why do you shoot?
take a second and really think about it.
what’s the real reason, deep down, that you love to shoot?
me?
sure, i shoot to tell stories. i shoot to empower people. i shoot to bring events, people, and places alive like no one could have imagined.
but there’s a more selfish reason i shoot. a deeper reason.
i shoot for the memories.
you know exactly what I’m talking about. the memories you can share with your family and friends. the memories that make you come alive and feel unstoppable. the memories you look back on a decade later and relive.
as storytellers, photographers, and cinematographers, we love helping, inspiring, and sharing stories with others. we get a thrill from putting other people’s details, nuances, and values ahead of our own. the time we devote to this is what makes a deep story.
but i’m also here to let you in on a little secret. it’s ok to be selfish.
it’s ok to shoot for yourself… to shoot for your own memories, too.
take my shoot for the NFL for example. i got to fly on the New Orleans Saints team charter as the only media person. that’s correct. the only media person flying with the Saints on one of the biggest flights of their lives.
i remember vividly the conversations the players had with each other. when they conversed with each other it was one big celebration, laughing, joking, even singing.
but whenever the players would sit by themselves, I could see the nervousness start to show, despite their attempts to hide it. they had trained their whole lives for this… and there I was… a witness in awe.
i remember the police escort that would await us as landed to make sure we made it safely to the hotel. i had never had a police escort before, but i promised myself to have more in the future. :)
the next day they got to meet President Obama (for winning the Superbowl) inside the White House. i can remember the feeling of the plastic from my Z-Finder pressed against my eye as Obama walked into the media room. the room looked much bigger through the 14mm lens i had on and when i pulled my eye away, there was the full Saints team and the president less than 10′ away. i’de never pull my eye off a Z-Finder in the middle of a shot normally but something in me just twitched and i had to make sure this was all real.
the President of the United States… 10 feet in front of me… smiling.
flash back to the halftime show during the Superbowl that brought them, and me, here. the Black Eyed Peas are ready to take the stage.
a massive blacklight was the only source of illumination in a massive Dallas Cowboys stadium. surrounding the stage was hundreds of dancers covered in white from head to toe. the blacklight played with the dancers to create a glow across the stadium unlike anything i’de ever seen before.
all the sudden, i started running onto the field. i wasn’t suppose to be on the field, i didn’t have credentials. but there i was, running, shooting, capturing the moment.
a few seconds later, it hits me… i’m on the field of the Superbowl.
i’m on the field of the Superbowl.
what happened next though, i hadn’t planned for.
something changed. shooting in a blacklight environment with that many people can be a tad disorienting to begin with but i must have missed some sort of cue. the dancers (remember, this is hundreds of them blanketing the field) got their signal and off they went. i had about a 15 yards headstart, but i was no match for the herd of people who started sprinting in different directions.
I was engulfed in a stampede of white. the lights are off, millions are watching from around the world, the halftime show in full swing, and little ‘ole me… smack dab in the middle of it all.
all i could think of was… how did I get here?
from the Superbowl and flying with the Saints to a feature length documentary on the Army and Navy. a logical jump right? Pete Radovich, the director of A Game of Honor, saw the work we had done with the NFL and thought we would be the perfect fit for his first feature documentary.
A Game of Honor offered us a unique experience each and every week. watching the movie now we sometimes forget that we were there for all of it.
we nearly forgot running out with Air Force, embedded inside the team, through the smoke into thousands of screaming fans.
we nearly forgot the locker room where, after a back-breaking loss, the only sound that could be heard in the locker room was that of 300lb men crying and embracing each other.
we nearly forgot the tactical training missions deep inside Quantico, riding in Blackhawk helicopters, or getting macro shots of a cannon being fired. actually, i do remember positioning myself behind the cannon and getting ready for the shot only to be warned that i’de surely lose my hearing and be burned by the shell if i didn’t move.
but it doesn’t take a football game or a military combat maneuver to create memories.
some of the best memories i’ve ever had shooting come from everyday people, in simple locations, talking from their heart.
while filming for the Old Skool Cafe piece we had asked Tammy, a manger and entertainer at the restaurant, to perform one of her spoken word pieces. her words are incredibly powerful and the specific piece we asked for is called Soldier.
her spoken word chronicles the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father in an almost hypnotic way. where you place your camera is where you place your audience and i wanted the audience to be right there with Tammy so with a 50mm prime i positioned myself no more than 12″ from her microphone.
she started to speak. she stumbled at first and then gained her confidence, then her voice, and then it just flowed through her. near the end of the piece as i moved the camera up from her mouth to her eyes i could see the tears forming and coming down her face.
in that moment she was no longer inside Old Skool Cafe but instead transported back into the nightmare she so strongly spoke out about. just writing about the moment brings shivers across my body. it was an incredible journey and a moment we all shared that will certainly always be with me.
