Author Archive for Ted – Page 3

Welcome to My Blog

by Ted
August 11th, 2011

It is almost unbelievable to me that with the amount of blogging I have done in the last three years, very little of it has been on my own website. But with my life being at such an interesting place at the moment, I figured why not consolidate my Internet ramblings in one place? A clean, blank slate (hence this site’s new design), if you will.

All my past posts will obviously remain, but I’m not going to take the time to reformat them. So if you read any and wonder why pictures and/or videos are halfway missing then you’ll know why.

I’ve got a variety of post types planned. From my videos, to other people’s creations.. I just want to talk about things I think are awesome. I walked into one of my favorite places today, the iThemes offices, and was greeted by a new addition to the entry room: A sign which read, “Make People’s Lives Awesome.” I hope this contributes.

I also am excited to see this change over time. I know that from my past blogging experience, the way the content evolves over time is just fun to watch unfold.

So, welcome to my blank slate. I hope you enjoy it as much as I will.

To get you started, I’ll end with this clip – the inspiration for the game everyone now loves to play when I’m around.

- Ted

Categories Introduction, Life, Videography, WordPress
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The Loudness of Creation

by Ted
March 10th, 2011

I’m in New Mexico this week with friends for Spring Break. We found this fantastic mountain home perched on the side of you guessed it, a mountain, and have all resolved to just stop for a week. It’s so easy to be busy, but incredibly difficult to be still.

Yesterday, a few of us decided to undertake a hike. We knew of a trail that was on the other side of the mountain across from our house and so we hopped in the car to make the scenic trek up the mountain to then drop into the valley below and then start our hike up a beaten path. Naturally, I took my camera and when we got near the top I decided to pull into the built-in scenic lookout to get a few pictures of everyone plus the beautiful New Mexico landscape.

After a couple of minutes of photo snapping, we turned around to find what might best be described as a very steep hill that capped the mountain. Our original hiking plan was quickly fading and a new idea was presenting itself: If the Mountains and hills of New Mexico looked great from here, what does it look like from up there?

I slung the camera bag over my shoulder and began the ascent with my friends. We stopped halfway between the bottom and the first line of trees to catch our breath because not only was it steep, but as residents of flat states (Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas were represented on this hike) the thin Mountain air was not being kind to our lungs.  I looked back out over where we had already climbed and it was already a much more magnificent view than the one from below.

We pushed onward and got to the first line of trees. I told my friend Matt that I wanted to go all the way to the top.

“It’s a lot farther up than it looks, you know that right?”

“Yeah, I know. But if I’m this far…”

I really wasn’t very far at all in relation to the top of the mountain, I truly thought I was a lot closer than I really was and ignored Matt’s advice guised as a question. I continued up the mountain on my own, as the rest of the group looked out over New Mexico from that tree line.

My journey to the top continued similarly to how it began. I would hike a little higher. Stop. Turn around. Be in awe of the view. Question going further. Finally turn back around.

“I bet it looks even cooler from that spot.”

And onward I’d climb, with each stop possessing it’s own unique viewpoint that would ultimately pale in comparison to the next.

Finally, I had one more hike to reach the top. I tucked the camera back into the bag and trudged up, excited to see what the new and final vantage point had to offer.

I reached the top and the first thing I noticed and took me by surprise was the lack of wind, and the peaceful silence at the top of the Mountain. I then turned around to see the full picture of what I had been getting pieces of along the way.

I was surrounded by an overwhelming silence broken only by the loudness of creation.

This is a Panoramic shot of what I saw and it doesn't even fully capture the moment.

Life seems to me much like my trip up the mountain, we reach different vantage points, face the landscape of life and exclaim “surely this is it!” Then God turns us back around, directs us higher up the mountain and says, “Just wait.”

It isn’t a material thing God has in store for us at each junction either, but rather a better understanding of His grace – something that truly grows in beauty alongside growing understanding. One day when we, fully sanctified, stand before God, the peace of His grace and mercy will only be broken by the loudness of His holiness. For it is not our climbing, nor is it our toiling for good works that brings us to the top. It is God’s grace, extended through His Son, that pulls us up the Mountain.

When I came to school at Baylor it was a major change in my life. I left Piedmont, Oklahoma with the same idea I had on my trip to the top, “I bet it (life) looks even cooler from that spot.” This is not to say that I didn’t have my reservations. Life looked good from that vantage point, “what is the use of gaining a different perspective?”

God prodded me, forced me to move forward. It wasn’t always grand, adjusting to life away from everything you have ever known doesn’t come without a few bruises. However, the view from here was worth it and I have gained a broader perspective of God’s will and grace because of the journey.

Now my time at Baylor is quickly fading and God is once again pulling me to a new vantage point. Iraq this summer, New York City in the fall, graduation in December, and more life (God willing) after that. I am sad to leave my current understanding, because “what is the use of gaining a different perspective?” Especially when I’m so comfortable with the relationships I have formed here. But I’ve been through that drill before and am trusting that God has it brilliantly planned. For better or for worse, I slave for Christ knowing that I need not work another day because He has already done the work. He has already made a place for me at the next stop, and beyond that, at the top.

