Brighter Days

~A look back, according to Mandy~

I gotta say, being a part of the Fiesta Movement has been one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. I've met hundreds of talented, creative people, and just meeting these folks has fueled my own creativity in a way I never imagined.

At the end of April, we have to give our Fiesta back to Ford, and I'm trying to come to terms with our impending loss. I started compiling all the incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experiences I've had in the past year for a "good-bye" post, and while reminiscing, I realized something lovely.

I live a pretty amazing life.

I also realized I have to remember that and reflect on it more often. I'm too apt to focus on bummer days instead of brighter days. Today, I'm focusing on brighter days.

Here are just a few of the awesome things I got to do these last 12 months (links to videos are in blue):


~ Searched for (and found) the largest waterfall in MI, and survived in the wilderness for 3 days, Survivorman style.




~ Did a short documentary/music video on setting my Honda Element free into the wild. (I had to. It was time to nudge 'er outta the nest. Let 'er stretch 'er wings.) This one'll make you laugh, make you cry... It's Waiting for Guffman set to the tunes of Hootie and the Blowfish. What's not to love? (Plus I pull out my Missouri accent, just for y'all.)


~ Turned recycling some old computer monitors into a rip-roaring adventure while giving a nod to my old school love of Tetris. And there were French fries.


~ Went to see Star Wars at an old drive-in. Realized my deep-rooted *love* of drive-ins.




~ Found out messing with the Fiesta's British accent voice control is hilarity at its best.


~ Hacked some Ikea parts to make a custom desk. This video got featured on Ikea Hacker and other custom design blogs, which was just awesome. Plus, 5-stars for doing the video MST3K style!




~ Got to invade Ford's safety labs, see two full-scale crash tests, and attempt to recreate a crash test of our own.




~ Got VIP access to a NASCAR race, interviewed most of the Ford Racing drivers, actually sat on top of the UPS Racing pit box, stood with Carl Edwards and his team on Pit Road during the National Anthem, got to sit in on the Driver's Meeting (Kid Rock was there!), and even showed up on ESPN and TNT. Got a ton of great footage and compiled a music video.




~ Helped our local library out for a day. Have you ever gone behind the library counter???


~ Searched for buried treasure on Beaver Island and did the video "History Detectives" style. Mormons, legends, buried treasure, murder, mystery, mayhem!


~ With so much free gas, I took a trip back home, revisited my high school with old pals, and went to my home town county fair. Then I made the day's footage into a kick-butt music video. Katy Perry and Wilco tunes both star in this action-packed thrill ride!




~ While home, I made another music video, starring one of the cutest babes around! A 1YO babe, that is. Watch as Ele trades in her plastic toy car for a *real* party vehicle.


~ And yet another home adventure: We brought the Fiesta to the local Farmer's Market where my Pa sells organic veg and his secret recipe BBQ!


~ Took the Fiesta auto crossing and made a music video with the hit band Parachute! Here's Will, Johnny, and Alex after the race. All smiles!




~ Were extras in a Food Network shoot for the show "Chefs vs. City." In the Chicago episode, you can actually catch a millisecond glimpse of us in the Fiesta! (Which we think is totally rad.)





~ Got an all expenses paid trip to L.A. for the auto show last December, and helped reveal the new US Fiestas to the world. Attended the Fiesta Celebration party at the Palladium, where the hubs and I got to get up on stage and introduce the band Parachute to the crowd. First time using a teleprompter. While there, we helped set the world record for the World's Largest Tweet-up!






~ And finally, last week, we got to star in a Fiesta webisode. It was a blast. Can't fill you in on any details yet, but I'll make sure to post a link to the webisode once it goes live.

I can say I have a huge respect for film crews and what they do behind the scenes to make what's on the screen look so effortless. These folks work hard. 12 hours in pouring rain and they never slowed down for a second.

I can also say I am soooo proud of my dog, Browdy. I used to train service dogs professionally and at one point, I planned on moving to L.A. to become an animal trainer for TV/films. My life has obviously taken a different route, but I had forgotten the thrill of putting a trained animal to the test. It was so amazing to direct Browdy for the video. He sat for almost an hour in the pouring rain, soaked and cold, while I stood 20 feet away telling him to "stay."

And the dog stayed! Even with another actor calling to him, patting her lap, offering treats -- the dog stayed right where I put him. A jogger ran past. A guy walking his dog went by. Production assistants came running up to make adjustments. Cameramen shifted and scuffed their feet behind him.

And Browdy stayed.

The crew said I was amazing. That I played Jedi mind tricks. And yes, I trained him well. The dog knows how to count for goodness sake.

But, dude. Browdy was the amazing one. Even the best service dogs I trained in the past would have had trouble staying for that long, especially soaked to the bone and shivering. I have tried getting Browdy to mind me on camera many times before, and he always, ALWAYS, gets bored and distracted. Not this time. He must have sensed how important it was to me. And that just blows my mind and makes me so proud to be his owner.

