- January 10, 2012
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What I Wouldn’t Give To Be Les Miles Today!
You may think, “Did Marko see the same game that I did last night?”
Yes, I did.
So why would I want to be Les Miles and not Nick Saban, or any player on the Alabama Crimson Tide football team? Les Miles did a remarkable thing, he brought over 60 team members to the national championship accomplished by an undefeated season. However, that accomplishment was tainted by losing the national title. This fact could have negative affects on the psyche of his players. The defeat could crush the players’ dreams of becoming pro football players, or even worse, plant a common lie when feeling the affects of losing; that is, “you’ll never win at anything.” That kind of scar could remain for years on someone.
However, Miles has experienced winning and losing. He has a chance right now to speak into his players and encourage, influence and inspire his team. What he can say to them now, in these moments soon after such an incredible experience can have a multi generational impact. I can imagine a player after years of experience under his belt, sitting his children, even grandchildren down and telling them the story of what his coach said to them after losing the big game. “Coach looked us all in the eye and asked, ‘Do you play football to win? Or do you play because you love the game?’ And that is what inspired me!”
While Nick Saban is celebrating with his players, patting them on the back for a job well done (and deservingly so), I’m not sure there’s any more he can say to the Alabama team to inspire them. The result of his leadership was, in part, demonstrated by the score board at the end of the game. But Miles’ leadership can be lived out through his players, long after the game has ended, long after Miles has passed on. Who wouldn’t want that chance to have a lasting impact on someone’s life?
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- January 25, 2011
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LED’s and Why I Love Them!
Doing work for Dave Ramsey has it’s perks. As he will say often, “it’s work that matters” and I certainly agree. I also have a great production team around me that work hard and also play hard, I love it. But we often have to work within no-so-large budgets (believe it or not, even Dave’s organization likes to save money, go figure!) so we often have to be creative and savvy in how we plan our productions.
As the new year began we were hard at work scheduling a 5 week shoot that has us shooting in small offices and on college campuses, inside and outside. Lighting has been a source of tension as we dreaded renting 3K and 5K lamps and generators. Being mobile is a must and having to lug the lighting rigs around defeats the purpose. So when it came time to price the lighting rigs I gulped at the price tag. But immediately I began rummaging through my head at what it would cost for a decent LED setup. I was pleased to find out after some research that I could get a decent 4 light setup for less than the rentals. I attacked!
I know some purists and Lite Panel lovers out there will roll their eyes and immediately click off this page after I announce that we went with a company called Flolight out of California but before the ridicules start flying towards your screen, hear me out. First, I agree, Lite Panel is a very good quality product, we even have their 2 brick set. But after some comparison shopping, I discovered that we didn’t need or could get by without some of the features on the Lite Panel models. Such as DMX control; I knew we would use these in the field and that individual control would be primary so DMX would have just been a bonus. I know the Flolight doesn’t have the same lifespan as Lite Panels but I did the figures, 25,000 hours equals just over 1,000 days so that means I’d have to leave the lights on continuous for 3 years… yeah, right!
Ok, so I didn’t want to make this an article about Lite Panel vs. Flolight, I mainly wanted to talk about the experience of using them. I was hoping to have a chance to use them outside before writing this but it looks like our outside shots are not for another few weeks and I wanted to get this written while it was fresh in my head.
I’ve had the chance to use these on four setups now, all interview or single person shoots but I’ve learned enough to know how awesome they are to work with in comparison to our usual 4-light Arri kit. First of all, the fact that I can hug these panels after running all day is amazing (and I actually did it after the first day). LED’s run at such a low temperature that you can touch them anytime, no gloves, no burnt offerings and you don’t have to cook your subjects if you need that high contrast, stark shadow look. Second, although the Flolights do not dim 100% (they do down to about 10%) you do have the ability to turn banks on and off so you could in essence get down to about 5% of total brightness. And let’s face it, if you need less than that, you’re better off using a bounce or a smaller wattage light.
