I took Latin in high school and really liked it. When my friend Dwane Thomas, who’s been teaching Latin for 15 years, started talking to me about the paucity (from Lat. paucus, ‘few’) of Latin courses on video, I thought it was something worth pursuing. After a few months of work, Visual Latin is the result. It’s a combination of short videos and exercises that work together to teach your children (or you) Latin. The curriculum is designed so that it requires no knowledge of Latineither by the student or the parent administering the class. Basically, you just hit play and start learning. Take a look at the site and watch a few sample lessons. The first semester of material will be available in August, so if you have friends who might be interested, please forward the link to them. Ave atque Vale!
If you’re interested in creating a marketing video for your company or ministry, the one thing you need to remember is that it needs to be about one thing. This was a principle I heard in screenwriting school and it applies pretty much to everything in marketing. Sure, there can be variations and sub-ideas; but unless the one thing is really clear, then the audience probably won’t get it. Good marketing videos hit the same point over and over again in a simple and entertaining way. In this particular case, we wanted people to associate Fidelity Offset with trust. The simple argument was this: if major recording labels trust them with their big name artists, so can you. [If you'd like to watch in HD, hit pause and click the link in the corner of the video.]
Along with films and documentaries, we like do unique video work for companies. I spent three years as the marketing director for a small business where I sought to find creative ways to use video to show people exactly what the company did (it was amazing how a good video could increase sales). We currently are doing some work for Fidelity Offset, a commercial printer in Nashville, Tennessee with clients around the nation. Almost 90% of their customers have never seen what their printing plant actually looks like. We thought this would be a fun way to show what goes on behind the scenes, as well as to communicate some key aspects of their company: precision, attention to detail, and beautiful printing. As you can see, a lot can be communicated about a company just with sound and images. The music is from an old 1926 piano roll recording of George Gershwin playing one of his preludes. If you’d like to watch it in HD, just click the HD button at the top right of the screen after starting it.
I think Greg Wilbur is one of the best living composers of music for worship. That he happens also to be the Chief Musician at Parish Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Tennessee means I have the privilege of hearing his music each week. (You know his music is really wonderful when your 7-year-old daughter sings it to herself when she’s coloring.) Greg recently teamed up with Ligonier Ministries to create a new CD of his songs called My Cry Ascends. Last week, Parish Pres came together to sing a number of those songs, many of which have been sung by the church for years. I am quite sure Greg’s music brings great pleasure to the Lord, who, like 7-year-olds, takes special delight in wonderful songs. If you have a minute, go to Ligonier’s site and sample some of his music for yourself. [If you'd like to watch the video in HD, just click the button in the upper right corner.]
A few months ago, we were asked to be one of a number of production companies creating short films on marriage. Our assigned topic was marital roles, and certain parameters came with the request: the film needed to be in four linked parts that could fit between other teaching pieces; it [...]
One caveat: this post is designed purely for self-inspiration. Unless you are either A) a screenwriter frustrated with a screenplay he’s been working on for over a year or B) interested in what goes on inside the head of a screenwriter frustrated with a screenplay he’s been working on for over a year, then it [...]
We’re glad you stopped by. Since I can’t walk you through our office here in Nashville, I can at least give you a quick tour of our site. We’re constantly doing new things, so our bloggish home lets visitors like you peek and poke around wherever you want. Everything you need is to your right. [...]
This is a little piece we did for our friends Dr. Chris Farrell (a biologist) and Jason Atkins (an ecologist) at Trevecca Nazarene University. The two of them have developed a great relationship with an inner city middle school down the street from the university and are helping teach them about sustainable urban agriculture. They [...]
In light of the three year anniversary of shooting Prodigal Sons in New York City, we’re posting it here in high definition for your viewing pleasure. It is my favorite film of the Modern Parables series for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the theology behind the parable itself. Since the film was [...]
One of the questions I have as a filmmaker is, ‘how does one film spiritual realities in an effective and realistic manner?’ Film is a notoriously physical medium, one that dominates two of our five senses to the exclusion of everything else. Since, by definition, spiritual things cannot be seen or heard, how exactly do [...]
I took Latin in high school and really liked it. When my friend Dwane Thomas, who’s been teaching Latin for 15 years, started talking to me about the paucity (from Lat. paucus, ‘few’) of Latin courses on video, I thought it was something worth pursuing. After a few months of work, Visual Latin is the result. It’s a combination of short videos and exercises that work together to teach your children (or you) Latin. The curriculum is designed so that it requires no knowledge of Latin either by the student or the parent administering the class. Basically, you just hit play and start learning. Take a look at the site and watch a few sample lessons. The first semester of material will be available in August, so if you have friends who might be interested, please forward the link to them. Ave atque Vale!
