|
 elcome
to Gary Olsen Motion Pictures. Since Gary is involved in a lot of
video projects for cable TV and web deployment, we've created a links page to
take you to several of those projects. The list grows with the completion
of every new project, so mark this page and check back frequently.
 Most
of Gary's video projects are collaborative. For example, through his position as media developer for
the Dubuque Community Schools, Gary is also the Webmaster. He has
the distinct privelege of working with great talents... the children, teachers and staff that make up the Dubuque Community School District. Add to this a great outlet for this content, the district's first of its kind cable television channel.
 In all cases,
Gary is working with cutting edge equipment of the digital variety.
Television is a powerful tool, and a compelling medium with
which we can tell our stories. But for you to take advantage of
this technology, you must have the appropriate hardware and software. Gary has carefully built upon this creative enterprise.
 If you have a fast connection to the Internet, you can watch a streaming version of the school district's cable TV channel. It even allows you to download all kinds of movies on demand. Best results are delivered by browsers that contain  Windows Media Player. That can include Macs as well as PCs. Microsoft makes a version for both operating platforms. If you don't have a current version on board, you will be prompted and given the opportunity to install it for free on your computer. There are some other options, if you prefer, so by all means read on.
Nearly all computers delivered today are fully multimedia compliant,
which means they have audio cards, speakers, fast video cards, and
are web ready, You obviously got this far in our Web site, and,
possibly you already have the necessary configuration on your computer
to view videos. If your browser version is up to date, you're probably
ready to rock'n'roll.
We are continually experimenting with video compression schemes for Internet deployment of our videos.
 Anohter
of our methods of delivering audio and video files to you via our
site is RealPlayer, which uses a web browser "plug-in"
technology just like Windows Media Player.
When you are in our web
site or an allied web site, and you click on a RealPlayer button, your
browser software automatically launches RealPlayer from inside your
browser window. A smaller player window pops up on your desktop
with complete video controls just like a VCR (only better). The
software you need to become video capable is available free from
RealMedia's Web site. But read the instructions carefully
before you proceed. RealMedia has a browser player they sell, and you don't need to buy anything to watch our videos.
Here's a link
to get RealPlayer from RealMedia's webstie.
|
|
Movie
Guide
|
| Looks at Books is an entertaining series of book reports and interviews with children who have read books. The concept of a video book report show evolved out of a project Gary did for the State of Iowa Department of Education. "It turns out kids will do just about anything to get on television including read a book," says Gary. |
 |
The Garden Organic is a terrific television show that puts 25 kids (half of whom have never really gotten their hands dirty gardening) into a competitive gardening competition. This is a Channel 19 exclusive produced for Mediacom customers. It's one of several series television shows Gary produces for cable. |
|
Kids in the Kitchen is a nationally recognized show that airs on state-wide Mediacom Television and originates at the Dubuque Community Schools. Sponsors Hy-Vee and several others have combined resources to support this incredibly popular show in the Dubuque area. Real kids, with real food, cooking in a real kitchen with a real gourmet chef. There are even occasional injuries on the set like when Kenny's finger was grated along with the cheese in one particular segment. |
|
| Move! is a documentary shot for the Dubuque Community Schools that illustrates how normalizing special needs kids (especially those with mobility challenges) helps them learn better. The process of normalization, sometimes referred to as "mainstreaming," tends to raise the consciousness of the other children in the classroom. It builds character and compassion, and it's all captured on film in this wonderful project. |
 |
Yes, Chopper School! Imagine if you will a group of at risk students who are absolutely brilliant if not gifted, and they build a real chopper custom motorcycle from the ground up. That's the concept, and it was created in collaboration with Central Alternative High School faculty and staff to chronicle the trials and tribulations of these students building the bike. |
|
High School House is another series inspired by realty TV. The concept is simple. Instead of learning about construction in a classroom, put them on a job site and make them build a $250,000 house with an experienced contractor and a decorator. The result is High School House Bittersweet Lane (named for the street the house is located). The name is so appropriate because this is the kids' last year of school, and the memories they are making in this process are priceless. We've got it all on film. |
|
Reality Math is a TV series produced for cable that takes the camera into classrooms and on field trips to do math problems. The inspiration was math teachers for Dubuque Schools who needed a means to communicate the concept of a new curriculum called Math Trailblazers in which children are given opportunities to solve math problems by taking their own individual paths. This episode, pictured at right, was filmed at a local Olive Garden where we did a lesson on fractions. |
|
Kids & Creatures is a series of short programs on pet care. The show is a collaboration between the Dubuque Regional Humane Society and Bryant School. The kids do interviews with animal behavior specialists, vets, and there's lots of puppies and kitties. This concept was fairly easy to get from idea to final product which is a series of 2 or 3 minute segments. Kids and animals... how can one go wrong? But the animated elements are interesting , and Gary created them, too. |
