Welcome to the ChappyShowcase BlogSpot

Please enjoy an eclectic diversity of content and subjects created by Matt Chapman. This blog page gives more in depth detail and cool anecdotes pertaining to each video, film, or perhaps something else completely. On top of that, you will find info about the online video making paradigm, production, post-production and more. ChappyShowcase has content channels all over the web. All links for each channel are located for your convenience at a click of the button. Be sure to check the blog regularly to be updated on what is happening with Growing Up Guide Pup, ChappyShowcase, and GurillaTV. Or, better yet, subscribe to one of the RSS feeds so every new post is automatically emailed to you. Enjoy...and remember, keep that camera rollin!

Search This Blog

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 44 - Airplane

It took us a long time to get Ricki ready for travel. Amie felt Ricki was not ready when we traveled back in May of this year, but now she seemed ready. All sorts of things have to be in order before we consider flying with a pup. Our dog has to have awesome relieving habits, our dog has to be calm, our dog has to be able to handle curve balls that we can't anticipate, and our dog has to reach a level of maturity that gives us confidence that the adventure will work out. Ricki performed beyond our expectations. Even though the weather was bad both days we flew , Ricki handled it great. In the video we mention the delay on the air flight home. Well we also had a delay in the terminal leaving to Santa Ana. So between both flights, Ricki had an additional 3 hours to deal with on top of the the normal routine traveling stuff. Great job Ricki and here is our latest.


Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 43 - Xmas Tree Farm

Ricki and Eli rarely get to go out and do something fun together. Dogs are not allowed at most places we take Ricki for our outings, but a tree farm was a great exception. We had a lot of fun. Amie and I really experimented with our training of the dogs, as well as the approach to how we shoot the show. I loved putting a camera on the tree and watching it timber. Growing Up Guide Pup is my petri dish of camera experimentation.

I'm in LA right now writing this blog. We just finished our big travel from SF to LA. Ricki is exhausted sleeping on the ground next to me. She really handled traveling well so stay tuned for the next episode. It is going to be really great. Airport traveling awesomeness.

So Ricki turns 1 years old tomorrow. I can't believe it. Our little pup is growing so fast. Pretty soon she will be going back to school for her formal training. Won't that be exciting. The next several weeks should be a lot of fun, and packed with more content than normal to celebrate her first birthday. We are going to release a birthday special episode, and perhaps an additional behind the scenes video for the first time.

Thanks for your support.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 42- Puppy Swap

This week was a little crazy. Ricki was requested by Guide Dogs to join Lester on a trip to the campus the day we went to the parade. We had plans on taking Ricki and had to come up a solution quickly. Big thanks to our puppy leader Robin for getting us Cash for the day. Also a big thanks to Cash's family for lending us the goofy guy.

In hindsight it was really good. Ricki got to be around another handler, and we got to raise awareness about puppy swapping. We have been talking about doing it for awhile, so in the end it all worked out.

Here is our latest:

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 41 - Ricki Chat

We are always getting great questions from our fans on youtube. Although we answer many of the questions on there, we have always wanted to provide more for our audience. This has been a big struggle for us in the past. We have squeezed a question in every few episodes, but it has never really been enough in our opinion.

This week we thought we would experiment and dedicate a whole episode to just answering questions. The idea I had was to just show Amie, Ricki, and Eli as themselves. Keep the production and editing to a minimum and give a sneek peek into our lives that feels different that the other videos. Hence the birth of "Ricki Chat". It is a ever evolving thing, and more work needs to be done with it, but our first attempt is below.


Thursday, November 18, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 40 - Squirrel Distractions

Amie nailed it on the head when we shot the main this week. We have 4-6 more months before Ricki will either go back to school for formal training or not. We are doing what we can to prepare her, but right now it's a guess with whether or not she will be ready. Guide Dogs For the Blind will ultimately make that determination, and also decide whether she will go back for training at all. We think she has a good chance because she has that quality inside of her that aims to please. That is something you cannot teach a dog. They either have a personality like that, or they don't. Eli doesn't have that quality. He wants to do what he wants when he wants and he doesn't care if he is pleasing us. In fact, he enjoys doing just the opposite so he can get a rise out of us.

Our new episode was shot at central park in San Mateo. It is a great place for training. We wanted to take Ricki to the Japanese
Garden over there, but they were closing the doors right when we arrived. Maybe we will show it in a future episode. Thanks to everyone for your continual support.


Thursday, November 11, 2010

Growing up Guide Pup - Week 39 - Film Festival

This week was really cool. We were able to go to a film festival, and represent what we do as puppy raisers. Everyone wanted to know about Ricki, and had lots of questions. The most common question I got was "How do you give them up?". Ricki is our 10th dog now, and I really feel like you need to raise several before things can be put into perspective. Answering such a question is really easy for me now. When you see how much guide dogs can change the lives of their visually impaired partners, it really is not even a question how do you give them up, but how can you not give them up. It is very rewarding to do something nice for humanity, and I really like that our series also can demonstrate that giving back is cool. I personally feel that we should see more of this sort of thing in our county because it would make it a better place to live. We can all be so wrapped up in our own lives sometimes.