I’m at a point in my life where I’m moving another step higher on the Mountain and I’m not anywhere close to the top yet.

“But if I’m this far…”

Ephesians 3:14-21 “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith–that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

- Ted

Categories Christianity, Life, personal
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Preemptive Love – My Summer in Iraq

by Ted
February 12th, 2011

It isn’t everyday that someone asks you….

“Hey, what is it going to take to get you to come out to Iraq this summer?”

But that’s exactly what Jeremy Courtney asked me back in December.

Prayer. Thoughts. Discussions. Deciding not to participate in dear friends’ wedding (love you Greg and Keely!). Ten minutes of awkward silence after bringing it up with my mom.
And now…

I’m going to Iraq this summer because thousands of kids are dying of congenital heart disease.

The Preemptive Love Coalition (a link you should MOST DEFINITELY click on and explore) is a non-profit organization in Iraq seeking to remedy the problem. I could try my own explanation, but this does it much better than I ever could:

I’ll be an intern with PLC, living in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq for two and a half months this summer.
My primary role will be shooting and editing video alongside working on the website.


[Click the maps to enlarge]

So let me back up and explain what has happened since the conversation with Jeremy, which hopefully will give you a better understanding of why I’m going.

I called my dad, told him about the opportunity and his response was something along the lines of, “Son, I’ve been praying for something like this since before you were born.” In another words: “Here, let me hand you confirmation number one.” He advised me (wisely I might add) to not bring it up with my mom before I was a little further down the road with the PLC. I met with Jeremy again in Waco on the morning after my last final in December, and then drove home five hours to Piedmont, Oklahoma with a lot to pray through and think about. The next day, I went to lunch with my parents and brought it up with my mom. Now before I go any further, let me defend my mother’s response with a simple phrase: “She’s my MOM.” So after I explained to her what was going on, she was awfully quiet for a few minutes. And rightfully so. Her words finally were, “I want you where God wants you.” And that pretty much sealed the deal for me. I was able to tell Jeremy that I was definitely up for applying two days after Christmas and he asked that I fill out all of the internship paperwork so they could make sure this was a good deal for them. And now, by the grace of God, I am going to be headed to Iraq this summer with the Preemptive Love Coalition!

There’s obviously a lot more to this story than I gave you in this summation, and there is tons more waiting to happen as I prepare to head to Iraq.

I would like to ask that you A) Pray pray and pray, B) Sign up below to receive emails from me and C) Follow this blog (bookmark, google reader, etc.).

You can sign up below to get emails, or you can email me saying you would like to be added (ted@tedvid.com) and you can even comment below, tweet me, facebook me.. etc. I’ll make sure you get on the list!

Finally, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read through this and thank you for your support. I’m so thankful to have an awesome supportive family behind me (Mom, Dad, Caleb, Tori – that’s you guys), and it’s also nice to know there is an even bigger community than that supporting me in numerous ways.

To donate please go to preemptivelove.org/Ted

To God be the glory, great things he hath done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His son;
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin;
And opened the life gate that all may go in.

“…for the subversion of terrorism by love,”

Ted

Sign up for emails here:

Categories Iraq, WordPress, video
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Psalms 122 and 123

by Ted
February 7th, 2011

Above is a video I put together for our Prayer Awakening weekend at FWCM. The theme was “Psalms of Ascent” which is a name given to Psalms 120-134. I also did the artwork for it as well which you can check out below.

I actually started work on a very different style of video and after getting about halfway through decided to scrap it and start over. I much prefer what resulted….

The video needed to be subdued so that people could absorb and meditate on it (the scripture in the video, not the video itself obviously) as it was being watched. It also needed to capture in some manner what is happening in the scripture. I made use of the repeated “LORD” and built the mountains around it to play with the figure-ground relationship. Also, it’s just a voice over in the clip, but there was some synth over the top of it live. Both have unique feels. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

Categories Christianity, Motionography, Typography, video
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2011 Oscar Winner Predictions

by Ted
January 27th, 2011

Given the Oscar nominees, below are my opinions on who should win the various 2011 Oscars (for 2010′s movies) in certain categories and who I think will.

Best Actor

Nominees: Javier Bardem, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg, Colin Firth, and James Franco
My pick: Colin Firth for “The King’s Speech”
Prediction: Same

Why? Because his performance was head and shoulders above the rest of the group. (sidenote: did Jeff Bridges really have enough screen time to have a chance here?) Firth made stuttering look natural. I’ll let the oddness of that statement sink in.

