NORTH KOREAN LABOR CAMPS from Vice News

      North Korea has come up with a new way to bring cold hard cash into its isolated country: export North Korean workers to slave away in the Siberian forest (often without telling them they're no longer in North Korea). We set out to investigate these camps and almost landed ourselves in quite a bit of trouble.

Founder of VICE Shane Smith spends an eternity on a train and hops out at the end of the line in Siberia to investigate logging camps that use North Korean slave labor.

While on his way to uncover labor camps setup by Kim Jong Il and North Korea as a way to bring in hard currency for their impoverished nation, Shane Smith gets re-accustomed with how to handle Russian alcoholics aboard the trans-Siberian railway.

After many days on trains and much vodka Shane arrives in Tynda but has to dodge the Russian secret police – the FSB. After sidestepping the authorities and boarding a single carriage train to the middle of nowhere Shane arrives at a Nortth Korean labor camp.

Accompanied by the former chief of police Shane and Simon break into a disbanded North Korean labor camp to explore the propaganda and the “Laboratory of Kim Jong Il”. On their way out with their arms full of “memorabilia” Shane and Simon fear that they’ve been caught but end up being introduced to a real North Korean labor worker by two Russian scrap metal dealers.

Shane and Simon head off to Tataul and link up with a member of the local mafia known as “The Fish”. From there they drive out into the forest and into an active North Korean labor camp in the middle of Siberia where they meet North Korean workers who inadvertently admit that living conditions back in their homeland were tough- something that would never of be mentioned back in their police-state.

More adventures in the middle of nowhere; Shane and Simon are introduced to more North Korean workers by their gold-teethed guide. Here they find out that many workers are being stationed in the camps for upto 10 years but the conversation halts when the managers or the logging camp arrive.

The FSB (Russian secret police), North Korean secret police and the local militia all decide to find out what Shane has been getting upto, so the only logical thing to do is make a run for the border.

(source=http://www.vice.com/vice-news/north-korean-labor-camps-full-length)

THE VICE GUIDE TO NORTH KOREA

Vice founder Shane Smith managed to get into North Korea after a year and half of trying and is witness to the craziness of this hermit nation.
Crazy is actually kind of an understatement. Made before North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died, his 25 yr old son now leads.

Getting into North Korea was one of the hardest and weirdest processes VBS has ever dealt with.

From the authors: After we went back and forth with their representatives for months, they finally said they were going to allow 16 journalists into the country to cover the Arirang Mass Games in Pyongyang.

Then, ten days before we were supposed to go, they said, No, nobody can come. Then they said, OK, OK, you can come. But only as tourists. We had no idea what that was supposed to mean. They already knew we were journalists, and over there if you get caught being a journalist when you’re supposed to be a tourist you go to jail.

We don’t like jail. And we’re willing to bet we’d hate jail in North Korea. But we went for it. The first leg of the trip was a flight into northern China.

At the airport, the North Korean consulate took our passports and all of our money, then brought us to a restaurant. We were sitting there with our tour group, and suddenly all the other diners left and these women came out and started singing North Korean nationalist songs.

We were thinking, Look, we were just on a plane for 20 hours. We’re jet-lagged. Can we just go to bed? but this guy with our group who was from the LA Times told us, Everyone in here besides us is secret police. If you don’t act excited then you’re not going to get your visa.

So we got drunk and jumped up on stage and sang songs with the girls. The next day we got our visas. A lot of people we had gone with didn’t get theirs. That was our first hint at just what a freaky, freaky trip we were embarking on.

THE VICE GUIDE TO NORTH KOREA - PART 1

THE VICE GUIDE TO NORTH KOREA - PART 2

THE VICE GUIDE TO NORTH KOREA - PART 3

Propaganda

         On a trip to visit family in Seoul in April, I was approached by a man and a woman who claimed to be North Korean defectors. They presented me with a DVD that recently came into their possession and asked me to translate it. They also asked me to post the completed film on the Internet so that it could reach a worldwide audience. I believed what I was told and an agreement was made to protect their identities (and mine).

Despite my concerns about what I was viewing when I returned home, I proceeded to translate and post the film on You Tube because of the film’s extraordinary content. I have now made public my belief that this film was never intended for a domestic audience in the DPRK. Instead, I believe that these people, who presented themselves as ‘defectors’ specifically targeted me because of my reputation as a translator and interpreter.

