Shower the People You Love with Video Gifts!

Shower the People You Love with Video Gifts!

It’s April! After a long march through March it kinda’ puts some spring in your step doesn’t’ it? Now remember, there are some red-letter days just around the corner where you have occasion to celebrate your loved ones, and the perfect centerpiece to these events is a Photo Video Keepsake. What are your plans for:

• Mother's day? Nothing will move Mom and everyone who loves her like a powerful celebration of her life in photos and music. This is a perfect way to honor her with a gift that will last for generations!
• Graduation? A “birth to graduation” montage is the best way to say “I’m proud of you!” Photos, videos, certificates, first grade, first communion, first date....all in a unique and creative presentation.
• Anniversaries? Been married one year or sixty? How moving would a tribute to your beloved be as your time together is captured through images, video and music?

How does a Photo Video Keepsake work?
We use photos, videos, and/or slides of the honoree (as many as you like) along with your choice of appropriate music. We usually add beginning and ending titles to the production, then we put it all on a DVD or a video file for easy viewing.

Will they like it?

Only if they enjoy being honored in the most amazing way imaginable. Photo Video Keepsakes are:

• Personal - Keepsakes are the perfect way to put anyone in the spotlight. What will highlight a special day more than favorite photos and inspiring music? Each Keepsake is a unique story - a customized testimony to your loved one.
• Powerful - What better way to say "I love you" or "I'm proud of you" or "I'd do it again" than with the power of image and sound?
• Portable – Photo Video Keepsakes are viewable anywhere you can watch video. Homes, offices, auditoriums, fellowship halls… they are the perfect way to honor anyone, anytime and anywhere.
• Practical - Keepsakes make great gifts, not just for the subject, but for all your loved ones. Easily duplicated. Easily labeled.

"This sounds great! What do I do next?"

1. Call us and let's make an appointment - Why not today? Don’t delay. Make it the best!
2. Start selecting your photos - We always say this step is way too much fun, so don't spend too much time on each photo. Zero in on the photos that tell your story.
3. Sort your photos - you may want to present them chronologically, by subject...you decide.
4. Number your photos - Don't use a pen! Post-it's work well.
5. Come by and let's get started!

And don’t forget all our other services that may come in handy this time of year as well, including tape transfers, home movie transfers, slide transfer, and editing.
Call or text us today!
559-732-3050

HVS Top 5 April Shower Rainy Movie Scenes

HVS Top 5 April Shower Rainy Movie Scenes

April showers make great movie scenes. Okay, any rain – the more the better - makes a good movie scene. Here are a few memorable ones:

The Shawshank Redemption - Cleansing, washing rain. Redemption. Freedom. And oh, what he had to endure to reach it.

Singing in the Rain - It took three days to shoot this scene and Gene Kelly was sick the whole time. Didn’t his mother tell him to come in out of the … never mind.

Seven Samurai - An influential scene that’s been studied and copied for years. And the Oscar goes to…Rain!

Four Weddings and a Funeral - A romcom needs rain. A British romcom needs buckets and buckets of rain.

Blade Runner – Probably the granddaddy of all rainy movies. How long since you saw this classic? Maybe April is the time to see it again.

HVS Top 5 Editing Moments

HVS Top 5 Editing Moments

We take editing for granted in every movie we see these days, and even in our own personal video projects. But just think, a long time ago someone edited a movie for the first time. Here are a few important moments in editing history.

Annie Hall - We mention Annie Hall because it is a supreme example of how creative editing can change the whole face of a movie. Initially shot as a murder mystery, with a little snip here and a cut there (and a name change) became a quirky rom-com. Now that’s editing!

Porky’s Hare - This features a rabbit named “Happy” who was created by Ben “Bugs” Hardaway. One day an animator relabeled the rabbit “Bugs’ Bunny” because it belonged to Ben. And the rest is history.

Ben Hur - A giant step in editing action sequences to make a chariot race look awesome. Still looks good to this day!

