I shot this on a Panasonic HVX at 24fps and edited with Final Cut Pro 7 and Apple Motion 4. I missed a major detail on the camera settings the first time around, causing the first day of shooting to be recorded in slow motion. I was able to salvage most of the footage by speeding it up or converting it from 24 frames per second to 29.97 in post. I also realized that not using the Advanced Pulldown to remove duplicate frames on FCP’s log and transfer window allowed me to sync the scratch audio with the music track much easier. The lighting on the green screen and talent required more clean-up in post than desired, but it’s certainly better than 90% of the low-budget green screening I’ve seen online. Lighting was done with gear from CTV, and consisted of some Lowel Riva soft boxes and Lowel Tota broad lights with umbrellas.

I feel like I spent much of 25 lamenting what I had yet to accomplish. When I first came to the revelation of the importance of my relationship with God, about 8 years ago, I read a lot of Old Testament narratives about kings. One of the things that struck me was how young the men were when they became kings. 25 seemed to be a popular age for rising to the call, and that really  put my overachieving into overdrive. I pushed and pressed and strained to try to make things happen, well beyond my years. I knew, I just knew, when I turned 25, my throne would be established in whatever arena I inhabited.

But like I said. When 25 came, I lamented. I was really happy just to be alive. Happy I hadn’t screwed things up enough to completely ruin what little life I had. I was happy I had escaped the age group among Black men that was statistically more likely than others to be killed by something dumb or kill themselves for something dumber. I was happy that I didn’t have any kids relying on me to feed them when I still hadn’t figured out my own life. I wasn’t happy that I still hadn’t figured out who the hell I wanted to be with, and believe me, I was thinking about it a lot. Honestly I felt like I was happy for the bare minimum in life in a middle class kind of way. I took my car insurance discount and kept my disappointment mostly to myself. If you follow a certain private account on twitter, you understand why I say mostly lol.

26. Leading up to my birthday last week, I looked back at what I had accomplished. Not much, but I was wiser, and that meant everything to me. It meant I learned to leverage where I am to get where I want to go. I learned to put my relationships and personal health above all else. It meant that I learned to prioritize things that actually matter. Not that I’m done learning, but simply that I’m learning now. I’m once again applying wisdom and cherishing it like I did before doing so much by a certain age seemed like a big deal.

I’m reconciling things with my family. They’ve gotten the brunt of my ambitions, really the leftovers of my time, if even that. I’m recognizing the limits of my current job opportunities and leveraging the experiences for all they’re worth for however long I’m supposed to be there. I’m giving time to making friends and building relationships that have little to no personal benefit to me. I’m paying more attention to my time and what I agree to use it for or not. I’m taking my business with a little more of a stride than a rush. I want to do it right… this time. Long story, lol.

Last thing: I’m learning patience. Everything can’t happen today, or in my preferred timing. One. step. at a time.

So, I’m thankful for humanity, a realization that I am one, and that that’s not a bad thing lol. Let’s see what happens at 27.

How old are you now? How does that make you feel?

The ONE Retreat with The Remnant back in October was beyond amazing. The big project I alluded to in my September post was a feature length live action/live acting movie called ONE. It was presented in two parts as the message presentation for the retreat. And it was amazing. We shot and edited the whole thing in a month. And we hardly skimped on the tricks. It was a beast of a project, but more than worth it. Aside from the great reactions we got from the movie we shot for the message presentation, the life change and immediate impact of that weekend was beyond words. Students and volunteers alike, we were really privileged to experience God engaging us all on very personal levels throughout our experiences that weekend.

Before the high of the ONE retreat had even worn off, I was on my way to New York about a week later to support my colleagues at CTV receiving a really presitigious award. The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) and UNITY: Journalists of Color recognized our station’s news department with an Edward R. Murrow Award for our investigative report series Black White and Shades of Gray, a look into the relationship between the PG county police department and the community over the past 30 years. Specifically our award was a commendation for our commitment to presenting the dynamics of diversity in our community. My contribution was the series intro, supporting graphics, and overall technical supervision. To say the least I was excited just to be involved and to have someone I’ve never met before give a nod to a project I had a real part in bringing together. But they were probably easier to impress than those teenagers the week before

Catch Rochelle aka @RochelleReports from CTV at 2:50.

I turned 25 October 19th! *cheers* Ironically, one of the things I wanted to do for 25 was go to the B&H Superstore in New York and buy something. I’m a geek. I know. So guess what I did before the awards show? Haha. Didn’t buy anything extravagant, just an obscure audio accessory I would rather see in person rather than buy online. But that store really was SUPER. Never seen anything like it.