The small physical footprint of the lights also is a major plus. Currently I have them in their own soft padded cases which I can carry all four at one time. I love the fact I can carry four thousand watts of light by myself as well as power them all on one power strip, on one circuit, from one power outlet.
My one and only complaint is the filter bracket. My 12″x12″ filters do not fit exactly, about an inch on every side of the gel hangs off the edge. Would be nice to see some kind of mini clamp system with the brackets to better secure the gel and allow me not to have to punch holes in the gels every time to secure them.
That said, I look forward to continued use. As I said before, I’m in the middle of an extensive shooting schedule so there will be plenty of opportunities to get more use out of them. I intend to do a video blog soon once the shooting schedule is complete so please feel free to ask any questions you may have so I can make sure I cover those in the video blog.
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- January 19, 2011
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The Value of Art
I received quite a bit of good feedback from my last post of 2010. Of course you wouldn’t know it since there are zero comments left on it but I suppose people are more inclined to reply to a Facebook or Twitter post than a blog these days. Anyway so as I thought about what I should touch on first from my infinite miles of inherited and learned wisdom in 2011, I thought I would dive into a little deeper to the bullet points of my 2010 final post. At first I was going to start with some of my ones I received the most feedback but I thought it best to just work down the list so without further-a-do, the value of art:
Do not underestimate the value you put on your art.
No, this isn’t about what numbers to write on the little tag that you’re going to stick under work that hangs on the wall in a gallery. Or what to tell your web guy he should put after the dollar signs in your online store. How you value your creative work goes beyond the dollar sign. The result of your conclusion may translate into dollars but it certainly does not begin there.
I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunities to explore many different areas of creativity. It began with music. As long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated with music… how it was written, how it was created, how music went from one person’s idea to hitting the airwaves with all of it’s enthusiasm. By the time I was 27 I experienced almost all of that. Short of receiving a gold record or a grammy nomination, learning and seeing first hand what happens and what it takes to bring an idea from concept to delivery is an amazing but also tedious task. One that even though most people don’t experience, its probably for a good reason. I learned a lifetime of knowledge in those years and rely heavily on that education still today.
After music I switched gears and went from being on the road to being behind a computer. I picked up web design and print design and found myself designing websites and packaging, almost entirely for music artists… of course! Knowing I was now creating for someone else I quickly had learn about target markets, demographics and communication through design (if there’s a one word description for that I can’t think of it at the moment :( ). This process helped me to understand marketing, even before I knew it was marketing that I was learning.
Who knew a small project of putting some old band video footage together into a collection would turn into the beginnings of a career. Around 2002 I found myself with several hours of tour footage from my music days and thought I’d put it together sort of as a commemorative for all the members of the band. Concluding that project made me realize I had a new passion.
Why am I telling you this brief history about me? Because I’m showing that if you look back in your own career, I’m sure you will find points in time where you picked up some learned lessons along the way. In doing so, that adds value to what you do now. Use those ideas, lessons and habits in your work today. Even for those of you starting out, sure you need to do the freebies and the less-than-desirable grunt work but I’m showing you it does pay off. These are the things that add value to your work and when you have value, you are setting yourself up to be successful.
Now, does that success translate into dollars? That’s another discussion, one I look forward to talking about soon.
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- January 1, 2011
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2011: Day 1
No, this isn’t the beginning of daily entries for 2011 but I felt, even for myself, to start this new year by asking some questions.
It’s day one, what are you starting new today? Are thinking differently? Are you setting any goals?
I don’t create annual resolutions but I do set goals. Some of them are long term goals that I have to rethink or adjust, some are my short term goals that were not even thought of the year before. But whatever goals or resolutions you set, you have to not just write it down, you have to begin changing how you think about your goals, set action steps that will help you achieve them and have a way to gauge your process.
