HDSLR in the Field – Recap of The First 70 Days of 99 Day Project Around the World (Tales of an Insomniac)

I woke up at 4 AM this morning after only a few hours of sleep – my body going through some major jet lag after over 22 hours of flying from Sydney, Australia to New York City via Los Angeles. Yesterday, my full day back, was spent taking care of essentials – like getting my gear to Canon for a full check up and cleaning,

Gear for my first go round.

and a visit to the Apple Genius Bar because my new laptop seems to have a living organism living behind the monitor which shrinks and grows depending on the climate I’m in, and of course taking care of my own personal needs.

As I lay awake in the pre-dawn hours, my mind was spinning with thoughts on what I had to get done before heading to South America on Saturday for the second leg of our documentary Opening Our Eyes. I have only 4 days to recuperate, rest up and gear up for the next leg. The bad part is, I’ve only got 4 days – the good part is, I have those 4 days, and can approach the second leg of this journey with the advantage of having a fresh experience in the field to draw from and make some changes in terms of gear I’m taking on the next leg. More importantly, because my turn around is short, I’m able to stay focused and remain in the mindset of the project.

So as I go over the gear that I brought on my first leg with lessons learned in my head and prepare for the next stint, I’ll share my thoughts with you:

• A good tripod is critical – if you don’t have a decent tripod for video, you can’t get fluid movement, so don’t even try. A locked down shot is better than a jerky shot in motion. I needed to travel light with all the flights that I faced, so I went for a carbon tripod with a fluid head that would fit in a suitcase to eliminate the need for another check on bag. So, for this next leg, I’m seriously thinking of taking my larger tripod because I don’t have as many flights where excess baggage charges could mount up.

• You can never have enough batteries when shooting with a DSLR workflow and by that I mean everything from the camera batteries (and buy lots of them if you can find them for the Canon 5D and 7D) to the expendables for the  DT454 JuicedLink audio preamp, which takes 9 volts to the Samson H4N Zoom which takes AA’s.  By the way, speaking of batteries, don’t make the mistake I made once by not powering the H4N Zoom off before changing the batteries. The manual mentions that by doing so, files can get corrupted. A couple of my audio files did get corrupted – the information was there, but it couldn’t be read.

• I’m leaving my over priced Nikon to Canon lens converter, along with my old Nikon glass at home – I never used them – never felt the need for what I was shooting.

• Can’t wait to edit my timelapse material that I shot using the Canon 7D camera and the Canon timer remote controller TC-80N3.

• I want to get more attachments for my GoPro Hero Cam because there are so many ways to use this camera – it’s amazing and I’m having a ball thinking of all the possibilities in how I can use it. The Hero cam will always be part of my gear kit.

• Always check what audio cords you’ll be needing. I embarrassed to say that I carried around my wireless kit but couldn’t use it with the Zoom because I needed a mini to male XLR cord  and didn’t have it.

• Take 10-20% more memory storage than you think you will need when you’re shooting video. Video is a memory glut. I had been warned by some people that the Lacie Rugged hard drives that I were taking with me, didn’t have a very good track record – but as I write this, my content backups from my Lacie Rugged drives ( over 2000 gigabytes (doubled) ) are transferring to my desktop OWC terabyte drives and seem to be fine so the Lacies did their job. However, they are bulky and I’m going to be getting a couple of 500 gig drives that are more compact. Any suggestions for compact firewire external drives?

• Wish I bought the follow focus with my Zacuto rig. It’s expensive but would have been a real added bonus for visually highlighting one of the beauties of these cameras – the depth of field range that they have.

• Also wish I had a portable dolly like the Indislider but just couldn’t fit it in this trip. As it was, there were some items that I didn’t need to take and will be leaving behind this next leg.

• Wish I brought more mini tools – screwdrivers, allan wrenches etc.

• My Blackberry Tour Verizon phone blew me away. Even when I was in the northern hill tribe villages of Thailand, staying in a bamboo hut without electricity and plumbing – I was able to get my email on my phone! I’m impressed Verizon – I really am. Finding electricity to charge my phone was another matter.

• I could not have survived the 30 flights circling around the world i if I didn’t have my iPod. Thanks Apple.

