Working on new Minosa Films blog header

New design WIP - Minosa Films blog header (Blender's node editor.)

Recently I have been working on a new header design for the Minosa Films blog.  It is not done yet, but it is turning out well.  I am using render layers and compositing them together, which is a first for me.  Praise God!  The theme is darker and has a moon, branches, the words “Minosa Films” and a nifty little design behind it.

Originally I was designing this in a hope to make an animated Minosa Films title intro for a promo video about Minosa Films.  I could make it theatrical like a silver screen trailer, or I could make it more instructional, like an interview or special feature.

I need to get back to solving the mystery of a successful video workflow.  My current progress on that is:

Import HD SP video file (.tod) into PowerDirector Express.
Drag video file onto the timeline.  Hit produce.
Go through a number of options and choose to export as an MPEG2 (for DVDs.)
Wait for it to render.
Import .mpg file into Adobe Premiere Pro 1.0.
Place on timeline.  There are no apparent “hiccups”.
Export video to .mov (Apple QuickTime.)
Play video in Media Player Classic – it works.

Goals:
I would prefer to someday edit in full HD; use a faster (better) conversion method; buy and use a newer, different, HD compatible non-linear editing (NLE) app; edit .avi (or .mpg if I choose to);  export to .avi, .mpg. with no  errors when opening in MPC (Media Player Classic,); be able to use After Effects (AE) in conjunction with Premiere (currently when I export from After Effects I get a jittered effect to the video and some artifacts.  Most unpleasing and… terrible.)

Goals in list form:

• HD
• Best conversion method (no conversion if possible.)
• New NLE software
• No editing hiccups
• Excellent file export
• Cross-software use

But for now, no HD!  No fooling around with the unnecessary.  😉

Thanks for listening,

God bless, prayers,

-b

Still

Still testing.  Now the video is the aspect ratio I want now (16.9.)  Just a simple setting to change in Premiere Pro 1.0.  Tried to convert to Microsoft AVI (not DV AVI this time) and it still will not play in Media Player Classic.  Perhaps I need another codec?  Oh well, we will see what happens.

Rendering (exporting) from Premiere Pro 1.0 - testing export to Microsoft AVI

Working on some film thoughts.  Listening to Kate Rusby music.

I may try out Converio (http://pagesperso-orange.fr/gilles.bihan/converio_095.htm,) try some more with Squared 5 MPEG Streamclip, and perhaps other video converters.  What NLE will I use?  For now, Premiere Pro 1.0.  No HD for now.  Use what you have to the best of your ability.  Will most likely test CBR1140 recording with the Everio to see if another method to get my files to a usable format (in this case, mpeg) will work.

Thanks for listening,

We will see what the wind brings,

God bless,

-b

P.S. Praise God!  I have been planting this blog address around in various comment boxes – YouTube, BlenderNation, Vimeo, e-mails… it may be paying off.  Here is an image of some view stats for the blog:

Minosa Films blog stats reach 80 views on 08-04-08

Praise God for everything.

P.P.S. I need to tell you what MIG (Miracle In Gansu play to DVD) is, and some more info about this blog.  We’ll leave that till later.  Till our next meeting, may God keep you.

May I grow still

Progress made – editing

Well, the conversion of the .tod worked.  Praise the Lord!  I have converted it through Power Director Express, to the resolution of 720×480 (.avi).  Adobe Premiere Pro 1.0 can’t handle HD, so with this lower DV resolution I can edit my interview of Dr. Singh!

Dr. Singh Interview 08 - in Adobe Premiere Pro 1.0

This is great news, because it means I can start working on video with what I have now, even though I’m not doing HD yet.

I hope to learn more on how to use Blender (www.blender.org,) the open source 3d content creation suite.  I may work on something in Blender soon.  If mastered, I would be able to do title effects, 3D animations, compositing, and CG FX for my films.  But until then, my options are somewhat limited, at least in the area of 3D animations and beautiful CG FX.

Once again, any film ideas are very welcome.  We’ll see what comes…

Ciao,

Thanks for listening,

-b

P.S. I have also found out how to handwrite subtitles for Adobe Encore.  Now I can work on the subtitles for MIG (Miracle In Gansu play to DVD,) and work to complete the project.  (Previously I had tried to write the subtitles in Encore, which caused the Encore file to get corrupted.  I recommend writing subtitles in a third-party app (like Notepad,) by hand, and then import them.)

Now

Well, the camcorder has arrived!  Praise God!

It is a JVC Everio GZ-HD7, and I tested it out this evening by recording a message given by Dr. Narendra Singh, and also interviewing him personally afterwards.  I recorded some additional footage of people’s conversations with Dr. Singh, etc., but I will most likely not be posting that.  I hope to post both the message and the interview online sometime soon.  (I recorded them in SP, though sometime in the future I may do most of my filming in FullHD.)  Oh, and Dr. Singh said I did a good job, and that he would be praying for me.  😉  Praise God for that!

