Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Empty Me: the Video

So, for a while, we've been trying to figure out what to do for a video on "Empty Me.  The song is a special song to me, and as we've been out on the road, we've seen how special it is to so many people, that I knew the treatment of the video needed to be something cool and special.  We've finally figured out how to do it.

You, my friends, can star in my first music video!

We want for you to video yourself in an interesting situation (in front of the White House, in the airport or on a plane - be creative) lip-syncing to "Empty Me".  It doesn't matter the quality of the video: use your cell phone, or use professional quality stuff, if you have it!  Just make sure you have the actual song playing either through headphones or over a sound system to make sure your lip syncing lines up with the actual song.

First off....because we want to make it as easy as possible for you guys, we are asking (depending on what letter your last name starts with) you to do 35-second clips of the song.  Secondly, we're doing this because it will make file sizes smaller.  So...you can totally do the whole song if you'd like to, but it might make more sense for you to do a couple or three 35 second clips.

So, here's the breakdown of names and what 35 second clips you'll do:

A-C - 0:00-0:35 (start of song until "to see how it gets in the blood")
D-F - 0:30-1:05 ("I've tasted my share" until "Empty Me" of 1st chorus)
G-I - 1:00 - 1:35 (full 1st chorus)
J-L - 1:30 - 2:05 (full 2nd verse - "I've seen just enough...")
M-O - 2:00 - 2:35 (full 2nd chorus plus 1st "everything is a lesser thing" from bridge)
P-R - 2:30-3:05 (full bridge - starts with "everything is a lesser thing" - plus guitar solo - DO A CRAZY AIR GUITAR SOLO!)
S-V - 3:00-3:35 (quiet chorus until 1st "empty me of me so I can be" of last chorus)
W-Z - 3:30-4:05 (first "empty me of me so I can be" of last chorus until the end of the song - MAKE SURE TO MAKE THOSE HIGH NOTES AT THE END LOOK AS PAINFUL AS POSSIBLE!)

So...the key to this is going to be your creativity...do crazy things and you WILL end up featured in my first video!

To send it, you will need to use a website called yousendit.com.  The site is pretty self explanatory...you simply upload your file and send it this email address: emptymevideo@gmail.com. 

You need to have your video submission in by October 24 to be in the video!

Now, get to work and thanks for your help in this...I think it's gonna be pretty awesome!


64 comments:

Cathy Storms said...

I am so excited...Road trip to find the best spot for the video....

Deliah has been waiting for this...

Cathy Storms said...

Chris,
How awesome that your fans get to be a part of your first video..

This is going to be so much fun.

Hischild said...

Chris! You wild and crazy guy, you! I LOVE that you included us in this. You're the GREATEST, dude!!

When I first started reading this I thought how sweet and heartfelt and meaningful the song is and that the video should be along the same lines. But then reading on you want this to be CRAZY?????? Hm.....Well, far be it from me to dictate the tone of YOUR video for YOUR hit song. If you want crazy, then alright! Im IN!!

And I get the last part, high notes. Yeehaw!

HstryQT said...

woah - so cool. teddy'll be a star! :)

DJ in AL said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
DJ in AL said...

Dude,

You....have.....lost....your...
mind.

Shhh....no one tell Risa, please I beg you!

Hischild said...

DJ,
That's hilarious! HAHAHAHA!

To everyone!
Just so no one else does this before me, I claim the Grand Canyon! Empty and filled! Perfect!

:o)

Anonymous said...

Heh! Now THERE'S an idea!:-)
Should be very cool, this group effort-- like snapshots from the road.

Anonymous said...

I think it should be Empty me ..you
Fill me with you.....kids having fun.
You filled with the world and your career wishing to be like a kid again. .
When God wasn't a theological thing but simply a happy concept. What I am trying to describe is that simple faith of when a father throws his kid in the air.... the child has no fear only delight because he knows his father will catch him.

Cathy Storms said...

DJ~
Are you kidding me? A Sligh video without Risa?? No way, no how...

She gets the air guitar part.
Risa~your going to rock it girl...

Risa,
I think you should adopt me so I can change the letter of my last name....

I can't wait to see this video...

HstryQT said...

Risa and I both have the bridge/guitar solo.. and so does Randy!... Man, I'm so going to lose this battle.