Feel free to comment and share your thoughts of what has or hasn’t worked for you in the field and you can save me from making potential mistakes as I take on my next leg of this Journey August 7th. We are first headed to the Amazon area of Peru and then down to Buenos Aires, Argentina – again two diverse areas in terms of culture and climate.

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The Power of Possibility

In my laziness and urge to get outside and make the most of my last two days in Sydney, Australia, I am cross posting a post that was on my Opening Our Eyes blog – so forgive me if you follow me there.

Yesterday, I uploaded this photo on my Facebook status

Sir Richard Branson, Damien, Captain Paul Moulds at Oasis in Sydney, Australia
. It got noticed as “celebrity” always does and one person remarked “hanging with the superstars”. I commented back saying that they were all “superstars”. Certainly, Captain Paul Moulds for the work that we devotes himself to with Oasis and reaching out to homeless youth in Australia and Sir Richard Branson for his generous support and making it possible.

But perhaps the biggest “superstar” is Damien, the young man in the middle who turned his life around from being on the streets with barely any hopes and dreams at all to having a job, a place to live and a bright future.

I was attending an event yesterday at Oasis where Branson was cutting the ribbon on the opening of a fitness center that his company Virgin had funded. But prior to the opening of the center, Branson and others listened to the stories of the “champions”, young people like Damien who against all odds, had redirected their lives to a better future. The stories were difficult to hear – stories about being abused – physically, sexually and emotionally. Stories about wanting to die and the attempts that they made on their lives because they felt unwanted and that they had no purpose.

I can’t even begin to really understand the horrors that these kids have faced in their young lives. I can’t even imagine how difficult it was for them to tell their stories, and yet they did so with grace, dignity and compassion for one another. They were there for each other and to show their gratitude to people like Paul Moulds and Richard Branson who make places like Oasis possible. One young man said – “without Oasis, I’d be dead”.

I will never forget that morning and it went far and beyond the thrill of meeting Sir Richard Branson and eating an egg sandwich that he had cooked on the grill. The most important thing I walked away from was being around a group of people with a like-minded purpose. A purpose of doing whatever they can to make a difference – a positive difference in the world. I could see, hear and feel the impact that Moulds and Branson had made in these young people’s lives. It was tangible and real – not just words on the pages of a foundation’s annual report.

As we wind up our time in Australia and head home for a few days break before heading down to South America, I am energized by something that Paul had mentioned during his interview. He was talking about an amazing documentary that was made about Oasis and the issues facing homeless youth in Australia. The documentary was two years in the making and gave an up close look into life on the street for these young people. Paul told me that after the documentary aired on Australian TV, the response and support that followed was astounding. It had made a real impact and prompted people into action – to help with donations or wanting to volunteer.

So I’m energized going forward that our little film will also create awareness and prompt others into action and what they can do to make a positive difference in the world. It’s a simple yet powerful thought and full of possibility – the power that’s within all of us to create change and make the world a better place for those that are less fortunate. The power of possibility – think about it.

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The Hard Part About Working With DSLR’s

After two solid months of intensive shooting a documentary – shooting both stills and video with two DSLR cameras, the Canon 5D Mark II and 7D, I can honestly say working with these hybrids is not easy. And it certainly isn’t fast, especially if you are working in a small crew as we are.

Yes, the visual is stunning but I can’t help but think how many moments I may have missed that I probably would have gotten if I had been shooting with a video camera. When shooting motion, I have a constant mantra running through my head and that is “shoot and move”. That’s because you need a lot of footage at the end of the day and you need to edit your film. I’m not talking about working with a neatly storyboarded script and a Hollywood crew. I’m talking about working lean and mean and in a somewhat discreet way that is in order when shooting a documentary.

That really hit me last night while shooting on the streets of Sydney, Australia. My subject that I’m focusing on here is Paul Moulds from Oasis, which is a youth support network dealing with homeless street kids. I needed to hit the streets at night and knew that I not only had to be sensitive to the situations that I’d be shooting but also alert to the dangers. I’m positioning myself with a lot of expensive gear in tough neighborhoods where drugs and violence rule.

