by Andy Dudas

As we at DIVA are really beginning to feel the transition from beyond just concept to brick and mortar reality, we are dipping our toes into some new Art forms that we hadn’t yet considered.

One of them being the art of video editing.  Having never really tried my hand at such an endeavor, I instantly fell in love with it.  Drawing much inspiration from Jerry Seinfeld’s ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,’ fellow DIVA board member Jared Adamson and I went for a drive and had a wonderful conversation about, surprise surprise, ART!

The interview’s destination being YouTube, the end goal was a video in the neighborhood of ten minutes.  With nearly forty-five minutes of footage, the Art was going to be in the details.  The Art was going to be knowing what to cut and still make the conversation enjoyable.  Getting rid of the lulls and keeping the look and feel consistent.  I believe the final version does exactly that.

While Jared and I are no Seinfeld and Sarah Jessica Parker and the amount of views this video will ever receive will most likely never reach a number with a bunch of zeroes after it, I can tell you this: the effort put in was as though it would.

I used a Bracketron Earth Elements Si Dash Mount(man that’s a long name) for my iPhone and learned the hard way to really tighten up the lock nut when driving on country roads. And a Nikon D3200 with a Joby Gorillapod for the few external shots. Without any external sound equipment, the lower budget technical aspects of the interview are evident but the conversation is the focal point.  How does someone evaluate their process?  How does their Art affect their world?  As two friends discuss these things, it didn’t take too long to find the way to present this conversation to the world.

Over the last year or so of my life, I have become acquainted with a few channels on YouTube.  Mostly makers and creators of some type, each with their own way and style of content and editing…Jimmy DiResta, Bob Clagett and Peter Brown most notably.  But you have to draw a line between emulating and copying.  While imitation may be the purest form of flattery, finding your own voice in the world is more important.  This being our first attempt at a live action video the editing was going to be the make or break point.  Conversations between Jared and I are always enjoyable…to us.  But how do we find a way to make them have some context and enjoyable for a stranger to follow along?  Some good editing, I hope.

Using the iMovie software already included in this computer from which I am typing this blog entry, I was able to manipulate the images into a beginning, middle, and end.  YouTube gives content creators a hand with some royalty free music and sound effects.  It was a very satisfying feeling when I sat back and finally realized I was done.  That is to say, as with most artists, ‘is it ever really done?’ I had no fewer than four versions uploaded and taken back down before I was finally ‘finished.’

DIVA’s goal is simple: give Artists and Art a place to be exhibited and to perform their work while fostering an inclusive collaborative environment of inspiration and creation. This video is the next step in that process.

Andy Dudas 3/7/2018

Andy Dudas has interests varying from painting and singing, to photography and prop making.  Pretty much anything that has a creative element.  Amateur status in all endeavors, he finds art everywhere he looks.  Always seeking his next inspiration.

If what you have read here today inspires you, please check out the rest of our website.  The Dudas Inspiration Venue for the Arts needs your support.  Please contact us for more information.