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| April 21, 2016 Post 73 |
| one more video update |
Our Lake Ontario video, A Quest For Hope, is in the final stages of preparation before release. In the near future the Kickstarter backers will receive their copy via a link or DVD. We hope the video will also soon reach a wider audience.
Next fall we'll produce several shorter videos for classroom use. I've watched quite a few educational videos and documentaries over the last few weeks to learn what makes a good one. A memorable video shows the audience things normally unseen. It changes their view of the world by doing so. Slow motion, time lapse, telephoto and macro shots make this possible. Aerial shots also give new perspectives on lake and landscape.
But memorable images must be combined with an effective script and sound. I've seen examples by 'professionals' that do this to stunning effect. I've also seen some that didn't. The music thing is delicate. Pounding drums and wailing pan flutes as the wolf pack chases down the Baby Bison can be over done. It's an art, combining the right sound and the right volume at the right time.
As with writing, the best video makers I think stay out of the way of the story. I watched a video student, a professional in the making, last spring as she made a short documentary for her senior 'thesis' on the Snail Wrangler. After she set up her cameras and sound and started recording my interview with the Snail Wrangler, she simply disappeared. She was so unobtrusive we promptly forgot about her and the gear that was recording us.
I just saw her trailer for the short (which is going to be shown at a big Film Fest in Toronto) and it's pretty amazing with its extreme close ups of snails. I guess that's why people go to school to learn how to do this stuff.
Others have said that the Great Lakes in general have been largely overlooked by policy makers and funding agencies, in the U.S. at least. That's why Moheb Soliman the poet who calls this the forgotten third coast was off on his journey last summer to raise awareness. He uses visuals with his words- as eloquent as he is. I, a scribe of lesser creativity, seek to do the same with our documentary project. Here's a link to a short 'preview' below
If you are interested in seeing the one hour video based on my book “Saving The Beautiful Lake A Quest For Hope”, we'll be setting up various screenings around the area this summer and fall. Stay tuned. elo
https://vimeo.com/162827581