Waiting 2B Scene

Category: Blogging

  • Can’t I Just Shoot Them?

    The last thing most amateurs consider when making a video (or taking photos for that matter) is the planning. And if it does cross their mind, they might still miss the weight of its importance. Today I want to highlight this vital area of production.

    The truth is that a good plan is important; and is perhaps one of the most difficult things to master. Most people just pick up a camera – whether it’s for video or for photography – and shoot happy snaps. In the book, Top Travel Photo Tips from Ten Pro Photographers, photographer Michael Doven notes that, “If you plan a photo session in advance, no matter where you travel, you’ll shoot images you’ll be proud of nearly every time.” Honestly, lots of energy should be spent on getting this right. Spud Hilton at the blog SFGate wrote that, “Digital cameras are a double-edged sword. Not so long ago, each time you released the shutter, it cost you at least 50 cents in film and processing. Now it costs next to nothing — and that’s exactly how much effort most people put into taking a photo.” This is true for videography as much as it is for photography, with stats showing 72 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute!

    If you want your work to be seen, then let me encourage you to consider this: the first thing that really separates the amateurs from the pros is that amateurs will simply point and shoot, whereas the pros will plan and shoot. Sure, sometimes we won’t have time to prepare as the action begins unexpectedly and we just have to go for it.  As far as possible, though, we plan as we go. It can’t be stressed enough: planning is everything.

    So how do we start planning? Well, we’ll look at that over the next couple of blog entries by exploring the two key components that every photographer and videographer ought to be well acquainted with: the “Shoot Plan” and the “Shot Plan.”

    Oblivion Production Photo

    (Production still – with final insert – from the film Oblivion. This single cliff-top scene took a 60-person crew to shoot. You can’t shoot with 60 people unless you have a plan!)

  • Don’t Give Up Before You Get Good

    I’ve had a rethink about what this blog is about. As much as it’s been my own space to air general thoughts, I actually like the idea of encouraging and equipping people a whole lot more.

    Thus, this post is the first post with this greater level of intent rallying behind it. And it’s something nice and simple to get the ball rolling.

    Last week I was at a media conference on the Gold Coast (Australia), and before one of the keynote sessions they played this video. It encouraged me. And for those of you who are still waiting to be seen (hence the title of the blog, waiting2bscene) – I hope that you may also be encouraged.

  • The Power of Story

    It’s been a while since I wrote, so this one is a whopper. I apologise in advance. 🙂

    I love good media. I really do. There is something extremely satisfying about engaging with media in a way that moves people to action.

    A little while ago my church had a project that needed some video to tell the story. We filmed one of the beautiful mothers in our church sharing some of her story – then I tailed it with a simple After Effects template that was tweaked to give an overall recap of the project. At the conclusion of the clip, the congregation applauded! As linked to previously, I more recently had the opportunity to connect with Hope:Global in the telling of one of their stories which spearheaded a campaign to raise funds for the Village of Hope in Rwanda.

    In both instances, something about the telling of the story engaged with the ‘audience’ and moved them. This got me thinking of a quote often attributed to Plato: “Those who tell the stories rule society.”

    I believe that the power of stories – or myth as Joseph Campbell (author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces) called them – lies in their capacity to communicate and reveal truth. For brevities sake I don’t want to get into the age old question that Pontius Pilate asked of Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) Suffice to say for now that while different people have differing understandings of truth, the role of storytelling plays a vital role in the conveyance of those truths. A good tale told well will easily communicate ‘truth’ to an audience.

    P.K. McInerney once noted that, “Good reasons for what you believe, should be recognizable as good reasons by other reasonable people.” If that premise is true, then having other reasonable people recognise (and ultimately accept) truths is the great aim of any story. We have even coined a phrase to ask, “What’s the moral of the story?” Subsequently, I would suggest that if Plato’s premise that there is such power inherent in storytelling is correct, then the potential for its abuse is sort of frightening. In fact, that is one of the reasons I seldom watch the news any more. I find it is no longer reporting news inasmuch as it has become a vehicle with which to tell the masses a story of the ‘truths’ of fear, and danger, and hate, and violence, and etc. But it turns out that’s not as new an idea as we’ve been led to believe since ‘9/11’.

