hoping to potentially use this as a stepping stone to fund a feature film. This made it horrible to write because I had to cut the idea down from something fairly complex, down to the simplest version of the idea. It also meant that I had to cut out several side stories that would have been very powerful. The real strength in the idea was not just in the story of my protagonist of choice, it was in the far reaching potential that the implications of a real Phoenix Inc. team could have. But there simply wasn't time and there weren't resources to include any other stories. This will come up again later.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-kw7kZo3gmXs7tJJay9BBEV9P1swUZc9ZNHL9zkMSD1s6_nKvdCGg-tzhriTuPJq1HRcmJSuokZxKWYOp2lNhJWu9XvWkFCUHR3JJoqJF0vyfRjwbA6lswgnSlzedoAdMeW34GzS1c7Z/s1600/IMG_0652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-kw7kZo3gmXs7tJJay9BBEV9P1swUZc9ZNHL9zkMSD1s6_nKvdCGg-tzhriTuPJq1HRcmJSuokZxKWYOp2lNhJWu9XvWkFCUHR3JJoqJF0vyfRjwbA6lswgnSlzedoAdMeW34GzS1c7Z/s320/IMG_0652.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It took me 2 years to get this script to a place where I felt like it was ready to go. Part of the reason for this is that I literally wrote the story to take place in the house I was living in at the time, but then we moved and this actually made a pretty big difference to the way a couple of scenes played out.<br />
<br />
The funny thing is that even though I spent all that time on the script it turned out that when I showed the film to a few test viewers they pointed out a weakness and I had to write and film one additional scene.<br />
<br />
I probably could have waited a lot longer to produce the film, working until I felt like it was perfect but I think I might have died of old age before I got there and I felt like this story needed to be told. After almost 7 years of dreaming, writing and planning the idea was ready to present to the world.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14457501057122911640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-30612826904900149602019-02-08T14:00:00.001-07:002019-02-08T14:00:20.471-07:00Phoenix Inc: Where Did The Idea Come From?I've been a dreamer all my life and creating stories is something I have always done. Most of my stories tend to be more fantasy or science fiction. In a line up of my ideas Phoenix Inc stands out like a sore thumb, so where did it come from?<br />
It probably will come as no surprise that the idea is actually founded in a fantasy concept. It was 2008 and I was at a Christmas activity. I was in the hall outside the main event on a phone call, when they started a slideshow of pictures about the season. I could only sort of see the screen and had no idea what some of the images were but I saw one image that struck a chord with me for some reason. I think it was a depiction of Jesus Christ in some sort of symbolic representation, but I'll never know.<br />
<br />
What it looked like I was seeing was a man being consumed by fire, but not being burned if that makes sense. It was like he was being cleansed by the fire, not killed by it. I looked on the net and this is the closest image to what I saw, although this one is actually more obvious in its subject matter.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uhd4pGJsXTatf9H6IAVTkH726Sxglso74ARMl7eakocFCpFaIkKf20Kx_Q_OgmcZyS3c4tGyRdeZREG-gAjCoFrZylsAi-zLJ4s963qrJu8CR_Z2gLkuHvutHBLMFhkKFw-5hSr9mxnF/s1600/Phoenix+inspiration+painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="1600" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uhd4pGJsXTatf9H6IAVTkH726Sxglso74ARMl7eakocFCpFaIkKf20Kx_Q_OgmcZyS3c4tGyRdeZREG-gAjCoFrZylsAi-zLJ4s963qrJu8CR_Z2gLkuHvutHBLMFhkKFw-5hSr9mxnF/s320/Phoenix+inspiration+painting.jpg" width="320" /></a>It got me thinking of a phoenix, and a place where people could go to have their old lives stripped away and a new life given. It was a cool idea but it ultimately didn't have any legs as a story. I would revisit the idea from time to time but it never formed into a story. I thought about moving it to modern times instead of a fantasy time and place but it still didn't work.<br />
<br />
I have a system for developing stories that many other writers probably have. It's what you might call a back burner system. When I get a good idea I think about it for awhile, but it usually doesn't take shape right away. I toss it into the back of my mind and kind of forget about it until I have a breakthrough and then the idea will come back to me and be easier to develop. Sometimes this happens many times, and it can take days or years depending on the story.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7Idsly_Snp_8vqVYed9EyjjO9m3n7PGY6cGhcRKPug-NMfIWi1oyGKQLYGStnUIYiYJ5PG6NrdTEvQZjXDOvz3eOBjo6OlrK3bbOgg9q7pBLf7iqeUiBbeks1Xcd-30K6SP99yIhBfc/s1600/+squire+in+window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7Idsly_Snp_8vqVYed9EyjjO9m3n7PGY6cGhcRKPug-NMfIWi1oyGKQLYGStnUIYiYJ5PG6NrdTEvQZjXDOvz3eOBjo6OlrK3bbOgg9q7pBLf7iqeUiBbeks1Xcd-30K6SP99yIhBfc/s320/+squire+in+window.jpg" width="320" /></a>Fast forward from 2008 to 2012. I was still somewhat recently married, and both my wife and I were working jobs we didn't like that weren't paying us enough. I was a college graduate with a useful skill set but couldn't even get an interview most of the time at better jobs. I felt trapped. I wanted to walk away from my life and start over. I felt kind of desperate for a couple of years. There were times where I had some George Bailey moments. I never literally stood on a ledge but I feel a strong connection with Aiden's character in the short film because I feel like metaphorically I stood on the ledge many times.<br />
It was during this dark time that I stumbled across the Phoenix story in my mind. Never before had any story of mine hit so close to home. Over a few weeks the story practically wrote itself in my mind.<br />
<br />
