Most of us pull out the trusty video camera for the standard occasions: birthdays, weddings, Christmas, and stuff like that. It’s always nice to chronicle those big moments, especially when you incorporate our tips to make watching them even more enjoyable. But if your video camera only sees the light of day during major events and holidays, it is being sorely underutilized as a device for escaping adulthood! Here are some home movie ideas to try the next time your inner Spielberg awakens:
1) A Day in the Life Of… Again, everybody films the major events of life. But what about the everyday occurrences? Why not make some movies involving cutting the grass, making dinner, washing the car, cleaning the house, or eating breakfast. Now, this may seem like a snoozefest (and we don’t recommend shooting hours and hours of this stuff), but we remember people most in their everyday settings. In the long run, short candid clips of the everyday will have the most meaning.
2) Family Storyteller. Everybody has one or two people in their family who are particularly good story or joke tellers. At the next family gathering, record their greatest hits. What a treasure to have some of Uncle Larry’s classic jokes or Grandma Emma’s timeless yarns on tape for future generations to enjoy.
3) Music Video. Remember when MTV played actual videos? Those days may be long gone, but there’s nothing saying you can’t make your own. Get a few friends or family members together and have everyone pick out their favorite song. Then grab some props, get into costume, and rock out! This is also a perfect opportunity to use some of those crazy special effects hidden in your video editor.
4) It’s a Dog’s Life. Pet lovers, why not film your pet in his or her everyday setting, doing things like eating, sleeping, and playing. Be creative and include shots from your pet’s point of view. For an extra dollop of fun, dub in your own voice as the pet’s inner thought process.
5) Pie Fight. This one might work better outdoors. Get a few dozen pie shells and plenty of whip cream. Launch the first pie at a family picnic and film the craziness as it ensues. Water balloons are also a fine substitute. In post production, you can add in a couple of announcers calling the play-by-play and doing color commentary of the melee.
6) Claymation. If you’re the patient and creative type, try your hand at a simple stop-motion animation using some figures made of Play-Doh. Just record a series of single frames, with each frame showing a subtle movement. Here is a great tutorial on making your own stop-motion masterpiece.
7) Magic Show. Have everyone in your family learn and perform a magic trick. Go all out and get dressed up, and come up with great stage names, like the Amazing Fran, or the Great Loudini.
8) As Seen On TV. This one is great with kids. Have them put together short, impromptu commercials. Have them sell your car, dish detergent, a breakfast cereal or their favorite stuffed animal.
Of course, it’s hard to beat a good old fashioned snowball fight when it comes to getting the heart rate up and burning some calories. We highly recommend at least one slingfest per year. (Just make sure you’re not using ice balls.) Here are a few more untraditional games you can play in the snow:
Build the Biggest Snowball
Break up into teams of two or three apiece. The goal of each team is to roll the BIGGEST* snowball. The end comes when the teams can no longer physically roll their snowball (or you run out of snow.)
Snowman Ambush
Once you have those big “snowballs” created, you can assemble them into a plump, happy snowman. It’s always fun to accessorize him (or her) with some household items like carrots, buttons, pipes, and sunglasses. You can add to the activity level by topping your creation off with a hat that you try and toss Frisbee style from several yards away. Or…
If you have a more “destructive” inner child, take turns pummeling Frosty by throwing snowballs (or real Frisbees) at him. Perhaps the goal is to see how long it takes to turn your creation into something that looks like a Picasso creation. Pretend he’s your boss and you can release even more stress. (Unless your boss is one of those rare, Adultitis-free types, of course.)
Snow Football
The Super Bowl is usually in a sunny locale, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the pigskin fun just because you live in a snowy climate. Find an open place to play — a backyard or nearby park will do. With some spray bottles filled with a water and food coloring mixture, mark out a large rectangular area to serve as the playing field. The teams line up at opposite ends of the field for the kickoff. When someone on the receiving team catches the ball, they try to advance across the other team’s goal line by running with it or passing it to a teammate. Play stops if the player is tagged by an opponent or slides out of bounds. The play then resumes on the spot. Each team gets four tries to score a touchdown or the ball goes to the other team.
*Send us a picture of you next to your giant snowball, and we’ll make it worth your while!
In this episode, brought to you from studio 315 in Madison, Wisconsin, we talk about new changes to the show, the pros and cons of “staycations,” and share 5 totally fun (and extremely cheap) things to do with the rest of your summer. Just click “Play” to listen to the show, or you can subscribe to the show with iTunes…
Show Notes…
• The Year of the Staycation (News Examiner-Enterprise)
• Paying the Price For Your Staycation (BloggingStocks.com)
• Staycation, schmaycation. Try these instead (LA Times)
• Cool Thing: Cool Jewels
• Show Music: Coyote Sleeps by Ethan Elkind
• Show Length: 31 minutes, 47 seconds
• Shout Outs: Thanks to Judy Irené for the cool e-mail!
• Feedback: We’d love to hear your thoughts! Add a comment below, e-mail us, or give us a jingle at 608-554-0803.
Annihilate the Adultitis in your life. A handy full-color guide featuring all 40 Escape Plan challenges. Perfect for printing so you can keep yourself on task even if you don’t have access to a computer. 10 pages.
–>Download (3.3 MB)
