This is not really an award but it felt like one lol. Sevendust
was doing a radio interview at the time and my name was
actually mentioned by someone who called in and this is
probably the best compliment I've ever received....
12/28/06 - Present...
The awesomeness of Sevendust...
While in the studio working on their new album one of the members
of Sevendust stumbled onto my site and saw the Bruce Lee video
using their song Hero. It turns out they really liked it and they
put the video on their Myspace site with a generous compliment. I
was then invited out to their concert the next time they were in
my area and they wouldn't accept no for an answer lol.
So right after Christmas me and my wife took the trip to Myrtle
Beach, SC and got the VIP treatment from these guys. I was very
nervous but they're some of the most down to earth guys you could
ever meet. The show was a killer with most of my favorite songs
were played. I got called out when they played "Hero" and "Praise".
The whole night just felt surreal. After the show Lajon (the lead
singer) introduced me to their manager and said "we want to work
with this guy" among other compliments. I was shell-shocked all night
and didn't get any memorabilia or anything. I was already on cloud
nine so I didn't care. Guitarist Sonny Mayo noticed I was leaving
empty-handed so as I was walking back to my car to go back to the
hotel my cell phone rings and they tell me to get my ass back in the
building lol. I got an autographed drumstick, a few other things but
the stand-out was an All-Access pass to any Sevendust event. Since
then I've been to a few more shows and these guys never fail to make
me feel like family. All because I made a simple video (for all the
wrong reasons lol). I never thought this hobby would result in me
meeting and befriending my favorite band. To say I feel very
fortunate would be an understatement.
What a great opening, with the Middle Earth map and all of our major
players! I'll admit, though, the song threw me for a loop at 0:48 when
it picked up pace. I wasn't expecting a hard rock type of song with
LoTR; I'm used to soundtrack type classical pieces, and I wasn't sure
what I was going to think. But then at 0:55, your amazing editing blew
me away, and all skepticism fell to the wayside as I was caught up in
this truly astounding vid! Visually, this is such a lush video. Your
effects are well timed and never feel like too much. The clips in the
water starting at 3:34, for example, were just beautiful. And your use
of the music was perfect. Quick edits like from 4:27-4:51, long sweeping
scenes when the music slowed...truly well done. And the ending with
pages of the story, great idea and very nicely executed. And even though
this was just over eight minutes long, I wouldn?t have wanted it any
shorter! I didn't even notice the time until I was over five minutes
in, and I was happy to see I still had three more minutes to go. By
far, the best LoTR vid I've seen and I'm going to have to go check out
your other work!
Dude, there's no way I can point out all the awesomeness of this vid.
I usually don't have a lot of patience for vids that are over five
minutes long, but I think I could have watched this one even if it
would have went over ten minutes. The music itself was very dynamic
and you used it to every extent possible so that the vid never seemed
dull or lingering. The pacing was perfect and riveted me to the screen
and that doesn't even take into account the editing, which was utterly
fantastic throughout the piece. There were so many instances where I
simply smiled at your delivery -- from the chaos of the harder, driven
sections to the smooth flow throughout the softer passages to the
stop/start sequences.
Besides the technical aspects of the vid, you also wove a beautiful story,
with brilliant clip choices that really held an emotional punch. From the
beginning with Gollum peering out from the bars to the ship at the end, I
could tell you put a lot of thought into your storyline and how you wanted
to tell it. Around the five minute mark, the music gave you the perfect
place to cut the vid, but kudos to you for carrying through to the end and
fully characterizing the epic of the movies. On my list of top 5 vids ever!
10/7/07...
Jet Li's Unleashed music video
(Best Editing: RU, Best Action, Best Narrative)
7/30/07...
Sarah, thank you very much for the awards and
the glowing review. Very much appreciated :)
"Lord of the Rings: Ascension" by AJ:
(Best Video, Best Use of Music, Best Overview, Best Editing RU)
This video completely blew me away. It's just so wonderfully epic.
Even though it's a very long video, you manage to really grab hold
of the viewer and not let go until the end. I'm especially impressed
with how well the clips flow with the music. You did an excellent job
of switching up your editing style to match up with the changes in
tempo and mood. The quick cutting, chaotic style you used for the
faster paced sections is absolutely amazing (especially 1:37 to 1:43
and (4:27 to 4:51). I loved the visual connection between the clips
at 2:13. The section at 3:22 to 3:34 gives me chills every time I
watch it. The section from 4:47 to 5:08 showing all of the characters'
reactions to the destruction of the ring is incredible. The part
from 5:08 to 5:47 with your cuts matching up perfectly with the
piano is so gorgeous and makes me go a little misty-eyed every
time I watch it (which is a lot).
And I really liked how you kept the focus mainly on the darker
aspects of the story and touched upon all the different and
horrible ways the ring affected all of the characters. The
last image of Frodo at 7:34 is so chilling. There are so many
awesome things in this video, it would be impossible to list
them all, but suffice it to say, it's absolutely incredible and
has a permanent place on my list of favorite vids ever.
8/15/06...
Just recently I was in awe by the news
that my favorite band Sevendust
featured my Bruce Lee "Lose Control" video
on their Official myspace site
with a very generous compliment. Needless
to say, I'm thrilled and honored by the gesture.
Celebrating LJ's birthday...(Cleveland 10/3/2008)