If ever before I needed to shoot and move and act quickly and keep a third eye out for any lurking danger. No time to stress on the importance of the perfection of the visual. I needed to get in close to the action – make sure my audio was being captured sufficiently and get the story. So even though I can tell you that my visual will be beautiful and lacking “noise” in the blacks – I probably would have gotten better and more meaningful coverage with a video camera.

I’m sure there will be plenty of you who will argue that there are journalists embedded in war zones with these cameras. And of course there’s Vincent LaFloret’s brilliant cinematic night films. But for me, I think there are times when I could have reacted faster with a video camera. And so I think – what’s more important – the resolution or the story?

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True Convergence With the DSLR Cameras

I read today that mega publishing company Conde Nast “names a new president as company seeks new business model”. http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=145071

“The historical priorities that have served our company so well — great content, best-in-class magazines, key client relationships – remain the cornerstone of what we do, but we need to move beyond the magazine,” said Mr. Townsend, who remains CEO, in the statement.”

Wow – so one of the biggest publishing companies is realizing that electronic delivery and the internet isn’t an afterthought or an add on to their print pubs.  That would have been unheard of just 2 years ago, but with the proliferation of mobile devices, including the iphone, ipad and other “i” devices, we really are seeing a shift in the way we communicate.

Photographers should definitely take notice of this and understand that they need to think differently themselves. Imagery and workflow that worked in the print world just isn’t going to fly in the world of “i” devices. You need to think and see differently when creating for electronic devices that are capable of showcasing still images, video and sound.  And it’s no longer sufficient to just regurgitate still imagery for the web or pick up a hybrid camera and switch into live mode and shoot video that will adequately convey a message in motion.  It goes beyond the tool – it’s thinking, seeing and anticipating in motion.  After 11 years of shooting motion and over 30 years of shooting still images, my mind seamlessly makes the switch a hundred times a day between thinking and seeing in “moments in time” or “time in motion”. It’s a bit analogous to being fluent in a foreign language when you find yourself thinking in the language rather than needing to do the translations anymore in your head.

Many still shooters who are just beginning to shoot video are so consumed with the technical aspects of the tool, they forget that they need to think and shoot differently when shooting video.  I see a lot of people moving the camera, rather than letting movement take place in front of the camera.  And I see a lot of independent clips shot and then put together in a video timeline, but with no connection to one another or unity in a sequence.  Basically, a slide show of video clips – but not a story sequence.

It takes time to get to the point where you think in motion, especially if you’ve been a still shooter for many years.  My instincts are now that I know when to pick up the right tool – a video camera or a still camera, rather than choose the tool without meaning to the subject that I will be shooting.  I choose the tool that will best communicate the message.

The best advice I can give to still shooters who want to move into video is for them to stop compartmentalizing the two mediums.  Don’t define yourself as a videographer or a still shooter that does sports or weddings or commercial work.  As print gives way to electronic delivery, our clients need to communicate in a different way and we need to be creative in delivering their message and choose the best tool that will do that.  If we can think like that then there is true convergence – not only with our tools but the way we think.

It’s no wonder that publishing houses are hiring shooters with skills entrenched in both mediums.  They need creative’s who think differently – not just in moments in time or time in motion, but a true blend that only a hybrid shooter can deliver.  That’s my best advice that I can offer to people just starting out as photographers or videographers – don’t separate the two – become a hybrid and learn to communicate creatively with the right tool at the right time.

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HDSLR Video – The Camera is Just the Beginning

Many still shooters make the same mistake when jumping over to video – they only think about the camera and the shoot. When this happens, what quickly follows is mild to severe panic when they realize that audio is even more important than the visual and post-production is video is far different than in stills. On top of that, if you shoot video like a still photographer – you’ll want to kick yourself when you get in the editing room.

The good news is there are plenty of resources when embracing these various skills and learning curves than when I started shooting video over ten years ago.

Here’s a few great sites, listservs and blogs that you should bookmark:

http://asmp.org/tutorials/video-tutorial.html

http://photocinenews.com

http://www.cinema5d.com/index.php

http://phillipbloom.net

newspaperVideo@yahoogroups.com

http://worldwide-studios.com/Worldwide_Studios/Resources.html

So have fun and remember, the more your learn, the more you realize you need to know.