Over the next three years I wrote, rewrote and prepared so that in 2015 I was able to officially begin preproduction on the short film.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nqYmn0QR2LpBIh7A7qkfvO93t2XA71bKR0opnsWFD6J2eixRJ0fb8RCqdgjwA2jgHPXq4Wfk5PH7k6AFp71-iCUfSm6azoaWTfAfLIZB_SktPtSe0uXDIkk3yJIoEYziXHKbNdC6zGE/s1600/IMG_1357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7nqYmn0QR2LpBIh7A7qkfvO93t2XA71bKR0opnsWFD6J2eixRJ0fb8RCqdgjwA2jgHPXq4Wfk5PH7k6AFp71-iCUfSm6azoaWTfAfLIZB_SktPtSe0uXDIkk3yJIoEYziXHKbNdC6zGE/s320/IMG_1357.JPG" width="320" /></a>Production of the short was amazing, a life changing experience for me, but I won't get into that here much, but it was on the set of the short film that the idea for a series was born. In a conversation it was mentioned that this would be a good premise for the TV show. It hit me like lightning and the stories just started coming out.<br />
<br />
In the development of the short film I had come across at least a dozen other stories that I thought would be great side stories to incorporate into the main story, but it became too cumbersome. I was sad to lose those ideas because I felt that they were important, but they couldn't stay. When the idea to make it a show came along though, suddenly all those ideas found a home and the basic reason I wanted to make the short film found renewed purpose. I wanted this show to provide hope to those who feel as I did and with a series I knew we could explore so many more kinds of stories and hopefully help a lot of people to find more hope, and reasons to stay.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEDSxcRe85psJSbL5PmsFw-0hJiITXF9TcmJfvohKnZxHjChKKK28zJhY1-1LRLGEkB-EqHt-gl1j1FERGN-NU107EAusoM9QhgREnFlivZNTnUCDcbNQiireio6ziEyNPUSRxdyCRK0/s1600/Squire+day+2+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEDSxcRe85psJSbL5PmsFw-0hJiITXF9TcmJfvohKnZxHjChKKK28zJhY1-1LRLGEkB-EqHt-gl1j1FERGN-NU107EAusoM9QhgREnFlivZNTnUCDcbNQiireio6ziEyNPUSRxdyCRK0/s640/Squire+day+2+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14457501057122911640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-38321723084751596292018-11-13T13:01:00.002-07:002018-11-13T13:01:52.352-07:00I've Seen Home Alone A Million Times And Never Caught This<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EOo680hNvjGwbjLgMAHgbRgXwj9h4TxpBZ3VBAZUQ8K5SavA_56rSG5ZTal1zN9MFweCDyoPQdgIRUa1M5HyesoMF9hovdhy1e0anGaOXBD-bSUcCrqeiQMNRAzTJKkHp73f-5jd1LWK/s1600/home-alone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1600" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EOo680hNvjGwbjLgMAHgbRgXwj9h4TxpBZ3VBAZUQ8K5SavA_56rSG5ZTal1zN9MFweCDyoPQdgIRUa1M5HyesoMF9hovdhy1e0anGaOXBD-bSUcCrqeiQMNRAzTJKkHp73f-5jd1LWK/s640/home-alone.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I've probably watched Home Alone at least once a year (probably more times than that) ever since it came out. It is a surprisingly tightly written movie full of far more clever writing than you would expect at face value. The slapstick comedy that makes up the end of the film seems to me like John Hughes inner child coming out and after watching his take on teenagers in so many other movies it's really fun to get his take on kids.<br />
<br />
I know it's early in the season but I was watching Home Alone today and it was almost like seeing it for the first time. I was picking up on details I had always missed and hearing set ups and payoffs in the dialogue I had never heard before. I'll probably write at least one more post on the movie before the season is over, but there was one detail I noticed this time around that I had never seen before and it cracked me up. It's a detail so quick that if you blink you'll miss it. I actually had to rewind and pause to make sure it was what I thought it was.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_LZk_LlM5Jo946LieNi0iYyM6Vus0XoMomEZGrs1PSA-pMpWT_ZCC91o_vHfZtSFXj9h3kV3HZEeYn98g0ilLqLXLNgtm-NQ2dWKVfRyxWClwF-SZ41PAA8b3RnKoLggdJXZTX1CjcAB/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-11-13+at+12.25.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1276" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_LZk_LlM5Jo946LieNi0iYyM6Vus0XoMomEZGrs1PSA-pMpWT_ZCC91o_vHfZtSFXj9h3kV3HZEeYn98g0ilLqLXLNgtm-NQ2dWKVfRyxWClwF-SZ41PAA8b3RnKoLggdJXZTX1CjcAB/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-11-13+at+12.25.46+PM.png" width="400" /></a><br />
The pizza place in the movie is Little Nero's, a fun jab at Little Caesar's, but what I hadn't ever seen before was their slogan. Check it out on the car under the title.<br />
<br />
This is genius. If you're not familiar with the significance of this here's a quick tidbit. According to legend while Rome was burning Nero, the emperor, was playing the fiddle which demonstrated how little he cared for his empire or his people.<br />
<br />
Keep an eye out for more Home Alone posts, and more Christmas movie posts, they're sure to come!Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14457501057122911640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-25453868566959322052018-11-05T20:05:00.001-07:002018-11-05T20:05:52.597-07:00Sneaky Detail In Zootopia No One Has Talked AboutA few days ago I wrote a small piece about a detail I noticed in Coco. I'm not actually all the observant so I felt pretty good having found something no one else seemed to have noticed. I didn't really expect that to happen again anytime soon, but the other day a detail kind of jumped out at me that I haven't heard anyone else talk about. If you haven't seen Zootopia this will have a couple of spoilers, but more importantly you won't really understand the significance of the discovery.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FFdOwZqVfCRFQRDe0xCy1Yczw_T_RieAx_wDQqYpo-99d7LrPddz_uXAU9JNWGq-Q1UDFILiXsB8vZwymABvXqf5aAJjvinV0nDRlWmFJiZwB6Cwx7ZAlXKag7jPB0yWwWrGLMytlw7T/s1600/judy+press+conference.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FFdOwZqVfCRFQRDe0xCy1Yczw_T_RieAx_wDQqYpo-99d7LrPddz_uXAU9JNWGq-Q1UDFILiXsB8vZwymABvXqf5aAJjvinV0nDRlWmFJiZwB6Cwx7ZAlXKag7jPB0yWwWrGLMytlw7T/s320/judy+press+conference.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
My kids loved Zootopia when it first came out and we watched it quite a few times. Then they lost interest for awhile and just the other day they watched it again for the first time. I had seen the movie several times over and this still didn't sink in until that time.<br />
