Ira Glass on Storytelling

Now, Ira Glass, if you haven't heard of him, is the presenter of the popular Chicago-based radio show This American Life. I've been downloading the weekly podcasts from T.A.L. (This American Life) since I first heard about the show in 2009.

Recently, I stumbled across a website that contained a four-part interview with Ira Glass talking about the art of storytelling. I wanted to share these videos as they also comment on the creative process and the journey every creative must endure so they themselves can produce work of the same quality, if not better than, the work that has inspired them for years.

Tea in a Tree

There was tea to be had, and it was to be had in a tree...

The Perth Storm

The Perth Storm from Benny Goodtimes on Vimeo.
It was March 22nd, 2010 when this storm hit little ol' Perth. These were the images I captured during the events of the storm. Everyone in Perth had a different experience that day, and this film tells of mine.

Music: Piano/Soprano Saxophone by Bass Communion

Timelapses, Panoramas and Me

Over the past few weeks I've been busy editing the footage I've shot with my 550D. It's taken longer than I'd planned, but that's largely due to my underestimates regarding the time involved required to create a short film that's actually worth watching. The internet and my (not so) good friend procrastination have not helped me stay on schedule. So now I've dedicated a secondary computer just for checking emails and surfing the internet which has helped me stay focused on my editing that takes place on my primary machine.

Over the last few weeks I've taken some more timelapses. The thing I love about timelapses is that they allow you to capture a long period of time that can be played back in a short amount of time. You get to see all the things that aren't able to be perceived while they take place at their natural speed. But when these things are sped up you can see all of the changes that take place over hours and hours, during only a few minutes - it's great!

A Birthday Evening

A Birthday Evening from Benny Goodtimes on Vimeo.
The events which took place on the 7th of March, 2010 as seen by my camera. This was the first outing which my camera and I attended. We both learned a lot that evening, but mostly about what to do and what not to do while shooting handheld.

How great are friends!

Camera: Canon 550D
Lens: 50mm f/1.8
Music: Come On! Feel The Illinoise! by Sufjan Stevens
Purchase via iTunes: http://bit.ly/cS3oYF

The First Semester

So, it was today that I handed in my final assignment for semester one. Taking into consideration that this semester was my first ever semester of uni, I think went pretty damn well. The ride was certainly not as smooth as I had expected, and I hit a few fairly large brick walls along the way; all of which I managed to climb and continue on, ready to hit another. Some of my biggest challenges took on the form of group assignments. In total I had two group assignments, one of which was incredibly intense and provided me with a range of issues which I had to quickly overcome to complete the assignment. In retrospect, this particular assignment provided me with the most stressful, and the most surprising time of the entire semester.

This Man