Family Affair
Last night we pulled out seven boxes of movie-making stuff from our garage and got it all organized...more or less. We discovered we had an array of costumes, make-up, special effects kits and props that we've been gathering over the last decade. Our family has made a few short films, but it's been a few years since we've completed a project. When you have a household in which three of the four kids are "special needs," it can become difficult to stay on track with hobbies.
Anyway, we recently filmed some book trailers for our cozy mystery series, and we were bit by the filming bug once again. Our new goal, now that the kids are older and their talents more advanced, is to really amp up our YouTube channel and have some fun. Sure we'll promote books, but we'll also do some entertaining projects just because we're creative and like to do these sorts of things.
It's definitely a family affair in that each of the kids brings their own set of skills to the table and participates in the film production in multiple ways.
The oldest is 25 and a self-taught editing and special effects whiz. He also has Bipolar Disorder.
The next oldest is 20, a HUGE movie buff who has a ton of fact and trivia memorized, a good actor, and has a big desire to be a movie director some day. He has Asperger's.
Then there's the 18 year old who is autistic but also does impersonations, is self-taught in stop animation, and has perfect pitch and can sing harmony (but only when he wants to!).
Finally, we have the 14 year old. She's "typical," and a total movie/theater nerd (she proudly wears that label). She's very musical, sings amazingly, plays the cello incredibly, and loves to act.
All four kids are also talented in art whether it's sketching, cartooning, or computer art.
We're pretty blessed with our own built-in film crew.
So, as you enjoy our books (hopefully, you read them all), you should also check out our YouTube and family films as they appear. I think you'll have almost as much fun watching them as we did making them!
P.S.
This is a few years old, but it's one of our favorites, titled "Skullsmasher." It's a parody of the old Kung-fu movies. Also, click the clapboard to go to our new YouTube Channel!