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A Birthday Gift

Today was one of those days that are memorable and just make you feel good to be alive and affirm your life’s convictions. Even though I “worked” today – on my birthday – I realized once again that my “work” has never really felt like work at all, but rather a gift.

Once again, because I am a storyteller and a visual communicator by profession and have the great fortune to have been able to make a living doing so, I had the privilege of spending the afternoon with a remarkable woman. Her name is Ronni Kahn, CEO (Chief Energy Officer as she would say) and founder of Oz Harvest, a food rescue program in Sydney, Australia. What Ronni does is quite simple – yet far reaching. She has set up an organization that picks up food from events, parties, affairs etc. that would have normally been thrown away, and sends it over to various charities that feed the needy.

But one of the many remarkable things that Ronni has done was to use her connections and passion to change the law so that people and organizations who were willing to give away their perishable and left over food, could do so without fear of being sued or liable in the process of doing a good deed. Ronni made it happen because she saw the big picture and overcame the obstacles in the way.

We spent the afternoon with Ronni, first touring around the lovely coastal areas of Sydney, then filming her inspirational interview and ended the afternoon at the beach. One thing stuck with me that Ronni said during the interview. She told me that many people tell her that they would love to get involved and do something along the lines that she has done but that it just wasn’t the right time in their lives and then proceed to give her a variety of reasons of why they can’t. And then she said “if you want to do something – you just need to do it”. You need to stop making excuses and live in the “now”.

As I write this blog entry, her words are kicking around in my head and I realize how grateful I am that I am living in the “now” and doing what I feel I need to do. And that is the best birthday gift of all – nothing can ever top that.

Thanks Ronni for a wonderful and memorable day.

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Professional Still Photographers as Amateur Videographers

These days many still photographers are frustrated when their clients decide to take their own pictures or get photos from amateurs who take photos that are good enough. And sometimes “good enough” is not only good enough – it’s pretty good because technology has enabled just about anyone to take a reasonably good photograph.

Indeed technology has lowered the bar to the entry into the realm of professional photography. But any pro knows there is more to “making” a good photo than the actual execution of an image. There are many problems to solve, and there’s the matter of being able to consistently make good photos.

But I must tell you, over the past year I have seen still photographers exhibit the same attitude that they abhor in their clients when it comes to the medium of video. As more and more still photographers embrace video because of hybrid cameras like the Canon 5D Mark II, many fall victim to the same line of thinking and that is if they buy a “good” camera that shoots “HD” video – that’s all they need to throw out the “video shingle” and they’re in business.

The problem is they lose sight of some very important things:
1. Shooting motion requires a different thought process
2. Audio is everything
3. Post production is very different for video than for still images
4. Video is a collaborative process

So when I get a question from a still photographer as to “what is a good video camera?” – I bounce the question right back at them and say – when an amateur photographer asks you what still camera takes good pictures – what do you say? Most quickly get the analogy and realize that while they are pros in the still photography world – buying a video camera or an HDSLR doesn’t make them professional a videographer. Motion is a wonderful medium, but get to learn the craft because it’s more than just the camera.

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Capturing Good Audio When Shooting With DSLR’s

I see a lot of confusion and misconceptions amongst still photographers as they embrace video using the DSLR camera. For many audio is an after thought which is a big mistake because audio is much more important than the visual. Unless you’re just laying down still images or video clips to music then you have to be able to capture good sound. Some things to consider and remember.

1. You’ll never get good sound with the camera microphone – only use the camera mic for reference audio.

2. Don’t buy a camera that won’t let you use external microphones – unless you will be capturing your audio separately and syncing it later in post.

3. If “running and gunning” – you can probably get away with using a mic mounted on the camera as long as you are close to your audio source. You can either use a mic with a mini plug and connect it to the camera OR you can run the mic via an xlr cord to a mixer like a JuicedLink or a Beachtek, which is much better, rendering a cleaner audio capture.

4. For interviews, most likely you won’t want your camera to be extremely close to your subject. So you won’t want to use a mic mounted on the camera – it’s too far away. I rig a shotgun mic on a boom stand and I also use a lav on the subject and run both into my camera if I’m using a traditional video camera or into my JuicedLink mixer if I want to capture the sound on the same card as the audio.

