Halloween Is Christmas

Congratulations! After a number of inquiries, you are about to be rewarded with a heartfelt and somewhat risky video blog. The text below is included in the video, but there is non-synchronis audio so I figured I'd let you come back and read it in a static form if you so desire...

I couldn't get the file to compress very much without totally losing readability, so I apologize for the large file size. but this post is mostly for me anyways, so i guess it doesnt really matter..

*****

Yes, I know. I've not posted in months and not provided an explanation. For this, I can't decide whether to be sorry or proud.

I will confess, it has been hard to break up with someone with whom I publically created art. The breakup causes the art to change, inevitably, but how? I had no template for what to do next and so I did the only thing I could think of, and tried to keep going. But, in doing so, I snuffed out the spirit of the vlog we had together. Because it isn't mine to take. I mean it is... but it isn't. It was ours, and now it is nobody's. So why am I posting?

Since the breakup it has been very difficult for me to retain my sense of individuality in this world that is so immediately connected on level after level. I've felt like in order to move on I need to re-establish a life that is my own, that I selfishly keep away from Mike lest he influence or judge it. The problem is that if I don't erase him from my life, I will never be satisfied with what I have because i want him to be there with me. What a dilemma.. how can I erase him from my life when I know that he's watching it on a video blog?

Because of this predicament, I've refrained from posting anything. Because I know he will see it, and I'm not ready for that. I'm speaking from this moment in time, not predicting that this will go on forever or even claiming that it's been the conscious motivation behind my silence up until this point.

Anyways, I was in a mood today to clean out my life. It started with some clutter in my kitchen and went and went until I was watching all the old footage that had never been cut and sitting silently at my desk astounded at the precious moments that were hiding there, and horrified that i would now have to make a decision either to allow their existence or to delete them... I could probably argue that deleting them would be helpful in moving on, but it's hard to delete something like that, knowing that the person is no longer there to live a new moment with. So I've decided on a new form of healing. Posting it.

I have no idea why I never posted this particular clip, because it's pure magic. This is the Mike that I could never keep up with but loved more deeply than I could explain. The Mike who left me because he, unimaginably, thought he couldn't give me what I deserved. So, for the first clip that I post conciously knowing that he is probably watching... Mike, I (maybe stupidly) would just like you to know how much I miss you.


Click here for Quicktime movie (in a new window)

Runtime is 3:13

Also included in this video are Jan McLaughlin of the Faux Press, Randy Mann, and Road Node 101

Technorati Tags: road+node+101 vloggers jan+mclaughlin randy+mann halloween christmas math proof

Merlin on Drugs

Merlin had to have surgery on his foot, apparently sometimes when cats are declawed and it isn't done quite right, the claw can try to regenerate over time, but by that time it has nowhere to go so it just sits inside the foot being really irritating and eventually tries to grow out some random place. which is what happened to merlin. This amazes me, because he was declawed when I got him and I've had him for 5 years! So they had to go in and remove the offending parts and amputate a part of one of his toes, because the internal infection had gotten so bad. poor guy!! so he's ok now but he is NOT happy. in fact, this is almost certainly the most offended merlin has ever been. usually he's just scared, but this time he's pissed off. there's no question about it. maybe a little humiliated, too, if i can anthropomorphize so much...


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Runtime is about a minute

Technorati Tags: merlin cat pet surgery vet cast drugs

Graduation

I have no video to go with this because I couldn't find my camera battery that day - these photos my mom just sent me. My parents are the best, and it was great for them to take care of me that weekend while I did the first major thing on my own, without Mike, since moving to boston. I love you both so much, thanks for supporting me through everything.

Santa Cruz Cruiser

I'm finally posting again. dun-dun-nu-nu!
uh .. yeah - most people who will see this know the story, mike and i broke up and i was like "well now what?"
is it "headoff" now?
no.
do i start my own separate site now?
for now, i've decided no - this is my life and people come in and out of it and I have to accept that fact.
so here you go. its just me now... at least for the time being.
and i'm still headsoff.
maybe i'll talk more about this later, if you're really nice....


Click here for Quicktime movie (in a new window)

Runtime is 30 seconds

Icelandic Film Festival

Mike's friend from college (who is also incidentally originally from Iceland) is in town, and he brought us a movie to watch. Pretty freakin exciting... too bad you have to play it on a computer.


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Runtime is 50 seconds

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Spring Leaf Buds

I love it.


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Runtime is 18 seconds

Technorati Tags: Techhonrati tags: spring, leaf, leaves, green

Road Trip / Field Trip to Cine Lab

Last Friday, half my film class went on a field trip to Fall River, Massachusetts to see the lab where our film gets processed and printed and get a better understanding for what is possible and how it all happens. More than learning about the lab, we enjoyed the beautiful spring day and excuse for a mini-road trip...
-serra


Click here for Quicktime movie (in a new window)

Runtime is 3 1/2 minutes

Technorati Tags: Techhonrati tags: Cine, film, lab, field trip, road trip

April Snow brings May what?

They say April showers bring May flowers; not sure what this will bring.....


