Monday 2 July 2012

Feel the fear ... and do it anyway!



Ben and Daisy

A year ago today (a Saturday), I was doing a Very Scary Thing.

I was the official videographer at a friend's wedding.

Yup, scary, huh? I'd never recorded a wedding before. What if I messed up? What if the video camera ran out of battery or recording time at a crucial moment? What if I cut heads off or just recorded feet? What if...? What if...? What if...?! My friend's enjoyment of the day would be ruined when he watched the DVD back later with his wife.

I wasn't a complete newbie when it came to recording things (I've videoed quite a few of our drama group's productions), so my friend (who's in the drama group) asked me to video his wedding for him. At first, I thought he was just asking to borrow my camera - to which I blithely said 'yes', then realised what he was actually asking moments later.

I felt the fear, and did it anyway.

Drawing from my experiences in writing, I figured if I got enough raw material, I'd be able to edit it into something decent (I was becoming adept at editing stuff on Windows Movie Maker).  I LOVE the editing/polishing stage of the process, crafting something that vaguely resembles a story or a video into a - says modestly ;o) - work of art.  Working out that just because you wrote/filmed something in sequence doesn't mean it has to stay that way if something else works better, or starting or cutting a scene at the exact right moment so the audience aren't bored.

I was pleased with the end result.  I even added a montage set to the song the bride had as she walked down the aisle along with the song used for the first dance, and there was an outtakes montage too.  Priceless.

So, Ben and Daisy - Happy 1st Wedding Anniversary!  I hope the DVD brings back many happy memories of your special day.

Have you felt the fear and done it anyway?