The Perfect Christmas Gift for Avid Readers – Books by Nathan Marchand!
Need a Christmas present for the avid reader on your list? My books would make the perfect gift! Watch this “commercial” for more info.
The Perils of Video Editing
Undoubtedly, you’ve read enough “technology is wonderful until it stops working” articles and blogs to keep you reading from now until we land on Mars. Well, I’ve decided to throw one of my own out there. I promise it’ll be honest and entertaining.
I assume many of you True Believers have watched the latest episode of my vlog, “But I Digress….” While it’s normally instructional with some entertainment elements for seasoning, this episode was pure entertainment. I did a “sequel” to a series of Batman videos I made with a college buddy. This one was a spoof of the newest Batman film, the Dark Knight Rises. I’m very proud of it. I worked long and hard making it. It turned out great, in my opinion–except for one little thing.
The credits.
And it bugged me.
A lot.
Yes, my perfectionistic side reared its ugly head over the part of a movie that people ignore, skip, or wait through for a stinger (watch any Marvel Comic movie). While putting out the best product I can for everyone to see is important to me, what bugs me most about this is there were important people who helped make this video possible, most of whom served in multiple roles, and I wanted to make sure they were acknowledged for it. That’s the point of credits, isn’t it? Mentioning the unsung heroes of a film production.
But Windows Movie Maker keeps giving me problems. Whether I make the credits in the video or by themselves, at least the last third of them won’t be displayed. The music still plays and the background is still there, but the text is gone. Or it has this ugly line smeared down the screen where text should be. My only guess is the program keeps corrupting the files for whatever reason. It didn’t do this before. Maybe it was because I was using a different computer.
Some have told me I should use something better than Windows Movie Maker. I have tried. I first used Adobe Final Cut Pro (I think), but it was so extensive and complicated, I couldn’t figure out how to use it quickly. I’m not a viral filmmaker like James Rolfe (aka The Angry Video Game Nerd) or Doug Walker (aka The Nostalgia Critic). These videos are intended to be supplements to my writing; another means of building an audience. I will admit that sometimes I do get more ambitious and want to do more with my videos, but I then realize I have to real myself in and keep my priorities straight. Perhaps in the future, I’ll upgrade–or at least find a computer that won’t screw it up.
Anyway, I posted new credits. You can watch them here.
But I Digress…, Episode 4: Ban(e)ality
“But I Digress…”
Hosted by Nathan Marchand
I was going to do a video review of the highly anticipated “Dark Knight Rises” Blu-Ray–until this obsessive goofball of a fanboy hijacked my show! He goes on a rant dressed as Bane. He has a grudge against my friend and fellow YouTuber, Jeremy Sheer–his whole diatribe is a message for Jeremy.
Finally, epic saga of battling fanboys continues in this hilarious sequel to the wannabe YouTube sensations “The Dark Knight Premiere Trilogy” and “Batman: Fatal Fun”!
PLEASE COMMENT, SHARE, AND SUSCRIBE!
What I’m Thankful For (2012)
Today is Thanksgiving, and traditionally people reflect on the blessings in their life and express gratitude for them. Admittedly, it’s been a very difficult year for me (I will spare you the details), and so it’s hard for me to be thankful today when I think I could be doing better than I am.
Regardless, I was reminded of how I tried to list as many of God’s blessings in my life earlier this year. I had heard a sermon about a woman who managed to list 1,001 for herself. I only made it to 80 before I quit. I probably could’ve listed more.
