Sunday 25 May 2008

Greased lightning!!

John Travolta as Danny Zuko in Randal Kleiser's Grease - 1978
I've recently been trying to get to grips with a new laptop, apparently this particular type of computer, a MacBook, is essential for film work! The thing is, I've never used a Mac before, so after getting the basic workings i.e. On/off, open browser,open/send emails, I figured that I should have a play with the built in video recording and editing software, after all, I was supposed to be filming/editing interviews with volunteers, very soon with this laptop! I knew how to open the program, imovie, but had absolutely no idea how to record or anything else for that matter, so unless I got to grips with it quickly, I was going to look like a right numpty, when I tried to use it in work.

So first thing the next morning, with a cup of strong coffee and a big thick encyclopedia of a Mac manual, I decided that I'd figure it out, once and for all. After playing about, tentatively trying every button on the screen, I finally found the record button and was so chuffed I decided to record something then and there, so I could then practice my editing. Well, that's when it all went wrong, and it was very much downhill from there.

At that exact moment, on the kitchen radio, a medley of songs from the musical film 'Grease' started. So in a flash of stupidity, I decided it was now or never, I turned the stereo right up, grabbed a TV remote control for a microphone and hit the record button!

For the next 4-5 minutes I belted it out, well, when I could remember the words! I was John Travolta himself! It made absolutely no difference at all that I knew hardly any of the words, because I was terrible! If you could achieve a number 1 hit by enthusiasm alone though, I'd be top of the charts, week in, week out! So after recording my singing and dancing, I saved it on the computer to be edited later.

After I'd finished a very basic edit on the footage, I decided it would be wrong to keep this all to myself. I figured that the whole world should see, and enjoy my shame So I uploaded it to You Tube, and when I was prompted to name it, I decided - 'Kevin making a fool out of himself' was apt!

So settle back and watch me, being me.

Photograph Copyright Paramount Pictures

 

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