Saturday, April 11, 2009

(( April's shower of tears. ))


I have not updated this blog for a while, for which I apologise now. It has been a busy few days here for me because I have been working on another project for a local theatrical group who asked me to film their latest production and produce a DVD version of it for them. So I went along over four nights and filmed various shots, including the main acts, which run to around two hours. For this task I used two cameras simultaneously (at the same time), which should give a nice feel to the performance, as I can use close up shots, as well as the full stage view. Of course the logistics of this are not so simple. It is bad enough setting up one camera, never mind two!

Anyway I managed to pull-off (do) the task, even though there were a few awkward moments. Mainly due to people moving about and making noises during the performance. This was made worse by the fact that the hall is quite old and the floorboards creaked loudly with every footstep that was taken.

So now I'm deep in the editing phase and this will keep me busy for a few more days as I edit and prepare the DVD. This includes the design for the outside of the box in which the DVD will go.

My plans for more English lessons is still ongoing and I will begin to produce Lesson 49 next week. What will the lesson be about?....Wait and see 8-))

April has brought some great sadness with it, with the recent earthquake in Italy. I'm sure everyone is thinking about those who lost their lives and those who have been left traumatised and affected by this terrible event. I was saddened by this event, not least of all by the fact that I have many online viewers in Italy, so this has been a sad time for me too. Often there are no words to express the shock and distress that is brought on by these natural calamities. Silence and reflection are normally the most profound statements a person can make during times of grief and loss.

This weekend sees the Easter celebrations commence. Many people will be going to Church or exchanging chocolate Easter eggs with each other. Needless to say, I will be munching into my Easter egg this weekend...Yummy !! It is interesting that most of our public holidays here in the UK are based on religious belief, but I would imagine that many younger people here would be somewhat oblivious to this fact. I must say, I'm not a deeply religious person, but I'm still interested in the beliefs of others. Passion comes in many shapes and sizes and just because one differs from the other does not necessarily make it any less valid. Sadly in the real world, disagreement and respect do not sit comfortably together. 

Still, there is no harm in trying...right?

Have a great weekend !!

(Misterduncan) ..........................................................................  

2 comments:

Irina said...

Hello, James!

I see that you are very energetic person and try to make a lot of things simultaneously :)

Here, in Cyprus, I attend concerts of classical music quite often and I noticed that overwhelming majority of audience is the English. I can say that English people are more orderly than Cypriote. The Cypriote people make a lot of noise during the performance: sneeze, cough, and go up and down etc.
At these concerts I feel joy and sadness at the same time.
I finished music school (a lot of years ago) and I made plans to become a musician, but then something bad happened in our family and it changed all my prospects. I became a doctor.
And now while I am listening classic music I enjoy the music and, perhaps, feel regret about lost opportunity inwardly.
Irina

George Machlan said...

It is good to have one more avenue to follow you on. I hope one day to incorporate a lot of your work with my students. Here is a link to my intro of you on my blog
http://myeslfriends.blogspot.com/2009/04/mr-duncan-rocks.html
I have also mailed you concerning a proposal to post your videos on a china friendly site (www.archive.org) please let me know if you ever get some free time. You ROCK!