WHY DO I SHOOT?
if i were to imagine sitting back and looking at all of this many years down the road, would it be the stories we told, the crazy unplanned moments, or would it be what we shared as a team building things together. late nights sharing ideas over bourbon on how to make SMAPP better, around the clock shoots where, regardless of the story, you can’t help but be inspired by the team you get to work with.
at the end of the day, for me at least, it’s all of them, and that’s probably a big reason we are who we are.
we gain something from every shoot; an experience, an adventure, a relationship, a skill, a new perspective, and a story. it’s always there we just don’t always take the time to see it or to make the most of it.
we value the process as much as what ends up on the screen and perhaps that’s why, in the end, we just can’t get enough. over the years we’ve been a part of some really amazing things and through all of that we’ve found our voice. knowing that and understand how that affects our storytelling has been a huge part of our journey to getting where we are today.
i love shooting for other people, i really do.
but most of all I love shooting for me.
i love shooting for the memories.
*****
YOUR TURN: leave a comment below with the single deepest memory you have from a shoot you did. we can’t wait to hear your stories!
one of my favorite shoots was this past summer: my first feature doc. in burundi. with the first lady of burundi and her husband the president! i don’t even know how i ended up there as the cinematographer on this small but large scale project.
the stories i heard were overwhelming and full of hard stuff, but so many had grace and justice written all over them as the country has healed.
This is a most excellent and inspiring post (as usual)!
For me, I think I shoot to remember. I’d really like to journal, but somehow I just can’t seem to (anymore). Shooting helps me to REMEMBER.
One of my fondest memories is a short (less than one minute) clip I made on a visit to my mom while she she was recovering from a stroke.
My wife, our 10 year old daughter and new baby girl, and I had gone to visit grand ma.
While we were there, my mom managed to carry our baby girl and pronounce a blessing over her.
I had my camera with me and just captured a few seconds.
We left that day, but that was the last time we would all be together with her as she passed on not too long afterwards.
While it saddens my heart that little Gabby will never get to know her wonderful Grand ma, she’ll grow up to watch that clip in years to come and at least see (and hear) how a loving old lady loved her and prayed for her before she exited this world.
I shoot to REMEMBER and to REMIND others.
The reason why I shoot is to say something in a way that makes sense to me.
I just had the opportunity to film a wedding where the bride was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer during their engagement. A bunch of us out here in Maui pulled together to bless them with an unforgettable destination wedding! Just to be there and witness real, true love just blew my mind! Seeing their love for each other rise above their heavy circumstances has impacted me for the rest of my life. Being their to capture it all for them so that they can have this for the rest of their lives was an absolute honor and privilege. I shoot to learn and remember
thanks for sharing. that is quite the responsibility and i am sure it was a very emotional day.
shooting to learn is such a good point. we push ourselves to take something away from every shoot and i believe that this attitude in and of itself leads us to take so much more away from a shoot than had we been solely focused on just the film.
P.
These are incredible stories. All having profound effect on one’s emotions. I still have not found my way to create or capture a meaningful moment. Perhaps the fact that I do work in the media and see so many things that I am just numbed to all these moments in time. I hope that I find my way to capturing relationships with those who are willing to share there special memories.
we can’t say enough about being in an environment that inspires and challenges you and surrounding yourself with people that you love to collaborate with and whom will continually push you. if you don’t have that now, i would really pay attention to who and where you find that and look for opportunities to find yourself there more often
P.
