DANCE-OFF PROMO VIDEO #4

Travis and I were in the latest (and final) Dance Off Promo video. All the students saw it today. It is pretty funny if I do say so myself. The Dance Off was after school today and Mel and the kiddies came to check it out. It was a lot of fun. Our students are way talented. You should come next year. Seriously. You should.

Dance Off Promo #1

I made this video for school. It is going to be shown to all of the classes next week. Enjoy!

DVHS Video Production

This school year has flown by. The first semester ended on Friday and it always seems like the second semester goes by a lot faster than the first. That means summer is just around the corner. Video Production class has been both a headache and a joy, depending on the day. Here is a link to the DVHS Vimeo channel and a few of the video highlights from the year thus far.

For this project the students were given actual movie scripts that they had to story board and film.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

17 Again

For this project (their semester 1 final), the students were given really vague plot points and they were asked to write a script, create story boards and film a 2-5 minute short film.

These students were given the following plot point - a doctor delivers some bad news. They have some audio issues that need resolving but the video is pretty funny.

A PSA for the Sports Medicine class.

A music video. "Brass Monkey" by the Beastie Boys.

Shaving can feel like losing a friend...

Shaving one's beard can be like losing a friend. Deej knows this all too well.

Dan Gillette bet his wife that he could go 6 months (until the end of 2009) without shaving. He won. Today he shaved his beard. My father and I have also experienced such a loss. Video proof can be seen below.

Deej's day of reckoning.

Removing my baby boy beard.

My father shaving his mustache.

Buddy the Elf 2009

A couple weeks ago the MSM continued its tradition of making middle school students puke and leaders cringe during our annual Buddy the Elf night at thEvent. Enjoy.

Christmas Weddings

I finished editing Justin & Mandie and Chis & Ashley's wedding DVDs for Christmas. Here are some clips from the festivities.

Chris & Ashley's Wedding @ the Pine's (dance sequence).


Justin & Mandie's Wedding @ Ardenwood Farms in Fremont (vows and pictures).

Tacky Sweater 2009!

Last night we had our annual Tacky Sweater Party. This year's rendition was a success indeed. Among other things, I debuted my new Christmas movie. Borrowing from such film pioneers as Frank Capra and John Hughes, I infused the charming tale of young Queesenthal with as many Christmasmovieesque details as I could muster. The intro scenes with the titling came out particularly well. Here it is.

A captive audience!

As far as the party itself, I asked Rob Willson a couple weeks ago if he would be willing to illustrate a backdrop on a bed sheet for pictures. He said he could. He called me the day before the party (Tuesday) and said he would be coming over at 8pm and that our backdrop may be more ambitious that we initially intended. He asked he if could stay late. We said yes. What ensued can only be described as a combination of overzealous artistic brilliance and insanity. Instead of a sheet, he brought sheetrock and 2 by 4's. Over the next 5 hours he created the masterpiece that you see below. When Tate woke up in the morning, he walked outside and said "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. There's Frosty!" He loved it. There are a ton of pictures on Facebook but I posted some highlights below. Justin brought his lighting equipment and took gaggles of pictures on our freezing back patio.

The Process

The Inspiration

Frosty's sweater is inspired by Charlies sweater, that Sally made last year.


One of my favorite pics from the evening. Well done Tont and Lauren! Wedding slideshow material for sure!

Charlie and Sarah's Engagement

Charlie and Sarah's Engagement Video (Full Version) from dan bowen on Vimeo.

Charlie popped the question to Sarah on Saturday. Naturally, I called this a long time ago. the doubters and skeptics said it would not happen. All the while, D-Bo believed. It was a fun day surrounded by friends and perfect weather in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Here are some pictures from the day as well as the video I shot and edited.

Light Parades and Light Sabers

I am starting to get the hang of my new camera. It can be tedious shooting with a DSLR (it's an awkward shape for shooting video) but it allows me to get shots I couldn't otherwise get with another camera. This is part 1 of a Christmas montage that I will continue to add to. This segment features footage from last weekend's Christmas parade in downtown Pleasanton. We (Mel, Tate, and I) watched the parade from the street in the 30 degree weather and then went to the Moog's house and had pizza. Tate and Addie had a light saber battle that Addie ultimately won. It was a fun evening.

Christmas Time (Part 1) from dan bowen on Vimeo.

On Monday I will be shooting a Christmas movie with the help of world reknown actors Alex Rapine, my brother, Deej, Kyle Clark and more. Look for it to hit a web browser near you, by Christmas.

