Sweet September

Ah, September, sweet September.

Nothing like a Ber-ended month to set you off on life's path. Very positive vibes. Well, better than August... August was like dipping your right arm slowly into a barrel of feisty electric eels, then pulling your arm back up, only to immerse into a pail of vinegar. Weird scenario but you get the scenario. We had a week long floodfest in the Metro. Then I caught Viral Exanthem, which is a good name for a scifi   character, but not very good as a pastime. Then some low points... without a job I keep thinking what my parents could be thinking (theirs is the only ones that matter, I think; not sure if I should be thinking it that way, but for now that's the way it goes). They're worried for sure. But I guess Dad, he's thinking Dad thoughts. He's thinking I should have stuck it in my soul crushing job where I had lots of moolah. Only he's supportive enough not to say it to me. I guess he thinks I'll come round. Or maybe I'm wrong, and he thinks he believes in what I can do. Even fearfully.

I'm getting used to not waking up to an alarm clock, so lately I switched on the alarm clock to get me to rise at 6AM. No success so far, except that time I had to leave early for a shoot. I hate wasting the morning... it should go to long walks and reflection and doing something productive. Like writing. Or cleaning my closets.

Oh. Something good came from August.

I finally met my pen pal of five years for the first time. Can't tell you everything that happened that day, but, it was both surreal and fantastic. A day to remember. I wished I took videos. It would have been a very good episode on a TLC show.

So, how's the video thing?

Finished most of my training. Now hunting for opportunities to apprentice. Or practice. Actually, I did have a good opp last week to practice camera work. A friend let me in to her company's employee sportsfest. Very fast movements and somewhat dark lighting. Tested my ability to judge what lens to use and how fast I can change them on my little camera. First time to work on a tripod which another friend lent me. Looks like I can survive with a tripod. Also was a good chance for me to see how the pro videographers pace the floor. I observed that their B-roll cameras has a certain technique, which is to SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT and EDIT LATER.  The thing with that approach is that you end up with an obscene amount of footage that you dump. I wonder if the b-roll thinks about the composition? Or maybe he's already experienced enough to just play it by ear? Anyway, with the amount of footage he got, I can only imagine the pain the editor has to go through.

I was viewing the footage since last week and I seem to get better. I still suck, but not as much. The thing I need to get fixed is the audio though. I can't afford to buy a lavaliere-sound system at the moment, but I guess when the time comes when I need them, I can rent and consider it in the costings. Okay, la-di-dah. Boring stuff, I know. But I want to put down what I'm going through. It's a process. It would be awesome coming back to this, assuming I'll be greatly improved in the (far?) future.

Another lesson learnt is to always show the client a rough cut before publishing to the world. A meeting before anything is executed between client and vendor should always happen to agree on the mood and tone. Common sense that. But it didn't happen in this case, because I was doing it as a personal project to a friend. Anyway. Water under the bridge. Spilled milk. Charge to experience. La-di-dah.

What am I looking forward to this month? WELL that's a good question. I've recently acquired a secret video-editing mission... and good lord a paying client! At last! Maybe I can afford to buy another SD card. I think I gave him a very good quote, considering the other pros are charging the same amount for a 3 to 4 minute piece. Bueno mano discount! I can't wait to get my hands on the footage and start editing away. I just hope that my Final Cut Pro won't let me down!

Other than that, I'm gathering some more pro bono work. The next one is a friend's son's birthday party, and potentially (though I'm not sure yet) a promo vid for the parish church. Yeah, lot's of freebies for now. Ang tawag dito ay bigas na kakainin. Este, portfolio building.

I'm just glad I'm able to do what I'd wanted to set out to do while I was eating fish and chips along Manly some months ago. I feel that the goal is still a long way to go, but I also feel that I'm getting there. Slowly, yes, but getting there.