<br />
In the press conference scene Judy is prepared for the press by Nick, and things are actually going pretty well for her. Then a reporter throws out a question that derails everything. The reporters question is technically a fine question, but seems a bit leading at the same time. It was the leading nature of the question that pulled my attention to the TV ( I was just passing through the room at the time). He says, "So, predators are the only ones going savage?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AqhNuBiFkH8HklT_bkLzTzdoWCOjnuLimq4VhZ_kWda98EWK1ebYLK4eGaWyWkw2p_8IBaDF0budZEcoO5LSqT8bTxieKdq-3bexrX3dM1o19BHQDV9jksgStZCyooskszZ5Unzj2rd4/s1600/Doug-reporter.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AqhNuBiFkH8HklT_bkLzTzdoWCOjnuLimq4VhZ_kWda98EWK1ebYLK4eGaWyWkw2p_8IBaDF0budZEcoO5LSqT8bTxieKdq-3bexrX3dM1o19BHQDV9jksgStZCyooskszZ5Unzj2rd4/s320/Doug-reporter.png" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlY7Ol8wKXShLuWkqE7YxMfasgeM9n1LxaK-1uBawn5jk9FKrzBmkzzRRc45dE3gs1qvvmaNuTFE-XGzSFHV8QAvs9bzE5B7ZMeMTMEo3xe77WVohHa5Xu2ICNtrlGyhuI3tHSvqB1wkqR/s1600/Doug+with+gun.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="755" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlY7Ol8wKXShLuWkqE7YxMfasgeM9n1LxaK-1uBawn5jk9FKrzBmkzzRRc45dE3gs1qvvmaNuTFE-XGzSFHV8QAvs9bzE5B7ZMeMTMEo3xe77WVohHa5Xu2ICNtrlGyhuI3tHSvqB1wkqR/s320/Doug+with+gun.png" width="320" /></a>The question feels panic inducing. Well, guess who asks that question. Doug. Yep, the same Doug who is going out by night and shooting the predators to induce their savage episodes. He is posing as a reporter just to ask this question and help the hysteria to build. Despite several viewings of the film I had not caught this little tidbit.<br />
<br />
Technically it might not be Doug, it could just be another sheep, but that doesn't actually change anything. It was a sheep, and those particular sheep seem to pretty much all be in on the plot with Bellweather.<br />
<br />Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14457501057122911640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-90590617239853130442018-10-29T09:07:00.004-06:002018-10-30T08:22:32.880-06:00The Detail From Coco No One Noticed that Blew My Mind<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfMgsbPGQpShbGke3xbpf6m1klzMEEYoEDZ2p84j6y9fnbTZHP7cnOWrAu_W4uNEh5adJylMc0lGEZFkuVfrt406OKWIhfCK8TDzK5BjfsR9qdOsWWpjF7XKgnsP_91eRFP3ASeMwpxT0/s1600/IMG_0067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfMgsbPGQpShbGke3xbpf6m1klzMEEYoEDZ2p84j6y9fnbTZHP7cnOWrAu_W4uNEh5adJylMc0lGEZFkuVfrt406OKWIhfCK8TDzK5BjfsR9qdOsWWpjF7XKgnsP_91eRFP3ASeMwpxT0/s400/IMG_0067.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
As a filmmaker I pay attention to the details in films. Making a film requires so many people, and little if anything ends up in a movie by accident. In live action movies there are accidents here and there, changed lines on the fly, background characters who weren't supposed to be in a shot etc...but in animated movies literally nothing ends up in the finished product by accident. For this reason I try to watch animated movies even more carefully, but it wasn't until I really looked at Miguel from Coco that I noticed something.<br />
<br />
I'm no great artist, but I draw for fun and to amuse my kids (usually when they are getting rowdy at church). One particular week they were getting really bored so I asked what they wanted me to draw and they requested Miguel. I found a picture of him for reference and started drawing.<br />
<br />
I admire Pixar for their incredible storytelling, even the worst of their movies (everyone has a different opinion on which this is) is still great. More than their storytelling though I have come to admire their attention to detail. As I drew Miguel I felt like he looked just like I would expect him to, but then I noticed something that caught me off guard. His clothing is all a bit worn as would be expected, he dresses like a working class boy would likely dress except one small detail. His shoes. As I worked my way down in the drawing I kept noticing how nice his shoes were. They are beat up and worn, but they aren't the typical crappy tennis shoes I would have expected him to wear, they are (or at least were not long ago) fairly nice shoes for someone in his position in life.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio64eqMsY3pO0nC3nJNRPRnLZuP9vtiBJVZYnIZeVfRHeKY8nzAgbgJnq5HRHZw5B-Mu3lmpqXQ-ng4CeaV-ik6JiHan0-0FFsN4mw0w2ZgXT0-6oGUyrXmWMMn2eOLwewZ3FxrhfnLSDq/s1600/miguel+post.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="402" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio64eqMsY3pO0nC3nJNRPRnLZuP9vtiBJVZYnIZeVfRHeKY8nzAgbgJnq5HRHZw5B-Mu3lmpqXQ-ng4CeaV-ik6JiHan0-0FFsN4mw0w2ZgXT0-6oGUyrXmWMMn2eOLwewZ3FxrhfnLSDq/s400/miguel+post.png" width="300" /></a></div>
For a few minutes as I drew it didn't dawn on me why exactly this would be, and then it hit me. His family are shoemakers. Naturally the one nice thing he would wear would be his shoes. It actually occurred to the animators to plan for this. I'll include the reference image I used for my drawing so you can see for yourself. It's a micro detail but it floored me, and frankly inspired me to try to work harder on the details of my own projects.<br />
<br />Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14457501057122911640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-15776432952602176842018-10-25T14:19:00.003-06:002018-10-25T14:19:57.370-06:00Unexpected Push: Moving From Part Time to Full TimeThis last month has been a confusing and tumultuous time. It has also been exciting and exhilarating. For the last 8 years Black Hat Media has been what I have referred to as a hobby business. It was a way for us to bring in a little extra money here and there, but on the whole we left that to day jobs. It has been my goal to move the business into my full time job for a few years now, but I was not mentally or monetarily prepared for that. But sometimes life offers you an unexpected push to make things happen.<br />