On a more serious note, I’m really glad to have simply made it to 25. The years between 18-24 are statistically precarious for Black men in America. As much as I tried to stay out of trouble and as much as my parents worked to keep me on the right track, I’ve got friends and schoolmates that didn’t make it this far, and trouble found me enough times to be sure to thank God for still being here.

Going back to The Remnant, a big shift in the ministry’s usual routine was revealed just before Christmas: there would no longer be any Friday night services for Remnant. Instead, the youth ministry at First Baptist Church of Glenarden known as R.E.B.E.L.S. for Life would be teaming up with The Remnant for one huge Friday service aimed at teenagers and college students in the DMV at Glenarden’s amazing new worship center. We call it MERGE.

And last but certainly not the least update….. I’ve officially registered my video and DJ services company Dual Caliber Media!!!! Quality in both skill and character! Look out for the website, logo, and spotlights on some amazing people and amazing work coming from Dual Caliber Media! Follow on twitter @DualCaliber!

Zion Church in Glenarden, Maryland is where I call home right now. I joined in June this year and have already been thrown back into serving through their youth ministry’s video arts team. I’ve known about and attended Zion on occasion since 2004, but never thought I’d be calling it the best place for me to serve within my community.

As I began my search for a church closer to home I knew I wanted to go somewhere where I would have the opportunity to run into other members any day on the street. I wanted to go to church and then be told to turn around and do outreach in my own neighborhood, to my own neighbors. I also wanted a multicultural experience like the one I had at Union Station. But then I remembered I’m in PG County, so the latter became optional. So as I looked up and around, and thought about where all my friends in the area go to church, it became obvious: Zion is where my friends and neighbors go.

And Zion…..Zion is sO PG. It just doesn’t get anymore PG than Zion Church. And I love it. The leadership and the atmosphere they set fits my DNA so well it’s a wonder I didn’t end up there in the first place. The word is practical, the approach is strategic, and the community is authentic. Plugged in with some fellas who live around my way, getting a chance to use my talents in a setting that’s the perfect balance of youth ministry and media communications. If you’ve never heard of The Remnant, I’m sure you’d never forget attending. Right now we’re pushing through an ambitious project for The Remnant’s Fall Retreat early next month. I’ll be sure to share more when the cat’s out of the bag.

As for now I’m good. I’ll grow here, I’ll learn here, and I’ll change here. The change that immediately comes to mind is this feeling of having a segmented life. Seeing people from church on the street and hanging out with them and their friends in my own area is something I haven’t experienced in a long time. It brings a comforting sense of local support but also makes me more mindful of how different I can act with different circles. And while on some levels it’s necessary, on others it’s unhealthy. But that’s another post, so we’ll see how that develops.

Who is the community that you let influence your life?

My twitter friend @SewIntoHem posted this video the other day. She was considering blogging about it, and after watching it, I was too. We decided to tag team it by posting about it on both our blogs. Check out the twitter convo we had below, and her blog at mouthofbabes.wordpress.com.

Her: What that man said was so powerful, because we often get caught up in what we’re entitled to–especially the black community.

Her: When we finally get our piece of the pie, we think we’ve accomplished something. However, that’s not what matters to God or to people.

Me: i think the first thing about it that was powerful was that he said it in front of a black audience! that #fail, was an ultimate success!

Her: If all you have to show for your life is how rich you were, your legacy means nothing and, most tragically, God will not accept you.

Me: Well, i think the size of some churches that Cone says have “lost their legacy” would suggest it matters to people a lot

Me: but i think that’s part of the deception. we took the easy route by throwin money at ppl, like the devil. instead of showin them a cross

Me: i think part of that fail we should be expecting is that some ppl won’t like the cross, and turn away from the church

Me: but the ultimate success would be seen in those who were drawn and changed by the cross

Me: Cone didnt really elaborate on that whole “fail” idea for the church. what do u think it might be?

Her: That’s very true. A lot of pastors pat themselves on the back for creating Jesus fans, but what we need are Jesus followers.

Her: I think for us it would mean losing the celebrity endorsements, being ridiculed by the general public by being too conservative.

Her: For some churches, it would mean losing the majority of their membership or suffering a hit to their bank accounts.

Me: Yes!