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees: Christian Bale, John Hawkes, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Geoffrey Rush
My pick: Geoffrey Rush
Prediction: Christian Bale

Why? Geoffrey Rush played the part so skillfully that I hardly noticed he was a movie character. For me, the only issue is why Andrew Garfield isn’t in this list. That guy was awesome in The Social Network. As for the prediction going to Bale, I think Hollywood has a tendency to give awards to people with crazy characters. It’s a bias they can’t seem to get over. I hope they prove me wrong.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Nominees: Amy Adams, Helena Bonham Carter, Melissa Leo, Hailee Steinfeld, Jacki Weaver
My pick: Hailee Steinfeld
Prediction: Hailee Steinfeld

Why? I think the Academy is dying to hand an award out for True Grit and one of the few ways it actually has a chance to happen is if Steinfeld brings it home. She did a thorough job and had enough of the screen during the movie for this to be a possibility. I give it to her simply because she was the only reason I liked True Grit at all from a story standpoint (cinematography was good – which I’ll get to soon).

Animated Featu

Toy Story 3…. enough said, moving along now.

Visual Effec

Inception.. keep going..

Original Score

Nominations: How to Train Your Dragon, Inception, The King’s Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network
My Pick: Tron: Legacy
Prediction: The Social Network

Why? How on earth did Daft Punk not get some credit at least for Tron? I mean, really? That movie was a giant music video. Anyway, my next choice is also my prediction. Well done Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, you had me at the title sequence.

Art Direction

Nominees: Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Inception, The King’s Speech, True Grit
My Pick: Harry Potter
Prediction: Alice in Wonderland

Why? Here’s an award that is too much of a wild card for me. Every year it’s something I don’t necessarily expect. I think Harry Potter deserves it, but it’s too much of a blockbuster… Plus Sweeney Todd won in 2007…

Cinematography

Nominees: Black Swan, Inception, The King’s Speech, The Social Network, True Grit
My pick: The Social Network
Prediction: The King’s Speech

Why? Probably the single, most difficult decision in this entire list. I went back and forth between The Social Network and The King’s Speech.. and then from time to time would want to throw True Grit into the mix.. However, The Social Network gets my vote and here’s why: I’ve watched it three times now, and it wasn’t until the third time that I even realized some of the cinematography aspects existed – they blended seamlessly into the movie despite my constant look at movies through a “how did they do this?” perspective. The King’s Speech was good, don’t get me wrong – but the rowing scene with In the Hall of the Mountain King playing… dang.

Best Director

Nominees: Darren Aronofsky, David O. Russel, Tom Hooper, David Fincher, Joel and Ethan Coen
My pick: Tom Hooper
Prediction: David Fincher

Why? The King’s Speech had the best acting, hands down. I know he was working with the best overall actor group of the bunch, but if your movie has the best acting across the board then I give you the Oscar…. But I think Fincher wins for The Social Network because he didn’t win for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Seriously. Also – Christopher Nolan deserved at least a nomination… come on now.

Film Editing

Nominees: Andrew Weisblum (Black Swan), Pamela Martin, (The Fighter), Tariq Anwar (The King’s Speech), Jon Harris (127 Hours), Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter (The Social Network)
My pick: Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter
Prediction: Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Why? I could probably write a while here, but let’s just put it this way: yes.

Original Screenplay

Nominations: Another Year, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King’s Speech
My pick: The King’s Speech
Prediction: Inception

Why? The King’s Speech’s script was near flawless. I can’t imagine the difficulty in writing for a stuttering man. However, I think enough people will get on the Inception bandwagon to bring it home (this is a gut feeling, the smart money is probably on The King’s Speech).

Adapted Screenplay

Nominations: 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter’s Bone
My Pick: The Social Network
Prediction: The Social Network

Why? I want to be Aaron Sorkin, that’s why. The man is a genius. If the two categories were combined, Sorkin still wins.

Best Picture

Nominations: Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King’s Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter’s Bone
My Pick: The King’s Speech
Prediction: The Social Network

I’ll begin by listing off my top five favorite movies of the year:
5) Inception
4) Shutter Island
3) Toy Story 3
2) The King’s Speech
1) The Social Network

Why? I’ve decided that just because something is my favorite, doesn’t necessarily make it the best. The King’s Speech was a darn near perfect film from a technical standpoint. It was also a fantastic story. That’s why it was this year’s best film in my opinion. However, my favorite was The Social Network because of why it will end up winning the actual award: It perfectly combined an important, relevant and culture-changing event with a fantastic script, good acting and superb cinematography. Plus, I’m a web/film junkie so it was like the perfect mesh.

As for the rest of the nominees and other movies I mentioned, I could blog for days about it probably. But you wouldn’t want to hear it now would you?

What do you think?

- Ted

*EDIT: No Best Actress Pick from me because I didn’t know what call to make yet.. I’ll add it later*

Categories film, movie
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2010 Reel

by Ted
December 8th, 2010

Here’s a minute long version of my reel from this past year. As you can see, it’s primarily motion graphic work as that was what I spent the most of my time learning and doing. I hope to pick up the slack over the course of the next year in the actual live-action footage department. This is the first time I have ever put one together, and it was kind of fun. It’s always interesting to revisit your past work because you’re so much more critical about it in retrospect.

Enjoy!

– Ted

Categories Motionography, Videography
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