LaLaJPUSA 2017

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh9ZwEF2QQpNB4LV-Tzvt2uVA59JmnBWN

LaLaJPUSA was a communal music and art festival held for the first time this year at JPUSA in Uptown Chicago over the Labor Day weekend. I attended on Saturday September 2nd, 2017 to see the bands. I was a little late due in part to public transit so I missed Bird and Herd unfortunately so when I created an intro video, I decided to go to Stasia's bandcamp page to find some music to use. I also used the song in the video where the art exhibition was displayed that I put in the playlist in place of a dinner break. I decided to utilize my Canon Rebel T6 for the third time on this day. I did not use a tripod so there are points where the video footage is a bit shaky.

I used the show flyer and the posted schedule as an intro for each band instead of using text in the "music video" formatting style. This also is how the DvD version is opened up and used as a menu. This was the first time seeing and in some cases even hearing about a number of the bands on the lineup for this event. My plan was to film a song from every band and I decided that I would get the full set performed by Leper.

The artists performed in the JPUSA sideyard in the basketball court throughout the afternoon until the dinner break. Those bands were Bird and Herd (which I missed), Discoverer, Qajaq, NAAL, Christian Welch, Katamalinga, Endolphins, The Ghost Servant, and Families.

After dinner, Parental Petulance kicked off the evening in the sideyard. They would be the last outdoor set due to some unforecasted rain that arrived when Leper was scheduled to start. Folks who had a hand in making this event happen as well as others who were just there worked together to rearrange to make the rest of the evening work while Teel Short finished his set in the Garden Room. It was decided to have The Psalmist play next in the Garden Room as folks set up the dining room (which is currently being renovated) so that some of the bands could play in there. Christina Sawyer played in the Garden Room as this was going on as well.

Leper played the first set of the night in the Dining Room. This was the set that I filmed in its entirety other than a few quick stops due to that dang "12 minute limit" I still have yet to figure a bypass for. The set was a shorter one to fit with the rest of the days event. The songs that were played were Beneath The Sun, Gathering Darkness, and Take What You Want From Me. I put the Leper set last in the playlist because I included in the video file my "credits" clip so I figured it made sense to close the playlist with that.

After Leper, MC Foucault did some hip hop in the Garden Room then Jazz Robots played the Dining Room. Aracely played the Garden Room next followed by Sam Arias in the Dining Room. The night was closed out by the Brittany Briggs Band.

LaLaJPUSA was a cool event. Brien Cron, Charity Taylor, and Justin and Meghan Filizola put it together and seemed to roll with the punches as needed to pull it off. Other folks seemed to enjoy it and gave positive feedback. So thank you guys for putting on a good day of music as well as the rest of the event!

Filmed during LaLaJPUSA 2017 at JPUSA in Uptown Chicago, Illinois on Saturday September 2nd, 2017 using a Canon Rebel T6. Edited using Final Cut Pro on a Mac Mini.

Filmed and edited by Joel A. Swanson

aTigerRAWkFilm.blogspot.com

Wilson Abbey Punk Show (12.09.16)

https://youtu.be/ZHAefic7T5E

This Wilson Abbey show, featuring 2Minute Minor, The Festal Shout, FBS, and October Bird Of Death, was the first show where I attempted to use my newly acquired Canon Rebel T6. I had also purchased a tripod to  help hold the camera steady. I learned a couple things. First thing was that the tripod was not strong enough to handle the camera, even though the box indicated that it could handle the weight. The other thing I learned was that the Canon Rebel T6 has a feature where it stops recording at about 12 minutes. I brought along the old JVC HDD Everio which I was replacing because the view finder was no longer functional when flipped out the normal way. Elphie ended up manning that camera the rest of the night once I found out about the "12 minute limit" but I had just hoped to have different angles to use when editing.

While it was filmed in December, I was very frustrated by these technical difficulties and I may have somewhat subliminally put it on the back burner. I also had gotten quite behind in the editing of video footage due to various reasons so here it is, the middle of September 2017 and I am now finally finished working on all the video footage from the year 2016.