Our series was in the web series category at the festival. We didn't win first prize, but it really doesn't matter. I feel like we were winners getting to spread the message and meet some great people from the entertainment industry. Thanks for showing your support.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Growing up Guide Pup - Week 38 - Dog Park

We love thinking of creative ways to help train Ricki. This episode is a perfect example of that. We have not found a better way to expose our dogs to lots of dogs in a controlled environment. Luckily we have lots of dog parks in the Bay Area. I don't know if it is like this everywhere, but it should be. We went to Seal Point Park in San Mateo. They did a great job of converting what was once a landfill to something great for the community. The views are amongst the best in the Bay Area too.

Please continue showing us your support by subscribing on youtube, becoming a fan on face book, and telling everyone about what we are doing.
Thanks

Friday, October 29, 2010

Growing up Guide Pup - Week 37 - Halloween Party

It seems like such a long time ago since we started this series. I was confident that we would be able to pull this off, but never could be sure. When we first started, I told Amie to be prepared to go the long haul on this project. We have been raising dogs for over eight years now, and we were not nervous about our knowledge of the subject and how it would reflect. However, we were nervous about creating a format that could keep the subject interesting and have longevity. I feel pretty strong that our episodic approach on the internet was the perfect medium for such a idea. Short form content with a weekly release seemed smart. Well I can happily report that we are now on the radar of the entertainment industry. Our world premiere is on November 6th, and the festival director chose Week 29 as the episode to screen. This is the episode where we went to Pier 39 and introduced Seth and Bamboo. It is one of my personal favorites and a great episode because it has it all. Information, training, Bay Area personality, and amazing partnership between guide and partner. Fingers crossed for good things to come. Below our latest week is a encore of week 29.

Week 37:


Week 29:

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Growing up Guide Pup - Week 36 - Pumpkin Festival

This week turned into a dog distraction episode. It was weird. Even though there were posters that said "No Dogs Allowed" everywhere, no one was listening. People had dogs everywhere. The police were all around and they were not doing anything about it? Go figure? It certainly made for a good training session for Ricki.

This episode is shorter than normal because we didn't do very much filming. Ricki just had surgery the other day and we have been letting her rest. Enjoy our latest.


Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 35 - Paramount Great America

This week was a lot of fun. How many people get to bring their dog to an amusement park? It was hearing about outings like this one which we found so appealing when we first starting raising dogs. All the cool places you get to take these dogs can't be beat. We pretty much take Ricki everywhere we can and jumped at the opportunity to take her to Great America.

Our audience is growing at a snail pace, people keep asking us if we are going to take on another dog after Ricki for a Season 2. My heart says yes, but my mind says no. We have been trying really hard to build an audience so that we can get the show to sustain itself with sponsors some day. Our viewership and subscribers have a lot to be desired and are not nearly enough. We have to put three days a week into each episode. From planning, to filming, to editing, to distribution...it is a lot of work. We are not looking to break the bank, but we are going to need to figure out a way to make some money to pay for all the work eventually. So please encourage people to watch, and subscribe to our youtube channel as well as become a fan on facebook. Hopefully this will get much better in the future, as it is crucial for us to be able to continue.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 34 - Guide Dog Reunion

This week we actually shot a episode without Ricki. I feel kinda bad because we forgot to mention what happened to her while we were in Canada. She stayed with our co-raiser Elizabeth for the weekend which was great for her. Mixing up her schedule will only help her be better prepared for the day when she will go back to Guide Dogs for her formal training.

This episode was all about Prudy. Prudy was our eighth dog and one of my favorites. She is gentle but confident. On a typical day at our house she could hold her own with Eli while playing tug a war, and then turn around and cuddle with Amie. Prudy holds the trophy for most cuddly guide dog. She is such a sweet dog and we are really happy she is with such a great family. Our North American brethren were well represented by Donna and the rest of the Hudon family. They showed us great hospitality, and I'm sure we will be more than just facebook buddies from now on.

Enjoy our latest episode and I promise Ricki will be back in our next episode.


Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 33 - Puppy Pool Party

This week I really don't have a topic or theme. So I thought I would just write. Ricki is chewing on a nylabone as usual as i ping away here. She seems to absolutely love those things. She also loves her ice cubes with dog treats frozen inside of them. We made a whole bunch of the them for the pool party and i totally didn't film any of it. Next time i guess.

Amie just smelled a dog fart. She just preached it out in disgust; as she always does while she surfs the web beside me. It never becomes ok with her even though it is as normal as a furball from one of our cats. Now she is embarrassed and mad that i am writing this. haha!

Big thanks to everyone out there for supporting our series. Until next week, I bid farewell.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 32 - Duck Pond

Sometimes we need to pinch ourselves. Ricki is such a great dog. She is chilling between Amie and I right now sleeping on the floor after a long day away from home. I am still in awe of how quickly Ricki is adjusting to everything we throw at her. After her reaction to the pigeons in week 29, I was sure she was going to be losing focus and making for another entertaining episode of mistakes. She sure showed me wrong. She didn't lunge on the leash, and miraculously turned into a bird distraction pro. it was as if she had been to the Palo Alto Baylands a million times. What in the heck brought on the dramatic improvement? It really is beyond me actually. We threw the kitchen sink at her with this episode. There must of been a thousand birds around the pond. The aviary mosh pit we exposed her to was nothing more than a yawn for her. I guess we can move on cautiously and focus on other issues now? What?