|
| The United Way Movie for 2006 is a follow up to the award-winning campaign film of the previous year. Starring Maria Russet, the movie is about success stories that are possible through the generosity and support of the community behind the United Way. |
 |
| Invention Convention: This has got to be one of the funniest videos we've produced in a while. But wait, some of these inventors are dead serious. See if you can spot the next Thomas Edison (light bulb, audio recorder, movie camera and film projector) or possibly Grace Hopper (she co-invented one of the first practical computers). In any event, be thoroughly entertained by this video. |
 |
| The United Way Movie for 2005 is a breakthrough campaign film that has been one of the most successful in terms of awards and recognition. But the real reward was that campaign volunteers said it was extremely effective and appealed to citizens on a very emotional level. During the campaign, donations increased at the same locations anywhere from 15 to 20% ahead of the previous year. Many volunteers and United way officials credited this campaign film for the increases. |
 |
| Dubuque Ambassadors Website is filled with short films shot and produced by Gary Olsen. Ambassador Movies of ribbon cutting and ground breakings is a collection of interesting Chamber of Commerce celebrations in the City of Dubuque. This stuff should be in a time capsule. |
 |
| Realtime Walking Tours for Dubuque Community School District. An interesting concept that puts the viewer together with a subject expert on a tour of a school building, classroom, or construction site. |
 |
| The Positive Behavior Supports Program was developed by the University of Oregon. It was designed to bring expections to behavior of school children and to give educators more control over the classroom. Gary Olsen and Paula Baurmann, a guidance counselor and practitioner of the program at Prescott Elementary, did a documentary about it that sampled the program working in several elementary and high schools throughout the Midwest. |
 |
| A film on how Prescott Early Childhood Center's Positive Behavior Supports Program works in their school is online for you to view. Just completed by guidance counselor, Paula Baumann, and producer, Gary Olsen, the movie is an in-depth tour of every aspect of the program complete with interviews with teachers, parents, community leaders, a juvenile court judge and professionals involved in the management of troubled youth. |
 |
| Welcome to the Open for Business Website! This is the online headquarters for our cable television show that appears on Mediacom Cable Channel 15 and 18 and, of course, on this website. The show was created to inform citizens of happenings among Dubuque area businesses. Also the show is aimed at students to give them a better and more complete picture of the kinds of jobs and careers available to pursue in our Tri-State Area. |
 |
| United Way Video for 2004 is the second in a series. This 10 minute video captures and defines quality of life issues in the Dubuque community. |
 |
| Oh
Canada! Gary and his pals explore the Canadian wilderness
on a fly-in fishing expedition to Lake Sesseganaga, Ontario.
Pass the Black Label. |
|
Welcome to Gary Olsen's Recumbent Bicycle Page! This is a personal movie Gary shot with the help of his nephew, Andrew Inserra. It's a look at a very unusual bicycle that Gary built and rides with some degree of expertise combined with risk. |
 |
| Gary does events photography such as weddings and whatever else qualifies as an event. Multiple cameras, off camera sound capture and fabulous post production is brought to each project that ends up on the Web and on an expertly produced DVD with value added features. |
|
| The
United Way Video: Family Pictures, produced for the
2003 campaign of Dubuque United Way. It's a 10 minute look at
some of the things that make Dubuque a great place to live. |
|
| The
Art and Science of Kite Making This
is a lyrical little piece that blends music and kids making
and flying kites as part of a Talented and Gifted exercise held
at Keystone Area Education Agency. |
|
| Physics
Olympics at
Washington Junior High. What a funny and fast paced film which
introduces a great talent discovery. |
|
| The
Lost Boys of fhe Sudan interviews at Washington Junior
High. Refugees from a bloody awful civial war on the African
continent, these young men are in America to study and hopefully
return to their country one day to help it rebuild. |
|
| The
Little Rock Nine at Central Alternative High School.
Gary films his friend, Thom Determan, as he hosts and interviews
these historic figures from America's Civil Rights historical
past. |
|
| The
Mighty Math Marathon Fascinating
study of smart kids competing in a math contest. It doesn't
matter if you're smart or challenged by math. You'll see excitement,
emotion and drama that is not dissimilar from a sports event. |
|
| High
School House is a story about high school youth building and decorating a real house and then selling it to raise funds for the project the following year. |
|
|
Dubuque
Community Schools Video Adventures
There
is a growing list of short films and videos produced by Gary
on behalf of the Dubuque Community School District.
|
|
|
9/11
One Year Later
This is
a fantastic 20 minute film of young people remembering September
11th, and it examines their attitudes, fears, and hopes one
year after the Attack on America.
|
|
|
How
Prescott Students Behave
This
small documentary combined with instructional video produced
for Precott Early Childhood Center.
|
|
|
Message
in a Bottle
Documentary
on a project involving students at Irving Elementary School
in Dubuque as they explore the Mississippi River via a very
interactive project involving messages in bottles.
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
