I met Kathi Reid at Help-Portrait Vancouver last November. She was looking to get some videos done, and I was looking for a talented musician looking to get some videos done. Click!

We decided to start simple just to see what's possible; there was a lot of learning involved. We will be scaling up from here, so there will definitely be more videos to come.

What started out as a great day and wanting to experience Vancouver's new streetcars turned into this little story. Ting is a very willing and enthusiastic model. The entire "shoot" was done within the time restrictions of a single transit transfer. Does that mean production cost is $5? Oh, add another $5 for the fruit, which we got to eat afterwards - what fun!

I'm always fascinated with artists who work with physical media. The awe is so great because partly I find it so difficult (where's the "undo" function?), but also because the effect is so raw and immediate. Zoe Cattell tells her story of how she got into what she does.

It is fascinating what Ting can do with paper. With nothing more than a sharp knife and a cutting surface, she transforms paper into, well, anything! She recently obtained a proper cutting knife (she was using a box cutter before) and away she goes! By the way, this was done in a few minutes - see more of her "bigger" projects at her site!

The Mobile Dairy Classroom Experience is a great idea! How often do city-folks like me get to see a real cow being milked? It's very effective at helping people make that connection between food and agriculture.

I filmed both events with the Canon XH A1. Since they were relatively short, I just did it by hand (easier and cheaper than with a tripod). This one was edited in iMovie. (I can't wait until I can afford to edit in Final Cut.)

This is the lower mainland drill team competition. Every year, this ranks as one of the most anticipated events of an air cadet's life (or sea or army cadet). This brings me back - I've dominated my fair share of parade squares back in my air cadet drill team days.

I filmed this with the Canon XH A1 on a Manfrotto tripod. I managed to score a sweet spot on a second floor balcony with power hookup, so I was pretty much set. Since audio wasn't important, I just went with the on-camera mic. This one was edited in iMovie.

Other drill teams call them the ones to beat. They call themselves 135 Challenger. And they have a long-running tradition of bringing home first place every year at drill comp.

I filmed this by hand with the Canon XH A1. Good thing I remember a thing or two about the compulsory routine back from my Air Cadet days - it helped me stay close to the action without getting in the way. This one was also edited in iMovie.

Storm the Wall is a great event put on at UBC each year. This competition includes swimming, sprinting, cycling, running and - to finish it off - scaling a 12-foot wall. This story is about one of the sponsoring teams, MUST DRINK MORE MILK. They were the underdog team that could - fighting against giant, stacked corporate teams. And they did well to represent.

I filmed this with the Canon XH A1 on a Manfrotto Fig Rig. I decided to go with the Fig Rig to help me stabilize the camera, without having to go with a vest and Glidecam. It's not as steady, but it's also not as big and heavy, and (more importantly) not as expensive to rent. Like all of the other videos, this one was edited in iMovie.

A close friend of mine invited me to check out one of her dodgeball practices. I've seen the movie namesake, and it was totally what I expected it to be - and completely different. There were students and adults alike, having a ball chucking balls at each other. It was hilarious! I'm terrible at it though. Even got hit in the nuts before the filming was through.

I filmed this using the Canon XH A1, all by hand. No attachments or anything - just keeping it simple. I did play with the shutter speeds on a few shots. If you see the ones that blur a bit, especially the clip at the end where the two teams are shaking hands, those shots are the ones with the slower shutter speeds. Put together in iMovie of course!

A guzheng is a traditional Chinese table harp, and if you haven't noticed, they're not all that common. That's why I was so surprised when I found out my friend Macy could play it so well. I knew I had to hear her story.

I shot this with the Canon XH A1 with a wireless mic on Macy's collar. It wasn't a particularly advanced piece of gadgetry, but it did the trick for the most part. Unfortunately, I had to sacrifice a few great clips because of interference - I just couldn't save it. For lighting, we re-arranged a few lamps that we found in her living room. Improvisation!