Today, I was almost taken out for good. Yet as the day ends, I remained unscathed, I wonder if perhaps this was my time to exit, and someone was put in charge to take me down, but the agent of doom was as inept as 4K service providers in Seoul.
In the most recent podcast, "The Creek," When I was 8 years old, I encountered older kids at the creek who were possibly trying to introduce me to terror or my instant demise. They used intimidation, physical aggression as well as assembling seven twelve year olds versus two 8 year olds; uneven & unbalanced odds anywhere.
The temptation of adventure can take us some amazing places in life, but lurking behind most corners so often seem to be persons of low self-esteem ready to blindside us with time wasting threats, intimidation or even aggressive acts of self pity. ie., "Let me threaten you so you can feel sorry for me." Diagnose THAT Karl Abraham! LISTEN HERE
Like Watching beige paint dry...
Today I spent an entire day doing final editing. It was my 5th try at making sense of the raw video. We had shot this video less than a month ago. The shoot was not organized or even thought through as promised before we signed the contract. Originally it had a director and helpers. In reality there were none. just the CEO. It was a laborious, disorganized, undeveloped promotion for a new product being released. Usually I love to edit and attack fresh new raw video content with the exuberance of a young child on a warm Spring day. (simile...ha!) Unfortunately, this edit was like watching beige paint dry on an already beige wall.
"I thought we'd just wing it on camera," grinned the client/CEO. "Now... What should I say on camera?"
I tried desperately to realign & refocus the on-camera client. I was unsuccessful. For a 3 minute video, the client weaved in and out of ideas, concepts and seemed to enjoy stopping mid-sentence only to restart multiple times headed in multiple directions. The camera caught it all & I knew the challenge would be weeding through the multiple camera shoot, trying to find a logical sequence and then creating a rough edit. I had to make 3 minutes out of 93 minutes of raw bits and editing together parts of sentences so they actually made a real human sentence. During final editing today, I needed to take multiple breaks, just to continue to face this project with the zeal it, well, with the zeal it didn't deserve, but what the hey... BLINDSIDED BY UNTRUTHFUL COMMUNICATION
Speech gaffs out, dead air in
When your on camera "talent" frequently utters 'Um," "Aaaaand" & "Ya know," you are in for an audio editing treat." Edited out one-by-one were:
74 "Umms"
32 "Aaaands"
"Ya know" in EVERY SENTENCE.
Our client liked the final cut except for her hair, nails and strange manner in which she moved her mouth when she spoke. She asked, "Can you fix that??? Oh, and by the way, this looks so much like art to me (the client), that paying you probably is an insult to you."
Nope.
This client promo shoot and edit experience felt as if they were taking my life. I usually do not ever feel shaken by my work, good or bad. My heart hurt, my head throbbed, yet I smiled and forged through it.
Today, I sent the 4th version of re-edits to the client. Late in the day I received a vague unspecific NEEDS RE EDITING email stating that I wasn't getting it. "Pretend you're the client, THAT is what I want this promo to be."
For better clarity I need to share with you this story. I used to work with a producer named Diane who would cry after every shoot. When I asked her what she was feeling she told me that it didn't turn out the way she wanted it to look. I asked her to give me an example. She could not explain her ideas or vision. That hurt her as a director, and she soon gave up even trying. Words do not come to some people, and they wind up saying things like, "Make this commercial how I feel right now."
"How do you feel?" I would ask Diane.
"I can't describe it. I don't know...But do it THAT way!" she would exclaim.
My current client/CEO was just like Diane in many ways. Had our client followed our original shot plan last month, this would have made this process so much easier for her and MUCH more practical for me. • BLINDSIDED BY THE CREATIVE UNKNOWING UNCOMMUNICATIVE CLIENT.
Blindsiding Beemer on your port side Captain
We all have driving stories, but I have never written about one until today. Today, while driving past a local gas station, my peripheral vision saw a car coming at me. It was rapidly exiting the gas station without checking traffic. It did not stop, but rather just accelerated out directly at my passenger side door. I have driven for quite a few years, and if I had NOT had a go-cart when I was 12, and I learned how to quickly slam the steering wheel left or right, I would be in the hospital or worse right now. In a split second, I was able to blow my car's horn, but the driver did not cease, but accelerated and came directly at me from the side. Instantly, my go-cart reflexes, not used since I was 12 years old, cranked the steering wheel hard to the left which shot me into the next lane of traffic. A for-sure traffic accident somehow was avoided.
Normally a congested highway, today God was with me as always & provided safe highway passage. Strangely, the man drove away like a race car, but then slowed down only to roll down his window and show a comically clown-like sad face, and then he sped off. •BLINDSIDE BY A COMICALLY SAD FACED GUY What the...??
In one way or another, we all get blindsided almost daily. Why?
What do you do when there's a creek three blocks from your house and you're 8 years old? My mother always firmly commanded, "Don't Go To The Creek!" However it seemed to call to us. Riding our bikes down the steep slope to the creek, crayfish, minnows, older neighborhood bullies, a treefort, and a magnifying glass all contributed to this true summer of adventure for Paul and his friend Jeff. As time passes, this lesson from life has faded into mere echoes of dimmer voices and at one time, fantastic adventures for a couple boys and a long hot summer.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTERxNBPtaY
-My old friend. . . Won't you think about me every now and then.?
Cheers. -Paul
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