Changing goals and resoltions aren’t enough, you must change how you meet those milestones! Happy New Year and welcome all to 2011!
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- December 30, 2010
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2010: Ending but not forgetting
So I’m sitting at the Subaru dealership getting the driver side door handle fixed on my forester. While I’ve been waiting it has been playing over and over in my mind what 2010 has been for me, both personally and professionally. It being December 30th and as my family gets ready to receive some friends from out of town to celebrate New Years I guess its only normal to be in a contemplative mood.
I’ve been driving around not being able to open my driver side car door from the outside since right after Thanksgiving. I believed I could at least hold out till after winter driving my car with it’s handicap for at least the season, thus avoiding the car shop and ridiculous expense which I was sure to absorb. But after a month and two snow falls (unheard of in middle Tennessee in December) my patience ran thin and I gave in. I made the appointment yesterday and today, December 30th, 2010 I sit here. But instead of fuming over how much money I’m going to shell out, I decided to reflect on this past year.
To sum up in a few simple words of what 2010 has been for me would be “a year of learning.” Yes, I have been extremely busy and yes, I’ve enjoyed some successes but overall I’ve learned a ton! So to end this year, thought I would share some short simple lessons that I will never forget:
- Do not underestimate the value you put on your art
- Do not indulge in the idea you will make a lot of money with your art
- Impossible? Try it
- Surround yourself with people who have similar vision but not necessarily similar skills
- Set aside time for idea generation, at least once a week
- My iPhone (and now my iPad) are great resources and productivity tools
- Research, listen and learn… often. There’s always someone else that knows more than you
- Pick up a Seth Godin book now… any of them, preferrable all of them
- Learning leadership principles apply in any job role
- Be organized! Creating but not delivering negates the value of your art
- Don’t be afraid to share what you know
- Share what you know… it’s a form of giving and giving is good!
- You CAN do a 7 camera DSLR multi cam production!
- Editors! Get the Lock & Load X plugin! It’s a must have for your tool kit!
- Gearheads (and I’m one of them!) look into renting instead of buying, can save a lot of cash flow
- Debt sucks! Don’t do it! (so I learned this lesson a long time ago but I feel it’s worth repeating every year, even to myself!)
- if you have family, make time for them. No matter how busy you are, you must not neglect them. Your art is meaningless if you lose your family in the process
Well thats about it, nothing too long. I’m not one of those who gets much out of the “101 things you should know about social media” and then break up one idea into 4 items… LAME! But, I do feel these are things that can be helpful. Even if you know them already, it’s good to hear them again!
Happy New Year and best wishes to all for a prosperous and joyful new year!
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- December 22, 2010
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Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse
Found this on Vimeo yesterday and had to post it. I was excited to have a momentous occasion in the field of Lunar events happen right here in our part of the world only to have all hopes of capturing the moment dashed by total cloud cover here in the Nashville area. So it was exciting to see that someone with clear skies was able to capture it all in a time-lapse video.
Time lapse video of Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse on December 21, 2010 from 1:10 AM EST (6:10 GMT) to 5:03 AM EST (10:03 GMT) from Gainesville Florida. Music is Claude Debussy Nocturnes: Sirènes.
If you have the chance, check out the authors other videos, pretty spectacular views of the Milky Way from Earth.
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- December 20, 2010
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Not So Fast!
I’ve learned so much in the last few years of doing so many types of production that I have to actually stop and think about it all. I don’t mean to boast about this in any way but for anyone being in a creative role and being as busy as I have been, I’m sure you would reach a similar conclusion.
When I do stop and think about it, the lessons learned have been in areas I did not know at the time would bring so much value. In the midst of all the craziness, it’s very simple to overlook those valuable discoveries that often fire off a small light bulb. However, that small glimmer of light can later on become a beacon for a future project.
