Sunday, April 24, 2011

Sakuracon 2011: Final Release

Here it is, the last vid. Each of the 3 vids has a pretty distinctly different feel I think, aside from the fact that the music is different in each one. Editing completed, time to relax. Enjoy:

Sakuracon 2011: Second Release

Video number two is done and ready to go, check it:

Sakuracon 2011: First Release

Took a little while but my first Sakuracon 2011 cosplay compilation / montage video is finally out! This video was pretty fun to make, hopefully it's as much fun to watch as well! Check it:

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Sakuracon 2011

Just got back from Sakuracon 2011 in Seattle, WA--the northwest's biggest Japanese culture / anime convention evidently. It was a pretty crazy experience, I found out I'm not as much of an otaku as I thought I was. The people there were insane with their anime / cosplay character knowledge, definitely way out of my league. The convention was a weird experience also as I spent the entire time shooting video. I don't even know what the insides of the exhibition hall / gaming area look like. I probably should have actually dedicated some time to relaxing and hanging out instead of making it feel like I was working the event. Saw lots of crazy stuff, took tons of video--around 20gbs of 720p video.

Feeling pretty tired and sore after lugging around the ~15lb camera setup all weekend... but, now it's time to sift through the clips, start editing, and get out the first release. Should be a fun time.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

JSA Matsuri 2011

Yesterday I went and checked out the Spring matsuri (festival) that was hosted by the Japanese Student Association (JSA) at UW. I attended their last matsuri two years ago and it was pretty fun--lot of little game things, samplings of Japanese food, and some Japanese (or rather Asian in general) performances. I arrived towards the end of this year's event but still managed to shoot some video to hopefully capture a small segment of the festival's feel.

It seemed to be a good time with people dressing up in colorful outfits (Yukata, etc.) and having their pictures taken, learning origami, calligraphy, and playing a variety of small festival games which can be seen in my video below. This year there was a big effort toward fund-raising relief money for Japan, it seems to be going fairly well.

Meanwhile, Seattle's weather is getting pretty tiresome, It was pretty cold out there--this month may as well be in the middle of winter / December in terms of how rainy and cold it's been. It might get better next month...

Friday, April 8, 2011

Spring is here


Finally had a day where the sun was visible for a least most of the time--only to disappear again tomorrow for a few weeks. With some decent light out I snapped a few shots of the cherry blossom trees (Sakura) on campus which are in full bloom right now. The trees essentially serve no other purpose than to look good for a few weeks, provide a nice atmosphere, and that's it.



The cherry blossom image is held very dearly by the Japanese as it represents / symbolizes many things such as life, beauty, death, etc. The short, yet vibrant life of the blossom encompasses some aspects of human mortality. Historical use of the imagery dates back nearly 1800 years. Representations can be seen in samurai and yakuza culture as well.

There are many Sakura trees that can be found in America with a concentration in Washington, California, and Washington, D.C. The majority found their way to America as gifts from Japan although there have been many private imports as well. However, the trees have a lifespan which is nearing its end for the ones I capture in Seattle.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

The man that can do anything--Genki Sudo (須藤元気)

Genki Sudo recently posted his group's latest music video entitled "Machine Civilization" in which he closes with his well-known phrase, "We are all one," likely an effort to provide support following the recent disaster(s) in Japan.



His groups' excellent choreography and dancing skill is featured in this video once again. It's never a dull moment with Genki Sudo.

The guy is also a quite successful ex-MMA/UFC fighter, writer, musician, actor, and dancer and is currently working on his master's degree. It seems like there's nothing he can't do / be successful with.

If you haven't seen the group's most famous video (there are several versions filmed in various cities world-wide), check out the following (filmed in NYC):