This is a really great looking KickStarter project – I recently backed it, and the window is closing. If you are reading this, please consider getting involved!
From the KickStarter page:
What is our mission?
Simply put, Artrageous with Nate portrays the arts as approachable and relatable in order to stimulate children’s creativity and foster a generation of innovators.
How was Nate inspired?
When I was a kid, I loved art—drawing, painting, sculpting, you name it. But in college, my love for art was almost drowned by horribly boring art history classes. As an art teacher myself years later, I made it my goal to incorporate art and art history in a way that was interesting…even enticing.
What I developed was a new approach that made art (and even art history) approachable, relatable, and fun. My goal is to turn this approach in to a television series called Artrageous with Nate that can be used by teachers and families across the country. I have made two initial episodes, but I need your help to make more episodes a reality.
Why now?
Art program budgets across the country are being slashed to make way for a greater focus on standardized testing. You’ve all read the headlines. But what school boards often fail to see is how the arts actually improve test scores (see graph below) and college graduation rates and help decrease teen delinquency. The arts are important, now more than ever.
What will we do with the funds?
Great question! Our goal is to raise $15,000, which will cover the cost of travel, equipment rental, filming, editing, and distribution of Episode #3 and 5 short video art lessons.
My 7-year-old son and I put together the LEGO X-Wing, and made a time-lapse with my GoPro Hero 2. The music is “Right Left Right” from the album “Wildfire” by Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun, a great band from Atlanta. I’ve been fortunate enough to see them a few times, and they were gracious enough to let us use their song. Like them on Facebook at facebook.com/todaythemoon.
This was a really great project. Looking back I wish I would have paid better attention to my camera placement, but that this project was meant to be a learning experience. It was quick and also my first experience using Adobe Premiere in quite a long time.
Thanks again to Today the Moon Tomorrow the Sun for use of the song – it fit exactly and goes along with the video quite nicely.
Every year Google does something funny for my birthday. Everyone thinks it’s for April Fool’s day, but I know Google knows everything about me, including my birthday & what color socks I am wearing today. It stands to reason that they know of my love of video games as well, and this year they made this!
Hilarious. They even made 8 bit versions of street view, complete with little avatar.
On the weekend of February 24th, I was fortunate enough to join my friend Jonathon Newby (formerly of Brazil) on the road as part of JC Autobody. Newby put a great band together featuring Eric Johnson (also from Brazil) and Russ Cogdell (from Zao).
Here is a taste:
This was a particularly awesome weekend for me. It was partly trip down memory lane, partly a new adventure, and partly an earache. A quick chance to play music with people I had never collaborated with, but who were pretty instrumental in my musical makeup.
If you can, hop in the DeLorean and let’s get up to 88. The story goes like this:
In the year 1997 or 1998, I went to a music festival in Muncie, Indiana. At this music festival were many many bands. Among these insane bands was one called Zao, an intense metal band that looked a lot like this:
Behind this festival (the same festival where I first bore witness to the amazing guitar prowess of Jared Southwick) was a pale guy with tattoos named Jonathon Newby. Throughout my years at Ball State University, Newby and I would cross paths and see each other at shows, many of them featuring awesome bands he brought to town. Quite a few times brought Zao through as they toured.
I had a few chances between 2000 and 2002 to play with Zao while in Mara’Akate, and had met Russ in passing, and shared gear on occasion. Zao was an incredible band, and full of good guys. Basically we would show up, say hi, all freak out and get back on the road.
A decade later, and Russ is still crushing it in Zao. Evidence:
In short, it was really great to play with these guys, two guys that I never thought I’d have an opportunity to make music with, let along geek out about cameras, movies, and 90s Nickelodeon shows with.
Thanks guys, let’s do it again soon. Now I’m heading back to the future.
This is the first video I've created with my new GoPro Hero 2 HD. Essentially I set up the camera on the window with the suction mount while my son and his cousins played on a Sunday afternoon. I dropped the footage in, sped it up, dropped in a generic iMovie jingle, and this little gem popped out. I like it and I hope you do too.
