Tag Archives: Documentaries

Documentaries, Documentary

Money Is A Part of Our Everyday Life

Money Is A Part of Our Everyday Life
Money Is A Part of Our Everyday Life

Money Is A Part of Our Everyday Life

We all have memories of our experiences with money when we were children. Some of us had piggy banks and many of us got allowances. On special occasions, a silver dollar or a check in a card for our special celebrations was always welcome and ex- citing. However, we had a very limited view of what money was and what it can and cannot do.
The older we got the understanding of how money works started to intrigue us and the wheels of our mind would start churning to what we could now want instead of only thinking of what we need. We all grew up and money management grew right along with us or so we hoped it would. We could save some, spend some, give away some and with enough effort a new house, car, or vacation was in our means. Maybe – however with what is considered “plastic” money, we were tempted and even encouraged to “live beyond our means.” If we wanted something that old adage of hard work and saving could be tucked away in a drawer until we enjoyed life, and did what we wanted and when we wanted to do it.
The world was cooperating with us because new credit card offers filled the mailboxes of even high school students. You could be free to not only dream but to have your dream and enjoy it while you were still young. Christmas gifts were a lot more expensive and elaborate, and weddings and other important events cost more but we were definitely worth it. Why even a funeral with all the trimmings could be put on a plastic card and slipped through the machine which made everything okay.
The world is now different and while our needs and expectations have changed along with our lifestyles, we are now a part of the global economy and what happens in countries across the world now affects us. It’s a bit sobering to realize that trade deficits, futures and QE programs can and will make a difference in our money goals and dreams. We can take a class to learn more about these terms but that won’t give us the confidence that we are totally in charge of what we have, what we earn, and what our future monetary world will be. We are part of a world economy whether we like it or not. Taxes, referendums, government fees and other costs do rise and we must pay them. Age brings with it life changes including medical, housing, and family needs. Our pay check can be divided up and a dozen hands come out to take their share before we even get the check home. We begin to realize that our needs are now coming to the forefront and our wants are many times put on the back burner. Why is this happening and how will it all turn out?
The main word in a changing and sometimes confusing money world is “be prepared.” This once was a scouting byword and now it can be our lifesaver if we realize its strength and its possibilities. Every person has different circumstances and many may be in a position more restrained and compromising then others, but whatever you face, being prepared at least can smooth the path and iron out the wrinkles of whatever financial headache we may encounter. It is never too late to sit down and find out where you stand in your money world, and what the challenges might be. There are solutions and there are ways to cope but only if you take the time to realize that while money should never be your goal in life, it can be a means to an end. Taking even small steps in your debt, your necessities, and your responsibilities to maintain what has to be done can relieve some of the anxiety. With each further step, the “extra” items can be factored in and handled. This is the time to use abilities, innovation, creativity and self control so that not only are today’s “money” situations met but tomorrow’s needs are handled and peace and serenity can reign in your heart, your home, and in your grown-up “piggy bank.”

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Documentaries, Documentary

Some Clarification On The Secret Law Of Attraction From The Documentary The Secret

Some Clarification On The Secret Law Of Attraction From The Documentary The Secret
Some Clarification On The Secret Law Of Attraction From The Documentary The Secret

Some Clarification On The Secret Law Of Attraction From The Documentary The Secret

In recent times we’ve all been exposed to this new age thinking phenomenon called the law of attraction, and at some level we’ve all been touched by it, especially at a spiritual and mental level, believing that with our minds and some positive thinking we can have a better life at all levels, be it financial, spiritual or physical.

As explained in the law of attraction documentaries , you can change your life by altering your way of thinking, and be a better person by the use of positive thinking and visualization techniques, so in essence by using your imagination, and by visualizing a big house, an expensive car, and a bank account with 9 zero’s, you will suddenly attract it to you like magic.

In the documentary they also explained another important factor, which is the energy and frequency at which you vibrate, and how this relates to the environment in which you live, and the effect this has towards your desired outcomes. As explained in the documentary you should match your frequency of vibration to the frequency at which the person you wish to become vibrates. To match the frequencies you use the visualization technique, so by visualizing yourself as already having the things you want to have you start to vibrate at that frequency, synchronizing yourself with the life you want to have and making it possible to attract it to you, and by doing so you activate the law of attraction.

In theory it sounds pretty easy, but unfortunately many are not getting the results they want with this technique, and the manifestation process is not really working for everyone. Something is missing, that something that can help you and many others make that quantum jump from where you are to where you want to be, and unfortunately in the law of attraction documentary they didn’t explain what the missing elements are.

