Harley Davidson WLC time-lapse project

RiE-Store are a UK based restoration company specialising in World War 2 military Harley Davidson motorbikes and classic cars. Their team consist of a handful of what can only be described as mechanical geniuses. These guys seems to take the impossible well within their stride and tackle projects which others would run from. As a result they are gaining an amazing (and well deserved) top class reputation for their works.

We've been working with RiE-Store now for a few months, photographing their restoration projects for social media purposes (check out their Facebook page for some of the photographs) and helping them raise their profile worldwide. It's been a fun and incredibly interesting process. To mix things up a little we discussed with them the opportunity of documenting a project from beginning to end in some kind of time-lapse process. They were keen, even if some of them didn't really understand the concept.

So we waited for the right project as some of the restorations can take up to 6 months, others longer depending on the availability of the parts. Finally the right project became available; a 1942 Harley Davidson WLC, a popular motorbike used by the Canadian army in WW2 and sister of the mass produced  WLA. Parts for these bikes are easy to come by and we were told that the full restoration would take about 4 weeks.

And so it began - check it out below...

It was our first time-lapse project and we learnt a lot from it. Firstly we had to purchase the correct software and learn how to use it before starting to capture the images with a one-chance-single-take opportunity (after all you can't ask these guys to put the bike back together because you've made a mistake!). The video is made up of literally thousands of images, all captured in RAW format over goodness knows how many gigabytes of data. Computers were working day and night, sometimes crashing and sometimes not producing the desired result. Fortunately as we were working with RAW we could start over until we were happy. A few grey hairs later and the sections were completed.

Next we had the task of putting the sections together. This meant purchasing further software and learning how to use it before importing the sections, creating transitions and adding titles and logos. It sounds simple but believe me, it wasn't!

Finally to make the video come to life we wrote the music, concentrating on matching the pace of the process with the music. Still, with a 9:42 min video it took considerably longer than anticipated.

With the project finished we presented it to our client, much to their absolute delight and uploaded it to YouTube. So far it has had over 800 views in about 2 weeks and some positive feedback. So what do you think? We're looking into trying Panolapse on our next project but would be interested to get some feedback from our first project.

Charity Night - The Channel

The Never Ending Story...

Writing a story can be a complex task.  You are challenged with the task of cleverly drip feeding characters, interaction, structure and obviously plot evenly over the nominated chapters.  It's probably why editors have such a task when making the story even throughout and how the word counts can dramatically change throughout the edit.  The result after all this effort?  Your show stopping story.

But what if there wasn't an ending?  What if the story was open ended?  Think of your favourite soap opera but without the constraints of location, character or budget.

Well that will be the new book we're launching on 1st January 2012.  The never ending story.  A story only limited by the authors imagination.  Will it work?  Well that'll be down to you.  I can only re-iterate that we're not going to penalise any entry on grammar or spelling but simply judge each entry on its story.  In fact we may publish an adaptation of your story so even the most basic of story could get an editors make-over.

Writing just became fun again...

Visit: http://www.thebigstorychallenge.com

The story so far...

Well what a week it has been.  After launching "The Big Story Challenge" on 1st October we have been pleasantly surprised by the number of people registering and even more surprised to start receiving submitted chapters within 24 hours of the launch!

So here we find ourselves, just a few months after initial inception already over half way through the first month and the new developmental ideas for the project are coming thick and fast.  Our next plan will be starting a tiered schools section.  The idea being that each school will run their own internal competition challenging children from each year to write a chapter or short story.  The school will then judge the entry that they want to submit and then the schools compete against each other.  Of course if we can attract the necessary sponsorship then we will be able to provide prizes at each end of term.

But until then keep the chapters coming - don't forget that the deadline for submission is the 20th October.  The winning chapter for each book will then be published on 1st November for the world to read and then the it starts all over again.

Good luck!!!!

http://www.thebigstorychallenge.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/add2story
Twitter: @add2story

The Big Story Challenge

Are you a writer?  Or maybe you could see yourself as a story teller…  Well Bedlam Media are starting an online competition entitled “The Big Story Challenge”.  At 9.00am on 1st October their website launches and challenges every wannabe writer to put pen to paper and fingers to keyboard to write what could only be described as the greatest story ever told.

The task?  On the 1st of every month the latest chapter will be published and the “challenge” will be to read the story so far and then write the next chapter.  Sounds simple but in reality nothing like this has ever been attempted before.  Bedlam explains “We’ll be starting with three genres of book and just for the beginning we’ll write the first paragraph.  Then it will literally be over to you.  You have up to 5000 words and 20 days to write the next chapter.  We’ll then judge and publish the winning chapter on 1st of the next month – it then starts again.”

So where did this idea come from?  “We just thought it was staggering how social media could connect you with millions of people.  We’d started writing a sitcom and we thought it’d be interesting to ask your Twitter followers to help write it.  Plus we’re all different.  For example one of us is great with ideas but struggles with writing, yet I can write but when faced with a blank page I get writers block.  Imagine if you brought people together like that – the possibilities are endless”.

“There are no limits, no boundaries.  We’re not going to judge entries on spelling or grammar but just on your ability to create.  There is so much un-tapped talent out there and with UK literacy rates falling what better time than now to get the world writing again."

To join in just visit http://www.thebigstorychallenge.com/, register for free and get writing.

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/add2story
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Technology - you gotta love it...

"The more a man writes, the more he can write" - Amos Bronson Alcott

Ah so true.  In fact we have found that in all creative walks of life.  On music, people ask me that whilst song writing I must surely run out of ideas, rather than understanding that once I am in the creative flow the ideas come thick and fast.  If only they knew that the problems only arise when I stop - getting started again is the hardest thing.

Getting started is the hardest thing...

And that is where we are now - trying to get our new platform started.  All the concept and idea is there, we're just continually pushing and waiting for the web designers to catch up.  And catch up is what they've nearly done but just not in time for 1st September.... so reluctantly we have had to delay the unveiling, hold back on the fanfare and stall the release until 1st October.

Yes it will be worth it.  In fact it will be better than we were originally thinking.  "The Greatest Story Ever Told" - sounds good doesn't it.  Want to be part of it?....

The future is bright - the future is bedlam

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" - Stuart Spicer

And so the days turn into weeks... spring turns into summer... and the ticking of the clock inexorably goes on...  Our project; the platform of possibility, is now beginning to take shape - but what is it exactly?

Well due to strict confidentiality policy we are unable to tell you and reveal all for a short while longer.  What we can say is this;

• Imagine a place where the realms of possibility are only restricted by the limits of your imagination
• A place where your idea may not be just an idea but THE idea
• Where the sum of a whole is far greater than any individual part
• Where the world finally unites as one

Hold the line, stay with us... 25 days to go...