Going manic for multimedia; Lefroy business getting technical
By Chris Simon

Photo by Chris Simon Manic Media owner Larry Hurd rolls some film in his office last week. The business, which has been in operation since

Larry Hurd is putting a new spin on old memories.

As the owner of Manic Media, a Lefroy-based video technology company, Hurd is doing some unique things. The business opened several months ago, and since that time, he's earned a steady stream of clientele by converting old film and cassettes into DVDs and CDs. Eventually, he'd like to start producing digital biographies on interested residents, by creating a television-style documentary about their lives.

"Whatever the format, I can copy it," he said, in his home office, a converted garage, surrounded by new computer technology, old film reels and projectors. "The whole reason I'm doing this is to do digital biographies for people. "My hope is that once I get people to give me this stuff, the next step is putting it together to music or we can go the full route, write a basic script outline and do it like the Biography Channel. I would do the voice over, write the script, go into the family's home, do interviews and trying to keep it as simple as possible.

"I'd come out with my camera and interview different relatives."

Hurd knows plenty about video production. He has been involved in television broadcasting for 35 years, working at CH in Hamilton, among other places. He moved into his mother's Lefroy house, after she died over one year ago. The garage became her painting studio for several years. Her hours of colourful labour still hang on its white walls, as a combination of tribute and inspiration.

"You can still really feel the creative vibes in here," said Hurd. "With my background in TV, I can do anything. I'm looking to get business to business, video for the web for businesses, and copying (clientele)."

Currently, Manic Media also creates infomercialstyle DVD productions for businesses, and is beginning to produce website videos, using Apple Final Cut Pro and a Panasonic video camera to edit and shoot respectively. Hurd says there could be a significant market for video biographies in the area.

"You tend to want to immortalize yourself somehow, and that's what drove people to (be in paintings)," he said. "They wanted to know their painting would be hanging prominently after they were gone and people would remember them. With video, we have the opportunity to know who your ancestors were. Imagine 75 years from now the stuff I'm shooting today gets passed on to the next generation, and instead of hearing stories, you'll actually be able to see and hear (the person) and get a feel for who he was.

"Rather than clippings in a scrap book, you'll have him on video."

It's important to get old technology converted, since its quality can deteriorate over time, said Hurd.

"Heat, humidity, and improper storage take their toll on tapes, decaying the magnetic particles that represent your child's first steps," he said. "By digitizing that old footage now, you can effectively stop the deterioration in its tracks. Transferring your old film and video to DVD can be a time consuming and frustrating process, but it's well worth the effort."