In today's post, I'd like to briefly talk about two very important cinematography shots that have kept my motivation high as a documentarian.
Filmmaking is hard. Everyone who works in the industry or is around people in the industry knows this. It's hard labor of long hours, odd clients, strange asks, equipment technically difficulties, odd pay, and a fight for your space in the game.
It's also a beautiful art form and a labor of love. It's a reason for people to get together in a quiet (or loud, depending on the film) room and let the media consume you entirely. It's a reason for comrodery and making new friends. It's something that makes you feel human.
There are two particular shots I have witnessed in my career that have made my heart soar above the clouds for a few moments. I often remind myself of these shots and how great they are when I'm not feeling good about my work or my career progress.
THE BABY SHOT
A few years ago, I helped produce a healthcare commercial for UPMC Children's Hospital. It took a lot of coordination and dipping my hands into other departments, but we created a successful campaign that ran on YouTube and a few other commercial spots.
What was great about this job was that we got permission to work with actual outpatients and their parents, which gave the docu-style piece a whole other level of connection. People can really tell a difference between actors on a screen and real people who utilized services when it comes to commercials (and, of course, some commercials even state they are using actors). Each of the kids we worked with were so sweet.
Towards the end of the day, we worked with a mother and her nine-month-old daughter, which you can see about 21 seconds into the piece below. For some reason in the moment in that room, those shots hit me hard. Watching the CU shot of her little face made my heart melt (thanks Greg, ya done good).
I really do think of this shot often and still get a warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest.
THE BIRD SHOT
The Bird Shot is a shot that I physically took while working on a short documentary about a friend.
I have been working with close friend and director Bethany Barich within the past year on a personal documentary about the passing of her father in her teen years and how a late parental death can alter a person in their primary transitional years. It's been a great time reminiscing on good memories, shopping for flowers, and visiting her dad's grave.
While visiting the grave for some interviews and b-roll, I happened to get a great shot in the moment of a flock of geese flying over the graveyard. I find it amazing that sometimes while we're filming we get these little grace periods that, if we're camera ready, we can capture. It's one of my all time favorite shots I've been so lucky to take.
This shot is featured in the reel below towards the second half where I have a short collection of shots from filming in the graveyard.
And as I continue to work and (more specifically) shoot my own footage with my own two hands, I find I am more connected than ever to the visuals I am seeing.
As someone who is mainly trained in prooducing and has been surrounded by spreadsheets, budgets, and organizing, it's nice to remind myself of the art I support, whether I'm in a creative role or taking the backseat to do logistics. I hope you can find the same in your work.
Sincerely,
CSM
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