A Youtuber who I respect very much put up a video asking “Is Amateur Hour Over?”

After watching this I wanted to have a discussion of my own with some fellow YouTubers.

Jessica: http://www.youtube.com/user/GoneToTheSnowDogs

Michael: www.youtube.com/thedangerousbrew

William: http://www.Youtube.com/BasicComputerHelp

I also used this opportunity to test a different way to post google + hangouts.  Besides not being able to see a part of the lower thirds (the graphic) I like.  In the future I will recommend putting channel name on time and leave bottom blank, or find a different way to do a lower third such as a third party software like Manycam.  Also around 9 Min mark when Michael left the room the video changes.  That would require more attention in the future.

I like doing these disscussions and if people like watching them I am willing to do more.

Toad

I am not a gamer.  Make no mistake the only game I bought in the past year is “Plants Vs Zombies”.  I believe that alone says I AM NOT A GAMER.

However I do like playing games with fake guns.  This means Paint-ball, laser-tag, Airsoft, and of course Nerf.

I was invited to play nerf with the LTU Nerf Group.  I thought this was a perfect time to get footage for a First-Person like shooter video.

This is not the first time I have been in a First-Person shooter video.  I got the idea from when a good friend of mine who made this video.

For more information on the videos please click the youtube links on the video.

Toad

I love comics and I made this video to help promote Stan Lee’s channel

I don’t make a good actor and I normally don’t do it. .  . . but hey when sitting next to my wonderful actress Kate I think it was okay (for just a for fun YouTube video)

When I name something a “random video” it just means it is something I was able to capture on the spot without much (or any warning)

here are a few including the latest.
Tom Cruise, Big Pants . . . What the Buck!?

My Little Pony Fun

Worst Kendo Stick Fight Ever . . .

Penguins drinking beer? (random video)

Thanks for watch 🙂

Toad

I am officially part of the Fullscreen Network.

One thing that people forget when they are watching youtube are the copywrite laws.  For instance I bring a camera with me everywhere I go.  I get some funny footage that I can’t always use.  To use it I either have to block out people’s faces or kill all the sound because a radio is playing somewhere.

This week I took all the audio out of footage of people moshing at a concert (Slayer and Antrhax).   It is okay though because royalty free music is made for these reasons.

Toad

This weekend I was in and around Chicago for a completely unvideo related conference.  I thought it was a good time to get some feed back on the current state of my youtube/ whatever it is that I’m doing on here.

While I was there I met Rich Munnich who is also a youtuber.  It was great meeting him and spending some time hanging around Chicago.

Short blog, short video, I am working on some more short movies . . . in the meantime I am still looking for more audition videos for the worst punk band ever!

Please check out Rich Munnich’s channel https://www.youtube.com/user/Richmunnich

Toad

(Space Elevators or awesome)

I always wanted to be in a punk band.  The great thing about punk bands is that they don’t have to be good.  Look at all the great punk songs . . . most of them are easy to lern and the singer doesn’t have to sing well.

So I am looking to start one . . . It will be called Kitty Litter Sandwich . . . you are welcomed to submit a clip to audition.

I don’t care where you live . . . what you play . . . how you sound . . . submit a video of you playing original music  (or at least public domain music so I can air it on youtube) and I may put it in a video.

To submit a video you can e-mail it to Scott@toaden.com, or simply use this drop box address   https://dropbox.yousendit.com/ToadenK

For those around the Detroit area I may hold live auditions, more information on that later.

Hope you enjoy future videos featuring my journey to start a terrible punk band . . . I do have some songs (made up on the spot) that I will upload at later dates.

-Toad

After so long working on this, and waiting for permission to upload (contest rules state have to wait till after awards to upload) here is the video.

This was the first time I lead a team into this particular contest.  This one was different from the other 48 hour film challenges I’ve done mostly due to it having a lot more teams, better prises, more recognition, and costing more money to enter.

