Inspiring

I thought this looked strange so I decided to share it. Representative Greg Murphy gave a short interview to Jan Jekielek, a Senior Editor with The Epoch Times and a producer with NTD, on January 6th, 2021, inside the capitol building. He wore a mask during the entire video but as soon as they were finished, he immediately took it off. I was watching two live feeds, and this one is the longer one. You'll notice that not only did Murphy remove his mask after the interview, but also that no one else was wearing a mask. How do you feel about it?

On Dec. 9th I snatched-up my camera and ran over to Tokyo Midtown Garden to shoot the illumination there. I was able to get most everything I wanted -- which is good -- but my batteries weren't quite up to the task so I had to finish a couple of shots with my phone. The result is still okay, as the phone shots are at the end only and limited in running time. For those of you who don't know, my phone camera's image stabilizer is on the fritz, so when I walk with it while recording it creates some strange shaking effects in the video. For this reason, I've gone back to just taking my Canon T3i/600d/Kiss X5 instead. Other than my T3i with double battery grip and Toshiba Class 10 SD card, I didn't use any other special equipment. The stock lens is what I used with the image stabilizer on, and not tripod, steadicam/glidecam/gimbal. I tweaked the settings as best I could with Magic Lantern, but for those of you who are familiar with this camera, it's not a low-light powerhouse. For this video, I adjusted the sharpness a bit more to try and get a sharper image, and added a bit of noise to try and smooth-over the night-time-induced digital noise. The ending result was so-so I think, primarily because of the constantly fluctuating light levels in the area -- and the fact that my batteries were dying and I lowered the ISO at some points to try and get more juice out of it. The music you hear is used with permission and listed below: Organic Meditations Three Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

The now-infamous shoe-tossing in the LSU-Florida football game on December 12th, 2020. A simple mashup thrown together in After Effects and finished off in Premiere. Hope you get a laugh. This short parody is published with footage under Fair Use.

The trains in Tokyo sometimes move quite fast, depending on their schedules, and I mistook this local train for an express because it looked to be approaching a bit "hot and heavy." However, it was the one I was waiting for and it began to break hard to stop for passengers. It was also a rainy, chilly day. There is also a crossing nearby.

The underground subway train pulls into the Shin-Sakuradai Station in Nerima City, Tokyo, on December 19th, 2020.

I decided to hang out at Tokiwadai Station in Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo, Japan yesterday with my old Canon T3i and record some of the trains coming in, going out, and buzzing by. If you like trains like I do, then perhaps you might enjoy this -- especially if you haven't been to Japan, don't live around trains, or don't get to use them. In this video are two things I challenge you to find: 1) there is a man laid over on one of the seats, sleeping, and 2) there is a young woman with really nice legs! Can you find them? Hmm... There is no commentary or music -- just limited editing of different shots with the original audio. I hope you enjoy!

I wandered from the station to Hibiya Park where I braved a massive crowd of people to get lovely scenes from the 2020 Tokyo Christmas Market. It was my first time there -- and my first time at a German-style Christmas Market -- so I didn't know what to expect. The place was packed even though they were limiting the flow of people inside due to virus concerns, but I was able to weave my way around the people and get out with some really nice shots. The first part of the video has a lot of shots outside of the main event, and ends right about the time I get to the part where I shoot the interior. I hope you like both. I used a Canon T3i/600d/Kiss X5 with the kit lens, so nothing particularly special there. I installed MagicLantern firmware and adjust the bitrate so I could get better image quality. No tripod or gimbal/steadicam was used -- just the in-lens stabilizer with hand focus. Lightly edited in Premiere Pro with 20% increase in sharpness and some mild Lumetri color dropped on and tweaked. I adjusted no brightness whatsoever -- did that on the fly on-cam! Merry Christmas from Tokyo and I hope you enjoy! Please like, share, subscribe, comment, and send the love! Canon in D Major by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3473-canon-in-d-major License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Canon In D For Two Harps by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/6959-canon-in-d-for-two-harps License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

I broke out my old Canon T3i camera to shoot around Roppongi in Tokyo, primarily to capture a popular street known for its Christmastime illuminations. I start this video shortly out of the subway station nearby and included a little footage between there and the illumination street, which also has a few shots of the raised pedestrian area near the Mori Art Museum, Toho Cinema, etc. The middle of the video is mostly all the lighted street and some of its shops, and near the end of the video I included some shots around TV Asahi and the buildings nearby before wrapping it up with some final shots of the street's lights. I'm happy to be able to shoot these and plan to do several more of the illuminations this year. I appreciate your patience with the quality of the dark scenes, as the low-light abilities of this camera are not, well, "famous." I look forward to upgrading my camera and editing setup so that I can share a much more authentic and realistic viewing experience, as well as new films. Thank you so much for viewing. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to donate a camera, coin, or computer! Wish Background Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

An up-close, cool shot of an express Tokyo train in Japan as it barrels through the train crossing in Itabashi, Tokyo. This is near Tokiwadai Station. You can hear the warning signal sounds and train noise as it passes, as well as see the lights, train, and crossing arms. It's very cool and I like trains very much!