Battleship Potemkin - The baby carriage rolling down long steps is an oft-copied sequence that became the great grandfather of modern suspense editing.

The Godfather – A great example of flashback scene editing as Michael recalls his actions during a baptism scene.

HVS Top 5 Family Dinner Scenes

HVS Top 5 Family Dinner Scenes

Some of the funniest things and best lines happen at the dinner table, both in movies and in real life. Over the years, you probably have had many opportunities to break bread with your family and friends. May your meals be as memorable as these!

The Nutty Professor
In this memorable dinner scene Eddie Murphy played the whole family (except for Hercules.) Best line: “You gonna’ limp back. You can walk over but ya limpin' back!”

Saturday Night Fever

The dinner scene is complete with chain reaction slaps around the table. Best line: “He always hits my hair. I spend a lot of time on my hair and he always hits my hair!”

Christmas Vacation

A great scene with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and a dog named Snots. Best line: “Save the neck for me, Clark!”

A Christmas Story

After the Bumpus’s dogs devour the turkey Ralphie’s family must eat Christmas dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Best line: “It's a beautiful duck. It really is. But you see..... it's.... smiling at me!”

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

True family bonding over Dominoes, KFC, and Taco Bell. Best line: “Chip, I'm gonna come at you like a spider monkey!”

HVS Top 5 Athletes who became Actors

HVS Top 5 Athletes who became Actors

Since we’re talking about athletics and we use this space to talk about movies most of the time let’s combine the two. Many famous actors began their careers as athletes – and many had college scholarships:

Jim Brown - Still mentioned in many circles as the greatest NFL player ever this ruggedly handsome athlete decided making movies was an easier way to make a living. Most notable role? Dirty Dozen.

Arnold Schwarzenegger - Arnold became so big he didn’t even change that unpronounceable name! Only in America could a bodybuilder from a tiny Austrian village become one of Hollywood's biggest stars, marry a Kennedy, and become Governor of California. Most notable role? Hmmm, we’ll have to think about it…but we’ll be baaaaackk!

Esther Williams - Esther was just a California girl next door with a penchant for swimming. She was spotted by a MGM talent scout and made her film debut with MGM. Most notable role? An Andy Hardy picture called Andy Hardy's Double Life.

Jason Lee - Jason comes across so well as a goofy slacker that we forget he was a serious skateboarder who moved the sport forward in the culture. Most notable role? With many movies under his belt we know his name is Earl.

Burt Reynolds – Reynolds received multiple scholarship offers and attended Florida State University on a football scholarship. He was injured in the first game of his sophomore season, and a car accident later that year worsened the injury. Reynolds was in an English class where he was heard reading Shakespeare and the rest is history. Most notable role? You choose…wetsuit wearing archer in Deliverance or snickering smuggler in Smokey and the Bandit?

HVS Top 5 Romantic Movies

HVS Top 5 Romantic Movies

Stories of romance are the staple of memorable movies. We thought we’d give you our version of the Top Five Romantic Movies of All Time. Watch one, or all, in the next few weeks!

Titanic

An American socialite and a vagabond artist are drawn together on a luxurious ocean liner sailing her maiden voyage. These two unlikely lovers develop a bond in a short time and are so devoted that each is willing to sacrifice their own life for the other. Now that’s romance.

The Notebook

Neither time, war, sickness, or other suitors can ultimately interfere with this story of a love that endures through the years.

An Affair to Remember

A budding romance between two lovers is cut short when, on the way to a planned rendezvous atop the Empire State Building, the woman is struck by a car. The man, thinking she didn’t show up because she’d lost interest, moves on with life. They accidentally meet. Will the truth come out?

Somewhere in Time

This romantic classic has it all. Love, eternity, self-hypnosis, time travel and a villain who tries to keep Richard and Elise apart for the sake of money. Love wins.

Casablanca

A tale of unexpected love that becomes sacrificial love this classic has become iconic. Great lead characters, lines we remember and recite, and a memorable theme song make this Bogey classic one for the ages.