<br />
Last month on a seemingly normal day things were going just fine when I suddenly got a message from the company HR rep asking for a phone conversation. Immediately my insides started to hurt. My dealings with HR at any company have never been great, in fact I feel the best depiction of HR is Catbert in the Dilbert cartoons. I was hopeful that I was wrong about why she was contacting me, but once she called me a few minutes later my worst fears were confirmed. The company that had taken incredible care of me for the last 5 years could no longer support most of its employees.<br />
<br />
Fortunately I had been planning what to do in such a situation for a few months. I was not completely blindsided by the choice, but I did think I would have more notice. I spent the rest of the day planning what to do and we have been working at Black Hat Media full time for about a month now.<br />
<br />
The change is difficult and frightening to say the least, but I have spent the last few years developing a skillset that was designed to make me "unemployment proof", meaning that with or without a job I would have a means to provide for my family.<br />
<br />
30 days into this new way of life and I can honestly say that I never truly understood the power of networking until now. I had an academic understanding of it, but it was hard to see why it was so crucial. I have been a member of a BNI group for the last few months and until this last few weeks it had not become apparent what a powerful group that could be.<br />
<br />
Thank you to all of our loyal friends and customers for helping us in this transition, and here's to many years of Black Hat Media to come!Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14457501057122911640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-44260719592594596032018-07-31T12:26:00.001-06:002018-07-31T12:26:45.470-06:00Phoenix Inc.- Festival NominationsPhoenix Inc. has been an incredible journey for me as a filmmaker to go on over the last 10 years, and it's very exciting to finally see it getting some attention. I will be doing more writing about this project in the coming months, the journey is worth talking about in greater detail, but for now I just wanted to announce that it has been selected for the 2018 Web Series Festival in 5 different categories! This is a big step on the road I hope to take with this show. <div>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjj4Vz620e2sBmRecX3YKUDHeGEuHf2mV62tw84TAbaiCMUpkHfmkpaoSR9siJdSCgRSRQFrBosIiGUx2M2ve_W5r_Agz5hCdpkLbEB2h14noozNX9S3I8q46USu5KzKMNgWS5Im-ZKLhI/s1600/38072157_1920258358037594_2852465957991874560_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="1600" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjj4Vz620e2sBmRecX3YKUDHeGEuHf2mV62tw84TAbaiCMUpkHfmkpaoSR9siJdSCgRSRQFrBosIiGUx2M2ve_W5r_Agz5hCdpkLbEB2h14noozNX9S3I8q46USu5KzKMNgWS5Im-ZKLhI/s640/38072157_1920258358037594_2852465957991874560_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14457501057122911640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-91820630428098752182018-03-05T14:24:00.000-07:002018-03-05T14:24:11.652-07:00Award Winning 24 Hour Festival Short Film <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqOAv6knRzCu3BfYKfAiG-4JpZ3mMiZ3U85IhS1TqPKA3O55HOl5TEE1CV5bTzUNWUURUeJrsVYKVbHswGAXz_P3oQyLXeP74fXuGB7TbsxoL8tkIVSCO7X3Oo3tsv9ZJ7NCOh4k1jYXf/s1600/IMG_4715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqOAv6knRzCu3BfYKfAiG-4JpZ3mMiZ3U85IhS1TqPKA3O55HOl5TEE1CV5bTzUNWUURUeJrsVYKVbHswGAXz_P3oQyLXeP74fXuGB7TbsxoL8tkIVSCO7X3Oo3tsv9ZJ7NCOh4k1jYXf/s320/IMG_4715.JPG" width="240" /></a>This was my third time around participating in the LDS Film Festival's 24 Hour Film competition. I feel like each time I learned more, and finally this time around my team and I were able to take home a prize!<br />
<br />
If you have never been a part of one of these festivals they have a few simple rules that help ensure that participants aren't using old videos. You have to incorporate a theme, a line of dialogue ("I remember the time when..." was this year's dialogue) and a prop (a cell phone in this case). The info on the rules is released at the beginning of the 24 hours and your completed film must be received no later than 24 hours later.<br />
<br />
This proved to be an interesting challenge this year because 4 of the 5 team members had to work 9-5 jobs and so we brainstormed ideas all day from our various work locations. I had planned on using my house to film at all along, neglecting to take into account the 3 children who tend to make filming almost impossible. So we had to change locations at the last minute.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIci6mf9kHkyERJ9_p6Eobj-PPbJ1v8dOKsB2qjdPjdUVvHDBZ6eN5Agb2R-OTGGd6G8G5octCfD6ZS_sGlYDAKLj_FX9cMmfvLbnrdYHFYkQ7Obm_YhvFT4emRYMZJt-Wat7Ep4Twr91/s1600/IMG_4713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikIci6mf9kHkyERJ9_p6Eobj-PPbJ1v8dOKsB2qjdPjdUVvHDBZ6eN5Agb2R-OTGGd6G8G5octCfD6ZS_sGlYDAKLj_FX9cMmfvLbnrdYHFYkQ7Obm_YhvFT4emRYMZJt-Wat7Ep4Twr91/s320/IMG_4713.JPG" width="320" /></a>I finalized a script around 6:30 and headed over to film at our location. We filmed until about 1 am, and then our editor Zach stayed up until about 9 am, drove the final to my house where I added sound FX and music and submitted it.<br />
<br />
It was a crazy adventure but the team were all champs and I am so glad that I got to work on this with them. Here is the short film for your viewing pleasure!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Qpz1F0ZceAc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qpz1F0ZceAc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14457501057122911640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-84065538147567109112017-06-22T12:05:00.001-06:002017-06-22T12:05:49.850-06:00Cooking VideosThis year we've had the chance to learn a few fun new tricks, and one of those was how to make cooking videos. These videos are literally everywhere these days and most of the major food blogs put out at least one per week. It turns out that making these videos is quite an interesting challenge both on the filming and on the editing end of things. In addition to creating a beautiful presentation for the food and making the lighting look good there is considerable art to making the video seem seamless.<br />