For example, I remember when working with Scott and Bengy from Athentikos on the story write for Reparando, we were prepping for the second trip to Guatemala to finish principle photography. I remember us talking about needing an efficient solution for allowing us to have a storyboard on location with minimal management but maximum usefulness. Scott, being a master with FileMaker, developed a database that allowed us to have a GUI synced with Bento. We were able to go through and mark off all the storyboards (with art and descriptions) and that night, at the end of the shoot day, sync with a laptop and see our progression. The benefit to this is that developing this idea not only was useful for our production on “Reparando“, but can develop into a workflow for all medium to large scale productions. Had we just settled for a traditional solution or chose not to put the effort into such an idea, we may not have been as effective in our current production and would not have laid some ground work for future endeavors.
Do not let these kinds of moments slip by or become so lost in memory that they are forgotten. You never know how they could help you in your current project, or later in future productions. I’ve been finding ways to jot down notes or make voice memos when such ideas come to mind. If you have an iPhone or any mobile device, look into getting an app (or even multiple ones) that can help you. I often use the voice memo app that comes with the iPhone to record me talking about certain ideas when I’m driving. Often times I’m at my computer and I see a website or video that sparks an idea so I use Evernote, an app that is easily accessible in almost every web browser and on any mobile device and can sync with each method. This way no matter where I’m at, I can access my pool of notes and ideas.
I’m sure there are other ways to help organize idea generation, these are just a couple of my own. The most important thing is to not let your ideas go by the wayside. Even if you think they will not amount to anything, write it down, record it, sync it, there will always be lessons to be learned.
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- December 10, 2010
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Letting Your Viewers Have Ownership
Since joining the Dave Ramsey production team and immediately being thrown into a leadership roll, I’ve been making it a priority to be observant with more of a critical eye. And I don’t mean critical like “oh, that sucks!” or anything like that. I’m talking about really looking at the piece, not only with my knowledge of film and video production, but also as a viewer. “How does this piece impact me… what am I feeling about this… how should I respond?” When posing questions like this, I’m forced to be truthful and honest about my opinions. I’m getting to the point that if I’m not honest about my response to what I’m watching, I can’t be honest in what I create.
Taking on this perspective, I realize more and more that even though it seems like video pieces are choosing to go more of the story route to promote and expose an idea, product or service, it’s not necessarily allowing the viewer to feel like they are able to take part in the story. I believe if you want someone to act upon seeing something you create, you have to allow the viewer tot take ownership in what they are watching.
What do I mean by this? Say you are being hired with the task in promoting an organization that works with orphans. You may first think that showing the need through the eyes of the volunteers working at the orphanage may bring the most impact. Maybe you would think doing a day in-the-life piece to show how the desperate need for funding so the organization can care for these children would definitely bring a tear to the eyes of the viewer. But there are two problems with these scenarios. 1. (and I’m speaking from an American viewer’s pov) We as a country have too often been desensitized to hungry, needy children, thus simply showing hopelessness and dire need doesn’t necessarily work anymore. Unfortunately these images often cause people to either turn away or downplay the tragedy of other communities and countries in need. 2. Trying to just make the viewer feel compassion doesn’t give the viewer a chance to implement their own idea of how they can respond. They may feel forced and sometimes manipulated by the intentional emotion presented by the images and accompanying music. Instead, I would suggest trying to present the hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. For example, maybe there is a story of a contributor connecting personally with a child and they’re union has brought something very valuable emotionally or spiritually for each of them. Or maybe one of the orphans has a powerful story of how their lives have been changed dramatically since coming to the orphanage. Using those types of stories shows hope in difficult situations and may lend the viewer opportunities of their own initiatives on how to respond and not feel forced.
These are just some quick examples but no matter what kind of project you are working on, when implementing a story, look beyond the surface and see the hope and joy that your viewers can be drawn in to. If you’re wanting a response, your viewers will feel a sense of ownership to how they can be a part of your project and you will find they respond in the same way in which your story is presented… maybe with hope, joy, gladness… it’s up to you.
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