In the movie "Big Trouble in Little China"  a Taoist shaman demonstrates how trouble started small and he produces a little lightening bolt between his fingers.  Making a video with a kid's camcorder is like finding a seed with great possibilities.

Shooting through a crystal started as an experiment and I wasn't sure if it would record video with recognizable images. I placed 1/2" square crystal in front of the lens and turned it while it was recording video. Strong light is the key to recording good video footage. I prefer strong sunlight because it is low tech and free. The drawback is waiting four days for sunlight. Almost any beveled object could work even clear plastic cover from chocolates. It would be important to practice with the distance from your eye or lens to the crystal inorder to capture the best image.

Choose your subject carefully. A very photogenic lavender shows rich texture but the strong grey value would produce a sickly and dull kaleidescope effect that could resemble churning oatmeal.

One of the virtues of a kaleidescope is the shape shifting of everyday objects around your house. In the photo above tomatoes appear to transform into jalapenos. Use what you can and you probably will come up with amazing images.

The Sakar camcorder designed for for kids is simple to use and records with an SD card. Panning and scanning causes digital stress so whenerver possible have your subject come to you. The audio is a little bit unflattering so consider doing a "voice over" or adding text on a blank screen. Audacity software can help you adjust the sound.

The two videos I made are under 30 seconds. After watching them I realized they need sound effects, an interesting story, drama or cute animals and people. If I make a fun video then I will add it to this Hub.

You are an independent filmaker therefore you want your video to be seen by the public on Youtube so don't use other people's music without getting written permission from the one who owns the copyrights. Even the ubiquitous "Happy Birthday" song has been the source of controversy reguarding copyrights.

Making a video with a kid's camcorder could become a spring board for gathering momentum and funds for a larger project and eventually you might see you work at the Sundance Film Festival.

Sound can enhance the theme of your work and the links for Soundsnap.com, Audacity and DSW Piano can help your project bloom.

The DSW Piano is free software that is quick and easy to download. This program transforms your computer keyboard into a musical instrument with 128 different sounds ranging from piano, glockenspiel, and steel drums. It provides hours of fun. In Bird tweet mode at the lowest octave 1 you can produce the haunted jungle sound effect just by pressing the chord CEG (keys QET). If you want creepy sci fi effect press any key in the Bird tweet mode at the high octaves 4 or 5. Sometimes pressing the numbers key allows you a short cut to a different instrument. The DSW Piano also records your compositions in WAV format.

Audacity is freeware that allows you to edit your voice or other recorded sounds. You can alter the pitch of your voice add effects like flange or phaser and develop a gnome or paranormal sounding voice.

Soundsnap.com offers royalty free sound effects and music loops in a variety of formats ranging from MP3, WAV or AiF. You can download 5 free sounds per month which you can develop into your own music or video but you are not allowed to merely burn them into CD's and sell them as is. Soundsnap.com has 100,000 sounds in its library.

If I find more helpful links I will add it here or if you if find helpful links let me know.

Have fun.