I wish with all my might I could communicate to him just how proud I am of him. Because of him, I got to experience one of my dream jobs, if only for a few hours.

And that, my friends, was one of the brightest of brighter days.

Ford Fiesta Crash Test Update

We know a lot of you find our site when searching for Ford Fiesta crash test videos. We'd like to clarify that as Ford Fiesta Agents, we're not qualified (or allowed) to perform a real crash test.

Our video serves to provide info on the new Fiesta safety features, to show why vehicles today have crush zones instead of being solid as a tank, and to, let's face it, have a bit of a laugh.

To our knowledge, there are no videos of a US Fiesta crash test currently available online. But we did find this Euro NCAP video of the 2008 European Ford Fiesta crash test. You can also see Euro NCAP's full starred rating here.



Hope this helps. If a US Fiesta crash test pops up, we'll be sure to post it here.

It's here! Our Final Fiesta Movement Video

The guys from Parachute take our Fiesta for a spin around the Michigan Sports Car Club's autocross track. Things get a little out of hand, but they keep it "Under Control."

Enjoy!

Babes Love the Ford Fiesta

Our latest video -- Enjoy!

1-year-old Ele can't stand her car. There's nothing under the hood, and it needs one of those ratty keys. So she trades it in for a new 2011 Ford Fiesta. We think she made the right choice. Don't you?

Babes Love The Ford Fiesta from joelandmandy on Vimeo.

Mission #5: The Search for Buried Treasure

Did you know there was an American king in the 1850's? James Jesse Strang proclaimed himself "king" of his Mormon church when they inhabited Beaver Island, Michigan over 150 years ago. But Strang's rule didn't end with his church. He forced all of the original island inhabitants to submit to his sovereignty or leave. His dictatorship led to his assassination in 1856, leaving behind several rumors of buried treasure, since none of his amassed wealth was ever found.

We decided to head to Beaver Island to search for the buried treasure ourselves. What ensues is a spoof of PBS's popular television show: History Detectives.




http://www.hummhead.com

For more information on Beaver Island:
http://www.beaverbeacon.com

Fiesta Test Drive: Power-Shifting and Cornering

Agent Mandy's brother was a bit skeptical about the magic of the Fiesta. He just couldn't take his little sister's word for it. So we gave him the keys and let him tear it up. His reaction is pretty priceless.

You'll also enjoy tasty nuggets from Mandy like, "Was it anything what you thought?" Yup. You can see why her brother thought none too highly of her opinion. But now? He just might be changing his tune.

Thanks, Ford Fiesta!

Mission #4: Fiesta Book Mobile

Social Activism Month!

For our 4th Fiesta Movement Mission, we helped The Friends of the Brighton District Library move their donated books to off-site storage. While that might not sound like much, volunteering like this is a major help to libraries across the country.

Many libraries do not receive enough state funds to operate. They rely on donations and volunteers from the community. The Friends of the Brighton District Library raise more funds each year than The Library receives from the State of Michigan. Without them, The Library could not continue to fund all the wonderful programs and events they provide for local children.

If there is a local library in your heart, take the time to donate your used books, or even your time, to help keep them going strong.

Attack of the Ikea Hack! (MST3K Style)

Our latest video: a time-lapse-esque escapade of Ikea Hackery, with a little Mystery Science Theater 3000 flair. Laugh, cry, poke fun... whatever flips your switch!

Carl Edwards - Full Length Interview

Those of you who saw our first NASCAR video might like to see our full interview with Carl Edwards. He talks about his first car, why he thinks the Fiesta is a great everyday vehicle, and what kind of race he'd love to do with Matt Kenseth and David Ragan.

NASCAR Video #1

Well, folks, it's finally here, the first NASCAR video in our series. We took our Mac to the Mac store for diagnosis (one great thing about buying a Mac -- tech support is FREE!) and found that the problem was not with our external hard drive. It was a corrupted iPhoto library. Anyone using a Mac knows that the default for importing clips from a digital video camera like a Webbie or Flip is to dump them into iPhoto. You can bypass this, but we didn't since we were using iMovie. Unfortunately, this was where all the hang-ups occurred. We simply pointed iMovie to a new (and empty) iPhoto library and we were off a running. A free solution!

The Film Fund will be an ongoing thing for us personally, since we realize we'll reach the glass ceiling of iMovie eventually. But for now, the crisis has been averted. Thanks to everyone who helped us out: friends, family, social media acquaintances, and Fiesta Movement agents. You all are awesome!

So without further ado, sit back and enjoy our feature presentation:



More videos to come -- full length driver interviews and a tribute to the NASCAR experience.

On Our Way

Thanks to the few of you who have generously donated your time, advice, and a few bucks to our Film Fund so far. We can't thank you enough. We've never asked for help before, and we felt uncomfortable doing so, but it's nice to know there are those out there who will lend a hand when we're struggling.

We're on our way to finding a solution, but no luck yet. Joel no longer thinks our external drive is the problem since it meets all the requirements of Final Cut Express and iMovie. He thinks the problem is our iMac itself, so we'll be taking it to the Mac store tomorrow for diagnosis.

