Video Production

There are many things that I love about making videos as a form of communication. I love the process, I love the story telling and I love making images that enhance what we see in our daily lives. I remember a quote when learning my craft, and that was “Its not always what you put in the screen frame that matters, but also what you leave out”. It is about the choices we make as film makers to best express what we want the viewer to feel.

There are many things that I love about making videos as a form of communication.

I love the process, I love the story telling and I love making images that enhance what we see in our daily lives. I remember a quote when learning my craft, and that was... “Its not always what you put in the screen frame that matters, but also what you leave out”.
It is about the choices we make as film makers to best express what we want the viewer to feel.

If you get a chance, watch the Wim Wenders film ‘Lisbon Story’. It is a beautiful film shot in Lisbon, Portugal. Wenders follows his sound technician through the city and we start to feel how the story is constructed. I won’t tell the whole story as it meanders along and we absorb the beauty of the city and the story of the sound technician looking for his friend the film maker, but the end is the interesting part. Wenders appears in his film as ‘The Film Maker’. He talks about subjectivity and how we are always making decisions before, during and after the filming process to manipulate sounds, images and dialogue to send a message to the audience. Wenders’ point is that it is impossible to be totally Objective in documentary film making. He decides that the only way he can be completely objective and not influence his film is to tun on his camera and throw it over his shoulder. This way he is not influencing what he films and therefore become free of his influence as the film maker.

The point is that we are always influencing, manipulating and crafting the message. We can do this deliberately, but also unconsciously with our personal beliefs and bias’. This is why the client relationship is so very important to understand each other and ‘where we are coming from’. It is imperative to listen and to understand each other. I know one producer who, when struggling to get the story from a client, will challenge them and ask them to spill their guts. It sounds harsh, but is very effective and it really breaks down the initial barriers and often friendships are formed based on honest communication. Something that when tested, people find very refreshing and a more honest result takes place :-) Feedback is also a great way to make sure the process is still on track. Feedback is just another way of saying communicating I guess, but the point is that it should be regular. There is nothing wrong with a phone call or a meeting just to make sure the project hasn’t deviated from the original idea. Or, if the original idea is evolving into something else then everyone needs to be across that. I am writing this for myself just as much as my clients or collaborators. I also need to constantly remind myself that ‘My way isn’t the only way’ whether I’m producing or lighting and filming. There are always constraints such as time and budget, but that is all part of the process it is what leads to the best possible outcome for all. The word I carry with me thought the process is CARE. Sometimes I find that I am asking clients for something or other because I care about the outcome, even to the point I have realised that I care even more than the client does.

Mutual Communication and Understanding