Praise God!

I hope to start doing some film making, inteviews, and more, but I can’t forget to do my other duties in life, or forget my talents.

Well, I guess that’s all for now!  Going to be trying out my camera in nature, filming Green Bank, working on film pre-production, and brainstorming film ideas!

God bless,

Thanks for listening! (and I always appreciate your prayers.)

-b

P.S. Dr. Narendra Singh believes he will die as a martyr (for Jesus Christ.)  May God protect him till his time comes, and may many more come to Jesus before, and after, that time.

Soon

The Super Nintendo game “Illusion of Gaia” is quite fun!  You can check out the rom.

Just found out real recently a way to do the subtitles for “Miracle In Gansu” (filmed play to DVD) by hand!  This is great!  Finding some LOTR subtitle files for The Fellowship of the Ring (check out this subtitle site, Subscene,) I opened one up in GVIM, and I can edit it! Yahoo!  That means I can do the MIG (Miracle In Gansu to DVD) subtitles and work to finish up the project. (I may post more about MIG later.)

Tomorrow the Everio GZ-HD7 camcorder should arrive, and in the evening I will test it out on a service with guest speaker Dr. Singh, a man of God from India.  He risks his life for Jesus Christ, and he will not back down!  Glory to God.

God bless,

Thanks for listening!

-b

Leap

It’s ordered!  Praise the Lord.

Leap.  Yes, this was a leap.  A leap of expectation, uneasiness, hardware, and more.  I hope it all works out!  Leap!  I wonder… leap!  Well, my last cameras I’ve used are the Canon PowerShot A510 and the Quasar VM-L450, so this new camcorder is a great leap indeed!

This evening (or shall I say, morning) I finally ordered my camcorder, an Everio GZ-HD7.  Quite expensive if you’ve never actually bought your own camcorder before.  (Boy, that was anti-climatic.) ;D  Before I bought it I did some final research into the proprietary file format it puts your video files into, .TOD (HD video) and .MOD (SD video.)  I primarily researched the .tod issue and found out about the .mod one along the way.  You can read up on it here: Struggling with TOD at The Digital Video Information Network, and some solutions: JVC Workflow and Squared 5’s MPEG Streamclip.

As I have no personal experience with the camera and the .tod issues yet I cannot recommend anything beyond what I have read, but I may post on this later.  Basically you can use the software that comes with the Everio GZ-HD7 and save-as the video, or rename it to .m2t, or something… boy, I need to read up on it already!

Anyhow, I better start making some films now that I will have the first step in the equipement.  ;D  I may get Sony Vegas MovieStudio soon, to handle the HD.  (I don’t think Adobe Premiere Pro 1.0 does HD.)

So, perhaps this is the end of the tunnel, (or just starting?)

Thanks for listening,

God bless,

-b

P.S. Hope to be making films soon… I may be starting a graphic design company as well, so, we’ll see how all that goes.  But may I not forget my roots.  Thank you one and all!   Thank you John Calloway (http://johncalloway.wordpress.com/) for the help in camera research, and Andrew Duncan for insight into the digital video world!  Thank you all my other friends, supporters, comrades in the arts, and brothers and sisters in Christ… may we all find the path.  God bless, your friend, b

Scripture for today – addition

Thanks Nicky for the recommendation of the website Blue Letter Bible! I searched for my scripture and it came up with the correct answer.

A revision/addition to the last post (seems better than just an edit.)

“Be still and know that I am God”
– Psalms 46:10a (KJV)

But the whole verse needs to be read.  Too often is this great verse quoted without it’s full text, and sometimes half the story is not enough.

“Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted among the earth”
-Psalms 46:10 (KJV)

Thanks for listening,

-b

Scripture for today

“Be still and know that I am God”
(Psalms?)

Looking down a long, dark tunnel

As the days and hours close in on whether or not to buy the DV camcorder right now, I must step away from the situation and listen.

I have considered getting a DV camcorder for a short while now, and one person that I have asked is my friend John Calloway (http://johncalloway.wordpress.com/) who has supplied some great information and helped me in this long and tedious camera hunt.  Really, it hasn’t been that long or tedious, but it sounded good.

Anyhow, I am greatly indebted to John (thanks John!) because I am so new to this field of film media that I don’t know where to start when looking for a good camera.  Thanks bunches!

And I have decided which camera I want.  Notice I say “want”.  The JVC Everio GZ-HD7, (see product the page here) a good HD camera with a Fujinon lens, 3CCds, a manual focus wheel, pixel-shift technology, widescreen, etc., and it looks so good!