On Sunday night, December 6th, I walked to Tokyu Plaza in Omotesando, Harajuku in Tokyo to shoot the lovely amber illuminations outside of Starbucks, on the 6th floor. Although I've been up there several times, I have never been there late during this time of year. I walked around and filmed anything that looked nice or interesting, and saw that not only is it a great area to relax with a date in a romantic atmosphere, but it also has some dark areas where people seem to enjoy a little PDA! (Public displays of affection). The video ends with a couple of short clips I shot with my phone while walking in Shinjuku, but 90% of the video is the rooftop illumination area itself. I shot this video with my old Canon T3i/600D/Kiss X5 camera, using Magic Lantern at a 1.5x bit rate (.5 faster than normal). The kit lens was used, as it has at least a little stabilization, and all focusing had to be done by hand as I walked around (it doesn't have any auto-focusing capability). I was able to upscale this to 4K in premiere and after coloring and editing it, I think it came out rather nice! I can say that I'm much happier with this result than I was with the one I shot recently in Roppongi (which you can view here, if you like: https://youtu.be/eb7L5D1gnzs ). The entire video is handheld because I forgot my tripod, but after arriving and seeing there were quite a few people around, I think it was probably the best choice. I may have come off as too invasive or even asked to not film so "formally." I can say that, while the stabilization is far from perfect, I am definitely happy with what I was able to accomplish with this little old camera. I can only imagine what it will look like when I get my hands on a 6K HDR camera with a great lens, awesome stabilization, and beautiful nighttime shooting abilities! Last note: I accidentally messed up the ending title, which says "Thank you for watchinz," where the 'g' was changed to a 'z.' I was going to re-render it with the corrected form, but decided that it was kind of funny so I left it in. I hope you enjoy! Revival Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Tokyo Trains are quite famous inside and outside of Japan, and I never get tired of filming them. This one is located on the Shinjuku Subway Line. You can see the flashing "train coming" sign, but I think it's a bit odd because the location and height of the warning is situated so that most people cannot see it! (I can see it because I am tall -- 6'2" or 188 cm). A rare error in Japanese design.

Disclaimer: I shot this video with my phone and it appears that the auto stabilizer is causing some strange anomalies in the footage. I apologize if it bothers you. I still felt like the footage should be shared since it's a special, one-of-a-kind event. Thank you for understanding. Recently Meiji Shrine had its 100th enshrinement anniversary event over the weekend of October 31st. I walked around there for a couple of hours and shot some of it with my phone for those who would like an experience that would be similar to just walking around. There's no commentary -- just low audio and some very light piano. I hope you enjoy it. Relaxing Piano Music by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4273-relaxing-piano-music License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In Tokyo, two stray cats approached me while I was on my way home from the supermarket one night. The first one to come out was orange, and the black one came out shortly after. They didn't seem to care too much for each other, but they really wanted me to pet them! The night before, I had a dream that a large, orange cat came to me to be petted. Interesting?

A recent, crisp day in Tokyo, Japan, where the amazingly blue sky and puffy white clouds really stood out so I decided to share it. So many days in Tokyo with great sky views -- clouds, sunsets, and sunrises!

Do you like capsule toy machines for manga and anime-related stuff? It's possible to find some other things in there as well, such as Disney figures, dinosaurs, small "food," and more! These are quite popular all over Japan and people love to look through them. Some of these items can actually cost $5 each! This represents one of the big problems with living in a place like Tokyo: there is always something you can buy! Best to get rich first ;)

No music, no talking, just 8 minutes or so of natural audio and video in the Lumine shopping area of the Ikebukuro Train Station, West Entrance.

While spending the day in Osaka for Christmas, I got to treat of hearing my favorite Christmas song performed by a Japanese choir outside of the Osaka Aquarium. With it being Christmas and there being many lights set up, it sure was a strong holiday spirit and I enjoyed it quite much. Looking forward to Nara and hitting Kyoto again. Osaka is a nice place!