Enjoy our latest episode!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 31 - Teeth Brushing

As we continue with the show, the constant challenge is figuring out what to talk about each week. We ask ourselves all kinds of questions. Should we cover training, or an outing? Should we try to cover a outing that incorporates training at the same time? Should we answer some questions from our fans? Should we go back and review progress Ricki has made on certain aspects of her life? Should we talk about the things Ricki is not doing so well with? And of course, should we simply update everyone on what we feel was the most important event of the week. These questions are always in consideration.

I enjoy the challenge of making this series, and also the freedom I have as the sole producer, and intellectual property rights owner. It is very liberating for our creative control, and I think will be a important factor in the long term for growing our series. Amie and I now are facing the challenge of where do we take this series next. It is growing on a slow, but steady pace. We think it has something to offer not only to people who raise service dogs, but also anyone who likes watching content about dogs.

So enough already with my ranting. This week was a review of progress, and we addressed a question about teeth brushing. Enjoy!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 30 - Ball Distractions

This episode was completely spontaneous. We went in with no plan. It was a fun challenge to figure out creative ways to distract Ricki and work her through her ball issues. At times, she was a star and did great. Other times, she just couldn't help herself and went after the golf ball. I think we will give her every opportunity to work past this issue. That is if she want's to please us. Her personality seems to be of that nature, so I have my hopes up. We have seen the difference between dogs who strive to learn and please, and dogs who do not. Aaa..humm..cough, cough.... Eli.

Here is our latest episode. Week 30.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 29 - Pier 39

This week was awesome. We met up with working team Seth, and Bamboo. We met them at fun day this year when we were shooting week 25. Bamboo is a four year old black lab female, and has been teamed up with Seth for a couple of years. The first thing I noticed when we first met is she is a little dog, but has big time working ability. I filmed them working the crowd at Pier 39 this week, and couldn't believe how fast, and efficient they were. In fact, they walked so fast that I couldn't even keep up. I swear a jog was the only way I could keep pace. They both have a very, very fast gate which blows me away when you see how little Bamboo is. She was not much bigger than Ricki who is still growing and will probably be bigger.

Ricki continues to have bird distractions, and we showed how much it is affecting her. It will be really interesting to see if we can work her through these issues as they will most certainly be a deal breaker if she can't adjust. Please enjoy our latest episode, and feel free to follow us on Facebook. Our fan page is Growing Up Guide Pup.

Matt

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 28 - Fire Station

This week is my favorite episode thus far. We combined two important elements this week at the Mountain View Fire Station. We made available some training for Ricki, and the exposure of a cool location. Whenever a day can hit two birds with one stone, it is cause for celebration because they always make for an interesting watch. The results of this weeks shoot seemed to work better than I thought possible.

We got to show a cast of different dogs all amongst a setting of different distractions. My favorite had to be guide pup Cash and his hilarious reaction to the fireman when it tried to get close to him. Check out our web series if you are a fan of service dogs or dogs in general.


Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 27 - Rickey's Restaurant

This week has to be one of my favorites. I feel like it has everything. It covers an outing, some training, and even has a taste of humor with me dropping a piece of steak by Ricki's nose at the restaurant. As the show continues to evolve, we continue to improve our approach of video blogging with a twist.

I think it's funny how the episodes continue to get longer, and longer each month. The first couple months we had videos under 3 minutes. Then I felt lucky to get them under five minutes. This episode almost cracks the six minute mark. Ok, ok....enough is enough, they won't be any longer than that. Uhhh, actually I have no idea where things will go. I just keep going with my gut. As long as the video constantly moves forward I am happy. It seems we have more information every week resulting in longer episodes just by natural progression.

Anyways, here is our latest episode shot at Rickey's restaurant.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Make a $30 PVC Steadicam

Over the last year I have received numerous requests to make my $30 steadicam out of pvc rather than cast iron. So this video was my answer to those requests. I must say the the pvc version is a few pounds lighter, and it performed pretty well. I think the cast iron version is perhaps a little more stable, but considering the weight savings, it might be worth it.

This video pits plastic vs metal. Judge for yourself which version is better. To learn how to make your own version, click on the annotation i provide towards the beginning of the video.

Chappy

Monday, August 9, 2010

The Chap is Back With Lucious on Tap

My brother and I made this video to challenge my audience. This video is retro, and we performed to the song "Mame" from the late Bobby Darin. I used the "gurilla spot light" from a previous ChappyShowcase video to illuminate the set. Also, a fog machine doubled as hookah smoke coming from yours truly. "I like making videos that challenge my fans to unsubscribe" as my buddy Hester McLester once said.

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 26 - Obedience Course

The 20 year anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act was a few weeks ago. We managed to film it, but had not managed to squeeze it into an episode until today. Redwood City put on the event, and we went representing Guide Dogs For the Blind to help raise awareness.

Amie is doing a great job speaking as an ambassador for the guide dog puppy raiser, and I'm really proud of her. Not only is she doing what she has always done, but now she has the duty of hosting the web series and helping me come up with content each week. It was only a few years back when she would refuse to even let me film her in our home movies, but over time she has let her guard down and slowly come around to a point i didn't even see coming. I guess that is pretty much a given, if you are in my life, there is a chance you will end up in front of the camera in some way or another. Week 26 and our second episode with the new format below.


Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 25 - Guide Dog Fun Day

This week represents the premiere of several important steps in the evolution of our series. Number 1, it is the first time we filmed at the campus for Guide Dogs for the Blind. And two, we revealed the upgraded format of our show. I am really excited to see where this Ricki journey will take us, and don't see us slowing down.