I won't give away all the tricks in the trade, but it has been a fun process to learn about making these videos and to have a chance to make a couple ourselves from scratch. Check out our little sizzle reel below to see some of what we've been up to!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yLJgBDAOlhY/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yLJgBDAOlhY?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14457501057122911640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-10016506810057587292016-01-05T10:37:00.000-07:002016-01-05T10:37:38.667-07:00Bryn's Top 5 Gifts from 2015:I am a movie lover. Especially old movies. It would take some time to explain what I love so much about movies and TV, so I won't do that now. I will say that some of my favorite gifts are movies. Especially old ones, and, even more especially, I like getting new ones I haven't seen! Yay! Here are some great gifts I got last year.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh563kmltZRe9N72cM-ny-iJqR4-R4YstsgZ3QT8ybLTb_Al-9baB7DWI8VjnpezB3YbIWAKd2r_qTPx4FJ6QQVa_Lc0K23JYa0ZpWj_eJv2_zRTmnC40yPtnjh_S2wMNgBQSbrODJ8J9c/s1600/Gidget+TV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh563kmltZRe9N72cM-ny-iJqR4-R4YstsgZ3QT8ybLTb_Al-9baB7DWI8VjnpezB3YbIWAKd2r_qTPx4FJ6QQVa_Lc0K23JYa0ZpWj_eJv2_zRTmnC40yPtnjh_S2wMNgBQSbrODJ8J9c/s400/Gidget+TV.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Honorable Mention- For Christmas, my husband gave me Gidget: The Complete Series! It's only one season, and it is so silly, but I love it! I rented all the discs from Netflix a while ago, and I just love it. Sally Field when she was 16! Aaahhh! So good. I have had the movies for years. I grew up on the first two movies. Seriously, if you are into teen beach movies, check them out. I, personally, could do without Gidget Goes to Rome. Just stick with Gidget and Gidget Goes Hawaiian. They are amazing!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXobBVfUbwEiIbcslfrYg0vQEm8Pf0SRlenrOOJRePI5rzjw9IST2qePmzcypR66Gxq8d6zEvj6gY7goGC6kLlo8TZmDf5NNTq5NW3ZlbStLs5sANKWbELKzWM5ZYn4D8rPqYF8mgEmU/s1600/Andy+Hardy+1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXobBVfUbwEiIbcslfrYg0vQEm8Pf0SRlenrOOJRePI5rzjw9IST2qePmzcypR66Gxq8d6zEvj6gY7goGC6kLlo8TZmDf5NNTq5NW3ZlbStLs5sANKWbELKzWM5ZYn4D8rPqYF8mgEmU/s320/Andy+Hardy+1.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
<br />
5- The Andy Hardy Collection, Volume 1: I am so excited about this! Technically, my Dad gave me money for my birthday, and I bought the collection with it. But, I am gonna count it as a gift from him. Mickey Rooney made somewhere in the neighborhood of a dozen or so films about the Hardy family. I think about two of them have Judy Garland also. They have great chemistry! I only watched two of them since I got it. I need to get the second Volume because they did not separate them in chronological order. I HATE watching things out of order. I can't do it. I always feel like I am missing something. So, since they are all scattered around the two volumes I need to get the second so I can watch them in order. But, I am still really excited about these!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTT6ay3hauZTpKGyht_emNsmzcfUcYJipKCgfZG-IYhyphenhyphenTS0-rswI5XEDtzyzdM4xTGmjklXZyRXv_HJ18yXPC_1OBv6CgPh75J8lHb13F6sCYdVgXeo4e6sppVnmFmiwIfZjofNUMw8tA/s1600/Fred+and+Ginger+1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTT6ay3hauZTpKGyht_emNsmzcfUcYJipKCgfZG-IYhyphenhyphenTS0-rswI5XEDtzyzdM4xTGmjklXZyRXv_HJ18yXPC_1OBv6CgPh75J8lHb13F6sCYdVgXeo4e6sppVnmFmiwIfZjofNUMw8tA/s320/Fred+and+Ginger+1.jpg" width="273" /></a></div>
<br />
4- Fred and Ginger Volume 1: I have to admit, I was not all that familiar with Fred & Ginger movies. I think I had seen one before my sister in law gave me this set for my birthday. But, I watched these and I loved them! They definitely have their faults, but they have some amazing moments too! In fact, I am such a fan, I may have to go buy the second set of their movies on my own. Check them out if you like cheesy, dance movies. They were incredibly talented!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4whh4ClIzuYFuOiRuGtxFpW4NU1oipM2pYE96ZVti5XeCvp8lr20UjHOJmzMqq6Cb1xoDbOZm5Spm0elkKYAdomwdbZvx-J820PdGt-3dW8TieMIB04vDZmCqt0q1EiqQrMq8HtrMBM/s1600/Bogie+and+Bacall.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4whh4ClIzuYFuOiRuGtxFpW4NU1oipM2pYE96ZVti5XeCvp8lr20UjHOJmzMqq6Cb1xoDbOZm5Spm0elkKYAdomwdbZvx-J820PdGt-3dW8TieMIB04vDZmCqt0q1EiqQrMq8HtrMBM/s400/Bogie+and+Bacall.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
3- Bogie and Bacall Collection: The Big Sleep, Dark Passage, To Have and Have Not, and Key Largo. Neither of us have watched Key Largo yet, but we both loved The Big Sleep and Dark Passage. I watched To Have and Have Not with my sister in law, (the one who gave me Fred and Ginger) and we really liked it! Check them out if you are at all into Film Noir. Powerhouse couple, on screen and off!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SVRX8ZGzcHX6qIhRCfNqMidUThXxKnFDRM_5Zl4z7p6zwrwvRj3TVa2krsaBjCI9Givbqb2Gda3ip70G8aaUk7ZW1O6qra-XsaxdGNDM6ppZgXF-KOQSl2HMoKduUujoVGZI5T6PRWs/s1600/Wonder+Woman.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SVRX8ZGzcHX6qIhRCfNqMidUThXxKnFDRM_5Zl4z7p6zwrwvRj3TVa2krsaBjCI9Givbqb2Gda3ip70G8aaUk7ZW1O6qra-XsaxdGNDM6ppZgXF-KOQSl2HMoKduUujoVGZI5T6PRWs/s320/Wonder+Woman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
