This is my home-game entry for The Real LJ Idol. I am not competing this season but invite you to read the many fine submissions and the home-game entries. Topic number 17 is "The Caged Bird." This week I tried something different: a music video to the Beatles song, "And Your Bird Can Sing," as covered by Michael Sweet and Susannah Hoffs.
I spent more time on this than I expected, because I was using Windows Movie Maker, and it's difficult to get shots to start and end exactly where you'd like. I hope you like it anyway!
For the visually impaired: the first shot is of tulips with the title, "And Your Bird Can Sing - Matthew Sweet & Susannah Hoffs." Then is a shot of some multicolored globe-like ceiling lamps with the title, "photos and video by Alyce Wilson." Then is a shot of some yellow wildflowers with the title, "starring Alyce's family & friends (plus flowers and such)". Next is video of my cat, Luke, and dog, Luke, on the couch, ending with Luke sniffing Una. It dissolves into a still shot of three geese flying in the sky, then dissolves into a self-portrait of me with my chin on my hand, smiling. This is followed by a still shot of me giving the "rocker sign" and sticking out my tongue. Dissolve into a still shot of a rainbow over some country out-buildings, then cut to a still shot of Una looking into a reservoir. Then cut to a still shot of me at the same reservoir. Cut to a pair of bedazzled high tops on a shelf, then to a Coca-Cola machine with a sign reading "Outta everything." Cut to me raising a plastic cup towards the camera with white Christmas lights on the ceiling above my head. Dissolve to video of children walking across a dam at the same reservoir seen earlier. Dissolve to still shot of an overgrown forest path. Cut to a silhouette of a wrought iron fence. Cut to streetlamps with an orange and blue sky, at sunset. Dissolve to a still shot of me giving the camera a thumbs up. Cut to shot of several people playing Rock Band. Cut to a Modell's store with a banner in the window reading "Caution: Getting Better." Cut to video of a stranger (on left) and my nephew (on right) in bumper cars. Cut to video of my niece and nephew riding a miniature ferris wheel. Cut to shot of a young woman taking balloons from a Philadelphia city worker on a windy day. End with a still shot of birds flying.
Moral:
Windows Movie Maker is probably not the best tool for music videos.