Another thing I learned is that the technical difficulties of the JVC HDD Everio camera also affected moving the footage from the camera to the computer for editing. The very same part that is damaged that screwed up using the viewfinder also screwed up the "laser touch operation" which is necessary for the operation of transferring the video from the camera to the computer. Somehow, getting this footage (as well footage for other projects) worked out on my work computer so I have been able to finish off these projects finally.

So now on to blog about the actual show!

This show was part of the (semi)annual Christmas Toy Drive tour that FBS has been doing. This show didn't end up having a Christmas Toy Drive for some reason but it was a fun show. I always enjoy seeing the guys in FBS and The Festal Shout as well as the other folks who will come out for one of these shows.


https://youtu.be/yxSHMr-7tvg
Setlist:
1. Change My Life
2. One Step At A Time
3. Stand Firm
4. It’s A Disease
5. Prime!
6. What's The Use!?!
7. Follow Your Own Path
8. Unwritten War
9. Smash The Discos
10. We’ve Had Enough
11. We Will Prevail
12. Goon Crew

2Minute Minor opened the night. It was their second show ever! They had a camera crew out to get decent pictures and video for promotion.


https://youtu.be/G_rW7dtSX4o
Setlist
1. If The Kids Are United
2. Power In The Blood
3. Incredible
4. Victory
5. Pounding Waves
6. Rot-N-Rock-N-Roll

The Festal Shout was next. they opened with a Sham 69 cover then closed with a cover of The Last Hope which was Justun's former band. The Festal Shout was an idea Justun had to do a form of worship music that he could enjoy. The rest of the songs in the set were those songs that came from that idea. the guys from FBS joined Justun to be his band.


https://youtu.be/VENYwb4G1to
Setlist
1. Faster Than Before
2. Black Leather Jacket
3. Hammerfist RocknRoll
4. You Can’t Hide
5. Consumed
6. All I Wanna Do Is RocknRoll
7. In Your Blood
8. Out Of Control
9. Ace Of Spades

FBS followed naturally since the band members and equipment with The Festal Shout. It was a fast, loud set like they've been doing for years with a couple of Motorhead covers.


https://youtu.be/h1CWss0tmRY
Setlist
1. This Is Our Lives
2. Goons
3. Uproar
4. Fire In Those Eyes
5. Shed The Grave
6. Art Deco Skull Fracture
7. Shadows Like Teeth
8. Hell To Pay
9. Sid Closing & Prayer

October Bird Of Death closed out the night. Wiley Willis had issues with an ulcer and while playing "Hell To Pay" he had to leave the stage to deal with that. Sid closed out the night leading a prayer for Wiley.


https://youtu.be/6grMuMFfG24
Elphie ran around with the JVC HDD Everio running after the show was over. She got a bit of silly footage of hanging out and shenanigans before we left for the night.

Filmed LIVE at Wilson Abbey in Uptown Chicago, Illinois on Friday, December 9th, 2016 using a Canon Rebel T6 and JVC HDD Everio by Elphie and Joel A. Swanson. Edited using Final Cut Pro on a Mac Mini by Joel A. Swanson.
aTigerRAWkFilm.blogspot.com

A TigerRAWk Film Equipment Update (2016)

https://youtu.be/jwvdpvc3pnI

I think it was late in 2010 or early 2011 that I made my last camera purchase. At that time I acquired a JVC HDD Everio and you can see my thoughts if at that time if you're so inclined here. In the time I had that camera, I ran into issues of the camera shutting off in loud environments. The error message (that I can't quite recall the exact words) led me to believe that a built in "drop protection" was triggered by the vibrations of the loud music. When most of what you film is LIVE concert footage, this feature can come to be a disservice to what you are doing. At the time though, I spent my money on the camera so I would have to just deal with it. Sometime that spring, the camera was stolen during a basement show at the house I where I lived...I ended up replacing it. I lost whatever show footage that I had between the end of 2010 and first half of 2011 to whoever stole that camera. I don't know if this was a problem across the board with the JVC HDD Everio but I learned, after filling the hard drive at Cornerstone 2011, that there seemed to be bad spots on the drive which made it difficult to move some of the footage to my computer for the purpose of editing. I persisted in using this camera for the next five years in spite of these technical difficulties, again because I made the purchase. I don't have a lot of expendable income to buy things then not use them so I tried to make the best of it but all these things would frustrate me.