2- Wonder Woman: The Complete Series: GUYS. For real, right now. This is so great! My husband just loves me. He got this for me for Christmas, and I could not be more excited! I used to watch a bunch of old shows like this and The 6 Million Dollar Man, and The Bionic Woman, and The Incredible Hulk with my family all the time. Good stuff, these 1970's shows! (I also got into The Rockford Files for a while a couple of years ago, but that's a story for another time.) Feel free to check out any of these shows on my recommendation! They are fantastic!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pLEzGsujZUFJVW_31jA_fAlYxBJ8tXWX2PUXgRMeVVplGndks6I_6Ij7Oij4rnFKsIIKWeQ818meaKXCV42zDAynHDpBfS-1s7dSW69ZajFBEt-wPju6WsjlZQNFGCe96OI2ubbAWxs/s1600/Sinatra+100+book.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pLEzGsujZUFJVW_31jA_fAlYxBJ8tXWX2PUXgRMeVVplGndks6I_6Ij7Oij4rnFKsIIKWeQ818meaKXCV42zDAynHDpBfS-1s7dSW69ZajFBEt-wPju6WsjlZQNFGCe96OI2ubbAWxs/s320/Sinatra+100+book.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
<br />
1- Best gift of 2015 is Sinatra 100: Frank Sinatra had his 100th birthday on December 12th, 2015. So, there has been a lot of new Sinatra merchandise to go along with his Centennial. Brian bought this for me for Christmas, and I am so excited to sit down and flip through it! I don't normally read a lot of Biography type stuff, but I do like them for old singers and actors/actresses. One of the silliest things I geek out over, I guess. Haha! My husband must really love me! Look at all the amazing stuff he buys for me! Gee whiz!<br />
<br />
What gifts did you get that you loved? Did you watch any old movies last year that you hadn't seen before? Tell us in the comments!Brynniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720126355845667802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-28363263281713550602015-12-24T18:59:00.001-07:002016-01-05T10:38:03.210-07:00Twelve Days of Christmas 2015: Day 1!<div style="text-align: left;">
It's here! It's here! It's here! Christmas is tomorrow, and to celebrate and finish out our countdown of obscure Christmas music, here is our favorite one on our playlist! We discovered this on a bonus CD that came with our 4-disc special edition White Christmas. Bing Crosby is back on our list with Just What I Wanted For Christmas!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a3rtQRgVQMI" width="480"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!</div>
Black Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17823594061514883060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-74560619985769709052015-12-23T22:26:00.001-07:002016-01-05T10:37:53.124-07:00Twelve Days of Christmas 2015: Day 2<div style="text-align: left;">
So, I missed yesterday! But, as it turns out, maybe that's okay. I had intended for this countdown to end ON Christmas Eve, and now it will! No thanks to my sorry math skill... Haha! Here is a Christmas favorite in our house, although, I must admit, this is the first time we have seen the video that goes along with it. Here is Gayla Peevey singing I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2Dec9Jb_Ac4" width="459"></iframe></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14457501057122911640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-2276332709226295512015-12-21T14:52:00.001-07:002015-12-21T14:52:54.912-07:00Twelve Days of Christmas 2015: Day 3<div style="text-align: left;">
Mel Blanc is a very talented voice actor. You may know him from The Jetsons (Mr. Spacely, and others) or The Flintstones (Dino, and others) or, perhaps more famously, Looney Toons (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and others). This is such a fun, silly Christmas song! It gets a little weird, and not terribly Christmas-y towards the end, but I grew up listening to this, and so it's also really nostalgic for me. Here is Mel Blanc singing Yah Das Ist Ein Christmas Tree.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_HN31krPVas" width="480"></iframe></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14457501057122911640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-35936409814778132512015-12-20T09:39:00.001-07:002015-12-20T09:40:09.635-07:00Twelve Days of Christmas 2015: Day 4Christmas is in five days, guys. Five. That's it. So, bringing you some extra "yule cheer" as you frantically prepare for Christmas is Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby singing "We Wish You the Merriest".<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BthDnxNd7Zk" width="480"></iframe></div>
Brynniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720126355845667802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-85718772070098328452015-12-19T18:27:00.001-07:002015-12-20T09:39:56.069-07:00Twelve Days of Christmas 2015: Day 5<div style="text-align: left;">
This is from one of our favorite Christmas cartoons! It's a great version of The Christmas Carol. Here is Tom Bosley (Mr. Cunningham from Happy Days) as B.A.H. Humbug from The Stingiest Man in Town singing An Old Fashioned Christmas.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4R4IK2dwfVU" width="459"></iframe></div>
Brynniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720126355845667802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-83641011258651362952015-12-18T20:20:00.001-07:002015-12-18T20:21:18.219-07:00Twelve Days of Christmas 2015: Day 6<div style="text-align: left;">
We just love the homey, romantic, Christmas spirit in this song! Ultimately, we both prefer this song by Frank Sinatra, but he already had a song, and will have another. So, on the off chance you don't adore him the way I do, here is a perfectly wonderful version of The Christmas Waltz by The Carpenters.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NxuQx7eoEI8" width="459"></iframe></div>
Brynniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720126355845667802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-90421732255677485372015-12-17T18:15:00.001-07:002015-12-17T18:18:59.320-07:00Twelve Days of Christmas 2015: Day 7<div style="text-align: left;">
Bringing you something a little more recent, here are The Barenaked Ladies featuring Michael Buble with Elf's Lament.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gm3k7UR7knA" width="459"></iframe></div>
Brynniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720126355845667802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-55765107760955293112015-12-16T17:51:00.001-07:002015-12-17T18:18:49.597-07:00Twelve Days of Christmas 2015: Day 8<div style="text-align: left;">