In reality there is more than one missing element to activate the infinite power of the secret law of attraction, in fact the universe is not governed by just one law, but there are eleven laws that govern the universe, and you need to study and understand all of them in order to be able to attract all the things you want in life. 

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Documentaries, Documentary

Future of Food Documentary – Genetically Modified Food

Future of Food Documentary – Genetically Modified Food
Future of Food Documentary – Genetically Modified Food

Future of Food Documentary – Genetically Modified Food

What Is Genetically Modified Food?

For anyone who has ever wondered about GMO food and what exactly Genetically Modified Food is, there is a fantastic documentaries on the subject. It details the growing controversy surround this science and the political ramifications.

Things such as gene splicing and the use of virus and bacterium to invade cells is something that many people are not aware of. How this all relates to your health is a great concern. Consider that the corn and tomatoes on the market in your local store may be genetically altered with viruses and other not to desirable materials.

There has been a great deal of controversy surrounding some of the political elements. This documentary covers the issue of pesticide and eminent domain. There are interviews with scientists, political pundits as well as the farmers who have been subjected to increasing pressure.

Some of the issues of concern are the decreasing abundance of crops and how this can lead to a devastating epidemic should anything go wrong in a particular strain of crop. Many of those interviewed about GMO food find this one of the most troubling aspects of the entire scene.

The documentary also contains a great deal of information about what is being done currently to combat the effects of this procedure. While there are many who claim that genetically modified foods will both end world hunger and poverty, the facts provided in this documentary show otherwise. In fact, the reverse seems to be the case.

Most of the impoverish nations of the world seem to have done far worse with the new crop of GMO foods. These type of food products are also becoming very harmful for first world nations and many people are starting to become aware and resist them. 

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Documentaries, Documentary

Documentary Style Wedding Video

Documentary Style Wedding Video
Documentary Style Wedding Video

Documentary Style Wedding Video

Having a wedding video is a necessity because as individuals who are about to face the altar to vow their everlasting love and devotion to each other, both of you will not have a chance to see what the wedding documentaries looked like. This is understandable though, because since you are the highlight of the event, you will not have the chance to look around to see how everything goes but your wedding video will capture just that!

During the ceremony the couples are very busy with themselves that all they see is everything about the attire, make up and accessories. They will not exactly know who’s sitting in the church benches or who the people who are supervising the decorations are and how they did it. A wedding day is a very busy day for the couple, so in order for both of you to savor the moment of your magnificent wedding day, make sure that you have a video of your event.

As much as possible, ask your wedding videographer to make a documentary type of your wedding. Though it may be a bit more costly than having your wedding filmed for the entire wedding ceremony alone, it is always worth it to have everything and everyone in video.

The documentaries style of video would start on the morning of the day of the wedding. The videographer will take videos of the preparations of the couple’s attire, to walking down the aisle up to the actual wedding ceremony itself. After the matrimonial ceremony, the videographers will continue filming until the reception. The videographers will also ask your guests about their wishes for you and these thoughts will be forever preserved on film.

By having a documentary style of your wedding video you will have the chance to see how the wedding really looked. You can also see the people who arrived to share your moment with you. It will show you the real laughter and bliss of your guests, the tears of your parents perhaps, and the people who attended only in the reception; these are the moments that you will fail to see while you are busy exchanging your vows, but special moments to cherish and laugh about as well!

The difference of having your wedding documented and not is great. Having your wedding entirely shot on the actual ceremony alone will not let you experience the entire wedding event; it will not be also greatly appreciated by your guests, if you will send them a copy, because they already saw how the ceremony went. They will be curious about the preparation, how your decorators did it, who worked out the catering and how they were eating at the reception; they will also be looking for themselves in the video you know, because they were there too! 

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Documentaries, Documentary

Billionaire Squashes PBS Documentary About His Trading Style

Billionaire Squashes PBS Documentary About His Trading Style
Billionaire Squashes PBS Documentary About His Trading Style

Billionaire Squashes PBS Documentary About His Trading Style

Why has one of the most powerful men in the finance industry, a self-made billionaire, been trying so hard to keep a 23 year old PBS documentary out of circulation? That is the question that many have been asking over the years, especially in the past few weeks as the video has once again surfaced, and once again been squashed into obscurity by lawyers.