Furthermore, I now believe these people work for the DPRK. The fact that I have continued to translate and post the film in spite of this belief does not make me complicit in their intention to spread their ideology. I chose to keep posting this film because – regardless of who made it – I believe people should see it because of the issues it raises and I stand by my right to post it for people to share and discuss freely with each other.

According to Sabine the above is the formal statement she gave to Federal Police on 16 June 2012.

Sabine: I have translated this film, laid in the English voice over and subtitles, and on legal advice have blurred the identity of the presenter and/or blacked out certain elements.

(source=http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/propaganda/)

Watch the full documentary now

 North Korea kidnapped filmmakers, chefs, and others in the late 70s/early 80s

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin_Sang-ok

Lego Art (more coming..)

Comedy pART 2 (more coming)

stereotypes=expectations, I asked the class what they thought about stereotypes, if satire still reenforces stereotypes?

breaking expectations is a comedic device!

http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/dunkle/milesgl/comicdvs.htm

http://www.pbs.org/shakespeare/educators/film/lessonplan2.html

We have all become paranoid weird0s like Richard Nixon!

      Here is Adam Curtis's short mini doc on the psyche of Richard Nixon and how modern journalism has by accident made us all a little like him. This was made for Charlie Brookers Newswipe.


To see more Adam Curtis documentaries go here http://www.rewtube.com/

Filmmaking used to announce,inform & explain

A gun that shoots salts and kills flies!!

Its like a shotgun that fires salt
After I personally contacted the maker this is what he sent me "Our indiegogo page went viral because of it--we raised $28,000 on our campaign in the last 24 hours. We'd be thrilled to send you one of our Limited Edition (signed) BugASalt guns (there are only 50, so hold onto it!) and a regular one to use and abuse. Where can we send it?
If there are any other blogs you're affiliated with, we'd be grateful for you posting the video elsewhere.

Thanks again,
Lorenzo (Inventor and Owner of BugASalt/SKELL INC.)"

How Bruce Lee Changed the World

       The History Channel’s How Bruce Lee Changed the World explores the amazing multitude of ways that Bruce Lee – the first international Asian superstar–has influenced pop culture. Calling Lee the biggest movie star in history is a bit of a stretch (though every shot of this hypnotically charismatic performer argues that he might have been, had he not died abruptly before the release of his fourth and most successful movie, Enter the Dragon).

A wealth of interviewees, ranging from filmmakers like Jackie Chan (who was a stunt man on Lee’s movies in his early career), John Woo, and Brett Ratner, comedians like Eddie Griffin and Margaret Cho, musicians like LL Cool J, RZA, and Damon Albarn, athletes like boxer Sugar Ray Leonard and bodybuilder Flex Wheeler, and more, testify to the enormous impression Lee had on them.

The documentary overreaches at some points, but there’s no denying that Lee brought martial arts movies to the West and redefined the image of Asian men in the public consciousness (before him, Asian men were fiends like Fu Manchu, servants, or buffoons).

Lee’s life history is efficiently told and some of the details are delightful–who would have guessed Lee was a champion cha-cha dancer in Hong Kong? His audition for The Green Hornet reveals a movie star just waiting to be discovered. The man himself–lithe and muscular, capable of astonishing speed and grace, radiating both intelligence and passion–makes all commentary unnecessary.

Watch the full documentary now (playlist)

  

source=http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/how-bruce-lee-changed-world/

The Cove

The Cove begins in Taiji, Japan, where former dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry has come to set things right after a long search for redemption. In the 1960s, it was O’Barry who captured and trained the 5 dolphins who played the title character in the international television sensation Flipper.

But his close relationship with those dolphins – the very dolphins who sparked a global fascination with trained sea mammals that continues to this day – led O’Barry to a radical change of heart. One fateful day, a heartbroken Barry came to realize that these deeply sensitive, highly intelligent and self-aware creatures so beautifully adapted to life in the open ocean must never be subjected to human captivity again. This mission has brought him to Taiji, a town that appears to be devoted to the wonders and mysteries of the sleek, playful dolphins and whales that swim off their coast.