Meanwhile, Mandy's job requires a lot of photo-editing, and she's reduced to working on our 5-year-old laptop. The small screen doesn't yield very professional results. And video editing? Forget about it. We can't even watch YouTube videos on this slug. We're short on money and time, but we've got an abundance of stress. Anyone want some free stress?

Hope to have some good news for you next week. Perhaps even a video or two, and some new photos.

The Film Fund

As you can see, we still haven't posted any videos from our NASCAR event last month. We're really bummed about it, but there is good reason. Or bad reason. However you want to look at it.

First, we had to finish our June mission, which was our trip to Ford Safety Labs. Once that was hammered out, Mandy got to work on the first NASCAR video. After 5 hours of sound and film editing, she decided to take a break. When she came back to iMovie, all editing had been lost. Why? No particular reason. iMovie's "automatic save" feature must have decided to take a break too, resulting in a colossal automatic fail. Mandy took to the couch and drowned her sorrows with repeat showings of The Next Food Network Star, Ruffles, ranch dip, and Mountain Dew.

Fast forward two days later when Mandy gives it another go. Remembering all the fancy editing she did earlier that week, she gives her computer an old fashioned restart, just for good measure, and she's off. The video is looking better than ever. 4 hours into the project, she closes and reopens iMovie to make sure the automatic save is working properly. Glory, glory, it is! So another 4 hours go by and editing is coming to an end. The video is almost finished. She closes and reopens iMovie again because the program is starting to bog down. This is where the hair-pulling begins.

When iMovie restarts, the project has unbelievably and undeniably reverted back to the day before. Even though Mandy made sure the program was saving mid-edit, iMovie went the extra mile and did something miraculous: un-saving what it had previously saved. How is that even possible?

With two full days of work wasted, Mandy tries not to give in to madness. 4th of July weekend was a nice diversion, even though there was much more Food Network Star, Ruffles, ranch dip, and Mountain Dew, but now we're back to the work week. Film editing must be accomplished this month. Mission #3 is fast approaching, besides all the wonderful NASCAR footage waiting to be shown to the world.

We know that Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere are the answers, but where do we find an extra grand lying around the house? We've checked the sofa cushions and under the seats in the Fiesta. No luck. Joel's grandparents used to sew cash into their drapes, but they haven't blessed our curtains.

We did, however, install Final Cut Express. More failure there. Seems both FCE and iMovie have problems using our external hard drive. This week we'll be trying to find time to move photos and music onto the external so our film editing software can use the internal drive. Lots of folks seem to think this should clear up a lot of bugs. Here's hoping.

In the meantime, we've decided to create a Film Fund. We'll be pestering friends and family to donate a few bucks to the cause as we try to scrimp and save for a new Mac and possibly even some professional editing software. Whether or not this Film Fund will succeed, we have no idea. But we do know that our current set up is hindering our creative aspirations. If you'd like to donate, or give any sage advice, please email us: joelandmandy at mac.com

Thanks in advance!

2009 Ford Fiesta Crash Test

Here it is, the long-awaited Mission #2 video!

Notice: This is a Fiesta Movement Mission video, not an actual crash test. To see an actual Ford Fiesta crash test, click HERE.

The National Anthem on Pit Road

Joel and I had the honor of standing on pit road with the drivers and crews during the National Anthem at the MIS Lifelock 400 Sprint Cup race. We stood behind Jeff Gordan and in front of Carl Edwards. Check it out!

The Fiesta -- Roomy for the Big Man

Check out what a couple of our friends thought of the Fiesta's voice control.

Spotted!

While in the U.P. filming our first Fiesta Movement mission, we were spotted by a Ford Fiesta fan! Check out his reaction to the car, it's awesome!

First Mission Down

For our first Fiesta Movement mission, we were sent to find the largest waterfall in Michigan. That was just too simple. Joel and I decided to take it a bit further -- 3 days of waterfall hunting in the U.P. surviving only on the items Ford gave us. That meant no food, no water, no matches. You won't believe what we put in our mouths...

Let me tell ya, when you spend 3 days in the rugged wilderness of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, you don't come back unchanged.



Please navigate to the video's youtube page and post a comment and a rating. It makes eating muskrat droppings a bit bearable.

Stardate: Fiesta 2009

Our Fiesta came with space-age technology. Aren't you jealous?



Please direct your browser to the main youtube page for this video and leave a comment/rating. Every comment/rating/view gets us in the running for fabulous prizes, ones we can keep for more than 6 months!

Fiesta Tetris

New video! Recycling your old electronics has never been so much fun.



Thanks to Laughtech.
Thanks also to Gameboy. Ah, the memories we've shared.

Fiestamercial

While gassing up one afternoon, Joel was approached by a rep from Fast Wax. He beguiled us with his product savvy, and you can't deny great results. Pepper's front right fender never looked so shiny!



With every infomercial, you've got to have the patented Call Now! screen at the end. We designed one for Fast Wax, then decided the Fiesta needed one too.