Filmed a year before the stock market crash of 1987, the documentaries “Trader” features a 32-year old Paul Tudor Jones II. In the film, Jones correctly predicts the crash saying, “There will be some type of a decline, without a question, in the next 10, 20 months,” he says in his rich Memphis drawl. “And it will be earth-shaking; it will be saber-rattling.” Jones proved right, netting his investors over 200% after Black Monday.

VHS copies of the documentaries have sold on eBay for thousands of dollars. According to legend, Jones bought up all the copies that he could in the early 1990’s as he felt that the film gave away too much information on him and his trading style. The film’s director, Michael Glyn, even acknowledges that Jones requested that the documentary be removed from circulation.

This saga became more interesting in late July of this year, as the video surfaced on YouTube. It’s public viewing was limited however, as YouTube soon removed it due to alleged copyright violation. The video was uploaded by “doctationsmarketing”, and the official reason for its removal was a copyright claim from the film’s director, Michael Glyn. With a little work, the film can still be found online, but unfortunately it’s not as easy as simply viewing on YouTube! 

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Documentaries, Documentary

Behind the Helmets: A Daft Punk Documentary

Behind the Helmets: A Daft Punk Documentary
Behind the Helmets: A Daft Punk Documentary

Behind the Helmets: A Daft Punk Documentary

Daft Punk is the futuristic electronic music group who are most widely recognized by their use of bright and shining helmets. As people jam to their hits such as ‘Get Lucky’ and “Instant Crush’” they are often left asking themselves the question – “Why the Helmets?” A UK Electronic Dance Music (EDM) magazine set out to give listeners a little insight on the duo’s infamous helmets in the short yet detailed documentary called “Behind the Helmets.”

The world may know them for their unmistakable, LED headwear, but the story behind their intricate helmets is anything but simple. The documentaries begins by pointing out that before Daft Punk disguised themselves with illuminating helmets, they were two normal French singers just looking to make dance music. Yet, as their popularity began to grow, they wanted to evolve with their music, not emotionally, but physically.

To seek an identity for their music, they reached out to Grammy award winning music video directors, Alex and Martin, who contributed several phenomenal design ideas. To fulfill their overall vision they decided to team up with special effects extraordinaire, Tony Gardner. Garder revealed in the documentary they wanted to hide behind the helmets so it would be about the music, not the people.

Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, the men behind the Daft Punk masks, shared a favorite film with Gardner – The Day The Earth Stood Still. This quickly began the key inspiration for the helmets. The challenge was incorporating a linear readout and eliminating the ‘human’ aspect of the performance. To help overcome the challenges they faced with various renderings, they took on the help of the men who did the metalizing for the NASA space suits as well as the man who built the jumbotron!

Thomas Gardner and the duo began coming up with several different prototypes before settling on the main design. Upon realizing the helmets were going to require a lot of wires for linear reading, they came up with the brilliant idea of their entire wardrobe being highlighted with various live wires which would be used as piping so while performing on a dark stage, they would read as a lit up silhouette!

After ditching a prototype with hair and one with a slight grin, the final product was a complex robot helmet which boasted an array of impressive LED displays. The epic design perfectly mirrored their high-tech sound. They were thrilled to have finally fulfilled their fantasies. Gardner was pleased with the result but stated it would have gone much differently if built today due to their lack of supplies when the headware was originally built.

As viewers watch “Behind The Helmets” they get to watch the evolution of the helmets evolve to what it is now. Those who are still curious about the men behind those snazzy helmets will take much intriguement in other Daft Punk documentaries such as the “Daft Punk Documentary” by DB films as well as the video by The Creators Project on the collaborators behind Daft Punk’s hit album, Random Access Memories. 

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Documentaries, Documentary

Greatest Documentaries

Greatest Documentaries
Greatest Documentaries

Greatest Documentaries

1. HOOP DREAMS (1994).

A film following the lives of two African-American boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional. Documentaries don’t come much better than this. Here we have a sincere, compelling look at the lives and ambition of two inner-city basketball hopefuls.

2. THE KING OF KONG (2007).

Diehard video game fans compete to break World Records on classic arcade games. What an unusually, brilliant look at the formidability of gaming nuts. I was hooked by the plight of Steve Wiebe, as he tries to break the world Donkey Kong record.

3. GRIZZLY MAN (2005).

A devastating and heartrending take on grizzly bear documentary activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzlies in Alaska. Straight off the bat…wow! I wouldn’t go as far as saying I am sympathetic towards Timothy Treadwell; however, his story and apparent ability to tame wild bears is enthralling. A must-see!

