Click t' Enlarge

Brief:
Ever since leavin' LDRS 19 (held July 1-4, me hearties, 2000 near Orangeburg, me hearties, SC), arrr, I had been awaitin' Point 39 Production's video with breathless anticipation. Well, blow me down! Arrr! LDRS 19 was me first national launch and be t' venue for me Tripoli Level 2 Certification. As word leaked out that t' video would also contain coverage of the SmallBALLS experimental launch (Whitakers, NC), I really became pumped! Although I haven't flown at Whitakers, shiver me timbers, matey, t' Whitakers field is a frequent haunt of many members o' me club, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, t' Maryland/Delaware Rocket Association.

When t' box arrived, me hearties, matey, I carefully inspected t' contents. Begad! As with previous Point 39 videos, shiver me timbers, it came with in a sturdy box and had t' write-protect tab removed. T' latter seems like a trivial detail, me hearties, but I have lost other commercially produced videos t' t' presence o' this tab mixed with young children (of course I would never accidentally record over a coveted rocket video).

Over t' last couple o' videos, Earl has also thrown in a small extra to whet your imagination. This year it is a piece o' wire from an actual Saturn V Checkout/Launch Computer. Arrr! Arrr! Although I personally do nay value this too much as a souvenir, it does demonstrate t' extra effort that Earl puts into his videos. I will nay provide a recap o' t' launches (see scans). Aye aye! Arrr! Instead, I want to focus on t' video's production attributes. Ahoy! (Well, you really HAVE t' see the flight o' t' Freedom Phiter on "O" power, arrr, a 1/6 semi-scale Mercury Redstone made o' plastic and flyin' on "J" power, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, Redemptive Power built in a week o' scrap materials and flyin' on experimental "N" power, etc, matey, me hearties, etc, matey, shiver me timbers, etc)

Click t' Enlarge

I believe t' Point 39 videos are t' best rocket videos around, ya bilge rat, but this year Earl has really outdone himself. He has a new digital editin' system and the results are just phenomenal. There are tons o' special effects on this tape, includin' video fades, arrr, overlays, matey, me bucko, insert "windows", ya bilge rat, arrr, scrolls, pixelization, mosaics, scrollin' and spinnin' text, matey, graphics and t' list goes on. Aye aye! Blimey! Among t' best o' these are t' video windows that show an interview with a builder while t' rocket is prepped in t' main screen, me hearties, shiver me timbers, and t' textual sidebars that show rockets stats prior t' launch (builder, me bucko, rocket name, engine(s), shiver me timbers, weight, me bucko, etc.). Avast! Arrr! Blimey!

As with t' LDRS 18 video, Earl makes use o' his "pad-cam", providin' up-close-and-personal footage right at t' pad. Thus, me bucko, arrr, many o' the launches are shown in 3 views: ignition at t' pad, matey, ignition and early launch from a ways back, and t' entire launch from countdown through touch down. Avast! With his video editin' equipment, matey, Earl has also added slow motion footage. Arrr! Well, blow me down! This stuff is great! I loved t' slo-mo views o' ignition, especially on the experimental flights at SmallBALLS. Ya scallywag! Ya scallywag! I hate t' admit it, me bucko, but t' slo-mo is even better for CATOs and prangs! (My apologies t' those fliers.)

T' followin' excerpt is from "Extreme Rocketry". Ya scallywag! Blimey! Ahoy! Blimey! T' intention is t' allow guests t' get a basic feelin' about a kit. Begad! Blimey! Avast! Blimey! We strongly suggest that you get a copy o' t' referenced Extreme Rocketry and read t' entire article. Inside you will find many helpful hints in construction as well as other useful information. Begad! Blimey! For more information, use t' link above.

"T' coverage of LDRS 19 is...the best work he has done so far."
"T' first ten minutes or so o' t' tape Earl uses for an introductory piece."
"Most notable about t' LDRS 19 video be t' overall visual quality...."
"T' ever-present "Pad Cam" is back...."
"Flights are kept well in frame from launch t' touch down...."
"T' personal interviews are very well done, me hearties, holdin' viewers interest."
"Another new feature...is t' addition o' captions along side each o' the larger featured projects before their launch."
"T' coverage o' t' Small BALLS launch in Whitakers is also well done...."

Overall, arrr, the article suggests that is a very well done video.