A little Sammy Davis Jr. as you settle in for the night. We just love this song! It's so fun! Christmas Time All Over The World by Sammy Davis Jr.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4I8d4NjaeNA" width="480"></iframe></div>
Brynniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720126355845667802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-23698641158809526842015-12-15T14:18:00.001-07:002015-12-15T14:25:51.250-07:00Twelve Days of Christmas 2015: Day 9<div style="text-align: left;">
Ah, Dino! Here in Utah, we are feeling the chill, so here's a little something to "keep you warm". Dean Martin singing I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/84gX8NxP9SI" width="459"></iframe></div>
Brynniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720126355845667802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-40589016095337069202015-12-14T09:40:00.001-07:002015-12-14T09:41:18.642-07:00Twelve Days of Christmas 2015: Day 10<div style="text-align: left;">
Mondays can be hard. Here to help you out this morning is the great Satchmo! Louis Armstrong singing Zat You Santa Claus?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f0oY7F8m4fo" width="480"></iframe></div>
Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14457501057122911640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-1305158391650884302015-12-13T10:42:00.001-07:002015-12-13T17:02:19.070-07:00Twelve Days of Christmas 2015: Day 11<div style="text-align: left;">
The Danny Kaye show ran from 1963-1967. You can't buy all the episodes, as far as I can tell, but you can buy two of the Christmas episodes, if you search hard enough. The two guests are Nat King Cole and Peggy Lee. I couldn't find a version of this without the opening to The Danny Kaye show, but I think it's kind of fun, anyway. You actually get to watch Danny Kaye perform in this video and he is just so charming! Here his is singing Waltz Round the Christmas Tree!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qSeFZExANEg" width="459"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8oUm9nElft6izvo_g96jVBr96Kc-bcXRpNKoB7y2ERdSfill7S5AfQ5tvDNjUjX12GAiUG7VeQGNsLLtF0Vtu1pCMSiQPltWMHW5EXMl_N7iAQEhM-Q_t-pNxJDJM7wWhjNzwyQ-eP2G/s1600/blackhat12daysv1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8oUm9nElft6izvo_g96jVBr96Kc-bcXRpNKoB7y2ERdSfill7S5AfQ5tvDNjUjX12GAiUG7VeQGNsLLtF0Vtu1pCMSiQPltWMHW5EXMl_N7iAQEhM-Q_t-pNxJDJM7wWhjNzwyQ-eP2G/s400/blackhat12daysv1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Black Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17823594061514883060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-48419186984078381432015-12-12T23:40:00.001-07:002015-12-13T10:22:19.133-07:00Twelve Days of Christmas 2015: Day 12Brian and I were talking a few days ago about how so many people get sick of Christmas songs so quickly, and we just don't. We love Christmas! We live for it! But, even he has his limits and won't let me play it until after Halloween. (I could probably listen to Christmas music all the year through.) He suggested, finally, that perhaps people get sick of it because they don't have the variations in the music they hear that we do. We discussed how a lot of my Christmas music isn't really repeats. It's either lesser known songs, or, the songs that actually do repeat but by different artists are different types of the song. For instance, you hear Jingle Bells all the time. And, from one artist to another, Jingle Bells may not sound all that different. But, if you heard the version that Danny Kaye sang with either Nat King Cole, or Peggy Lee, you might feel differently. It's as though they have breathed new life into these classics.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
These twelve days of Christmas will be about Brian and I sharing our top twelve lesser known songs. It will end on Christmas eve with our very favorite, a new one to us just this year. Some days, I might post a bonus song that is an old favorite but changed up a little. Let's get started!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Frank Sinatra is the main reason for the name of our company, and logo. I have been in love with Frank since I was five years old. So, I think it very fitting that the our first of twelve days of Christmas should be on his 100th Birthday! Happy 100, Ol' Blue Eyes! Here he is starting us off with Wouldn't Trade Christmas with his kids Nancy, Tina and Frank Jr.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M5D0MAIvQ2I" width="480"></iframe></div>
Black Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17823594061514883060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-82611238294536516842015-10-29T19:06:00.000-06:002015-10-29T19:06:31.537-06:00Newborn Baby R<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This adorable little guy was so fun to shoot back in June!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGbO9mOFgQNa4vNhqfmsjE0cl-a7_8sDn0Ew3WhdY0mG9jWQaSP8kUL4zcr6Q92RdsnYwfIK1xRRbsxV_VUDyAEUBQ9mGG-E2bY-yRsydu7qkq4wH2Brq9HWf-vuGmKDMGk6vFHdxGqU/s1600/352A2267+edit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGbO9mOFgQNa4vNhqfmsjE0cl-a7_8sDn0Ew3WhdY0mG9jWQaSP8kUL4zcr6Q92RdsnYwfIK1xRRbsxV_VUDyAEUBQ9mGG-E2bY-yRsydu7qkq4wH2Brq9HWf-vuGmKDMGk6vFHdxGqU/s640/352A2267+edit2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4bPA_Whbe0QbRrkP-gkKzdiLLyIqbcJwgVsoyBQIAz7PUfSM307saII1eqy6DswkbQJ2PQTHkFFr7Y4rUDoqMYVKiYbBwlzlx48UIEx3haQc1oa8RSMF4qApASf4bKicXcgBb87nK4NU/s1600/352A2270+edit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4bPA_Whbe0QbRrkP-gkKzdiLLyIqbcJwgVsoyBQIAz7PUfSM307saII1eqy6DswkbQJ2PQTHkFFr7Y4rUDoqMYVKiYbBwlzlx48UIEx3haQc1oa8RSMF4qApASf4bKicXcgBb87nK4NU/s640/352A2270+edit1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_k1oze7_h0-Ee9UEq3rzrDVUBarOBEBmuMFpCUZn3FoDEjXoqFR57AHVZ4KoE3CCHgMEIBr6a1Nh2W4F_qI3g8-aLNoeb5oPOWYqNv0_EHsv36mvqsrMDJ84_oJ8GmvXLIbe_PToRv7s/s1600/352A2277+edit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_k1oze7_h0-Ee9UEq3rzrDVUBarOBEBmuMFpCUZn3FoDEjXoqFR57AHVZ4KoE3CCHgMEIBr6a1Nh2W4F_qI3g8-aLNoeb5oPOWYqNv0_EHsv36mvqsrMDJ84_oJ8GmvXLIbe_PToRv7s/s640/352A2277+edit1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYI51rr9gFxaS9RsPdh5GaxV0Qij4O_rPpb8dcjtD9_SDPej-IYPSHqWUDxVwXJ0UtVUnilltVyKfwQVJiYu7aEj1rjuLh-k1R3B2ByaTIRPQGqxwKyPEtVov4sdTqL_lpuJFDIUo_XY/s1600/352A2283+edit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYI51rr9gFxaS9RsPdh5GaxV0Qij4O_rPpb8dcjtD9_SDPej-IYPSHqWUDxVwXJ0UtVUnilltVyKfwQVJiYu7aEj1rjuLh-k1R3B2ByaTIRPQGqxwKyPEtVov4sdTqL_lpuJFDIUo_XY/s640/352A2283+edit1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTzzG4glCYg_4esLc2t4z1N0cRw60Pqp2GzCLLMoaIB1CKVt1AL3Eg5Ckgxfw3WurHYsew9gBK9Ej-e9YhVXFwaiZLYMAHrUAaiETYnfsQ-eq5vt9MI2Dwmxrkbi3_Np6ZE-o1lPx20E/s1600/352A2289+edit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTzzG4glCYg_4esLc2t4z1N0cRw60Pqp2GzCLLMoaIB1CKVt1AL3Eg5Ckgxfw3WurHYsew9gBK9Ej-e9YhVXFwaiZLYMAHrUAaiETYnfsQ-eq5vt9MI2Dwmxrkbi3_Np6ZE-o1lPx20E/s640/352A2289+edit2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6fXXYU4Vtr7n3WEvpsattaUs_0VQoCFlrA0n9iGgdumLhnDBdNKTa-uEBbMlObMbzJbdlo-aTzHGFLQ0u-9twEp9qg_gbyOidJPXfS00lrFQI82dCjqqEow_PeF6gJsHC5ndzzYdBBg/s1600/352A2328+edit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl6fXXYU4Vtr7n3WEvpsattaUs_0VQoCFlrA0n9iGgdumLhnDBdNKTa-uEBbMlObMbzJbdlo-aTzHGFLQ0u-9twEp9qg_gbyOidJPXfS00lrFQI82dCjqqEow_PeF6gJsHC5ndzzYdBBg/s640/352A2328+edit1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YZ0-23chFVKUwJoU2JtNSy_VOqUcU8Bm_SwM8j1ahyphenhyphenN3widItRxkny4U5bJyacmtL5KYQKcGlC0DsPyYKL6j4sAA5GZUktiOOkTK-uwDHoMlrU2k2P5lBUTTQQajmmVAzqyGA7xclJc/s1600/352A2357+edit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YZ0-23chFVKUwJoU2JtNSy_VOqUcU8Bm_SwM8j1ahyphenhyphenN3widItRxkny4U5bJyacmtL5KYQKcGlC0DsPyYKL6j4sAA5GZUktiOOkTK-uwDHoMlrU2k2P5lBUTTQQajmmVAzqyGA7xclJc/s640/352A2357+edit1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglaF0RseZoATP-ZjnmxFm8OWBLFq_AXCvG3Fb3S0zJHA9q5a7kG0J0A9P0ghSkNHaDghEfqSAfVo1FtMCxQWtRBiJHLjkTZqBZbBf0E_WtodVDhWQmPZuU_WL_sMrzxTs91JQWyyN1j74/s1600/352A2370+edit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglaF0RseZoATP-ZjnmxFm8OWBLFq_AXCvG3Fb3S0zJHA9q5a7kG0J0A9P0ghSkNHaDghEfqSAfVo1FtMCxQWtRBiJHLjkTZqBZbBf0E_WtodVDhWQmPZuU_WL_sMrzxTs91JQWyyN1j74/s640/352A2370+edit1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjgV2fUzQZt1vYJ8EisxlMXmJN-wfM0YzLiPvOrRLZuvkg28jukeQxEvjGFoazlFkurYCifVvCyshcSivg_w4hg8H3d7NVHB7rNc9Dx1PZSEzbxyfkA0QndFX1l4JBp4YbQERgHrm-J0/s1600/352A2378+edit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjgV2fUzQZt1vYJ8EisxlMXmJN-wfM0YzLiPvOrRLZuvkg28jukeQxEvjGFoazlFkurYCifVvCyshcSivg_w4hg8H3d7NVHB7rNc9Dx1PZSEzbxyfkA0QndFX1l4JBp4YbQERgHrm-J0/s640/352A2378+edit2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0_6kKLKl0G3GpwchJsX4DeP5v4tlCAWlOshFJn9a-pQp-LrAJoHl6LiGoWhktTuej7idzdrrXOEv0qWNHCEqPteLzhl_o6D2dENPvQz4xuyuD1rXSs8TySzwizP8W1IpbP5nPZaStNU/s1600/352A2385+edit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0_6kKLKl0G3GpwchJsX4DeP5v4tlCAWlOshFJn9a-pQp-LrAJoHl6LiGoWhktTuej7idzdrrXOEv0qWNHCEqPteLzhl_o6D2dENPvQz4xuyuD1rXSs8TySzwizP8W1IpbP5nPZaStNU/s640/352A2385+edit1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhxaGvzzQeoZZRG8VhX2vM7aLWIkdLdzWCMd4k4Y-lmB92A59-9L7_CdDXYVMWuXHrG_orl4w44rCOeTdvGaIUZiJ_r8lwFxRfSydwjCBlavvQpocCXoHpZJ0-HGTremKGWVEK4WZIVs/s1600/352A2392+edit1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhxaGvzzQeoZZRG8VhX2vM7aLWIkdLdzWCMd4k4Y-lmB92A59-9L7_CdDXYVMWuXHrG_orl4w44rCOeTdvGaIUZiJ_r8lwFxRfSydwjCBlavvQpocCXoHpZJ0-HGTremKGWVEK4WZIVs/s640/352A2392+edit1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQhof4YTgDh7iWimxP8teY5R_t9gd9-Rw3osE1H07j4h4Ng1d06XNBYIarkB65fiRI3ecc-YeMKbrJVFEiYbF3rI2DY1umzFdk1s04VQUrawmsTxvC0a-bsyoaILcRwmlJzlJ7Ns_PcA/s1600/352A2396+edit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQhof4YTgDh7iWimxP8teY5R_t9gd9-Rw3osE1H07j4h4Ng1d06XNBYIarkB65fiRI3ecc-YeMKbrJVFEiYbF3rI2DY1umzFdk1s04VQUrawmsTxvC0a-bsyoaILcRwmlJzlJ7Ns_PcA/s640/352A2396+edit2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />Black Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17823594061514883060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-15682389278585848132015-10-29T15:34:00.001-06:002015-10-29T15:37:29.583-06:00Drive In Movie Review: RopeHere is our newest Movie Review! Just in time for Halloween! If you are looking for a good Halloween movie, Hitchcock is great choice.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xdZeFw9ENX0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xdZeFw9ENX0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
Brynniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13720126355845667802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3426213197541168257.post-67306000787871223272015-10-08T08:04:00.001-06:002015-10-08T08:04:30.539-06:00Winners!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We have our winners! This was a close race! But, we are pleased to announce the winners.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Judge's Choice: The Land I Love</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3X1HVRZi6QKNL7dxsNPteX-jKUwXkoqxyVhasiUimWYtKtujJX_7kUjj8fXm3_dXrIwvn4MnYSOWjosRIKz9tSMdLpyInSgVJ6R_l0sYB4yJm6bib-QTPN281iUiQhe28L99YKvkzDk/s1600/DCleft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3X1HVRZi6QKNL7dxsNPteX-jKUwXkoqxyVhasiUimWYtKtujJX_7kUjj8fXm3_dXrIwvn4MnYSOWjosRIKz9tSMdLpyInSgVJ6R_l0sYB4yJm6bib-QTPN281iUiQhe28L99YKvkzDk/s640/DCleft.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
People's Choice: Music To My Ear's</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy79Nf5b-HvWjhND3a1nilHf4y7NDaancM7OB3WYnyu21w5Rp_QTn8jjFm6wf6ize3QChbNVjExcQ_6oOmZZ6P1CcAsvOeyAwG_Ybl5qGZgbPeEGhE6MTLnwj-lN6eG1-7foSUqGHF_qM/s1600/IMG_20150920_222508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy79Nf5b-HvWjhND3a1nilHf4y7NDaancM7OB3WYnyu21w5Rp_QTn8jjFm6wf6ize3QChbNVjExcQ_6oOmZZ6P1CcAsvOeyAwG_Ybl5qGZgbPeEGhE6MTLnwj-lN6eG1-7foSUqGHF_qM/s640/IMG_20150920_222508.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And, for the record, "A little to the left." was a reference from Gilmore Girls. Lorelai's boyrfriend, Jason (Digger) Styles, has a dog who only knows two tricks. One of them, is a little to the left.</div>
Black Hathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17823594061514883060noreply@blogger.com0