When we first started this series, we were not sure if anyone would even be interested in watching. It was our way of keeping a video diary of the weeks events more than anything. I can't believe we now are into our sixth month with this thing and it is only getting better.

Special thanks to Guide Dogs for the Blind, Rendezvous, and Template Digital with their generous collaboration in helping make the series the best it can be.

Our latest episode is below.
Matt

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 24 - Jelly Belly

This week I had the opportunity to take Ricki and Amie to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, Ca. We have always known about the Jelly Belly Factory, but have never had the chance to visit. It is a really cool place. They were totally guide dog friendly, and even had a designated area for the dogs to go to the bathroom. How many places have a designated fire hydrant for the dogs? Special thanks to Jelly Belly and the Solano County Puppy Raising Group for setting up a great event. if you enjoy our webisodes, please don't forget to help support us by subscribing on youtube and telling your friends and family about us.

Cheers,
Matt

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 23 - SF Giants

We went to a Giants game this week and I filmed the entire episode with our phone. I would prefer to shoot with something better, but push come to shove I love the fact that i never run into any red tape. It's pretty cool. If I had brought my DVX to the game, they would have never let me through without a press pass.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 22 - Camping

This week we went camping. It was a lot of fun to shoot. I kept filming with the hope some crazy critter would show up in front of the lens. A few hours after we arrived was all it took. I shot a centipede for the first time which was pretty cool, but kinda a stretch for putting into the episode. But we put it in there anyway. LOL


Saturday, July 3, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 21 - Guide Dog Joanie

This week was really fun cause i tried something different. I interviewed George while i was filming. This was different cause Amie is usually the only voice of the show, but we are talking about adding this twist to the format. I do the interviews if and when needed and she does the vlog hosting motif as always.

Please participate on our show by subscribing on youtube. Also try commenting under the video each week and leave us questions if you want to know anything. Amie does a good job of responding to most peoples comments and questions if needed.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 20 - 'Hide' N Seek

This week we played with Ricki and turned it into an episode. Hide and go seek is one of the best ways to bond with a dog, and we do it with all the pups we raise. Ricki picked up on how to play very quickly. It took her about 5 minutes to understand that she needed to wait in a down position until Amie released her with the "Ricki come" command. Good times as usual.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Feline Feeding Frenzy

My wife Amie works at an ER Clinic for animals. They are heroes on a regular basis and the other day was no exception. Someone found these kittens abandoned in front of their house in a cardboard box. They brought the kittens to Amie's work. The video below is them eating for the first time in who knows how long. I had some fun by adding the sound of feasting lions.


Saturday, June 19, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 19 - County Fair

Amie and I have been taking the dogs to the county fair ever since we first started raising guide dogs. It is a great place to get out and take the animals. Their are a million different things for a dog to experience, and we never see the same thing twice. This year was no exception and Ricki performed like a champ. She has still yet to have an accident on a outing. Fingers crossed on that one. Hit that subscribe button on youtube and participate in our comments section. Here is our latest installment.


Sunday, June 13, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 18 - Ricki's Mom

We have been raising guide dogs for the blind for a long time. In fact, we will be hitting 10 years in not too long. In all that time, we have never had the privilege of reuniting our pups with their mothers. This week was our first. The popularity of our web show is starting to grow and Ricki's owners heard about what we were doing through word of mouth. They contacted us and wanted to know if we would like to meet. Well of course we said yes!

Check out our new episode. Please subscribe to guidedogmaniac on youtube. Leave comments on the videos and get involved with our online discussions.

Matt (Chappy)

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Mustang Shivers starring Uncle Ronski

I was originally inspired to make videos from watching my uncle when I was a kid. Back in the 80's he would make videos with the family. Everyone would get involved as he recorded on his old vhs camera. Those early memories have never gone far away from my memory and I have always wanted to shoot something with him since i became a filmmaker. This video marks the first project we have done together since i was a teenager. I basically make him the star of his own video. Good times and this one is for Uncle Ronski!



"Mustang Shivers"
Created by Chappy
Performed by Uncle Ronski
Audio Recording and Mix by Matthew Lee Massie
Story by Chappy
Lyrics by Uncle Ronski and Matthew Lee Massie
Guest appearance: Amie and Ricki from Growing Up Guide Pup.


Connect on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/ChappyShowcase

Connect on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ChappyShowcase/219476349514

Monday, June 7, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 17 - Swimming Pool

This week was bittersweet. My parents are selling their house in Foster City. The harsh economy and overwhelming bills have become too much for my parents and they had to make this unfortunate move. It's the house i spent most of my childhood in. We bought the house when i was nine years old and I am 34 years old now. Needless to say, this has been the rooted homestead of my family for most of my life. They got an offer a week ago and decided to accept it.

So Amie and I decided what better way to say goodbye to the house than to give Ricki her first swimming experience there. She continues to amaze with her ability to adapt to new situations and excel. She fell in the pool three times on accident and didn't let that get in her way. She possesses a steadfast determination to learn to swim this week and it shows in the video.

Goodbye to my childhood home and hello to a new world of water for Ricki.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Giant Spider Attack

I discovered this big spider in the front yard and decided to film it. After doing some research, I believe it is in the orb weaver family. I guess it is a type of garden spider that sets up a new web every night and waits for it's victims. They are not poisonous, but they can pack a mean bite that would not be pleasant.

