VT Weekend Entertainment – Films and Music

Into the Vimeo Goodie Bag We Go – And What We Find We Never Know

… by  Jim W. Dean, VT Editor

[ Editors Note:  This is a classic rerun from August 3rd, 2012 when I was experimenting with Living Section weekend change of pace material. The concept was to create timeless material that could be shown once a year or so to give us material to put up when things were slow, someone was away, or just plain tired.

These were fun to do, always done on weekends with the news was slower and I had more time. But those days are gone now that we run full steam 7 days a week. With this one I mixed a Stones concert with a Vimeo gem. I never get tire of watching these…once a year. That is kind of a definition of what good is, something you can enjoy over and over. So please enjoy… JD ]

Hi Folks, Time for a little escapism once again after a long week.

I have a mix bag of things for you tonight, a bit eclectic…and of course some surprises.

I couldn’t book a UFO. It’s just crazy what they are asking for just one show so I searched for the next best thing.

First up is a pick from my digging around on these new light weight helicopter cams where the small cameras and better batteries have brought us affordable aerial platforms from which to shoot what used to be prohibitively expensive video.

The quality surprised me, although I suspect a very calm day is required for wonderfully smooth shots.

I was so pleased I decided not to look into how much the stuff cost so as not to kill the buzz.

I got lucky with the first one I looked at…being the best.

OK, OK…so the Rolling Stones ‘Gimme Shelter’ shelter sound track did sway me a bit. But it was matched with a very creative video backdrop, one that I don’t expect many of you have seen…a combat training range.

These helicopter cams have quite a bit of control, allowing you to go low and close, and even into some tight spaces and even zoom. So off we go with a fun piece to start the show.

Remember to click on the Vimeo button for the wider screen, and please…turn up the volume for Gimme Shelter!!! I hereby christen this:

Getting High With the Stones.

[vimeo 46672528] – Gimme Shelter

Shoreline Mil Sim – Sennybridge TA, Brecon, UK

________________________

The next one is dedicated to our own Gordon Duff.

It’s a very touching portrait of a man and his house, the architect and design icon Michael Graves, at Princeton University, New Jersey.

I did not know him either. He was a off my radar and a surprise find thanks to Vimeo, which is a Grandma’s attic of video surprises. You can take a quick peek at his work here.

I have always had great admiration for people who have taken on rehabbing old houses that had some historical value, or ‘good bones’ as Michael Graves describe the dilapidated warehouse that he found and turned into a house of treasure.

As I watched the video it reminded me of Gordon and his huge kitchen with antique copper utensils, pots and pans from all over Europe.

They both have shelves upon shelves of art treasures, with some of Gordon’s being liberated from former owners with less appreciation, like many of his now several cars and kittens the he and the Misses run a private luxury spa for, which includes free range chicken dinners.

Gordon also shares a love of architecture with Graves, having visited most every cathedral and monastery that Europe has, every Roman ruin, and all the battlefields which I suspect Graves missed.

Both men had an intense passion for ‘the chase’ of art. By that I mean the hunting is as much fun as the having.

Graves is blessed with the talent of being able to create his with paper and pen. They rest of us are sentenced to trying to find their treasures at garage sales at prices we can afford, a lucky auction buy, or Ebay success.

We thank the film crew for the fabulous HD footage, and Vimeo. The editing moves along quickly so don’t be shy about re-watching and hitting the pause button to enjoy all the gorgeous things in the frame. Those of us in the biz use the pause button a lot to soak it all in and not miss anything

A subplot to the video is Graves being confined to a wheel chair, but who has led an extraordinary life despite it. We have many people here at VT who have done likewise, albeit in a wide variety of ways

So we salute Michael Graves for what he has accomplished and the circumstances, as many of our VT people have ‘been there and done that’ in our own respective ways.

Gordon and Michael share very different disabilities, how they got them, and also how far they have risen above them. There is a deep message of hope and aspiration here, a needed commodity these days.

In a way VT is one of Gordon’s houses, one of his designs, one of the things he did that nobody had ever done before. Neither he nor Michael let ‘things’ get in the way. So let’s enjoy them both tonight.

Again, this is gorgeous HD so click on the Vimeo button for the larger screen.

I will call this one: This Extraordinary Old House…and Man

[vimeo 39458609] – Michael Graves

Jim W. Dean

Jim W. Dean was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022.  He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews.

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