But in a remote, glistening cove, surrounded by barbed wire and “Keep Out” signs, lies a dark reality. It is here, under cover of night, that the fishermen of Taiji, driven by a multi-billion dollar dolphin entertainment industry and an underhanded market for mercury-tainted dolphin meat, engage in an unseen hunt. The nature of what they do is so chilling – and the consequences are so dangerous to human health – they will go to great lengths to halt anyone from seeing it.

The Cove is directed by Louie Psihoyos and produced by Paula DuPre Pesman and Fisher Stevens. The film is written by Mark Monroe. The executive producer is Jim Clark and the co-producer is Olivia Ahnemann.

Watch the full documentary now (playlist).



Part 1

La Calera (The Cove) 1/5 by maseo184

Part 2

La Calera (The Cove) 2/5 by maseo184

Part 3

La Calera (The Cove) 3/5 by maseo184


Part 4

La Calera (The Cove) 4/5 by maseo184


Part 5

La Calera (The Cove) 5/5 by maseo184

(source=http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/cove/)

Comedy Part 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedy

http://www.break.com/index/indoor-horse-riding-fitness-equipment-2351035

AOKIGAHARA SUICIDE FOREST

       WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS IMAGERY OF REAL DEAD PEOPLE!!! The Aokigahara Forest is the most popular site for suicides in Japan. After the novel Kuroi Jukai was published, in which a young lover commits suicide in the forest, people started taking their own lives there at a rate of 50 to 100 deaths a year. The site holds so many bodies that the Yakuza pays homeless people to sneak into the forest and rob the corpses. The authorities sweep for bodies only on an annual basis, as the forest sits at the base of Mt. Fuji and is too dense to patrol more frequently. 

Originally released in 2011 at http://vice.com Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. 
Watch the last VICE Presents here: http://bit.ly/VICE-Presents-011

THE BUSINESS OF WAR - PART 1,2,3&4

          Worldwide, battles are raging between governments and rebels, drug cartels and gangs. But where do all the weapons come from? In this report the frightening reality of the international arms trade comes to light. Walking through the huge complex in the middle of the Jordanian desert, you could be at a car sales show. Flashy posters advertise new models and eager salesman compete for attention: but they are selling deadly weapons. Just outside the hall filled with endless stalls selling M16s and Javelin rockets, they've even got a training centre where you can go and try them all out. "For a state, it's easy. For a terrorist or a criminal organization it's more difficult", a defense industry journalist explains. Over the week more than 12,000 attendees visit this brainchild of King Abdullah II, whose biggest sponsor is the USA."It's weird. Everybody's real cordial with each other. But at the end of the day, we're buying weapons to destroy each other with", a US marine says. SOFEX: THE BUSINESS OF WAR - PART 1 SOFEX: SOFEX: THE BUSINESS OF WAR - PART 2 SOFEX: SOFEX: THE BUSINESS OF WAR - PART 3 SOFEX: THE BUSINESS OF WAR - PART 4

Philosophy: Guide to Happiness

We tend to accept that people in authority must be right. It’s this assumption that Socrates wanted us to challenge by urging us to think logically about the nonsense they often come out with, rather than being struck dumb by their aura of importance and air of suave certainty.

This six part series on philosophy is presented by popular British philosopher Alain de Botton, featuring six thinkers who have influenced history, and their ideas about the pursuit of the happy life.

Socrates on Self-Confidence (Part 1) – Why do so many people go along with the crowd and fail to stand up for what they truly believe? Partly because they are too easily swayed by other people’s opinions and partly because they don’t know when to have confidence in their own.

Epicurus on Happiness (Part 2) – British philosopher Alain De Botton discusses the personal implications of the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270BCE) who was no epicurean glutton or wanton consumerist, but an advocate of “friends, freedom and thought” as the path to happiness.

Seneca on Anger (Part 3) – Roman philosopher Lucious Annaeus Seneca (4BCE-65CE), the most famous and popular philosopher of his day, took the subject of anger seriously enough to dedicate a whole book to the subject. Seneca refused to see anger as an irrational outburst over which we have no control. Instead he saw it as a philosophical problem and amenable to treatment by philosophical argument.

Montaigne on Self-Esteem (Part 4) – Looks at the problem of self-esteem from the perspective of Michel de Montaigne (16th Century), the French philosopher who singled out three main reasons for feeling bad about oneself – sexual inadequecy, failure to live up to social norms, and intellectual inferiority – and then offered practical solutions for overcoming them.

