Two images from Pixabay

Two images from the image aggravation site Pixabay downloaded and put into my iMovie program. In the program, I was able to make the camera pan down the leafs of the tree and expand into the tree using what is known as the Ken Burns Effect. Much more could be done in Final Cut Pro or other film editing software out there. I added the title at the beginning and faded into our logo at the end.

I sorted all the audio in my library of iMovie (tied into my entire music library on my computer) to the 50 second time to match the two images. The music of DJ Day, a DJ at a popular hotel in Palm Springs when we lived in the Palm Desert area from his song “Qualude” just a perfect 52 seconds long. I used to play his album with this song on it when we lived out there for a few years. For me, it pulls the whole piece together so well. Of course another example of synchronicity in this operation. The piece and the two images matched up perfectly it seemed. DJ Day’s music was the most amazing coming out from anywhere for me. Especially, out of the desert of southern California.

The contrasting images: a video of a leaf and tree branch and an illustration of a fantasy art tree. Not much really but simply a test of putting two video images from Pixabay together into a basic film editing program. I’ve been a subscriber and registered user of Pixabay and got an email yesterday listing their best content creators of 2024. In various categories. I have spent a good amount of time looking around the site in the past few days. There is so much to see. I was amazed at the ease of downloading videos and putting them into a film. Royalty free. And posting to YouTube.

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A little after the turn of this century, I wrote an article titled Electric Symbols. It was about the idea that words were really symbols and that now – with this new concept like Google – had the ability to monitor these symbols, watch the ups and downs of words, for the first time. What were the fastest rising words? The quickest declining? The relationship of leading words to products in culture. To advertising.

The article saw publication in the prestigious journal First Monday. I have little idea how it was published by such a journal and even less idea how I came to write it at the time.

Anyway, I wonder if there is any connection with this article at this time in my life? Some type of synchronicity perhaps? I wrote an interesting article on Google’s promise as a symbol indicator that was first published in 2003 in First Monday and got an invitation to visit the VP of Publicity of the youthful Google in Mountain View. It’s good to see First Monday still publishing (stuff I can’t understand but know is important).

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In so some ways, Pixabay reminds me of Google. But the question is whether a multi-media aggravation site has value as a media source today. I would argue that it could have a very different value if it created films and stories with the multi-media images on its content. And, if it does, is Pixabay the leader in this area?

Perhaps one of the best things to do is simply shut up and produce something that is interesting and engaging and informative and emotional and romantic and loving and from the heart. One can have a l to of ideas and try to explain them to others. But the best way is to show them the ideas in action.