Hopefully the 35 second clips will be broken up into smaller bits and we can all make it in.

Randy ... Risa... Teddy... maybe more? I see a battle forming :)

Cathy Storms said...

I'm the quiet chorus. Me, quiet...The one who always sings really loud and very off key...lol...Ok, so we're not really singing, but I bet I even lip sing off key...lol......

Chris~you must remember the AI concert in San Diego and when you kept looking down to see who was singing "Typical" really loud and really off key...Yeah, it was me....

gdahimself said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
gdahimself said...

Cathy,

Even with the initial change, Risa has the advantage of having the training team of Curves & Ethan to give a killer performance.

Incidentially, just a small fly in the ointment, can you really proceed without Rosalee?
She would most likely be the MC.

Cathy Storms said...

GDA~
Yes, she would have the advantage, but I also have a son who is a musician and would love to have his mom be a "rock star"...lol.....

And I have been playing Guitar Hero on my DS....

gdahimself said...

Cathy & Risa,

May be you two can have duel or dueling leads.

HstryQT said...

OMG OMG Cathy you just gave me an awesome idea - Teddy sits on Dannys lap and "plays" Guitar Hero all the time --- I can totally work something out with that. :D.

Carrie said...

HAHAHAHA Now I need to think of a cool location in Buffalo. That's the hard part...

Hischild said...

Yeah, Teddy on guitar riffs! How CUTE!!!
How's he doing, BTW? All recuperated by now??

risalea said...

DJ. Friend. I know you only meant that in the BEST way. (Just remember, I have YOU on video.heehee)

And let me just state now, I'm using my maiden name (Buzbee), as I refuse to compete with a baby doing air guitar! LOL In fact, I'm thinking a chubby girl of a certain age doing air guitar, may not be my best look. Going to have to think about that one!

OK, off to practice my guitar riffs. : )

gdahimself said...

Carrie,

How about Buffalo Central Terminal as a back drop, assuming the area isn't of questionable character.

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

risalea said...

Pardon the interruption, but any of you Fro Patroers out there who are country fans, go to www.myspace.com/davidbyrnes and befriend David. He's a 21 year old from Sherwood, AR pursuing his dream in Nashville. In fact, David's a former student at my old elementary school. I remember him performing in the end of the year talent shows we always had, and he didn't have a shy bone in his body, even back then. And, small world, guess where he's playing tomorrow night--3rd and Lindsley!

OK, returning you now to "Empty Me: the Video."

Anonymous said...

My last name starts with an E, hmm.. I'm trying to think if there's any good places around here.

EmilyBoo said...

My first and maiden names are E, and my last name is H, so I'll see what I can do with "I've tasted my share" through the first chorus.

October 24, that's the day you're going to be in Michigan! :D

risalea said...

Technical question: Do parents need to sign any kind of release for minor children appearing on the video? I thought of this because of the rules schools have to abide by. Parents have to sign a general release at the beginning of the year for kids' pictures to be in the newspaper, to appear on the school website, etc. This may be different because more than likely, a parent or guardian would be the one submitting. Sorry, I'm always thinking of "what if" and just wanted to throw it out there.

I'm gonna' get my sis to do a segment with my niece and nephew, Madeline and Thomas who were at the picnic (more R's!) and I emailed Tammy and Paula about Paula's granddaughter who was at the picnic, too. She'd be a hoot...she loves to be "onstage."

OK, got to get back to this review I did yesterday. Have a great day, guys!

Cathy Storms said...

I wish I could get Paula's grandaughter and Deliah together to do a segment. They were so cute together. Paula's grandaughter is beautiful....

DJ in AL said...

Risa, you know it!
The more I think about this whole thing, the more I think maybe the world as a whole isn't ready for me in a video!


Gotta think more on this myself....


Happy Hump Day!

DJ

HstryQT said...

Thanks for asking Clarissa :).
I've posted two updates now and every time I do Chris posts a new blog so people don't see them, so I give up :) hehe. There's one on the post below this and one on the Masterworks post.

Teddy's doing great! Just not sleeping through the night anymore *boo*.

Anonymous said...

I still have no ideas on a place yet but I'll keep thinking. It sucks not having a car so it'd have to be local.