I recently tweaked my Canon T3i's settings using the Magic Lantern firmware in an effort to get the best performance I could. This video represents clips from my first shoot after changing the settings, including a stroll to a small park in Itabashi, parts of the neighborhood, and a small glimpse of Ikebukuro in Toshima. The main change I made to my camera was in the bit rate, which I tried to keep maxed out at 3 bits (normally the default is 1-bit). I was able to use this setting most of the time, except for when there was a lot of brightness in the shot, which would cause the recording to end quickly. I only used two lenses, including the standard kit lens (18-55mm) for all of the shots up until it got dark, and the f1.8 Canon prime lens for all of the nighttime shots, including those in Ikebukuro. I noticed again something about the cheap f1.8 that I don't like much, which is the "blooming" affect that it gives from the lights in the image. It does do a better job and nabbing some extra light that the kit lens doesn't, but sadly it just doesn't have the same build quality. Having just fixed a "hot pixel" in my camera, my main goal was to figure out if shooting my next feature film was actually doable with the T3i. After all, right now I'm unable to spend much money on a film, so anywhere I can trim the budget is welcome. One of the things I decided to do was upscale the video to a 4K widescreen format, which I intended to upload here -- no matter how bad it was. However, after checking out the one and a half hour footage after scaling and before coloring, I have to say that I was already feeling like impressed by the results. There are definitely some areas of the video where the noise creeps in and strange elements affect the darkened areas (not to mention the oddities of the f1.8 lens as well), but I decided to leave this in for reference AND, most importantly, I have to say that I actually feel great about what I shot two days ago. The effort I put in to understanding my camera better and utilizing it, primarily with the help of Magic Lantern and Premiere, has really taught me a lot about how to get the most out of your equipment and what missing elements could be of practically irreplaceable value while making a movie. I can only imagine how this video would've turned out using a low-light beast with RAW capabilities, high-bit recording, excellent dynamic range, and a high-quality lens. Magic Lantern offered me the ability to record RAW files with my T3i using its settings, but unfortunately the write speed of the camera isn't fast enough to utilize this feature for even 2K, much less 4K. I opted for maximizing it for 3-bit recording instead and never bumped the ISO over 800, so before you go griping about the noise and artifacts you see, trust me: I'm already well-aware! Now, after this test, I'm thinking that even though this camera is not the low-light beast I hope to have one day, it truly is capable of making a feature film with the right tools, including a super nice lens upgrade, proper lighting, a proper monitor, and a well-planned shoot. That's all for now, I hope you enjoy what you see. I recorded no sound so I could keep the bit rate as high as possible for the video, but I did drop in some nice piano arrangements by Kevin MaCleod. You can check out his royalty-free music over at https://incompetech.com/music. Thank you for watching! Music used with permission: Parting of the Ways - Part 1 by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4195-parting-of-the-ways---part-1 License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Parting of the Ways - Part 2 by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4196-parting-of-the-ways---part-2 License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The question seems all-too-common for many of us: “Why do we get stuck, no matter what we try or how many times we try?” After some of my own recent setbacks, I have been working to pull myself out of a funk and get my head back on straight. I realized that I'd lost sight of some of the most important advice I've ever received from one of the best books I've ever read: 'The Science of Getting Rich' by Wallace Wattles. Near the end of this video, I repeat the mantra for you three times so you can let it really sink in – and so you can come back and listen to it again and again until you've got it memorized. As always, I hope this helps you in some positive way and I wish you a great life. Like, Share, and Subscribe if you feel my content is valuable. Follow me on Instagram for more from my life in Japan: https://www.instagram.com/benglishtea/ Music: "Elf Meditation" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ #stuck #visualize #changemylife

Recently, there was a sudden, strong rain for a couple of hours and I decided to do what any normal person would: grab a DSLR and an umbrella to go film some of it. Nothing pro about what I was trying to do, and it was quite a challenge to operate the camera with one hand while holding the umbrella an d battling the wind with the other. Not only that, my umbrella was small and I managed to get quite wet in the process. However, it was nice to go out and shoot something, regardless of how so-so the footage is. I used my old Canon T3i and the stock lens, without any image stabilization. I apologize for the shakiness of the video -- it would've been much better if I'd been able to use two hands and hadn't been battling the wind. Hope you enjoy it anyway. Music pieces by Kevin MacLeod, used with permission. "Virtutes Instrumenti" and "Virtutes Vocis" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

An electric violinist and keyboardist played for the crowd at the yearly festive Tokyo Christmas Market in Hibiya Park, Tokyo, Japan in December 2020.

What did Shibuya "Scramble" Crossing in Tokyo look like prior to Halloween 2020? A little like this! I recorded this on October 12th, 2020, on my way to meet some friends -- about 19 days before Halloween. You can see that although not as packed as it would've been last year, it is still quite a bit of people.

There is an outdoor terrace on top of a building in Miyashita Park, Shibuya, Tokyo, where you can walk to get a look over the Shibuya area skyline. It's not high up, but doesn't have to be because most of the buildings aren't very tall. Inside, there are several places to eat, including a Panda Express, even! haha