Impoverished, unmediated, and left behind

I mentioned to some friends the other day that the title listed above would summarize my upcoming work. I also mentioned that I think it is a good title because I, myself, take issue with every part. It is in thinking through my qualms that I finally have arrived at a vision for the video I am about to make.

First...let me backtrack. For the past few years I have been learning video editing techniques. Keep in mind, I am not trained...everything (until very recently) is self taught. However, I think I have been in training for my whole life. I love the square (now rectangular) box that sits in the corner of my living room. It shares a special place in my heart with the "book shelf" that sits next to it (mind you, the book shelf is loaded with over 200 dvd cases). I have always enjoyed the power of a movie. I have never truly understood how a movie can take from laughing hysterically in one instant, to yelling at the screen in tears the next. What works? What doesn't? Why? How? These are questions that I never ask. However, when I started making videos, I realized that I could also do it. I have been asked to "help teach others" on several occasions...it is during these sessions that I realize that there is an art to it. One can be taught "the rule of thirds," or how to use lighting, or how to use music, but at the end of the day, the videos just don't look the same. There is a touch that is missing. And, what takes me one hour to do, often takes others all day.

Am I saying this to brag on myself? "Ha, ha, I have an gift and you don't! Sucks to be you." Absolutely not! I mention this...because I am talking my way through this...and at any point I welcome your input. It isn't like I can just sit down and make a video. It doesn't work that way (for me). I have to listen to music, take a walk, sit in the park, watch tv, etc. as I wait for a "vision" to come. Until that moment, I can't tell you what the video will be about...how it will play out...how it will look...or what the point of it will be. It isn't because I don't want to tell you...it is because I just don't know, myself. It is a creative process! And, I have found that my job is to just get out of its way. This is true at every stage of the process (conception, production, etc.). I have only very rough plans of a video...it is during the production process where "accidents" happen. It is these "accidents" that lead to other "accidents." Throw in an occasional "brilliant idea," and viola!

Where does it start for me? Always (and I do mean always) with a song. I can spend days searching for the song. How do I know it is the right song? I don't know...but when I hear it, I "just know." And, I can generally tell within the first 5-6 notes. As soon as I hear the "right song" it is an amazingly powerful experience...I can just "see" the video.

Now that you know the creative experience, you can understand the lack of focus/direction that I have been able to give...and, why the vision I am about to provide may be murky.

My vision comes from the directors/producers of (of all places) "Everybody Loves Raymond." (I told you inspiration comes in strange places). During the commentary of the series finale they are discussing the Thornton Wilder play, "Our Town." (And how they used it for their finale). The speaker says, "the lead character is dead and she gets to go back and visit her life. She realizes, in all the mundane little things that she took for granted, how wonderful life is."

All too often (and much of what I have seen on Youtube) short vignettes "tell" the viewer the story. This would be very easy for me to do. It would simple to provide statistics on the impoverished nature of the third world (and draw the connections as to how their poverty is a result of wealth in other areas of the world). Addressing questions like, what is poverty? How is it defined? Who decides? Etc. It would also be easy to explain the use (or lack of access to) of social media/technology. But, when the area I am going to in Uganda refers to electricity as a "nuisance," what is the point? Left behind? Well...that brings in a sense of linear accomplishment...and at some point (if they just do what we did) they will be as "accomplished" as we are. Who says that "developed" (whatever that means) is better? It brings with it all kinds of "nuisances" like money, a different sense of community, competition, etc.

So...what do I want to do? I don't want to "tell" the viewer anything. I may not even use a single word in the video. I want to "show" the viewer...through comparison and contrast. What is life like in America? Amsterdam? Different parts of Uganda? Using only images, what makes each group happy? Sad? Does this mean that my point may not be as focused? Maybe. Might my point be misunderstood/misinterpreted? Possibly. But, I feel that it will all make the work more powerful. It also makes the task much more difficult for me. Removing the distraction of language from the equation really forces a focus on the "mundane." Actions (or inactions) tell a story. Body language tells a story. Eyes tell a story. Sounds tell a story. In this case, I think words might get in the way.