Lori, I went back and read the last Teddy update. Glad he's doing well but I hope he goes back to his old night sleeping schedule. That's the same hours Amelia sleeps, 10pm-8am. She still cosleeps which is why she doesn't go to bed earlier. She has her first cold :( My sister is blaming me because I had one but I rarely went near her and didn't breathe on her. I think it could also be teething because she's pulling at her ears.

risalea said...

Happy, happy birthday
On this your special day!
Happy, happy birthday
Is what we've come to say!

Happy, happy birthday
May all your dreams come true!
Happy, happy birthday
From all of us to you!

Happy Birthday, Carmen!! How does it feel to be 29?

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, Carmen!

chamilton said...

Happy Birthday Carmen !!!
I hope that you have a great day

Carrie said...

GDA,
Ironically, I don't think I'VE even ever been to the Buffalo Central Terminal. Not that I can remember, anyway. Maybe as a kid.

Carmen,
Happy Birthday!!!!! Have a great day!

Everyone,
This Friday is Light the Night! I'm going to be walking in support of those who have and we have lost from Leukemia and Lymphoma. I had to put only ONE name down and put my grandfathers, but I am personally walking in honor of my grandfather AND our dear Amanda.

This is really important to me so if you can, I'd love it if anyone could toss a few bucks this way.

http://www.active.com/donate
/ltnAmhers/2466_inkedstars

I'm not getting anything out of this (it's too late for me to qualify for winning any awards and what-not) other than the fact that I'll be helping out the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. If you can't donate, that's okay, just think of me on Friday night!

Sorry for buggin' you guys and gals about it! Haha.

Cathy Storms said...

Happy Birthday Carmen!!!

DJ in AL said...

Happy Birthday Carmen!

Remember, you're as young as you feel!


Sending love and happy birthday vibes to FL!

DJ

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Carmen!
(I liked my 29th birthday so much, I had it like 10 times in a row! LOL)

I hope it was a great one for you.
We have a beautiful month to have a birthday in, don't we? Lucky.

risalea said...

What day, Bullyse? My hubby, Gaylon is an Oct. baby, too on the 27th. He is all about October, fall and Halloween! : )

EmilyBoo said...

Happy birthday Carmen! I'm an October baby too! No mo re 29s for me though. :D I'll be 33 in 8 days!

EmilyBoo said...

mo re = more. Oops, I typed too fast.
:P

chamilton said...

Hey Risa, Gaylon and I need to hang out. I LOVE fall and Halloween. I am so excited because I am putting decorations up this weekend. My son Matthew was born on Halloween so not only is it a fun holiday but a birthday party too at our house.

risalea said...

I've noticed Chris's invitation for folks to participate in the "Empty Me" video is getting many mentions on the internet on various sites. Good deal! (oh wait, does that mean I'm going to be competing with LOTS of babies?! LOL) I hope you get so many in, you have a hard time picking!

Anonymous said...

Hey Risa-- mine is the same as D-Day for the video submissions! The 24th.
I do love October, and Autumn in general, altho my years of living in the North have made me nervous, anticipating cold weather! It's nice here now tho, awfully nice.

The internets is a small world alright. It's good when news and promo can be spread in positive waves.

HstryQT said...

Happy Happy Birthday Carmen!!

IMPORTANT QUESTION: What types of files will work when we send them? I have a video ready to send but it's in a .mod format, which won't open on any of my generic video viewers on my computer, so I'm afraid it won't work for what you need.

I don't know how to change the file name. HELP!!

HstryQT said...

OK well now I was able to (after much frustration) convert it to an .avi file, but the site is saying my file is too big. I only did a 30 second clip so I can't trim it down. It's 163 MB and it can only be 100 MB. To send you a bigger file I have to pay $9.99 and subscribe. What should I do? I'm sorry I'm so technologically challenged. I'm good with a lot of things but obviously not videos. So for now the file is on my computer but I don't know how to get it to the email address.

Carmen said...

Hey all!
Thanks for the many birthday wishes! I have always thought an October birthday was pretty cool. Especially since the birthstone for October is an opal and that is my favorite gem. Plus the weather is almost always great this time of year!!