During Take Hold Fest 2016, which was the most recent video project that I was able to complete, the view screen stopped working. This of course made things difficult to film but I would learn just recently, it also made it almost impossible to get footage off that camera due to the "laser touch operation" buttons. I wish this wasn't the case because I would like to still use that camera as a secondary option on occasion. Perhaps I will look into the fixes I found online recently.

Anyway, with the issues explained above all piling up, I decided that it was time to look for a new camera. For some years, some of my camera enthusiast friends would insist that I should get a DSLR camera. The reasoning was picture quality and that they all pretty much do video these days. I started taking this advice into my search this time around. I asked some of my professional friends as well. It seemed that Canon was a brand that was well respected. As I looked for what would seem to fit my needs for this hobby, I was realizing this would likely be an expensive purchase. I talked to my wife about the possibility of using Christmas present money to cover some of the cost since we do buy each other stuff...from there a discussion was also had with my mother to maybe chip some money in as well. This all was in discussion as Thanksgiving came up on the calendar. We usually travel to Pennsylvania for the holiday but Black Friday shopping isn't our usual thing to do. Nonetheless, we ended up in the local Warren, PA Walmart where one of the big deals of the day happened to be the Canon Rebel T6 DSLR camera with bag, memory card and 2 lenses included. The price was lower than usual. I messaged a few of those whose brains I had been picking...ultimately, we made the purchase.

In this video, I demonstrated the difference in video quality between the Canon Rebel T6 and the JVC HDD Everio. Also included is a live clip from a Wilson Abbey show featuring 2Minute Minor as I put this new camera in action along with the old camera, again to show any differences in video quality.

I decided to purchase a few things that I thought would be helpful for making the best possible video projects that I could. One purchase was a microphone. There is no micophone input on this camera but I thought maybe the "hot shoe" would make it work. I searched for microphones that were listed as compatible. The one I purchased came with a cord and was not compatible so I had to return it. I also purchased some memory cards, a wide angle lens and a few cleaning items that came in a bundle with a flimsy tripod. I purchased a more sturdy tripod from Target the night before going to a show. On the night of the Wilson Abbey show (12.09.2016) where the footage used in the demonstration was captured, I learned a few things about the Canon Rebel T6. First, when built out with the lenses, it is heavy...too heavy in fact for the tripod I purchased at Target. The camera did fall to the ground but seems to still be in working order. I was able to use it the rest of the night. The lenses did not break. I am thankful for that. I also learned about what is apparently known as the "12 minute limit" which I hoped to figure out how to override. It seems I need to learn some coding and download something called "Magic Lantern" from what I am told. At this point I am apprehensive about doing this having no experience doing this of this nature before.

The first project using the Canon Rebel T6 will hopefully be finished up in the next week then I hope to move into 2017 footage...mostly working backwards through the "festival" footage I have waiting to be edited, processed, and uploaded. I hope an improvement will be seen in my ability to use the Canon Rebel T6 over the course of my usage of it so far. In writing this, I think I will look to see if any microphone might be available that can be used with this camera again. I also welcome anyone with any skills at using "Magic Lantern" (or anything else that could work) to break me free of the "12 minute limit" and improve my filming skills. I have purchased a much sturdier tripod that has been helpful.

The plan moving forward was to hopefully continue to use the JVC HDD Everio but as I learned (and documented above) that is likely not going to happen until I make repairs. Also, the plan was to move forward with the Sony HD Bloggie that's taken a beating over the years but I still was able to use occasionally. Unfortunately, during the return trip from Audiofeed 2017 (to be edited and posted eventually), I believe the Sony HD Bloggie was mistakenly dropped in a parking lot and lost forever...maybe even run over. So, moving forward, I still do have my iPhone 6 that will be utilized.

Soundtrack includes “Information Architect” by Norway³ and “Follow Your Own Path” (LIVE) by 2Minute Minor.

Footage filmed using an iPhone 6, JVC HDD Everio, and Canon Rebel T6 & edited using Final Cut Pro on a Mac Mini. Filmed & edited by Joel A. Swanson