Me: i gotta say, Cone’s words and courage encouraged me deeply in allowing ppl to see my weakness when i present Christ, rather than polished up

Me: i think the ridicule we get nowadays is more bcuz our claims of belief dont match our actions on a wide scale

Me: i think the world would go nuts if we showed the power of God behind the scriptures we quote

Me: How did u find this vid?

Her: Amen! I totally agree & I have no idea lol I was just palling around on Youtube

[a few hours later...lol]

Me: Sorry for the late response. Lol at palling around tho. Pop culture at it’s best. I’m gonna try to make Cone my e-mentor. Need that support

Her: lol there’s another video on there too from the same panel discussion and he went IN!

Me: FYI i found the video of the whole conference on CSPAN’s website. Def plannin to watch/skim thru it ~> http://cs.pn/aKnuCT

Her: Oooh! I wanna watch the whole thing! lol Well, a good chunk of it.

Her: Ummm 4 hrs….maybe not lol

Me: lol right. realizing this all took place in 2003, i really wonder what has taken place since this discussion

Her: Not jack has happened! Just like every other panel discussion, conference, etc., nothing gets solved. It’s probably gotten worse.

Me: yeah. if secret meetings between Black church leaders really started in 2003, we’d start to see the results, at least a little by now

Her: it’s just sad because so many people talk about what needs to be done, but very few people take the time to do it.

Her: That’s why i like what Cone said about loving God w/ ur mind, because so many ppl just go to church just to shout and be entertained.

Her: And when it’s all over, they say “the spirit really moved”. No it didn’t, b/c if it did there would be a genuine transformation in ur life.

Me: i wonder what his church home is like, and who they collaborate with in their city

Me: this dude’s Wiki is something interesting. some real controversy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hal_Cone

Her: Yea, I read that lol I found it interesting…& then I said to myself “Does anything that I’m reading affect what I got from that video?” No

Me: ha, right. it’s funny though how it’s always the slightly extra ministers that speak with the most urgency and boldness

Me: the ones who are most popular seem to have real chill verbage

Her: Yeah, they don’t want to say anything too radical or convicting. It might upset their fans….I mean, members.

Me: yeah. whats crazy is with everything the way it is, this is just what God wanted for this point in history

Me: it really makes me wonder what’s going to happen next to shake things up

Her: i’m excited for God to set the church straight, the process is already beginning

Me: what gives you that impression?

Her: I’ve spent a lot of time around a couple of them & my church is under one of them. They’re part of the problem, so they’re gonna play nice.

Me: really? what exactly do you see progressing with them?

Her: pride and watered-down gospel

Me: hmmm what’s been the congregation’s response to the changes?

Her: People seem to be so caught up on personalities that they never raise questions about the direction the church is headed in.

Me: Word. and THAT is a blog post in itself, so what do u say we wrap this here? this was tight!

Her: Lol Yeah it was, I have enough to write about for a month. I’m glad I watched this.

Me: glad u shared it!

The poster and trailer for the project I shot, Hopes and Schemes, have just been released. The director, Avery “Byword” Smith posted the video today on YouTube and has had the poster up on Facebook for a few weeks now. Check out Pyramerica.com for some good laughs, and visit BywordSmith.com to learn more about the comedian and new director. Leave a comment on YouTube too!

Transcript of the above video for the reading-types:

Let me tell you guys what I’ve been up to lately. I’ve been talking with my dude Rogers (he’s a writer). I’ve been talking to him about doing a web series as my next project. I’d really like to see what he could come up with and I told him I’d shoot it, you know, I’d do the visual end of it. The premise that he came up with: a Christian small group in which the members of that group are each connected in different ways, related to their different struggles or vices or sins that they’re dealing with in their own lives, but they don’t know it, and each thing is revealed as the story goes on.

Kind of just an idea of what we’re aiming at: you have the ministry leader, the small group leader, who is leading some sort of double lifestyle and that somehow is enabling or funding the drug addiction of another member.

What we need for this right now, while we’re just in this design stage is are ideas. Testimonies, little snippets of things, stories maybe you’ve heard…and that’s where we’re really looking for you guys to give some input.

Email me (deandre@deandrevidale.com), hit me on facebook (facebook.com/deandre.vidale), hit me on my Twitter (@JoyisWar), we’ll take it from there, and we’ll see what comes out of it! Aiight? Thanks!

This post will eventually be converted to a direct link, for now take this link to the reviews.

Eventually I’ll have this setup properly as a direct link to the booking page, but until then, here’s the booking page.