I have had a pretty great day so far. Tomorrow I leave for Texas to help out my Mom with her home that was destroyed during hurricane Ike. My sisters have been great in helping her out thus far--so now it is my turn to step in. We are going to put a bunch of stuff in storage while her house is being repaired. I am afraid we have a lot of "stuff" to go through. I don't think my Mom has thrown anything away in over 30 years. No telling what we are going to find! LOL

I am still working on an idea for the video. I am glad to hear that folks are talking about on the net.

Once again thanks for all the birthday well wishes.

Carmen

Anonymous said...

Risa,

Can you out cute a scene stealing baby?

GDA

Cathy Storms said...

My grandson Ephraim's birthday is on Halloween also. He's going to be 3. I love October!!!

So Happy Birthday all you October babies. It sounds like there is alot of you...

risalea said...

GDA-I think I better plan on either (a) borrowing a baby or (b) getting a new puppy! I can't out cute by myself. LOL

Carrie said...

I hope I can get my firewire cord for my camcorder and that my uh, monthly acne clears up (LOL) before I'm able to tape this!

DJ in AL said...

Carmen,

Have a safe trip!

I forgot to mention that I went to Maroon 5 on Tuesday, they were seriously awesome! I must be getting really old though because back in the day they played for longer than an hour and 15 min.


Anyway, we're off to the lake for the weekend and after the week I've had it can't come too soon!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

ChrisSligh said...

Happy b-day to Carmen, btw.

Got in under the wire

Whew!

Chris

Carmen said...

Chris,
Thanks for the B-Day wish.
Carmen

Anonymous said...

Is this the Libra blog ??? I guess Scorpio also with the late October birthdays. Air and water signs.

I'm October 8th, along with my twin. My mother and mother in law, brother in law, 2 cousins, 3 good friends are all October. I love October !

Best wishes to all . No wonder this blog is so balanced . :)

Shalom

Hischild said...

I missed here yesterday. Carmen, I hope you had a GREAT celebration day yesterday.

I am SO bummed I can't make it to Albuquerque for the concert this weekend. So close and yet so far! I know Chris and Jon and Jason will be treated very well there though. I'm hoping to hear some news about it from someone, somewhere. (hint, hint) :o)

Lori,
Great to hear the mostly good report on Teddy. He'll get back to sleeping thru the night again and you can feel like your old self once more.

Anonymous said...

hischild-- Sorry you can't make it to the show. I sympathize, having missed the Picnic as I did. The Good Time will go on as planned however! Never fear! :-)

Lori-- my friend Jenlar is a whiz. She could help advise you with the film problem. Contact her thru Idolbored MS page! She is also a fan of Chris's, and may be attempting to contribute something herself!

Anonymous said...

Lori-- here's her MS addy--
myspace.com/jenlarx2000

She is made of awesome. Seriously.

Hischild said...

Bully,
Thanks for the sympathy. I feel better, somehow. :o)

I'm keeping your friends MS addy because I'm not technical at all. I anticipate problems like Lori. Hoping my son and friend can help me over the rough spots but just in case I hafta start panicking...

HstryQT said...

Thanks Bully!

Emily the Magnificent. said...

I am totally doing this.

No doubt.

Anonymous said...

You're welcome. :-)

Basketball season starts today for us, so sports, moar sports! We have almost 300 pics to sort thru from the last V-ball game today too. LOL. help!

for Spouse's benefit I add only, "GO WHITE SOX!" You can take the boy out of Chicago, but you can't take Chicago out of the boy.

Brenda Covert said...

What a crazy idea! I think I'll give it a shot! My last name begins with a C. As for an interesting location, what if my head is sticking out from under my bed (assuming I can actually fit under my bed)? Don't anybody steal my idea!!! (ROFLOL)

Anonymous said...

OMGosh. Fun!

My last name starts with D, so I'm taking "I've tasted my share" at our local ice cream parlor. Goodie, an excuse for a sundae!

Anonymous said...

Hey Chris!! I LOVE your song and think that your video idea is great!! I think this one will go all the way!

Neanr70 said...

I just want to say THANK YOU for an amazing concert in Rockford Illinois. You played after the Ice Hogs game and it was well worth the wait. Mind you it was fun trying to entertain my nieces 5 & 7, and my youngest son 11. It was a blast reminiscing with them in the car!!! I know that you had a lot of driving over the week-end to get here, but THANK YOU isn't even close to the words that are needed to express the gratitude of smiles left on faces!!!