Colin Minihan is an accomplished videographer with years of filmmaking under his belt. He has created public service announcements, music videos, short films, as well as a feature length film. His accolades include Best Young Videomaker Award from Videomaker magazine, Best Editing Award at the BC student film festival and Best Cinematography at the Mini DV festival. And Colin is only 18 years old.

Colin claims, "People usually don't understand that I made the movies myself, and when you say 'Check out my movie?they don't really believe you, but when they finally watch it, they're in awe.?

While other eight-year-old boys pretended to shoot each other while playing Cowboys and Indians, Colin was pretending to shoot them with a video camera. Since then, he has used Ulead video products to create notable films, some of which have played an important role in educating fellow students about the downside of crime. Colin says his goal is "to create educational movies that are different than most, in that most others put you to sleep rather than teach you something. His production, JEt, which was funded by the National Crime Prevention government program, was screened across British Columbia in high schools and crime symposiums.

Colin began using Ulead's MediaStudio Pro when he was 15 and prior to that he used Ulead's consumer-level video editing software, VideoStudio. He recalls, "When I started using MediaStudio Pro, I was intimidated, but I found that there were more possibilities using it than with a beginning-level app. Now I use it for everything. I've got a whole bunch of kids who want to use MediaStudio Pro now too.

Colin claims that he is addicted to filming. His feature film, Choice, took 2 years to complete. He wrote the screenplay in 11th grade and filmed it in 12th grade. According to Colin, keeping the actors involved for that amount of time was a big part of the challenge. Choice received the Best Cinematography Award after a showing at the Mini DV festival in Hollywood, California.

As Colin takes on more projects, the speed and efficiency that MediaStudio Pro offers is essential. He emphasizes, "It's the fastest way to edit professional videos. I like the interface a lot and applying motion path and key frames makes tasks less tedious. Also the audio loads up quicker. After filming the music video for the band Drist, Colin was able to produce the rough cut the next day. The band's manager was impressed and stated that the process usually took three to four weeks.

Recently Colin finished creating a silent film and a music video for the band, Cherry Bomb. He plans on finishing six more videos in the next five months. Beyond that, he jokes about winning Best Prize in the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Given the opportunity to go along with the right equipment and passion for film making, this joke may become a reality one day. "I love the art form. Film is the best medium for expressing whatever's in the back of your mind,?says Colin. "MediaStudio Pro allows your imagination to do whatever it wants.

For more information on Colin's work and latest endeavors, visit his web site at www.smiley-films.com