Animoto Video Project

I must first express my most sincere apologies for the late post - it is so unlike me to let my work projects interfere with my ability to attend to school projects, but it happens to the best of us from time to time, doesn't it?

In the spirit of FULL disclosure, I was not all that thrilled to find that we would be making the abrupt transition from storyboarding to video production on a whim. It's not that I wasn't excited to give Animoto a try, it's just that I had planned out my time for storyboarding around a very hectic 10 days of an intense work project - and I was feeling uneasy about the change in direction AND TOPIC! I must be the only person alive who did not complete a storyboard outlining how to make a peanut better and jelly sandwich during the time I was in grade school - and I had half a mind to create a video about making a PB&J san dwich as some sort of off the cuff protest.

My initial brain storming sessions even involved taking photos of storyboard frames and inserting them into a video. Okay, I was kind of being a jerk - because I was afraid that Animoto would be more difficult than it turned out to be. You cannot imagine how relieved I was to find that the whole process was relatively painless! As joyous as this discovery was, I still needed a topic!

I really liked the idea of a "tutorial" video, and I have secretly always wished I could have my own cooking show on PBS - so I figured I would create a video about some manner of food preparation. The weekend turned out to be a real disaster for me, and the only food prep I managed was picking up a Zaffiro's pizza and a six-pack of New Glarus beer.

As I drove to work this morning, I determined to build my video from photos shot from my dinner preparation in my post-work hours. I wanted to do something simple, because I already knew I wouldn't get home until late, something easy to follow - since I really don't have a 30 minute cooking show on PBS, and something that was colorful to keep my photos reasonably attractive.

I came up with the video linked below for Buffalo Chicken Salads (so easy - and you can substitute vegetarian "chicken", baked tofu, or seitan for the chicken if you prefer!)

Most of my photos are medium to extreme close ups. I was hoping to convince my daughter to help with the prep work so that I could get some medium to medium-close shots for variety - but she bugged out before I could get home to ask for her help.

Once things got rolling, I really enjoyed this project. I look forward to exploring Animoto more in the future!

Here's the video for the salads - do share your own add-ins and modifications with me. I love trading ideas about how to make food more delicious!

https://animoto.com/play/pDE9sKzae9dkS2Olvqnlzg