Are you scared of spiders? This video is a little scary. I approached it with a quarter on a metal rod. The thing attacked and then curled into a little ball.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 16 - Mass Transit

This week was really fun for me. In fact the most fun i have had filming the show in a long time. It is because we got to film with our puppy raising group for the first time. It is so much cooler having 12 dogs to film as opposed to one. So many more shots and things to show always occur. Ricki did really good this week. i can't believe how lucky we are to have her for this show. This whole thing could of just as well been a big disaster. So many dogs just don't have what it takes to be a guide, but it seems like she is destined for greatness. She just continues to kick ass.


Saturday, May 22, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 15 - Downtown Disney

This episode is a continuation of last week. We had so much to share while we were in LA that we didn't want to cut things short. Especially cause of the events that occurred while at Downtown Disney in Anaheim. It seemed almost like fate that we ran into a family with a blind child. She was the cutest little girl, and she had so much interest in Ricki. It was at that moment that I was reminded why we make such large sacrifices with giving back our pups.

Please enjoy our latest installment and please subscribe on youtube, rate, favorite, and comment on the videos. It really helps us get more hits.

Matt

George Bush vs Locomotive

This is my first attempt at creating a walking, talking jibjab style character. I chose to do something with a train cause there are railroad tracks behind my house.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 14 - Hollywood Trip

This week was a trip down to LA for business and pleasure. We shot our life with Ricki for everyone to see as always. Amie and I had a lot of fun. We acquired a lot of footage and decided to make our trip a two part series for the show. Watch as Ricki continues to amaze and perform better than any dog we have had to date.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 13 - Bad Dog Eli

Eli got into trouble once again. We filmed at in the in-laws house which included letting the dogs roam around in the garden. We actually caught him wanting to eat cilantro on camera. He also ate all the ripe strawberries, and ate something that made him ill this week. Amie thinks that it was fertilizer.

Be sure to tune in next week cause we are in LA right now. Our next episode should be fun.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Perspective and scale video: Pontiac GTO test

I have always wanted to play with scale and see if I could actually put myself next to some of my Danbury Mint muscle cars. The only part that made it hard was focal issues. There was no way to get everything in focus and pull the video off. I guess i could of found a infinite focus balance between everything, but then everything would of been soft which would of sucked. So instead I just did a little more editing to make it work.


Sunday, May 2, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 12 - Nylabones

This episode snuck up on us. We had no time to shoot and prep. Luckily we were able to address some questions from last week which gave us something to work with. We really appreciate questions and urge everyone to keep them coming on youtube.

Our channel on youtube: GuideDogManiac
Subscribe to us, comment on the vids.

Matt

Friday, April 30, 2010

Video Lighting Trick Exposed

I really like teaching people how to do amazing things with no money. I really feel like this video is another one.

It all started from the need to create a lighting effect that payed homage to one of the shots in the Rick Astley video "Never Gonna Give You Up". The shot where Rick Astley is in the trench coat and the wall is water lit behind him is the one I am referring to. They looked like they shot a HMI into a pool and bounced the light to create the background effect.

So this video tutorial was my answer to that shot. If you like this video, please subscribe on youtube and let me know you would like to see more. This really helps motivate me.

This trick cost me about $10 bucks. $3 for the cups, $7 for the metal rod, and everything else i already had.

Check it out:


Here is the RickRoll Reloaded Vid:

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Hot Water Bottle Car Prank Demo

I have been picking my brain for awhile on how to perform a really cool car prank. I came up with this idea.

Items needed:
1) Hot Water Bottle - $6
2) 2" to 3" hose clamp - $1
3) Some gaff tape - $10

All you have to do is secure the hot water bottle to the tail pipe of a car for this prank. It is important that the car is single exhaust (unless you want to double the cost and do it to both pipes) and the tail pipe has a diameter of approx. 2 to 3 inches. This is because all hot water bottles seem to have a 2 to 3 inch flap on the end. Once you get the clamp secured, fold the hot water bottle under and tape it to the exhaust. Make sure and only put a little tape as you want the bottle to come undone and pop up when it is pressurized.

Once the car is started, the victim should notice a lack of power immediately. Then when things look like they can't get any worse, a large explosion occurs.

The more gas that is given, the quicker the bottle will fill up and explode. At a idle, this video shows the bottle explode in about 30 seconds.

WARNING:
This video is for demonstration purposes only. Bodily harm might occur if this prank is performed wrong. Mechanical problems could occur if this prank is performed wrong.

Here is the video demonstration:

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 11 - Snow

Ricki is growing like a weed. I think I can officially say that she is just as much a big dog now as she is a cute little puppy. It happens so fast! This week we took the dogs to Lake Tahoe for a trip to the snow. Spring is quickly approaching and we just decided it would be a great idea. We live in the San Francisco Bay area, so it took us about 3 1/2 hours to get to Tahoe. Not bad, considering the week before we were shooting footage on the sunny beaches of Moss Landing. Only in California!

This video blog is so cool because now we have so much of her locked into video immortality. This show is just as much a video diary for ourselves as it is a show to entertain and educate others out there. I look forward to seeing what adventures Ricki and the show take us on next.

Thanks for watching.
Matt

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Are there security risks with using social network sites?

