Vlog: Jet Ski Race!


Please visit my channel at YouTube for more vlogs!

It’s only taken me 7 years to edit this video, but this is the magic of Mac which forced me to dig out all of my stash of tape and just edit and post! I do hope you’re going to enjoy this one.

I think I’ve got to go out and shoot some new material now. Any suggestions? Wishes?

Comments

  1. liz

    Mahmood,

    What program do you use to edit films on your Mac/
    Thanks, Liz

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    mahmood

    UNFORTUNATELY, it’s Apple’s Final Cut Express at the moment… until Avid pulls their finger out and brings out the Xpress Pro in universal binary. I hate FCE/P, so counter intuitive.

  3. M

    Pretty cool stuff, Mahmood. I gave up trying to do video a few years ago when my family complained they were getting whiplash trying to watch the movie. Oh well.

    How about a fun packed movie about camels; was it you or the religious policeman that did the camel pics a few years ago that was so funny?

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    mahmood

    Thanks M. I really enjoy making videos. I do it for fun, rather than submit them for an Oscar.

    A friend asked me last week for an opinion on her video and that sort of got me thinking that I should write a short “how to” from my perspective on how I shoot and edit videos, maybe it’ll benefit someone. That’s another one on my “todo” list.

    On a professional level; however, I’m in the initial process of producing a documentary about my father’s life and work. I’ll start another blog on that process to document my journey into the world of commercial production. That should be a blast!

    As to the camels, do you mean these pictures?, no idea if you are referring to me, but it’s a good chance to share my pictures of those smelly beasts again!

    Doing a movie about them is another matter though… I’ll pass on that one at the moment.

  5. I

    I remember the event well. I also remember that someone high up, maybe a Minister or the head of GOYS proclaimed that Bahrain would host the World JetSki Championship later in 1999 or in 2000. I wonder whatever happened about that. Absolutely typical though.

    Let me give you the scenario. Someone passionate about the sport organises a major event in Bahrain. It is a resounding success. Next thing you know, the organiser has been bullied aside by ‘someone with influence’ who has decided that they want the ‘prestige’ of hosting a bigger event, a world championship or the like. Since the original person has been shoved aside, he has absolutely no interest in helping these ‘wannabes’ and leaves them to their own devices. Net result is that as soon as the ‘wannabe’ looks into the event in detail they realise that actual WORK is involved and soon loses interest.

    Fast forward a few years to the Squash event in Al Aali Mall. An enthusiast in the Bahrain Squash federation organises a round of the Womens World Championship in Bahrain. A Shaikah from Kuwait DONATES a championship glass court and the event is a great success. Well, what do you know, someone with influence and the right name decides to take over the event, railroads the organiser out and proclaims that Bahrain will host the MEN’s championship round the following year. Suffice to say, this has not happened.

    When will people realise that to set up and host such an event, be it sports or music requires more than just money. It involves knowing the right people and having the infrastructure to actually carry through with the task. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. If Bahrain wants top class entertainment, then they are going to have to admit that there are very few people in this part of the world who can actually provide it. Going behind their backs to Europe is fruitless because the promoters work with each other and it will rebound. This often means that time and opportunities are lost through messing about.

    The other thing lacking in this part of the world, is corporate sponsorship of ANYTHING. None of the major business players in the market seem willing to put their hands in their pockets to support music or sport. If you want to see Shakira (for instance) I’ve been reliably informed that the fee is $1 million. I’m certain that to get Manchester United or some other prestigious team to play in Bahrain you’d probably be looking at similar fee structures. You can’t get that sort of money from ticket sales alone! There has to be support from the Private sector. Support that is lacking currently.
    I’ve recently heard that the Unstoppabulls is going to cease to be. Apparently there is no corporate sponsorship for them, although they have proven themselves as winners. The current sponsor is apparently getting tired of pouring his own money in when nobody else in the kingdom is willing to support the teams. Rather sad, I think.

    I’ll get off my soapbox now.

  6. F

    I agree with I that sports and events related to sports is difficult to
    setup and does require the right people to be involved.

    F1 has been a big success based only on the fact that the directors involved has assigned the smooth executiion to the right people.

    GOYS has some very good people who support certain events. They
    spend their time, and the dedicated funds, to develop their sport and
    the people involved. i.e. Bowling.

    However, there are other heads of sports, who are completely asleep. They only wakeup when the event is major and they will be well highlighted in the media, received big awards, and in turn receive
    praise from the people above.

    It is sad to see events like Squash Championships and Jet ski races
    die as soon as they are born.

    A clean-up is needed within GOYS. Head of each sport should really be
    given to dedicated people who wish to evolve their respective sport.

  7. M

    Mahmood,

    A how to would be a good idea, because some of us just don’t “get it” and any help would be a good thing. It must have been the RP that I was thinking about although your pictures are terrific too. I remember a camel in the back of a truck.

    What better way to honor your father and his life than doing a video. It is bound to bring some strong emotions, but that is part of the process in recognizing the celebration of our lives. Good luck.

  8. Patty

    Mahmood,

    Your “friend” here! WOW, I am impressed!

    I want to know exactly how to do THAT! Unfortunately, I don’t own MACs (really, I’m still hung-up on the “if you own a PC, you are a real stud” complex we got from being in college during the 80’s). Is there any software you would recommend for PC’s? I own Pinnacle and PowerDirector. Also, I have tried MovieMaker, but not much. Did you film that using a digital camcorder or did you transfer to your PC from VHS tapes?

    P!

  9. Ingrid

    Nice music choice with that. My request would be something to do with traffic. It would be a challenge for sure because would you just ‘park’ yourself in the hopes of something happening? Anyway, I have noticed in my travels in different Asian, Middle Eastern and European countries that in some countries their ‘style’ of driving is very , shall we say, distinct! So if there is a spot somewhere in Manama where you could say, yes, for sure there’s always someone who drives like ‘blank’.. that could be funny. Well, potentially. Especially if you were to catch a Saudi driver because for sure, they are VERY distinct!
    Ingrid
    (pardon to my Saudi friends)

  10. billT

    Mahmood. Not really the right place to post this but here goes. PodPress has come up with a nice addition to their podcasting plugin for Word Press. It allows users to post short audio comments along with text in your comments. Not sure if it would be usefull to you but thought you might like to look at it. I just set it up on my site and it works well when you remember to unmute your mic 🙂

    billT

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  12. ask

    مشكور عزيزي على هذا البلوق

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