4. THE LAST WALTZ (1978).

A film account and presentation of the final concert of The Band. Give me a concert, which features the likes of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, etc., and which has Martin Scorsese at the helm, any day – truly enjoyable!

5. THE COVE (2009).

Using state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health. If you have a weak stomach, I advise you not to watch this; if you can stomach the worst animal cruelty known to man, this is a riveting watch.

6. NIGHT AND FOG (1955).

The history of Nazi Germany’s death camps of the Final Solution and the hellish world of dehumanization and death contained inside. If you “enjoy” war films/ documentaries as much as I do, and find man’s inhumanity towards other men intriguing, it doesn’t get better than this gem of a war documentary.

7. IMAGINE: JOHN LENNON (1988).

A biography of the rock music star. There is nothing more to say other than this being a biopic of a true, iconic legend.

8. FESTIVAL EXPRESS (2003).

The filmed account of a large Canadian rock festival train tour. If this film doesn’t make you want to buy a guitar, start a band, as well as live during this drug-fuelled bonanza, nothing ever will.

9. ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS… (2005).

A documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall. This is a harrowing look at corruption like no other. It is amazing to believe they got away with it for so long.

10. BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE (2002).

Filmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America’s predilection for gun violence. Moore does what he does best; he focuses on an issue (gun crime) and blows the case wide open. 

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Documentaries, Documentary

How To Produce A Documentary Film For Free

How To Produce A Documentary Film For Free
How To Produce A Documentary Film For Free

How To Produce A Documentary Film For Free

Over the years the equipment necessary to produce a high quality film has gradually decreased in price, yet much of it is still too expensive to be of service to the average person. While an independent filmmaker may not be able to afford the best stuff on the market, there are some techniques for getting a professional result from as little as no money at all.

The basic elements to a documentary production are concept, talent, and equipment. By concept we mean the idea for the film, which you will want to plan out in general and probably even come up with some sort of expected script or outline. This step is the easiest to do for free. All you need is your mind and maybe some paper to write things down.

With that settled, what about the issue of talent? For a documentary, this would mean the people filming and the people being filmed. First let’s talk about the people doing the filming.

Documentaries can be filmed solo, and in this case you obviously wouldn’t have to be paying anyone. But if you need some help there is a good chance of getting it free of cost as well. Many people just starting out in the film industry are willing to work in exchange for the experience, credit, and relationships. All of this you can provide your workers for free.

In this case you will want to make sure that you treat the people working with you as professionals. Take your project seriously and work to produce a good film and the people you work with will feel like their time is being well spent, and you will give yourself a good chance at developing relationships that could benefit you in the future.

With that settled, let’s talk about the subject, or subjects, that you will actually be filming. For a low budget film, there is really no reason to pay anyone appearing on screen. Being in a film can provide valuable exposure for people, so find a way to sell that to them. For example, if you want to document an interesting restaurant, point out that it will basically be a commercial for them.

And if you are documenting a protestor or activist, point out that the exposure will help legitimize and spread their cause. You are not ripping them off or manipulating them. You are providing value in exchange for their time.

So far we have a crew and a subject and have not spent any money, but here is the hard part. Getting the equipment to actually make your documentary could cost you a lot, but if you are willing to get creative, you can pull it off for free.

The first big issue is of course cameras. One of the best ways to get a nice camera for free is to borrow one from a friend or someone working with you. If this is not possible, try borrowing someone’s point and shoot camera. These common devices owned by nearly everyone have improved so much recently that you can get some great results on them if you limit what types of shots you want to include. Find out what the camera can do well and just stick to that.

The same principle applies to any other type of equipment needed. Look to borrow or use the equipment of people you bring on to work with you. You are the director and producer. You have provided the concept, inspiration, and organization, so it’s not like you are freeloading by using other people’s technology.

All that remains is post-production. Fortunately this is another easy step to do for free. Once again, look to borrow someone else’s computer if they have editing software and all of that already set up. If not, as long as you have a computer there are plenty of open source video editing programs you can use. Most new laptops will come with some type of free editing software, so this should be no problem.

Even professional music for your film can be had at no cost. Many composers just starting out will score your film for the experience and credit, but if you don’t have time for that, there are sites online that offer free production music of various types. You might even know some musicians that would be willing to donate their music to your project in return for the exposure. It’s all about coming up with ways your film can benefit other people.

Documentary filmmaking can be very cheap by nature if you have the right approach, so if you are an aspiring documentarian, there is no excuse not to get started on your career. 

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