Although it is a new trend to communicate "what you are doing" on twitter, or updating your status on facebook, I have a message of caution for everyone who enjoys using social networking sites.

Have people ever considered the consequences of announcing their activities over the internet? I didn't until last July. Why? Well, because my house was burglarized when my wife and I were out of town camping with freinds and family. Is it a coincidence that the first time we left the house over night in nearly a year that it was robbed? Moreoever, is this a direct result of my posting our activities all over the net?

I use a myriad of sites to stay connected with my family, freinds, fans, and followers. Sites like Twitter, Blogger, YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook are part of my daily routine as a online video creator. In an effort to stay connected, I have been participating in this digital cultural phenomenon with full dedication. In hindsight, I feel like I dropped my guard and never considered the consequences of announcing to the world that I was going to be out of town.

Everything a bad guy needs to case out possible victims is now on the internet; especially when you start factoring in the role of social networking sites and what they communicate. What you are doing and where you live can certainly be researched by a individual. Especially if one has a home business that is advertised online on top of social network sites. This sort of information is voluntarily put up by many people including myself. After all, I need to to make money, and the search for more clients never ends. It's not intentional, and many times it's information that I only intend for those I trust, but this mix and mesh of business and pleasure seems to have developed a gray area I never considered.

Ok, so by now you are probably wondering what happened exactly. The robber broke into our house through a side window away from our street. Once inside, this jerk stole our Playstation 2 stuff, Game Cube stuff, Amies jewelry, some of my editing software, and worse of all...my Macbook Pro. My Macbook was loaded with several video projects including everything pertinent to my new business that is still in development called GurillaTV. Luckily I was able to recover everything missing, but it was a real setback. Not to mention the $8,000 of things taken away from us.

I don't know, and probably will never find out how this scumbag knew we were going to be gone. But I can assure everyone out there that I am NOT going to announce personal information over the internet that could aid in our harm ever again. For the average person the internet is their freind, but information in the wrong hands can also make the internet their enemy.

This posting was originally put up back in July of 2009 on my chappyshowcase blog. Now i am reposting it on this site. Since then, a site called http://pleaserobme.com/ has gone up. It is a great site that really spreads awareness about the dangers of saying too much online. Essentially this site spreads the message of individuals who are saying "please rob me now"; based on their online activities. ABC news recently interviewed me because they read this blog. I never would of thought I would be speaking about such a subject. Who would of thought?

I've made my peace and I hope this blog has given a new perspective to everyone and how they incorporate social networking sites into their lives.

Chappy

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 10 - Beach

For those who are unaware, or have not tuned into our weekly video diary, my wife and I raise guide dogs for the blind. We have been doing it for a long time now. As I bang away on my mac pro laptop (love this thing), our current dog in training is nuzzled up against my feet. Her name is Ricki and she is now 18 weeks old. Last time we weighed her, she was 28 pounds. But I can bet she passed the 30 pound barrier this week like a sprinter.

This week was my favorite video to produce so far. For many reasons this is my feeling, but mostly because Ricki is now fully vaccinated, and ready to discover the world. Our once quarantined life style, or at least very cautious for Ricki's safety, has been hit with a sledge hammer. Now we can have fun. The opportunities to what we can create with the show our endless, and a lot is to come.

Please check out our show. If you like it, subscribe on youtube, become our friend, leave comments in the video forum below the videos, favorite the videos you like, even send them to your friends.

Thanks,
Matt

Monday, April 12, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup- Week 9 - Puppy Vaccines

This week shot back to normal after we returned our first guide dog puppy Macklin to his partner. Jeannie was really happy to see Macklin and vice versa. If you like the show, I encourage you to please get involved on youtube. Although we appreciate people watching anywhere they can, we really like to interact with our audience and appreciate comments and questions in the section below our videos. The best place for that interaction is on youtube itself.

If you have any questions or would like to message me directly. Here is my email: moparlee2002@yahoo.com

Saturday, April 10, 2010

The General Lee vs. Leeroy

I have been a proud owner of a 69 Dodge Charger since 1997. I thought it would be fun to play with visual effects and make this video with the General Lee at the same time. My apologies to any General Lee fans out there. I was just messing around. The General Lee is still #1 in my book.

Chappy

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Rickroll 2.0 Lyrics

A lot of people have been asking about the lyrics of the "Never Gonna Give You Up" parody (rickroll reloaded). Find them below.

"Rickroll Reloaded" Lyrics
Song written by The Chappy Brothers
Matt and Luke Chapman (Chappy and Lucious)

Two thousand eight april one
That’s when our journey first begun
Click any thumbnail and you’d realize
You couldn’t youtube any other guy

I just wanna tell you what your seeing
Gotta make you understand


Never gonna give this up
Never gonna live this down
Never gonna browse around cause your rickrolled
Never gonna be the same
Never gonna say I’m lame
Everybody knows my name on youtube

I’m so much bigger then I was
Your heart’s been taking
But you’re too shy to say it
Inside yer home page when you first log on
Type Ricky A and you’ve gotta play it

I am not just a one hit phenom
Don't tell me you don't pirate me

Never gonna give this up
Never gonna live this down
Never gonna browse around cause your rickrolled
Never gonna be the same
Never gonna say I’m lame
Everybody knows my name on youtube


Never gonna give this up
Never gonna live this down
Never gonna browse around cause your rickrolled
Never gonna be the same
Never gonna say I’m lame
Everybody knows my name on youtube



Ooo.... Live this down

Ooo.... Live this down


Never gonna live, never gonna live
live this down

Never gonna live, never gonna live
live this down

Rickroll Reloaded from Matt Chapman on Vimeo.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup- Week 8 - Macklin Reunion

This week we had a very special guest; our first puppy Macklin. Macklin has been a guide for almost six years now living with his partner Jeannie. We are very fortunate in that we have stayed in contact with Jeannie, and jumped at the opportunity to babysit Macklin for two weeks while she is in Europe.