Schopenhauer on Love (Part 5) – Alain De Botton surveys the 19th Century German thinker Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) who believed that love was the most important thing in life because of its powerful impulse towards ‘the will-to-life’.

Nietzsche on Hardship (Part 6) – British philosopher Alain De Botton explores Friedrich Nietzsche’s (1844-1900) dictum that any worthwhile achievements in life come from the experience of overcoming hardship. For him, any existence that is too comfortable is worthless, as are the twin refugees of drink or religion.
source=http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/philosophy-guide-to-happiness/

Watch the full documentary now (playlist – 2 hours, 25 minutes)

The Century of the Self

      This series is about how those in power have used Freud’s theories to try and control the dangerous crowd in an age of mass democracy. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, changed the perception of the human mind and its workings profoundly.

His influence on the 20th century is widely regarded as massive. The documentary describes the impact of Freud’s theories on the perception of the human mind, and the ways public relations agencies and politicians have used this during the last 100 years for their engineering of consent. Among the main characters are Freud himself and his nephew Edward Bernays, who was the first to use psychological techniques in advertising. He is often seen as the father of the public relations industry.

Freud’s daughter Anna Freud, a pioneer of child psychology, is mentioned in the second part, as well as Wilhelm Reich, one of the main opponents of Freud’s theories. Along these general themes, The Century of the Self asks deeper questions about the roots and methods of modern consumerism, representative democracy and its implications. It also questions the modern way we see ourselves, the attitude to fashion and superficiality.

Happiness Machines. Part one documents the story of the relationship between Sigmund Freud and his American nephew, Edward Bernays who invented Public Relations in the 1920s, being the first person to take Freud’s ideas to manipulate the masses.

The Engineering of Consent. Part two explores how those in power in post-war America used Freud’s ideas about the unconscious mind to try and control the masses. Politicians and planners came to believe Freud’s underlying premise that deep within all human beings were dangerous and irrational desires.

There is a Policeman Inside All of Our Heads, He Must Be Destroyed. In the 1960s, a radical group of psychotherapists challenged the influence of Freudian ideas, which lead to the creation of a new political movement that sought to create new people, free of the psychological conformity that had been implanted in people’s minds by business and politics.

Eight People Sipping Wine In Kettering. This episode explains how politicians turned to the same techniques used by business in order to read and manipulate the inner desires of the masses. Both New Labor with Tony Blair and the Democrats led by Bill Clinton, used the focus group which had been invented by psychoanalysts in order to regain power.
sorce=http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-century-of-the-self/

Watch the full documentary now (playlist – 3 hours, 55 minutes)

The End of Poverty

Global poverty did not just happen. It began with military conquest, slavery and colonization that resulted in the seizure of land, minerals and forced labor.

Today, the problem persists because of unfair debt, trade and tax policies – in other words, wealthy countries taking advantage of poor, developing countries.

Renowned actor and activist, Martin Sheen, narrates The End of Poverty, a feature-length documentary directed by award-winning director, Philippe Diaz, which explains how today’s financial crisis is a direct consequence of these unchallenged policies that have lasted centuries.

Consider that 20% of the planet’s population uses 80% of its resources and consumes 30% more than the planet can regenerate.

At this rate, to maintain our lifestyle means more and more people will sink below the poverty line. Filmed in the slums of Africa and the barrios of Latin America, The End of Poverty features expert insights from: Nobel prize winners in Economics, Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz; acclaimed authors Susan George, Eric Toussaint, John Perkins, Chalmers Johnson; university professors William Easterly and Michael Watts; government ministers such as Bolivia’s Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera and the leaders of social movements in Brazil, Venezuela, Kenya and Tanzania.

It is produced by Cinema Libre Studio in collaboration with the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation. Can we really end poverty within our current economic system? Think again.

(source=http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/end-of-poverty/)

Watch the full documentary now

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace

       A series of films about how humans have been colonized by the machines they have built. Although we don’t realize it, the way we see everything in the world today is through the eyes of the computers. It claims that computers have failed to liberate us and instead have distorted and simplified our view of the world around us.

