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!

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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.