My single deepest memory would have to be one of the first videos i made of the home coming of my niece, Evelyn. It was the summer of 2010. My wife and I drove up to St Louis from Nashville the day after her sister had the baby. I brought my camera but didn’t really have any real plans to shoot any video. We shot some footage in the hospital but my deepest memory didn’t happen until I filmed my sister in law and her husband carrying their baby up their front steps of their house for the first time. It was one of those surreal moments that I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. Not only did I get to see a very special moment, but I got to document it as well. If I wasn’t filming, I probably wouldn’t have even been there at all. I’m very glad I was there. Evelyn is 2 now and I was told recently that she watches the video I made of her every night before she goes to bed.
http://vimeo.com/14220292
Jeremy Mitchell
Nashville, TN
it’s amazing how these little things are often moments in between. it’s not the birth itself that leaves the biggest imprint in your case but instead the simple an striking moment of her being carried home. it is such a gift as a storyteller to develop the ability to recognize and be present during these moments as they have such an incredible power to speak to the audience in a new way
P.
mine must be a recent shoot with a 6 month old baby. I had mysteriously lost my voice 2 days prior and it hadn’t returned in time for the shoot. I whispered and croaked to the family – just enjoy yourself! but just for the next 60 minutes, if you could please keep the dialogue minimal.
One of the first shots was the family of 3 sitting tight on their sofa, just playing. then all of a sudden mum leaned in to kiss the baby girl, and dad joined in from the other side. The baby girl’s plushy cheeks was pushed all the way up to her eyes and we all burst out laughing.
That was such a sweet moment! It really captured the whole shoot – so warm, heartfelt and just…fun. Not too worried about lighting, about the story to edit or how to work with the family. Simply just being there, with the canon red recording circle blinking, taking it all in.
*And yes this was for the bigshorts stillmotion contest :)
whoa, very cool. that is very special to us that you had such a strong experience while filming for your Big Shorts piece. we can sometimes get carried away and think we need to have the biggest shoot ever to really make an impact and then you find that something like this, a personal project done for a contest, can offer so much of a reward
P.
a powerful post and a very inspiring read. thanks for writing and sharing this, Patrick. re: my deepest memory from a shoot i’ve done, well, it was not from a single shoot, rather it was from a variety of clips shot from different events. i made a video 1 year after getting married to reflect, using random wedding planning footage, church and reception clips, our time with Amina (yes, Amina!) to our honeymoon in Italy. the best memory? just being with my wife c:
First of all, this…is what it’s all about. Reading this literally brought tears to my eyes. The passion that you have for this craft is so evident and I’m TOTALLY inspired right now. In fact, whenever the word inspiration comes to mind, the work of the stillmotion team is not too far behind. I’ve been a fan of your work for about a year now and you all represent everything that I aspire to do in terms of filmmaking. When I think about what my ultimate dream career is, this is it. I haven’t had that moment yet, but I can’t wait until the day when I stop and ask myself…”How did I get here?” :-)
As for my deepest memory, it was from a shoot that wasn’t even planned. I have 3 god-daughters, ages 4, 6, and 7, and I was spending some quality time with them. We were outside on a summer evening…it was around the “magic hour” and they were just running around being silly and playing with each other so I grabbed my camera to capture some of the moments. I just remember relishing in their innocence. They were so full of energy and life and had not a care in the world. It just reminded me how fast time flies when it comes to kids because it always seems like yesterday they were just born. At one point they shared a “sister” (group) hug and I fell in love with them all over again…as I do often…lol. They’re awesome kids. :)
thanks for sharing :)
it’s amazing how something so simple, at first glance, can carry so much meaning for us as we move forward. a shoot with your god-daughters probably didn’t seem as powerful at the time but it is really special how much we can take away from things like thisP.
Probably the most significant shoot I’ve done was actually one of my earlier weddings. It wasn’t technically epic nor did it become a show piece, but one thing it did capture : my uncle’s father of the bride speech to my cousin and her new husband. About a year and a half later, he passed away. Having this specific moment in time forever captured and preserved…that’s why I continue shooting weddings. Great idea for a blog post P. I’ll continue on an expounded post on my own. Cheers.
thanks for sharing Randy and great to hear from you. many of us have a similar story of capturing something that days, weeks, or years later vanishes forever. we did a wedding film recently where the uncle was diagnosed with brain cancer the year before and was given 3 months to live. he was determined to make it to the wedding and he did. being there to tell that couples story and tie in the uncle’s journey was very powerful and reminds you just how much power our work has.
P.