1. Love and Power. This is the story of the dream that rose up in the 1990s that computers could create a new kind of stable world. They would bring about a new kind global capitalism free of all risk and without the boom and bust of the past. They would also abolish political power and create a new kind of democracy through the Internet where millions of individuals would be connected as nodes in cybernetic systems – without hierarchy.

2. The Use and Abuse of Vegetational Concepts. This is the story of how our modern scientific idea of nature, the self-regulating ecosystem, is actually a machine fantasy. It has little to do with the real complexity of nature. It is based on cybernetic ideas that were projected on to nature in the 1950s by ambitious scientists. A static machine theory of order that sees humans, and everything else on the planet, as components – cogs – in a system.

3. The Monkey in the Machine and the Machine in the Monkey. This episode looks at why we humans find this machine vision so beguiling. The film argues it is because all political dreams of changing the world for the better seem to have failed – so we have retreated into machine-fantasies that say we have no control over our actions because they excuse our failure.

Adam Curtis is a documentary film maker, whose work includes The Power of Nightmares,The Century of the Self, The Mayfair Set, Pandora’s Box, The Trap and The Living Dead.

(source= http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/all-watched-over-by-machines-of-loving-grace/)


                      Love and Power

at 34:56 in part 1, great quotes and commentary about "spilling our guts on-line and being commodified" by Carmen Hermosillo.
       
The Use and Abuse of Vegetational Concepts.




The Monkey in the Machine and the Machine in the Monkey.

Adam Curtis - The Rise and Fall of the TV Journalist

the future of cameras=drones

filmmaking and warfare have a lot in common?

The P0Wer of film-making pART 1

http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-to-travel/the-vice-guide-to-liberia-1

The P0Wer of film-making pART 1: this is Vice  Magazine's Web Series on their channel which is called VBStv.  This is one series of The Vice Guide to Travel THE VICE GUIDE TO TRAVEL program and W0W,  I had no idea all this has occurred and is occurring today!  And all this knowledge is presented to us  from a source such as a Vice Magazine's Web Series!  Watch and think about how it was made, we'll discuss it's making in class 7/28/2012!  If you don't have time to watch it, no worries we'll watch a 'lil bit of it in class and summarize & analyze it a tad! 




Watch the rest of this series here: http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-to-travel/the-vice-guide-to-liberia-2

Watch Off Book: The Art of Film and TV Title Design

Watch Off Book: The Art of Film and TV Title Design on PBS. See more from Off Book.

We're filming the intro for our film these next couple weeks,
utilizing visuals shot on the Go Pro Hero 2 camera and lengthy character visual introduction shots with a Canon t3i.


We were inspired by the intro in Gummo for the film we're putting together.

For the intro of Gummo, Writer/Director Harmony Korine videoed-tape video he played on his TV then had it transferred to 35mm

Get involved in Austin Free Skools Filmmaking 101 production, please contact kegmeg@gmail.com


We are in need of everyone and everything, so there's room for you!   The script is forming, come contribute your ideas and you and make for a fun movie, developed out of a new uniqur eprogram forming in Austin, Austin Free Skool!   

7/14/2012 1st meeting of filmmaking 101 (part 2)

We talked about how if you get over a 100,000 views on youtube you can get start getting paid, if you're making & posting videos that get a 100,000 views regularly. People in the Austin area have found success with a vegan cooking show.  Sites like Vimeo give out prizes to their users, which is a great way of getting your work noticed, but its got to be excellent good. Professional looking with a great story idea!
 
Symmetry from Everynone on Vimeo.
Notice how they put together different images to make a story and giving meaning! Start thinking about what images to combine in order to tell a story.  As, Ryan Hailey once told me "Today, in modern times, with the internet, we essentially have every image, video & audio ever made available to you today to make your own story with. "


For instance, here's this news story:



and here's clips taken from the original newscast to compose a song with, yes, that's right you can create from already created material in filmmaking! !





 We watched this music video made by a former Univ. of Texas professor of mine, PJ Raval who's an indy-filmmaker primarily based in the Austin-area! He shot scenes of this at Barton Creek Mall and Fiesta Grocery Store without asking for permission, which explains the many shocked & stunned crowd reaction shots to the infamous performer CHRISTEENE. Take note of all the cuts, performance & camera movement  in this music video.


