Sure, we all make mistakes. Want to hear mine?
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In preparation to constructing an accurate depiction of the story that I have written and envisioned in my mind, it is imperative for proper planning and logging to be used. It's like creating the best cake you've ever made just to find out that you have no pan. It's like purchasing the car of your dreams and remembering that your license have been suspended for the next year. It's like---you get it. It's important to plan. I have accumulated hours of footage and interviews. The last thing I need to do is lose some of that or forget where I placed it.
In preparation to production, I have done a few things to keep my mind from spinning! Step one was buying some external hard drives and individually placing all of my footage. One hard drive holds all of my b-roll and landscape footage. The other holds all of my interviews (there were very few so it was easy to log), time lapses, and volunteer footage. By organizing my footage, it makes the process of editing much quicker and easier avoiding the time spent scrolling through my footage. Step two was finding all of the "dead" clips and getting them out of the way. By dead clips I mean ones that I forgot how to use a camera for a couple seconds. With the bad footage out of the way, my eyes are on the prize. Step three is deciding where these clips belong. It is important to create a timeline before I even head to my editing software. I need to securely grasp, based on my footage, what I want my documentary to look like. Luckily, I produced a trailer that detailed my story development exactly but on a smaller scale. (This was not coincidence.) For my script, I have chosen to use a traditional two-column format. Column one will describe what is happening in the clip while column two describes why it is there and what it means. I chose this format for one purpose; to keep myself in line. I am notorious for forgetting what I was doing, but not this time! That wraps up my thoughts for this week! Be sure to read on to hear more about this process and teh adventure it has held to this point! For this project, it isn't about selfishness. It's about the message, and how well and accurate it can be shown and shared. It is about opening eyes to what is happening "behind the trees." To tell this story by myself is a task that I cannot complete. When it comes to the rain forest, there is concepts to be learned and patterns to be studied for ever that may yield the answers to putting a halt to deforestation and the destruction of the rainforest; but one man cannot tell this story alone. As I established a small team of consultants, I felt it was imperative to add an experienced biologist from Costa Rica to the team to share the knowledge he has accumulated while on his journey. Since day one of my journey in Costa Rica I made a friend and a consultant in a man named Aaron. Aaron Lee, born in 1986 in Mexico City, showed from an early age great interest in nature. Since he was 12 years old, he started with his first greenhouse fully dedicated to orchids. After college he entered med school and after four years, he was absolutely sure he wanted to become a biologist –his first interest. Once in biology he fulfilled his lifelong interest in botany, especially the orchid family, by focusing on plant biology classes through the first semesters of the career, eventually being the person in charge of the University’s greenhouse and full plant collection. The last year of college, he became assistant professor of botany and vertebrates, as well as field assistant professor of invertebrates and vertebrates subjects. After leaving school, and with some professional experience, he went to Costa Rica to work as the Biologist in the non-profit known as Kids Saving the Rainforest where he was first in charge of the Sloth Nursery –every baby sloth arrived under his care- and briefly after he became the Biologist of the Animal Sanctuary, where every non-releasable animal is taken care of for the rest of his life. He was in charge of the general well-being of every animal and all the different kinds of enrichments from babies to full grown adults. From the first day I arrived on site, I knew that Aaron was the one to show me around, all while educating me on everything that the Costa Rican rain forest hides behinds its trees. Aaron also shares a passion for photography, so while we walked miles through the forest, we closely examined the little things that most might not notice. Aaron pointed out things beneath my feet that I would have stepped over. These little things are exactly what I needed to provide a new perspective to my documentary; things like leaf cutter ants working together better than most political groups in charge of running our country today. Aaron Lee will serve as the brain behind the facts in this documentary, along with guiding me to provide footage that best suits the perspective of the rain forest itself. I am very excited to have Aaron on board! From day one of this documentary project, it was important, to me, to work with others to make this a project that would be guided by like minded individuals who share the same passion for exploiting important Eco-Issues by way of art and adventure; by way of including visionaries to share and promote ideas of conflict, perspective, and beauty. After some searching and pondering, I chose a consultant who has traveled the world (by occupation), shot landscapes and NFL broadcasts, and has been working in professional video production since the age of 17. My consultant for my documentary project is Doug Michaels. Doug was born and raised in New Castle, PA but now resides in Pittsburgh. Doug started his career at the Pittsburgh Art institute studying Photography. Upon graduation, he began working freelance as a videographer for multiple companies. You may have heard of some of them! He really got his start when he was 17 after shooting his first feature film which got him a weekly job shooting for CMT. Today, he works for an independent film company which he co-founded called All Points Pictures. APP works with clients such as A&E, ABC, Animal Planet, CBS, CMT, Discovery Channel, Esquire, HBO, HGTV, ION, Lifetime, NBC, Oxygen, PBS, travel channel, Troika Skateboards, TruTV, TLC, Absolute Vodka, Bayer, and Camp Three Clothing. He works as the director of photography and continues to accumulate his freelance portfolio by traveling the US with his girlfriend Mindy. By getting to know Doug on a more personal level, communication has become easy. Doug is a really cool, down to earth guy who I met about a year and a half ago. He has already served as a low key consultant for me since then, guiding me with answers and advice along the way. The involvement for him with this project is even greater. Doug and I have planned to physically meet once a month, throughout the next 4 months, to discuss progress and story development of my project. By being involved in professional film work since the age of 17, Doug will serve as an expert consultant when it comes the visual aesthetic, such as color grading and special effects, along with story development and the overall story telling aspect of the documentary. Doug is an expert at story advancement and this project can really benefit from a visionary such as Doug. By establishing a solid beginning, middle, and end, Doug and I, as a team, plan to take you a journey including you the entire way and truly showing "What's Behind the Trees." AllPointsPictures.com |
AuthorDoltyn Snedden Archives
December 2016
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