High-Tech Parent

well, this is a test post made on my new iPhone. So far I think the iPhone is a great gadget for parents.

There was a fire down the street from us on Friday. The young couple lost all of their possessions and a fireman lost his life. It got me thinking about what we would lose in a fire.

I am asking all my readers to make a home insurance video in the coming weeks. I spoke to my renter’s insurance company and they said videos of personal property loss are very helpful after a fire. He said that people are usually in shock and confused after a fire, but they only get one chance to write down everything that was lost. The list cannot be changed later and all compensation will be based on that list.

This video is useful for homeowners and renters alike. Furthermore, a home insurance video is good for thefts too, not just fires. I’m sure that after you finish your video you will realize that you have greatly underestimated your homeowner’s/renter’s insurance coverage.

An insurance video is easy to make. Here’s how:

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Do your children ever do something that makes you sooo mad that you are going to explode? I know they do, but when it happens: Don’t get mad, get your camera.

Yes, you read that right. A video camera has the power to quickly diffuse a bad situation. It allows you some time to calm down and get your bearings. In my experience it confuses/scares my son because he doesn’t know if he should laugh because I’ve got the camera or cry because he’s going to get in trouble. Eventually we sit down with the kids and explain what went wrong. Then we remind him of the right thing to do whenever we watch the video.

Here’s what happened: My kids tore apart a giant stuffed M&M Mr. Clean won for me when we had just started dating. Instead of getting mad, I got my camera, and here are the results.

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I love the recent explosion in the area of internet video. YouTube, Google Videos, and others have given the world a platform to display their videos.

But what frustrates me to no end is that the video for these sites must be in standard definition (SD,4:3) format. I shoot HD and I want to show my videos in a widescreen format, not square! The only way for me to easily share my HD videos with you is by putting bars at the top and bottom of my videos. I really don’t want to do that.

Due to the sad fact that I have zero Flash video skills, I am going to have to because I cannot get the darn player to show up on these pages to save my life.Until then, I apologize for the “square” videos…

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Summer is the perfect time to make a great vacation video with your family. Whether you are traveling to a new locale or just catching up with friends or family, bring your video camera. You are sure to get some great stuff on tape.

As always you will be able to enjoy the video down the road, but you could also share the video with family members who were unable to attend. Today we are taking the kids to Sesame Place and as Mr. Clean and I were going through our routine I started to wonder about others’ pre-vacation routines. The following short checklist will make sure that you are prepared to capture those family moments when they happen.
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There is nothing better than having a great song that goes with your video. I am always looking for songs that capture the mood of the video I am working on. I find that when I use a song for a particular video and I hear it on the radio later I think of the video and small the kids were when I made it. In an effort to help others, I am starting an ongoing list of songs categorized by their moods.If you have any additions, send them in!Check out the new “Audio” page here. Click the post title to view a sample of my first video. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s easy for you to make great home videos. There are all kinds of great ideas out there for you to experiment with. I found this great list of ideas for video projects on About.com courtesy of Gretchen Siegchrist. These are ideas anyone can use to make great videos!

Here are the top 3:
1. Events and Celebrations
2. Make a Movie Together
3. Everyday Routines
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It’s true. Home videos can bring families together. Not all grandparents have high-speed internet so downloading those digital pictures you sent via email could take FOREVER! However, most older people have DVDs now. So you can take a short video put it on DVD and send it out priority mail.
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