Why I Do What I Do
Specifically, I’m referring to this BLOG: why do I contribute to this BLOG? The answer is simple. It is a place to write my thoughts related to endurance sports and my philosophies on life. If that topic is not broad enough for you, then I’m sorry. You probably suffer from ADD. (either that or you think I have a very shallow pool of thought) I admit, it’s a broad topic. And this entry may seem a bit disconnected from both endurance sport and philosophy, however, it is related. It is related, because without filmmaking practices, I couldn’t bring you the TriRiot web show.
Filmmaking For Me
One of the reasons I produce the TriRiot web show is to practice my filmmaking skills and, as many of you have already pointed out to me, those skills are in a state of development. Thank you for finding a nice way to say my videos suck! Actually, no one has said they suck. ( I’m just grasping at an opportunity for some self deprecating humor.) But I do eventually want to make good quality films and what better way to learn the craft than to practice on TriRiot.
Last week, I heard about a filmmaking workshop in Charlotte. Usually, hesitation is something I do very well. Procrastination and I are good friends. However, something clicked inside of me and I signed up immediately: immediately after I obtained the appropriate authorization from work and family.
Monday night after work I drove the four hours to Charlotte, arriving at almost 2300 (that’s 11:00PM for you civilian types!). The next morning I woke up and, without eating breakfast, headed straight to the workshop. That’s how excited I was to attend this gathering of like minds.
Visual Storytelling 2
I’m going to plug this workshop and do it shamelessly. It’s called Visual Storytelling 2 by Alex Buono and I lOVED IT. I can’t begin to tell you how much I learned. I’m not George Lucas… yet. But I sure have a better idea of how to create a style in my films and videos.
I got a lot out of this workshop.
There was also a lot of talk about subtext and how to identify it in other films and how to create it in my own. Alex Buono, who lead the workshop, is a DP (director of photography) for Saturday Night Live and has worked extensively in the film industry, mostly behind the camera.
Since this website is primarily devoted to triathlon, I’ll spare the details of the workshop. But I do want to share one humorous anecdote. There was a point near the end when Alex was trying to stress to the audience the importance of being prolific in film
endeavors as opposed to spending all your time on a few works that you cling to. He used the phrase, “Be a factory, not a warehouse.” I don’t hear so well and I heard the words FACTORY and WHOREHOUSE in the same sentence. For a moment, my whole view of the film industry took on a new look.
Thanks for reading and if you’re interested in filmmaking, take a look at the Visual Storytelling 2 Workshop. You’ll learn something even if you are George Lucas. But if you are George Lucas and you’re reading MY blog, then I’m not so sure I want to aspire to be George Lucas (that’s a bit more self deprecating humor in case it sounded too serious).
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