But I wonder and must pause, because perhaps I am not supposed to get a DV camcorder right now…

I have slightly considered getting a low-end model (for what I am considering) such as this Sony (see here,) or even a mid-range model, and then later, when the time comes, upgrade to a camera like this (the XH A1.)

But still the issue stands whether or not to get a DV camcorder at all at this point in time.  I know what camera I want, and that it would be great to have it, but … we’ll see what happens in the coming days, hours, and moments (the moments are the most important of them all.)

And with that, I take a swoosh of my hat and a curtious bow, and say “Goodnight, goodnight, to all a sweet goodnight!”

Ciao,

-b

P.S. I understand if you do not know why on Earth I am waiting to get the camera when I have the money to and want to, but when you are in a situation like this, between a rock and a hard place, you’ll understand my hesitation.  Until then, I can only ask for prayer for wisdom and submission.  Thanks a lot!

Stories of the “Ex-Amish”

Below are two recent accounts from Christians who have come in contact with the “Ex-Amish”, Amish who have been excommunicated from their communities because of their faith in Jesus Christ the Savior.

NOTE: Names from the exceprts have been changed to preserve the privacy of those involved.

We were with the ‘ex-Amish’ last night.  They are an amazing people.  Jesus is doing amazing things.  All of the couples are younger than us.  At their service the other night with over 120 people, there were no older people.  They have large families.  Five or six years ago, there were just a few families who were saved and meeting together.  Now there are at least 20 families, I think.  They have a passion for Jesus.

The Amish believe you do the best you can and you might make it to heaven.  You won’t know until judgment day.

Hannah told how they lived in a house on the same property as her parents.  When she and her husband got saved, her parents sold their house and moved away because they couldn’t stand to be near them.  Others have been officially excommunicated.  Some of their Amish families keep contact with them hesitantly.

Mary told what a big hurdle it was to drive a car to her parents for the first time (as opposed to a buggy).  She was afraid they would be very angry.  Jesus had softened their hearts and it wasn’t a big deal.

Rebekah shared how angry she was as an Amish young person that she wasn’t allowed to continue her education past 8th grade.  She talked to me excitedly about how much she is looking forward to homeschool her son in the upper grades.

Joseph told how he is from an Amish family in Pennsylvania.  His brother got saved and started reading the English Bible to Joseph.  The Amish are only allowed to read the Bible in German (an old German) and the Amish use some German in everyday talk, but not enough of the vocabulary that the Bible uses to understand the reading of it.  Joseph then got saved once he knew what the Bible really said.  Their family was so mad and so persecuted his brother that his brother became depressed and put in a mental hospital for awhile.  That is when the believers in PA moved Joseph here to Indiana because the family began to persecute him as well.

The spirit of these people is so sweet.  They are very open and active in evangelizing the Amish community.  I suppose that is why they are growing so much.

Even while we were with them last night, a teen relative of one of the men called him on the phone.  This Amish boy was at an Amish drinking party with his friends and he was challenging his relative to come over and talk to them. They find the saved ex-Amish entertaining.   The boys even agreed to listen to a sermon CD.  So, all the men at our gathering packed up in a van and headed over there.  Looking forward to hearing the rest of the story!  Even though the saved know that these youth don’t always take them seriously, they know that seeds are being planted and some do get saved.

Karin Litchfield
www.shadrachyouth.org

Karin writes: Another story of an Amish conversion.  This is my mom writing about a couple that was at an RFOD Sunday School class in Clare Michigan this past weekend.

But there was an Amish couple there.   She still dresses like our Amish

in Grabill… no buttons, long dress, and white bonnet.  He has changed

to where he wears shirts with buttons and even a little color in his

shirt.

In the class I was trying to really figure them out.

I wish I could remember all the story, but evidently he would drive by

the church there and every time the Lord will tell him to call Pastor

Paul.   He said himself that he was very stubborn and wouldn’t do it.

He evidently was very sick of the Amish way.

One day he was so depressed that he took a gun to his mouth.

I think it was then that the Lord spoke to him in an audible voice,

and essentially said, “Put that gun down and call Pastor Paul.”

So he finally did and that started a wonderful relationship.

It took another year or so until his wife started coming with him to the Clare Christ Fellowship.    I guess they are very regular in their attendance now.   They have been rejected by

family and the Amish church.    Even his own grandmother will not talk with him now.

I guess he is a wonderful wood craftsman, and can make about anything, and does it very well.  I got to talking more to him at the meal, and he is quite a talker and interesting to listen too.  Very different in many ways, but interesting.

Marcia Schultze
www.schultze.org

Praise the Lord for how He helped!  I appreciate the standards of the Amish communities, but I greater appreciate those who are willing to break free of anything that holds them from doing what God wants them to.

Thanks for listening and God bless!

-b