The holidays are a great time to get away to the White Mountains. I am thankful that we have this amazing playground right in our backyard. So, I decided to make a holiday music video combining the two. If you don’t want to hear more about how and why I made this video, you can just watch it now. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEeG2PtW8do&feature=youtu.be
I have made a few music videos in the past several years. I take a popular song but use my own words to fit the situation.
It’s quite the process, at least for me.
First, I have to come up with an idea and then write the new lyrics. That’s the easy part. For "Sleigh Ride," Eric and I were skiing out from Crowberry Cabin. It’s 27 miles and we had a few inches of new snow overnight, so it was beautiful but also was slow going. Christmas songs like "Winter Wonderland" and "Sleigh Ride" kept popping into my head so I spent the time thinking up different lyrics about a trip in the White Mountains. And by the time we got back to the car, the song was done. I just had to fine tune some of the lines. But by the time I did that it was almost Christmas, so I knew I wouldn't complete the video last season.
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| Skiing out from Crowberry Cabin last year |
But then I remembered the song this fall and decided to make the video for the 2020 holidays. The next step was to record the song. This is the hardest part for me. I can mostly sing in tune but barely, and I have a very mediocre voice. And we don’t really have recording equipment at home, either. I use Garage Band and a mic that we happen to own. First I download a Karaoke version of the song that I like. Then I have to practice ad nauseam so at least it’s good enough for others to hear. I end up getting the song stuck in my head, it’s constantly going through my brain. I’ll even dream with the song playing in the background. Aargh!! At some point, I usually say enough and save the recording complete with missed notes and bobbled words. Good enough. Perfection is overrated, right?
Usually during the same couple of weeks that I'm practicing the song, I’m also looking through my photos and making a file of anything that might be useful for the video. Sometimes I’ll have to take a new photo to work with the song. Last weekend on our cabin trip, I took photos that I needed for the song that I didn’t have.
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| Needed a wood stove photo for the video |
Finally, I load everything into iMovie and then start putting photos with the music. I will get everything in a general order and then spend hours making sure that photos are synced with the music. Once again, I finally decide it’s good enough although by no means perfect. By the time I get done, I am usually so sick of the song, I never want to hear it again!! Then I just have to upload it to YouTube which is a pain with our slow internet speed.
The first music video I made was for Eric. You might remember the song, "Feel it Still," by the band Portugal. The Man. At the time the song was popular, Eric had decided to take up kicksledding. Every time I heard the lyrics, “I’m a rebel just for kicks, yeah”, I kept thinking “I’m a rebel with a kicksled”.
Thus, the creative process started, and I ended up writing a song for Eric for his birthday and then went on to make the music video. You can watch it here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-n9w_FDDyE
Next, I took the song, "Ride Like the Wind," by Christopher Cross but came up with words to fit racing the Tour Divide. I made this video the spring before I raced so didn't have photos from the trail, just other outdoor bike packing photos. I’m planning to redo it with photos from my actual race – I just haven’t gotten around to doing that yet. So, you will have to wait to see that one. (Although you can just go to my YouTube channel if you really want to see the original.)
Then Jean Tsigonis, a family physician, decided to retire. We worked closely together for 30 years. She was my work BFF. We shared so much, good and bad, over the years while taking care of patients. Jean is an amazing woman. Besides working full time for over 37 years, she raised 5 kids, homeschooled them, volunteered for countless other organizations, while also having a garden, quilting and making her own bread! She goes nonstop and makes me look like a slug. So, I thought about the Beatles song, "8 Days a Week," and made a music video for her retirement based on that. You can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqW_c70Fyx8
Eric got in the spirit of it and also made a music video for me called "Striding Queen," based on the ABBA song "Dancing Queen."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3W2g8TVFyI
Making music videos is a fun, creative outlet and I enjoy the process. Hope you enjoy the final product! Happy holidays to everybody and hope these videos will at least bring a smile to your face.
Awesome!
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