While not technically a diary, in the sense most diaries on the site are anyway, I’m giving thought to starting a “video diary” of sorts, with fun mash-up projects and such, over the course of the season.  I’ll prepare the video and give explanations of what I was thinking when I put it together.  I’m not sure what I’m going to do or use, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something.  If you have any suggestions, or ideas, feel free to post them in the comments.  Now, without further ado … onto the entry:

After all the positive feedback from the “Ohio State Inception” Mashup, I felt that I needed to do something bigger for my next video.  This logically led to one conclusion – a hype video. 

Now, my opinion of what a hype video should be may differ slightly from others, particularly the “Better Son, Better Daughter” videos (which I LOVED, don’t get me wrong), but I think a hype video should be so incredibly grand and awe-inspiring that you have nothing but goosebumps at the end.  In that vein, I was watching a particularly grand and epic blockbuster the other day, and I heard a speech that has from the time I heard it, been a particular favorite of mine … and it all just clicked together. 

I won’t spoil it for you, and I’ll stop boring you with words and just say …

… here’s my submission for a Michigan Football Hype Video 2011.

For App Users:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzHGdhdKxVk

Initially, just FYI - I wouldn’t expect this kind of quick turn-around from me between videos in the future.  I’ve been home-sick with the flu all week, and this was an outlet for my boredom.  All in-all, this took about 20+ hours to put together, though at least 6-7 of that was downloading videos.

Also, as I’m all for giving credit where credit is due, many thanks to Brian, shortsgoblue, and all those who’ve contributed to the original hype videos that came before this one.  They certainly served as the genesis for my own contribution and mine certainly wouldn’t have come about without them.  Additionally, kudos to everyone on YouTube who has so meticulously catalogued Michigan football highlights, specifically WolverinesHistorian and parkinggod, as well as all of those people who put together hype videos of their own, as clips were borrowed from a great many sources.  The nature of such a project as this is collaborative by default, given the limited material we all have to work with, so I do appreciate the efforts of others on their own videos. 

The speech, if you didn't know, is from "Armageddon" by none-other-than Mr. Michael Bay. It's the speech the president gives before the astronauts blast off to go fight the asteroid.  The clip can be seen here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_sUlupV48I

Now, a word about the music, as this is always the key subject matter for discussion aside from the actual video itself.  As I said above, I wanted grandeur and spectacle for my hype video, hence the “over-the-top” anthem I chose from 30 Seconds to Mars.  I love the grandiose-nature of their music (having used it for my “Movies in Action 2011” Mashup I posted a month or so ago), and I felt that it fit very well with the video I was trying to make.  Also, if you’ll go and read the lyrics (http://www.lyricskid.com/lyrics/30-seconds-to-mars-lyrics/vox-populi-lyrics.html) I think you’ll find they fit this season better than you’d think. 

I tried to make a video equivalent to what I think this season represents – namely reclamation of things we’ve forgotten these past few years and an attempt to recapture an old identity.  This is why there are so many references to the past tied into the video itself.  I wasn’t a RichRod basher or anything like that, and I’m all for more creative offenses, but there’s something inexplicably comforting about a return to past glory and having someone in place who we all know respects that past as if it was his own blood.  That’s why this video had to be so epic, because I just can’t escape that feeling that something epic is just around the corner.

Until then … hopefully this video keeps a sense of “epic” alive over the summer months, a summer when recruiting has abnormally slowed to a crawl, and we’re all on the edge of our seats counting down the days until the season kicks off.  Hope everyone enjoyed the video.

Cheers.

EDIT:  Also, just FYI, a poster below made this point and I wanted to make sure I wasn't making myself "look to good" by taking credit for someone's work, but the "over laid" visual effects, like Denard's running highlights on a stadium wall, old fans in a new stadium, and the old players over the new block M, those were all from an ESPN special and an award winning student-produced film on Michigan football called "Michigan Stadium - A Timeless Tradition" respectively that were used in another 2011 hype video.  I didn't do those myself, unfortunately. 

Here's the link to the student short:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Yg0x3gwB0