The Day I Betrayed Myself (In a moment of weakness, one can find strength)

Matt's betrayal was easy to swallow. Shaun's shaving, though weak and misguided, was permissible by most accounts. Charles' insubordination, though passive aggressive and slightly hedonistic, was at best, disheartening. I was even okay when Tony and Justin trimmed up. But this??? How could I have seen this coming. In a moment of self-realization, an inner conflict that I had been toiling through came to a head. Is my manhood, and more importantly, my role as a father, personified in the reddish follicles that carpet my cheeks? At one point I may have said yes and then in the next breath denied the very thought. I heard rumors that Deej would shave on Sunday. The enemy had taken him as well. What was I to do? Carry on this chauvinistic, testosterone-laden quest as my fellow comrades fell, one by one. I thought I could. I mean, I really tried, but ultimately even I came up short. I became what I hated. The video below will better display the struggle that I am failing to clearly articulate:

October 17th: Similar to November 17th, except my baby isn't here yet

Just as the multi-colored leaves of autumn have become more prevalent in the past week or so, so too has the vast spectrum of colors in my beloved beard. Ranging from deep reds, rich midnight blacks, wheat tinged blonds, to granite-colored wispy whites, the follicles on my face have begun to take over. I can't take a drink without sharing it with my chin. I can't take a bite without leaving a bit on my upper lip. This wouldn't be that big of a deal except I generally am unaware of the food residue until much time has passed. The good news is that *********** will be here soon and I will get to shave! Mel's last day of school is Friday and her/our/his baby shower is on Sunday and then it's all downhill from there!

Here is a clip from Ashlee Valett's (now O'Neal) wedding that I shot at the end of the summer.

A Day Over 25 Years in the Making

Sunday was Father's Day. This day held special significance to me for a number of reasons. Number one: I got to spend time with my family which is always a treat. Number two: Sunday was my first Father's Day as an almost father. That has to be worth something. However, the number three reason of significance was by far, the most significant.
In 1980, Fuddruckers was established, Whole Foods was incorporated, the space shuttle was invented, and my dad began growing his mustache. All of these items are important and worthy of mention, however, in my household and in the homes of those I love, few inventions or landmarks hold a candle to my father's mustache. In fact, since my birth and the subsequent birth of my younger, olive-skinned, brother, a razor has never even skimmed the follicles secured north of my father's lip. He didn't want to shave it and, more importantly, my mom would not let him. All of this came to pass on Sunday.
The pressure came slowly. Gradually increasing in persistence and measure, my brother, my wife, and various friends and family, began encouraging my father to shave off the stash, insisting the time had come for a change. At first he was worried, cried even. Then, little by little, he began to break. I saw it first in his eyes. A little glimmer of hope. The chance to finally evade the Borat-impersonator persona. You could see a little thought bubble appear above his head each time he saw a razor, picturing a day without looking like a guy with one of those sunglasses/nose/mustache disguises on. He could have a fresh start, a younger, hipper, more dapper him. And then, all of a sudden, on the eve of his 5oth year on this planet (over half of which living with the mustache), he was ready for the shave. The documentary below depicts the monumental moment, and those leading up to it, in all its glory.

Mandie and Melissa giggled, cried, and screamed as he shaved it. It was like we were all sharing a sacred moment together. Justin and I are still adjusting to our new father. It feels like we don't even know him anymore. My mom wasn't too happy about the new look. She prefers her man to have a stash, but few can argue that the man looks a good (and I mean good) 10 years younger. His mom (my grandma) stood up, hooted, hollered, and clapped at her son's new look. She said, and I quote, "I have my son back." Oh the baggage that that facial hair carried. He said that he is going to keep it shaved until at least his 50th birthday, July 11th, at which point he will re-evaluate his new found self and decide what the future of his face will be. Let's hope he chooses well.

Melissa and I are going on the staff retreat today for VBC staff. That was redundant. Anyway, I just finished editing the Immanuel Mission promotional video that I filmed back in December on the Navajo Reservation. If you have been on a mission trip to Arizona before you will like this video (I hope). It shows what the mission looks like in the winter and when school is in session. Let me know what you think. I am still tinkering with it and have not delivered the final copy to the people at Immanuel yet so if there is anything that you think should be changed or added let me know so I can make the proper adjustments.

After I finish this video I am going to start working on the Ukraine Orphanage Project so I will keep you posted. Kosonom.