I talked about becoming a better storyteller in my last post and the desire to add visual elements to my storytelling repertoire. I spent time over the last few days recording video footage and editing it with Sony Vegas Movie Studio software. It has been a lot of fun as well as a lot of hard work. Thank God for Youtube tutorials. I would have given up without them. These are early days for me as I attempt to master visual storytelling techniques. I read once that the best time to plant an oak tree is 20 years ago and the second best time to do so is now. My visual storytelling development starts now.
The interesting thing about becoming visually oriented is that I am also starting to notice things. I watch TV shows and movies differently now. I look out for the camera shots and the way that the director, editor and cinematographer influence our attention and gaze in order to tell us a story. I went out over the weekend and strolled around the local village with my Sony DCR-SX33. I discovered more about Slaithwaite in one afternoon than the previous 8 months I have lived here. I was more adventurous in my exploration because I was looking for interesting things to film and photograph.
I have uploaded two video projects on my revamped Vimeo channel which you could check out (below). Austin Kleon talks about the importance of showing your work by sharing them via the Internet. He reckons that making and sharing your work with others is the best way to develop and improve your work. The feedback you get from others will motivate you to grow. I agree with his philosophy. This is the reason why I have updated my about.me page and added my Vimeo and Flickr accounts. I intend to populate both platforms with videos and images. So watch this space.
https://vimeo.com/67883495
https://vimeo.com/68041738