This was also the first time I was the head writer, director, producer, and editor (although I have done all before just not all together on one project of this sort)  I have had help (just great team)

Even-though we did not win anything we did a great job.  I enjoyed watching the other entries (haven’t seen them all but I am trying), and I encourage other youtubers or whatever to also start participating in these contests.

If you would like to see the rest of the picturs check out my facebook fanpage 

I had so much fun . . . and can’t wait to work with everyone again, props to fellow youtuber Chicky Finn and every one. . . . I will make an imdb and post it with everyones names in the next week or so.

-Toad

Zombies vs Nerf Hoarders . . . wow so far my most viewed video on youtube.

40,000 views (as of today) and growing.

HOW IT WAS STARTED
First off thank you to all my new subscribers and everyone who watched this video and gave me all this credit for it.  Sadly I can only take some of it.  The whole idea of the video came from a friend of mine that asked me to help him in a video contest.  He is best known for making and selling modified Nerf guns (http://www.youtube.com/user/lasagna678nerfmods).  The contest was to show off the housing unit at the university he is currently attending.  That is why they refer to it as “North” housing and there are some shirts referring to Lawrence Tech.  There was discussion about showing more of the housing units (like the kitchens and laundry units) but for time purposes they were edited out, and frankly we were not happy with the footage.

So Yea he contacted me to help . . . he wrote/directed/ and even edited his own version (also on this blog listed further below).

The Production

I was to be the camera guy and provide any assistance I could.  lasagna 678nerf mods   Wrote/ Directed/ stared in this.  He also casted everyone.  The most notable things I can say about cast and the crew is 1. they were almost all (including me) in the same fraternity Alpha Sigma Phi.  2. I was the only one that had experience doing the technical work on a narrative video.

The Videos

The housing contest edit (the original)

This won 1st place (could be because it was the only submission to the contest)

HOW MY VERSION WAS BORN

At the same time we were doing this video I was informed that the same university was having a short film festival.  The date to turn in videos was the same as the contest for Housing.  Since they wanted more submissions I thought it was a good idea to edit a different version (since I was able to use the raw footage that looked cleaner, and have a lot more experience editing).  I did my editing and turned it in within a single weekend, so not a lot of time.

This version did not win any awards at the University’s Film Festival.

The Comments and After-Thoughts

One big difference is the use of sound effects, I did not think I needed the guns firing.  People know they are Nerf guns, they look like Nerf Guns, why shouldn’t they sound like Nerf guns?  In the next story arc I may use gun sound effects since it was a huge question in the comments so far.

The big support in the comments means a lot.  We will do another Zombies vs Nerf Hoarders.  We decided to use the same crew with new people from my own productions (including Special Effects Make Up and actors from my last 2 movies.)  There will be a lot of differences since I will use better equipment, and I will be writing/ directing with the help of lasagna 678 nerfmods, he will still be staring and providing the props (also approving the script).  It will be bigger and more epic than the original.  🙂

I t will filmed in the fall.

Thank you all so much and I hope you not only watch the next few movies but keep on commenting and showing support 🙂

Toad/ Scott

This weekend I lead my team Toaden Productions, into another 48 hour film contest.  This one is the international 48 hour project.  This contest happens in about 100 cities worldwide  including Detroit.

Basically on Friday your team gets some elements like a genre, prop, dialoge, and a character (sometimes a location) and you have 48 hours to make a 4-8 min movie.

This was my first time being a Director/writer/editor/executive producer/ whatever else on a 48 hour project.   Usually I will have someone else writing or directing, or both.  However this time I did end up taking those roles so I boosted up my crew.  I normally work with about 5-8 people, this time I worked with almost 15 people.

Among these great folks included a make up artist and the wonderful Chicky Finn .  I want to go into each person and say how great they were but I should just show the behind the scenes footage.

The actual movie screen on July 17 2012 at Emagine Theatre in Royal Oak Mi at 9pm.  I will know if we won anything by July 25.

Also I have great news about Zombies vs Nerf Hoarders but I will save that for another blog entry this week.

-Toad