Method of providing specialized dance videos

• US 7,517,219 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2004
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dance Heads, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dance Heads, Inc.
• Inventors: McDonald, Michael, Roston-Weiss, Janet
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai; Xuan M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRISBY, KESHA
• Application Number:
  US10/783,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20050186543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,880 Days
• Field of Search: 434/250, 434/256, 434/257
• US Class Current: 434/250
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26

Abstract

A musical video is made at a first time of a dancer whose head is stationary but whose feet and body are moving in synchronism with a dance song. The dancer'"'"'s head is then removed from the video. At a festive occasion (e.g., a birthday party) at a subsequent time, the dance song is replayed and a video is made of the response of the head, in a stationary position, of one or more of the celebrants at the festive occasion to the dance song. The celebrant'"'"'s head is combined with the dancer'"'"'s body to produce two (2) videos are then combined into a single video in which the celebrant'"'"'s head appears on the dancer'"'"'s body.

Claims

1. A method of creating a video dance routine, including steps of:

providing a dance routine with music, involving at least one dancer,

physically restraining a positioning of the at least one dancer'"'"'s head with a fixture and helmet worn by said dancer so that the at least one dancer'"'"'s head remains substantially in a fixed position during the performance of the dance routine, wherein said fixture includes a pair of spaced stanchions for supporting a crossbar and a support which extends from the crossbar on which said helmet is attached,

providing a video of the dance routine, with the music, showing a dancer'"'"'s body but not the dancer'"'"'s head, and movement of the dancer'"'"'s body in synchronism with the music,

disposing at least one celebrant'"'"'s head in an opening in a foreground enclosure and limiting the movements of the at least one celebrant'"'"'s head in lateral, longitudinal and vertical directions,

recording a video appearance of the at least one celebrant'"'"'s head in the opening during playing of the music to the at least one celebrant, and

replacing the at least one celebrant'"'"'s head in place of the at least one dancer'"'"'s head at the positioning of the at least one dancer'"'"'s head in the video of the dance routine to provide a video constituting a composite of the dancer'"'"'s body and the at least one celebrant'"'"'s head.

2. A method of creating a dance routine, including steps of:

restraining only a dancer'"'"'s head with a fixture and helmet worn by the dancer to a substantially unitary lateral position while the dancer is performing a dance routine in synchronism with music, wherein said fixture includes a pair of spaced stanchions for supporting a crossbar and a support which extends from the crossbar on which said helmet is attached,

providing a video and a synchronized audio recording on a medium capable of being duplicated, the video and the synchronized audio recording being of said dancer providing a dance routine with the dancer'"'"'s head in the substantially unitary lateral disposition,

removing the dancer'"'"'s head from the video,

substituting a celebrant'"'"'s head on the dancer'"'"'s body after removing the dancer'"'"'s head from the dancer'"'"'s body in the video,

processing the substantially stationary lateral disposition and appearance of the celebrant'"'"'s head on the dancer'"'"'s body to assure that the celebrant'"'"'s head is disposed on the dancer'"'"'s neck, including limiting lateral, longitudinal and vertical movements of the celebrant'"'"'s head on the dancer'"'"'s body during performance of the dance routine by the dancer'"'"'s body.

3. A method as set forth in claim 2, including the steps of:

providing the image of the celebrant'"'"'s head in a background of a particular color so that only the celebrant'"'"'s head is visible in the background of the particular color, and

eliminating the background of the particular color from the image of the celebrant'"'"'s head before the image of the celebrant'"'"'s head is transferred to the dancer'"'"'s body in replacement of the dancer'"'"'s head,

providing the image of the celebrant in a foreground of a particular color so that only the celebrant'"'"'s head is visible in the foreground of the particular color, and

eliminating the foreground of the particular color from the image of the celebrant'"'"'s head before the image of the celebrant'"'"'s head is transferred to the dancer'"'"'s neck in replacement of the dancer'"'"'s head.

4. A method as set forth in claim 3, including the steps of:

employing digitizing techniques to adjust for changes in the lateral position of the dancer'"'"'s body, thereby to align the dancer'"'"'s neck laterally with the celebrant'"'"'s head,

enlarging the celebrant'"'"'s head relative to a dancer'"'"'s head in the video image to insure that the celebrant'"'"'s head is disposed laterally on the dancer'"'"'s neck regardless of a displacement of the dancer'"'"'s body laterally from a stable position, and

providing an individualized background after the eliminating of the background of the particular color.

5. A method of creating a dance routine, including steps of:

providing a visual image and a synchronized audio recording on a medium capable of being duplicated, the visual image and the synchronized audio recording being of a dancer providing a dance routine with the dancer'"'"'s head held in a substantially stationary lateral disposition with a fixture and a helmet worn by the dancer, wherein said fixture includes a pair of spaced stanchions for supporting a crossbar and a support which extends from the crossbar on which said helmet is attached,

removing the dancer'"'"'s head from the visual image,

substituting a celebrant'"'"'s head on the dancer'"'"'s body after removing the dancer'"'"'s head from the dancer'"'"'s body in the visual image,

substituting a celebrant'"'"'s head on the dancer'"'"'s body after removing the dancer'"'"'s head from the dancer'"'"'s body in the visual image,

processing the substantially stationary lateral disposition and appearance of the celebrant'"'"'s head on the dancer'"'"'s neck, including limiting lateral, longitudinal and vertical movements of the celebrant'"'"'s head on the dancer'"'"'s body during performance of a dance routine by the dancer'"'"'s body,

providing the image of the celebrant in a foreground of a particular color so that only the celebrant'"'"'s head is visible in the foreground of the particular color, and

eliminating the foreground of the particular color from the image of the celebrant'"'"'s head before the image of the celebrant'"'"'s head is transferred to the dancer'"'"'s body in replacement of the dancer'"'"'s head.