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Runtime is: 21 seconds

Music is: "Hear me out" by Frou Frou

Technorati Tags: Techhonrati tags: snow, flake, april, boston, weather, Frou Frou

Make Me Videos.

Many of you know of or have even played with VideoString, my thesis project. It's going well, with one small problem. The existing vocabulary is way too limited. Not only are there not enough words to choose from, but the words themselves don't have enough different video options associated with them. How can I remedy this situation? Post a video blog about it, of course...

Click this link to check out the project:
http://videostring.blogspot.com

Then Click this link to check out the word list:
http://www.lanugo.org/videostring/WordList.html

Oh, and click this link to watch the video...


Click here for Quicktime movie (in a new window)

Ashe asked a great question. "How do I get footage to you?"

To contribute your footage, post it somewhere. Ourmedia, Blip, Archive, your own domain... anywhere I can download it from. Then send me the link. headsoff at lanugo dot org.

Remember, I will trim the video and compress it so the less compressed the better for me. Also, it must be at least 2 seconds in length. Rock on.

Runtime is 1:54

Technorati Tags: videostring thesis masters+project flash

Can't Relate

I worked on this music video with some people from my school in December. I shot inside the apartments. Now its edited together with outdoor footage. Sweet. Check it out. Then check the band out at http://www.jointclarity.com/
-serra


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Runtime is 4 minutes ish

Technorati Tags: Techhonrati tags: Joint Clarity, Can't Relate, Music Video, Emerson, EMG

Film 2

Here is the second project I've done for my film class. This one involved actually editing the film, which was a fun yet trying experience. I think it went pretty well. I realized sometime between now and the last film I posted that the film to video transfer equipment at school really does a bad job, and so I color-corrected this one and desaturated it to true black and white. I hope it looke nicer than the last one and it isn't just me getting carried away with color correction :-)

Oh yeah. and it really needs a sound track. If you know of one, please share it with me.

-serra


Click here for Quicktime movie (in a new window)

Runtime is about a minute

Technorati Tags: Techhonrati tags: film, 16mm, sun, flare, trees, wind up, light, time lapse

Woodpecker

This is a birthday present for my dad. His birthday isn't for another couple weeks, but I was so excited I couldn't wait to post it.
-serra


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Runtime is 1:37

Technorati Tags: Techhonrati tags: woodpecker

Re Birthday

A small amount of confusion has ensued from this post. I guess I didn't realize that it might be confusing. So I am adding this text in order to clarify things a bit.

In case you are in the position of not knowing about my medical history, here is a brief overview. I was diagnosed with Leukemia in 1997, and ended up fixing that problem with a bone marrow transplant in 2000. I have been cancer-free since then, and have been celebrating the anniversary of that date ever since. So that's what this is all about. I'm sorry for any confusion, and thanks for all your support!

serra


Click here for Quicktime movie (in a new window)

Runtime is 23 seconds

Check http://www.lanugo.org/leukemia_journal/ to read more.

This is the entry I wrote the day I had my transplant
http://www.lanugo.org/leukemia_journal/relapse13.html

Technorati Tags: Techhonrati tags: leukemia, birthday, bone marrow transplant

Cat Walk

we decided to make Merlin a ramp so he could climb up to our loft bed in the morning. its pretty sweet.


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Runtime is 4:30

Technorati Tags: Techhonrati tags: cat walk, loft bed, cat

White Chapel

I just found this old video on my hard drive and had to share it. This is for my good friend, and college roommate, Becca. She wrote this script during a time when she was obsessed with Jack The Ripper, and we always joked about it when we lived together, so when I had to think of a studio production I wrote to her and asked if she'd let me make a no-budget rendition of it. Here's what happened.


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Runtime is 5:10

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Watch Me 16mm

I'm taking a film class this semester. yeah - film, not video. I've never worked with film before and its a little wild. I thought I'd show you my first creation. It's based on a funny little children's book called "Watch me", in which the character (a young child) begs her parents to watch as she slides, jumps, rides a bike, etc. At the end there is a bike crash. I have changed the story a bit in places. Well - ok it really isn't the same story, but it was fun anyways.


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Runtime is 1:54

Technorati Tags: Techhonrati tags: watch me, jumping, sliding, riding, 16mm, film

Driving In The Book Store

We spent a few minutes trying to figure out how this could have come to be. Please share your own theories.


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Runtime is 1:45

Technorati Tags: Techhonrati tags: SUV Porter Square Cambridge car accident

Foam Love Seat

We had a good experience with craigslist the other day, and here is a video about it.


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Runtime is 2:55

Technorati Tags: Techhonrati tags: foam love seat serra shiflett mike machenry steve garfield headsoff

Brittany!

My good friend Brittany has just launched the video portion of her blog. She's awesome. Check her out!
-serra


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Runtime is 30 seconds

Snow Elves and Snow Blowers

Two Washington girls go for a walk in the snow (something we dont get much back home...). I met Akesha here, but she's from Seattle too so she knows what's up. Don't miss the cameo by random friendly snow blower guy.


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Runtime is 57 seconds

Technorati Tags: snow elf, snow blower, snow