What follows is a condensed version of that list:
- God the Father (Abba)
- Jesus Christ, God made flesh
- The Holy Spirit, my counselor
- My salvation
- The Bible
- My wonderful family (Mom, Dad, Josiah, Jarod, and Sarah)
- Grandma Ruth, who’s still with us at age 90
- That I’m an American
- That I’m a published author
- God’s providence
- My talents
12. My spiritual gifts
13. My college degree
14. That I’m a TUFW alum
15. I’m intelligent
16. Running water
17. I can read
18. My car, which still runs with 200,000+ miles
19. My church
20. My iPhone
- 21. My many friends (you know who you are)
22. My pastors
23. My creativity
24. My jobs
25. My freelance writing gigs
26. That I almost never get sick
27. Our pets
28. That I’m a nerd
29. My movie, book, and video game collections
30. Our house
31. Electricity
32. The seasons
33. That I live in Indiana
34. My driver’s license
35. That I volunteer with RemedyLive
What are you thankful for this year?
But I Digress, Episode 3: The Perils and Privileges of Self-Publishing
“But I Digress…”
Hosted by Nathan Marchand
Are you a struggling writer who keeps getting rejected by publishers? Been in the writing business for a while and sick of how it works? Then self-publishing is for you! It’s an exciting avenue to distribute stories, but it’s also a hard path to take. In this week’s episode, I discuss those perils and privileges as someone who has worked with a real publisher and ventured into self-publishing.
And I battle fine print in nerdy fashion. (Watch and see!)
Here’s a link to Mark Coker’s PowerPoint presentation on eBook self-publishing.
Please comment, share, and like!
I Love Election Day
I don’t usually get political on my blog. It’s not that I’m apathetic. I have very strong political beliefs, which you can probably decipher from my writings. If you haven’t figured it out, I’m a conservative. I guess I get nervous about talking politics because it’s such a hot-button issue. Perhaps I should be bolder in the future.
But I digress.
My point in writing this is to say that I love Election Day, especially during presidential elections. I have ever since I was a kid and started learning about how politics works. Yes, I get sick of the unrelenting mudslinging, propagandizing, and political ads, but once the polls close and that all stops, I get to see the political process in action.
I honestly think the United States has the most brilliant presidential electoral system in the world. If we relied simply on majority vote, it’d be nothing but mob rule. Dissident voices would be drowned out. Candidates would just campaign in a handful of large cities and states and be done (which I know some exasperated people would prefer, but again, I digress). The Electoral College gives smaller states a greater say in who becomes president. It makes candidates take their votes seriously. If it wasn’t for that, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama wouldn’t be campaigning in “battleground states” at the last minute. It helps guarantee that your voice will be heard.
The fact that U.S. citizens are able to vote is a privilege (not a right) and duty not to be taken lightly. Don’t listen to those who say your vote doesn’t count. If enough people think that, our country would fall under the tyranny of the majority in some capacity. So, if you haven’t voted yet, go do so!
That’s why Election Day is exciting for me. It makes me proud to be an American, no matter who wins.
But I DIgress…, Episode 2: Horrible Horror
“But I Digress…”
Hosted by Nathan Marchand
My apologies for the delay in posting this. Slow internet + large video = YouTube hates me.
Anyway…
Ah, Halloween. The season of costumes, candy, and horror movies. It seems like such flicks (and literature) are a dime a dozen these days. Unfortunately, many of them are, well, horrible. Why is that? In this week’s episode, I discuss a lot of the those reasons, including idiotic characters, overused jump scares, and gratuitous gore.
No black outline this time. That’s because I edited the video on one program instead of two. That’s good because I looked a bit “claustrophobic” in the last one.
Please rate, comment, and share. I’d love to get feedback and discuss this topic with you.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
But I Digress…, Episode 1: How to Sell Books at Conventions
After over a week of figuring out video editing programs (and finding the time to use them), my long-awaited first vlog is done!
In the first episode, I give eight tips on how to sell books at conventions to aspiring writers. These were based on my experiences at Gen-Con.
This is my first vlog and my first time using video editing programs, so it didn’t turn out as well as I would’ve liked. I expect they will improve as time goes on. I have to resist the urge to nitpick my own video and performance.
Please leave me comments, especially if you have ideas for topics for future episodes. I’d love to make this interactive.
Until next time, True Believers!