Raising guide dogs can be very straining emotionally, and having Macklin back stirred up feelings that have been hibernating for a long time. Please forgive us for breaking our regular show format. It was very had for us to film this week, but i am very happy with our candid motif that resulted.

Matt

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Rickroll Parody for April Fools

April Fools!

I just finished this parody on "Never Gonna Give You Up". It is a rickroll parody. My brother plays the part of Rick Astely. Vocals by my brother. Music recorded and mixed by my pal Pete Stringfellow. Darren Schmidt did the steadicam. I produced, directed, and cut the video.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup- Week 7 - Basic Commands

Sorry for the late post this week. I have been really buys preparing to release a video on April fools. This has nothing to do with the guide pup show, but everything I do affects everything else. Anyways, this week was a really busy one. I was able to go out with Amie and get a lot of footage. I'm sure a lot of you have noticed that most of the footage we shoot outside of the house is from our cell phone. This has been a pretty interesting experiment for me. Balancing our high quality footage with low quality footage. This is the best way for me to show as much as possible for the vlog without dealing with all the red tape i would get if I brought my professional gear around.

Enjoy week 7,
Matt

Monday, March 22, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup- Week 6 - Head Collar

Ricki didn't put on any weight this week. However, it looks like someone put her in a vice and stretched her legs a few inches. It is pretty weird how this happens. Ricki is already growing up so fast. I can't believe the difference in six weeks.

So this week was a challenging one for Ricki. She and Amie have been training with a head collar. Amie really tries to give all the dogs a chance to work without it, but if the head collar is necessary, she won't hesitate to use it for the dogs benefit. Ricki has shown that she needs it because she is trying to eat everything in sight right now. I know, typical retriever behavior.

Please enjoy our latest episode.

Matt

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Cool Lighting Tip For Video Creators

My brother and i were supposed to make a video. Problem was none of our ideas were any good. The challenge of turning out a solid video once a week can be pretty daunting, and I think this week really reflected that. As a last resort I started brainstorming an idea for a new gurilla video and came up with this lighting tip. The first video is the "behind the scenes" and the second video is the actual video. If you like these tips or subjects, please connect with me on youtube, facebook and twitter and let me know. Maybe there are some ideas I can explore that I have not thought of. Ratings, comments, following, or becoming my fan really helps me stay motivated to do more.

cheers,
Chappy

Lighting Idea Gurilla Pwned:


Make a Gurilla Spotlight:

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 5 - Leash Training

We just got through our first month of raising Ricki. It is amazing how fast time flies by. I can't believe it.

Ricki is improving with leaps and bounds. She is growing like crazy too. You can see the size change by watching this episode. During our leash walking part of the video diary you can see the four pounds Ricki put on pretty clearly.
We really appreciate the people who rate, comment and subscribe on youtube. This is the best way for us to build an audience. See ya next week.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Chappy's Premiere Vlog

This whole thing was spontaneous. I had a shoot with Pete Stringfellow a few days ago. We had the green screen set up for a client, aftewards Pete said "do you want to record anything?". I thought why the hell not. This is what came out.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 4 - Co-raiser Elizabeth

So our adventures with little Ricki the guide dog in training continue. We are finishing up on our first month raising Ricki and making this series at the same time. It has been crazy.

This week was really hectic cause i also was finishing up on some other video projects. I had Ricki with me a lot of the time. Ricki has started to become my little buddy when i am banging away up in the studio which has been nice. She is getting much better about having accidents in the house which is a relief. Her personality continues to develop.

This week marked the beginning of Amie turning on the training. She has been working hard at getting Ricki to walk on a leash. Ricki is making good progress, but still has a long way to go.

Be sure to rate, and comment our video series on youtube. Leave us questions below the videos so we can answer them on the show. Also, please hit that subscribe button.

cheers,
Matt

"Man Sexy" meets UK House Music

So i just completed a new music video. It was a collaboration with Win Marcinak who makes house music for clubs in the UK. We decided to think outside the box and do something totally different. The theme "Man Sexy" is something my brother Luke came up with which seemed interesting. I still feel traumatized when I see myself in the beginning acting like Barry White....but we were messing around. This video is a convergence of modern dance, ballet, and house music. All in the direction and style of a ChappyShowcase video.


Monday, March 8, 2010

The Crazy Bird

So this video is a first for me. I filmed a wild bird who has been stalking my office window for the last several days. The bird lands outside my window and taps on the glass as if to say "hey, got any food". I liked making this video so much that I hope to do more. It is all up to the bird though. In an effort to make friends with the little guy, I have been putting bread crumbs out on my window sill with the hope he will keep returning so I can record more footage of him.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Gurilla camcorder holder

This is a gurilla video I'm sharing from my producer pal Nextraker. Check it out!