CHRISTEENE "African Mayonnaise" from PJ Raval on Vimeo.

I explained vide0-mapping, and talked about how just next door João Beira lives, and he does video-mapping.   João  projects  what he's creating on his video-mapping programs onto the box.  The below video is hd footage shot on a Canon DSLR camera, the same type of camera we have access to.  

D- Construct video mapping sketch from João Beira on Vimeo.

This is made by Everynone before they made Symmetry


WORDS from Everynone on Vimeo.

this is the same as the video you just watched above, but made completely with youtube video clips:




Attendees screened some projects they've made or participated in:

Lauren Pruitt introduced us to her work with Thanks for being Awesome! She put some of her hitch-hiking footage together for a home-movie festival:  Four friends from Austin, Texas spent five weeks in the summer of 2009 hitchhiking to Vancouver, BC. This documentary follows them on their path up the west coast - introducing you to people that have something to say whether it be how they're doing, where they've been, or their take on the current state of our nation.

Thanks for being Awesome! from lpruitt on Vimeo.

She showed us some of her tests with video layers and adobe after effects.  The footage is the Butthole Surfer's Super 16mm viuals they used to project at concerts thatwere given to her by a lady at a garage sale.  Music is by Stella.

test: NI effects w/ layers from lpruitt on Vimeo.

Lauren didn't screen this in class, but she had shown this to me months before the class was put-together.  She was hired by the San Antonio Medical Doctor who shot the footage to edit it.  The doctor has no real film-making experience, but did an excellent job!

Haiti Documentary Sample - Untitled from lpruitt on Vimeo.

This piece was shown to us by David Guerra, David contributed footage to the project, which is still in progress.  David wants to be an actor.

7/14/2012 1st meeting of filmmaking 101 (part 1)

Our guest lecturer Michelle Milleute works as an Assistant Director in Austin, Texas and the surrounding area including New Orleans, West Texas, Dallas area,

She stressed the importance of knowing what postion you're going for rather than trying to make a whole movie all by yourself, movie making is a collaborative art!!!

She explained the many roles on a set, what they do, and how to behave.

She says she's "aggro" and that's why she enjoys Assistant Directing!

She co-directed this music video, shot in one take, directing the performance of lives from every performer in one shot at the Swan dive Bar in Austin, Texas :
She showed us this scene from The Shining, the infamous hallway tricycle tracking shot scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvwSi7ta0P4
This is shot is an example of a stedi-cam that really set-ups & establishesa tone for the veiwer. 

Steadicam operator Garrett Brown accomplished many of the ultra-low tracking corridor sequences from a wheelchair on which his invention was mounted. Grips would either pull backward or push forward the wheelchair, depending on the requirement of the shot.

additional stedishots from "The Shining" by Garrett Brown :
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVytnoVOSmk

Soy Cuba, Mikhail Kalatozov – 1964 –  The movie consists of four distinct short stories about the suffering of the Cuban people and their reactions, varying from passive amazement in the first, to a guerrilla march in the last. Between the stories, a female narrator (credited "The Voice Of Cuba") says such things as, "I am Cuba, the Cuba of the casinos< , but also of the people." The film was not received well by either the Russian or Cuban public and was almost completely forgotten until it was re-discovered by filmmakers in the United States thirty years later.

We watched the opening of "Soy Cuba” because it is a series of incredible, at times acrobatic tracking shots shot on infra-red film . There are half a dozen shots in this film which would make the list for longest take. 

Go Pro Cameras & their capabilities:

In this class, one of the cameras we have available to use is a Go Pro Hero HD 2.   In order to make the best footage with your equipment, you must understand your equipment. You can always find on-line resources and videos that  show the ability of equipment you're using! The Go Pors are amazingly small HD cameras, advertised as the World's most versitile camera

Highlight from the Summer 2012 X games shot by go pros, notice all the helmet mounted shots.

a go pro falls from 3,000 feet

here's an ad made by go pro with go pros, noticed how there are go pros mounted in various areas to get all the awesome shots that compose this piece:

 the video below is me wearing a go pro 2 in a BOSS Breathing Observation Submersible Scooter, skip to 4:20 and throughout to get the idea of how my footage looks, observe the audio change at 14:53 when I take the go pro from inside my helmet out into the water