I spent yesterday catching up with an old friend from high school. We discussed the usual things you do, when you haven’t seen someone in a longtime. Whens the last time you saw so and so? What are you up to now? Then you get to the point you start remember all the crazy fun times you used to have. One thing that we loved to do back in the day was make our own movies. I’m about to go on an old day’s tangent.
In the old days when you wanted to record something, your choice was film. Given that we weren’t a major studio and we were only in high school. Most likely it was on a clunky old VHS camcorder or if you were lucky, you might know someone with an 8mm. Of course if you wanted to edit a 8mm tape, you would have to connect the camcorder to a VCR and transfer the tape to VHS. All the while losing quality in the process!
If you want to add something as simple as credits, to the beginning or the end. You would have to make it by hand and think of a way you wanted to record it and hope it didn’t look to cheesy. Don’t even get me started on sound or special effects. To say you had to be creative, to do the simplest of things by todays standards would be an understatement.
After spending days recording and editing footage, you’d be lucky if you made a 5 minute film. Then of course the glory of showing it to your friends in someone’s basement. The most feedback you might get was “Uh, that was interesting” while they plotted their quickest escape route.
Fast forward to today! Camcorders are small and fairly powerful. You can record footage on flash or a hard drive and transfer it over to a computer in a matter of minutes for editing. There are so many different programs you can use to spice up your films, it can be a bit mind numbing. But when your done with your master piece. It’s easier than ever to get an audience. You can host it on your own site, submit it to YouTube or some other video portal. You can get actual feedback (some good, some constructive, some down right rude) But the point is, what you made; can be up in front of an audience in no time at all.
It’s just funny to thing of all the things I have now and what I can do, if I want to. Makes you wonder what the kids of today, will be reminiscing about 
Later…
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Dwayne 10.28.08 at 2:54 pm
The children of today have it made!! I have a little girl, and I try to teach her and tell her about the way I did things when I was growing up. And she actually likes doing that. Although technology has changed, the little things in life hasn’t. At the age of 7 she already has some good memories, don’t get her started about the first time she ever went fishing LOL, that story will take a while. Nice blog and thanks for having my advert on your blog today.
Dwaynes last blog post..8 yr old boy shoots self with Uzi.
Koe Whitton-Williams 11.01.08 at 8:05 am
You’re right - what will they reminisce about? Beating the tar out of madden ‘09? Scoring 10 million on guitar hero? I just went to my high school reunion (35 years) we talked about each other, our kids. . . and of course. . . (yikes) illnesses we’d survived.
Koe Whitton-Williamss last blog post..kiss
Lyndon 11.02.08 at 12:04 am
@ Dwayne - I hear yeah!! Thanks for choosing my site to run it on
@ Koe - Good points!! Better yet, imagine their discussions about the current music that some of them listen too