This project intimidated me from the get-go. I wouldn't call my initial thoughts technophobic, but I was certainly uneasy due to the control that the video project forced me to give up. Video afforded a lesser freedom than words in that I had to depend on other people and things – my partner Seth, the wrestling team, a camera with technological limitations, cables that had to connect x to y to achieve z. I knew this was good for my overly self-reliant lifestyle. When you're running 20 miles by yourself or writing a novel by your lonesome, you become self-reliant. So good for me or not, I wasn't happy about doing this project. It was good for me like brusselsprouts are good for me.
Now: I am not a complete alien to video. I've made my share of movies for school – often as writer, director, producer, soundtrack artist, actor, and motivator of the lazy-bum-partner I'm stuck with (not Seth; Seth was a great partner and an anomaly to the previous statement). In any case, videos are hard work – again because there's more components that go into a finished product than the key-clicks of simply writing an essay, and those extra components have to be scheduled. With scheduling, there's this whole new arena of practicality that I have to manage. I anticipated/dreaded that, so I asked my athletic friends who plays men's tennis for the Illini just in case Seth's wrestling friend, Vince, fell through. I also had my dad bring down the video software I was familiar with (Pinnacle) to simplify editing…only to find that my dad couldn't find it chez moi.
But I had never had quite so strict an assignment of following someone/something I knew little about. Coupled with a medium of storytelling that I already found constricting, this rigid assignment doubled the intimidation factor. Through writing, I can be a snoopy PI. I'll chat up a storm and ask penetrating questions as a good reporter does to get the inside scoop. I am confident in my ability to write in a way that fairly encapsulates the interview.
But having to stick a camera in someone's face and tell them to spill the beans makes me uncomfortable. The video camera is a star-maker in our Hollywoodized culture. People still agonize over and worship the talking heads on the tube – a fascination that I think has propelled YouTube to such heights. So when I shove a camera at them and say SPEAKETH, I feel like I'm looking at them as if they are naked as I both honor them and also make them show-people whose mugs will be on display before foreign eyes.
Of course the film interviews weren't as bad as I'd imagined them to be. I had a good time getting an exclusive preseason look at the wrestling team even though I was too timid to thrust the camera into their huddles. Seth and I made good use of the zoom function so we could snipe off camera shots from afar. Luckily, the wrestlers didn't seem to give us much attention. And the coach was very accommodating, very friendly. Didn't expect that.
Regarding editing, I knew from past video experiences that the editing process is best when it's a ruthless chopping block. Short, interspersed clips allow the filmmaker to weave together a multi-perspective narrative with multiple storylines that reinforce one another. We elected to highlight a chronological progression of active practice with the commentary of interviews.
Ultimately, if clips are roughly sentences, I wanted short simple sentences in a messy cohesion that is honest to our ability as filmmakers as well as the back-and-forth intensity of wrestling.
One note on the lack of music: let me just go down on the record that I was tempted. Music is an easy way to add a degree of professional cohesion to the film, and though I wish I could say that the lack of jams is for a reason more enlightened than we both forgot our tunes…well, it turned out for the best. Music is a "quick fix" to fill in the gaps. But when not originally recorded (a la John Williams) all it does is reflect the taste of the filmers by draping a false skin over the gym environment that lends itself to a distorted interpretation of the project. Music would enforce a certain tone and divert focus from the actual visuals and echo-quality of the gym.
Plus, we wanted viewers to hear the bodies hitting the ground during parts of the interviews.
So do I still fear video? Yes. I sold cameras and camcorders for a year at Best Buy so I know how easy it is to make a lousy video. I maintain that clamoring upwards for quality in video is arduous and frustrating, especially when we have the professional standard of professionally produced media in our heads (or even really clever YouTube vids). But I am growing more comfortable being that pushy film-guy, though I doubt I'll ever jump at the opportunity to invade private space with a spy camera. Writing with video is rewarding. Watching the final product for the first time was like opening a Christmas present: you never know what you're going to get. I'm satisfied -- not thrilled, but happy -- with what we produced. Having a good partner made things easier, although my level unease was highest for this project. But hey, as they say in wrestling holds true for video: no pain, no game.
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