As quoted from his youtube page.
"Convert a regular goose neck lamp into a Flexible Cam Holder... Its very simple to make one of these, just watch the video to get an idea of how it works. No more shaking cam, No more darkness... Try it!"

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 3 - Potty Training

Our adventures with our new guide dog pup Ricki continue. After a couple of weeks of simple filming and working out the vlog format, we decided to start getting more serious. This week we talked about how to potty train a guide dog puppy, and how to train them to chew on approved toys. Filming was crazy as usual, and we got some candid moments in there. If you like the web show, please rate, favorite, and comment on youtube. Feel free to subscribe on there too. We plan on doing this vlog until Ricki either graduates as a guide dog, or she is career changed.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Tiagra- Viagra spoof with Tiger Woods

I made a spoof on Viagra for fun. It was a cool challenge cause i recycled footage from a Snickers commercial contest. I have never done this before and learned that just because you don't win a contest doesn't mean that your footage is useless.

Check out TIAGRA!

Growing Up Guide Pup- Week 2 - Adjustments

We survived another week with our new guide dog puppy Ricki. She is starting to learn how to sleep throughout the night and adjusting well to living with us. Our other dog Eli on the other hand had a bit of a struggle this week. He acted out and ate half of a cake Amie was making for valentines day. 24 hours later he was at the ER clinic.....crazy Eli.

Here is week 2 of our web show. Enjoy!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 1 - Premiere Episode

My wife Amie and I have been raising Guide Dogs for the Blind for eight years. We just picked up our tenth dog and the cycle starts all over again. Our new dog is a Golden Retriever and Labrador cross named Ricki. She is 8 weeks old and very cute.

If you have watched any of my videos, the one thing you might find is that they are all over the place. No genre is safe with me, but the problem with that is my audience is very undefined.

In a effort to hit two birds with one stone we have decided to make a Web Show about our Guide Dog Puppy. A show where I can practice working a video series format, and a show where Amie can share what guide dog puppy raising is all about.

Please check out our new series below. If you like it, please show it some love by telling your friends and family all about it. We will be putting a new episode up once a week for the next 16 months so it should be interesting.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Flying Furballs

I was pondering what type of video to make last week, and realized that I have never made a video showing all of our cats. Our beloved Coal passed away last year. This was a reminder of how important it is to get some great footage of the furballs. With that in mind, Amie and I made a video showing them play. The challenge is taking a ordinary home video and figuring out a way to make it entertaining. Not only for Amie and I, but also for cat lovers around the globe. I hope i accomplished that goal. Chappy

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Online Producing Reality

It can seem like all the odds are stacked against you. You have a video idea that you think is kick ass, but after past performances you just don't know. You have to plan and prep for pre-production, then you shoot the video, and then edit it. After that you have to upload it online, and then put on your social networking hat. A large effort with the hope that it might pay off with tons of views and subscribers. Why? Cause more views and subscribers can help build your brand, and likeness for sustainability for the next go round . True, the power of the internet levels the playing field, but the harsh reality is that the playing field is the size of jupiter. And once you do hone in an audience to your content, the pay CPM model (clicks per 1,000 views) is really low on YouTube. My CPM average is about 40 cents resulting in money that is less than I would make flipping burgers at the golden arches.

I wrote a script for my brother and I to play a sketch comedy on this topic. Enjoy...and remember, keep that camera rollin!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Monetize Your Videos With Youtube

For those of you who are not aware, YouTube has had a program around for awhile that enables video creaters to make money with their videos. This program is called the Affiliate Rewards Program. The program is essentially part of Googles adsense lineup and has become a great addition to my online monetization journey. When I first found out that one could actually make money by partnering with Youtube, I jumped to the opportunity.

To become eligible for the program, one simply has to go to this link below and fill out the required elements. Blogger does not allow embedding links so you will have to copy and paste the url below.
http://www.youtube.com/partners

Not everyone is accepted into the program unfortunately. Rumor is out that they will reject producers unless they have demonstrated that their videos can pull in thousands of views. I have also heard that a producer should have a couple hundred subscribers before attempting to be accepted.

My first time around with attempting to get into the program was a big dissapointment. i was turned down over a dispute of piracy in the past. The dispute was about a video I directed/produced/edited for a client in 2008 named Mehrana. She had reported that I infringed on her copyright and reported me to YouTube. The whole thing was a big misunderstanding, but enough for YouTube to reject my request into the program the first time around.

Here is that video.

"HOME" MEHRANA MUSIC VIDEO (Quality Version) - Watch the best video clips here

I soon found that YouTube allows producers to re-apply for the program every three months. The second time I applied, they accepted me into the program. Once accepted into the program, I recieved an email requesting me to fill out some information. Information like how I would like to get paid was intuitive and fairly straight forward. After three months of waiting, the analytics and money reports finally went online and ChappyShowcase was up and running. I currently am on month number ten since being accepted into the program, and I can happily report that I receive a check month after month. Although the money is nothing to write home about, I can say that it is fair and honest. What Google says they are going to pay you, is what you indeed recieve. That is alot more to say than most of the other user-generated sites out there.

So if you are a video producer, and want to get in on the monetization party, then go for it. Just be aware that you might get rejected, and that it's not a right, but a privelage to be in the program. So piracy and illegal activities won't be tolerated.

Hope this helps!
Chappy