    Mass manipulation through fear – and it’s manipulating brother aspiration too, to be honest – is a long-standing abuse by mainstream media. If you wind the clock back to early twentieth century, we can find Edward Bernays telling us that, “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of…” (Bernays, 1928)

    Seldom do we find the virtuous story that inspires us to action in today’s economy. But those are the stories we need more than ever. Why does a story like Les Misérables continue to fire the imagination with it’s numerous stage shows and cinematic releases? Because it communicates love, forgiveness, redemption, self-sacrifice, and courage – to name but a few of the truths that Victor Hugo explored. These kind of truths resonate and inspire us. Is it any wonder that classical myths were so grandiose in nature? Yes, manipulation through fear and aspiration can get people moving: but they are short term solutions. Only inspiration produces long term results.

    And that is where I come full circle. Even though the vast majority of media enterprise is at best frightfully wasted (can anyone say Big Brother?), or at worst, flagrantly manipulative – I still love good media. I love it for the continued potential it has to inspire humanity to deep, long-lasting truths such as faith, hope, and love. And I love it because both you and I can actually step up, cease to be spectators, and actually become active participants in the media conversation if we want to. And when we do that, maybe our own story will inspire others to action. Now wouldn’t that be a story?

  • A Global Impact for Hope:Global

    When Mark and Darlene Zschech first started their NGO it was called Hope:Rwanda. But let’s face it – there have been more wars, genocides, and other unimaginable atrocities that have affected this world in the last 30-40 years or so than those that happened in Rwanda in 1994. And so what began as Hope:Rwanda transitioned to Hope:Global. And a mere 7-weeks ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to head to Rwanda with the Hope team: Marie in the capacity of an early childhood educator who was helping to train Rwandan nationals. And me in the capacity of the team’s media guy.

    And it is because of this that I felt the need to write something of a back-story to this week’s video link. It’s exciting for me, as some of my footage from this recent trip made the final cut in this Village of Hope promo video that is hitting the globe at the moment! And – even if they hadn’t – I was privileged and blessed to have been a part of the process anyway! The even more exciting news for me though, is that it doesn’t stop there: you can also find out more about Hope through this week’s partnership with a fantastic for-profit company called Sevenly (every week they support a cause, and donate $7 from every product sold that week to their promoted cause… this week, Sevenly is promoting Hope:Global!).

    God has got something big happening here. And I get to sit in one of the box seats as he does! But I digress: that’s enough about me. Check out the video already would ya! 🙂

  • Media Missions

    I understand that there are plenty of people who do not subscribe to a ‘religious’ faith of any sort, and I can certainly understand why people make such decisions. I am not one of those people though. I have had a solid Christian faith for 16 years now. But why is that important to mention as a part of the Waiting2BScene blog? It is important for me, as I have found a number of media opportunities arising through Christian (non-church) ministry groups over the last few months.

    Just a little while ago I happened into the role of sole videographer for the Sydney shoot of an up-and-coming Bible Society Australia youth initiative. Then just four weeks ago I left for Rwanda with the Hope: Global (formerly Hope: Rwanda) Early Childhood and English education team to be the team’s photographer and videographer. Having arrived back in Australia just two weeks ago, I have already had some of my time seconded out to do some video work for the up-and-coming Chaplaincy Australia national conference. And then on top of that, this week I was asked by an acquaintance of mine who lives over in India if I would be able to give him some tips on video production for his own TV presentation back home!

    As a Christian, then, I acknowledge such ‘suddenly’ moments with a kind of wonder, as it is clear to me that God has got something quite different in store for this coming season. And as the namesake of my business concept suggests – God has some manner of missions media stuffs that are just waiting to be seen: and I am just a little excited about the potential impact which may come through this kind of God-work.