5. When using a DSLR camera, capturing your audio separately with a digital recorder is ideal. I use a Samson H4N Zoom that not only has a built in dual stereo mic but two XLR inputs. I run my shotgun mic and lav mic into the Zoom and then sync the sound later in post with software called Plural Eyes. Make sure you keep the audio on in the camera as well to use as a reference for syncing later on.

6. When using a device like the zoom that has a built in mic – remember that even though this is a quality mic – you MUST get the mic in close to your sound – no more than a foot away. I prefer not to use this mic but rather a shotgun because a shotgun is more focused and won’t pick up a lot of the ambient noise.

7. Use headphones. Don’t just look at your meters – wear headphones and make sure that you are getting quality sound. You could be picking up interference or static.

8. Always consider your audio even for your b-roll – you need some audio – even if you only intend it as ambient background sound.

9. I only use a wireless system when I need to. In cities like New York you can get a lot of interference on the frequencies. Always go wired if you can. And if you find yourself needing a wireless system, spend the money to get a system that has a good range.

10. Be quiet and tell your crew to be quiet as well. You never know when you’ll want to use the audio – even if you think you won’t need it.

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Revisiting “Standing on a 10 Foot Frozen Wave”

It’s been only 5 months since I stood on top of a 10 foot frozen wave of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Seems like a lifetime ago. I couldn’t be further from that wave, both literally and figuratively speaking.

Lake Superior, Upper Peninsula, Michigan

As I stood on the crest of that frozen wave, in utter silence with no one in sight for miles, I reflected on the human spirit in this remote part of the world. The sun was setting and I was fearful of slipping into a crevice but yet drawn to the glow of the setting sun – feeling hopeful for the future.

I am in Jaipur, India right now with the temperatures nearing the 100 mark and the humidity level the same. But it seems hotter because everything here in India seems intensified on every level. I’ve been on the road for close to 2 months now and have traversed a variety of climates, cultures, joys and heartbreaks. It’s been easy, hard and everything in between.

In creating this documentary “Opening Our Eyes” I have challenged myself in every way I know how. Just shooting a documentary with an HDSLR system, on a slim budget and with a two-person crew is a feat in itself. But this documentary is taking us around the world and putting us in touch with the less fortunate of our planet. It’s humbling, heartbreaking, exhausting, yet somehow a boost to my inner spirit – that same spirit I wrote about back in February when isolated and alone on that 10 ft. frozen wave.

How I crave those frigid temperatures and the utter silence of tranquility. Space is a luxury in India with billions of people competing for it. Such an intriguing culture but one that is beyond demanding of all that a body and soul has to give. I draw on my inner strength and my people that came before me who taught me well about struggles and endurance as well as compassion for those who are less fortunate.

My eyes have been opened these past two months in so many ways and so I think unknowingly I chose the perfect title for this film. To experience and see the extremes of the human condition across the globe has broadened my perspective and put things into balance. What seemed so important just a few months ago, seems so trivial today.

And so it goes as I complete this journey in a few months time. Off to another climate and culture with my eyes opening wider as I go along.

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The Making of a Documentary

Technically, I began working on my latest documentary, “Opening Our Eyes” about 7 months ago when the idea came to me. I had just seen Robert Frank’s show “The Americans” at the Met in New York City with a friend of mine and I commented to him that I was really yearning to get back to my beginnings and take a visual road trip.

Even though I had spent a lifetime traveling and shooting assignments for editorial and corporate clients, I never lost sight of my passion to explore with my camera.

Gail at Red Square, Moscow

In the beginning, my explorations were through the lens of my still camera but when I started shooting motion about ten years ago, my tool of choice became a video camera and with that came self assigned documentaries.

It had been two years since my last passion project “Freedom Riders” and I was itching to start another. My daughter had just graduated from college, I was an emptynester and pretty much free to do as I pleased. I had accumulated over 300,000 airline miles, thousands of hotel award points and another 300,000 plus American Express points. I didn’t know what I was saving them for but it seemed like a good time to use them. So, I made a decision to take a trip around the world. I felt like I still had the energy and stamina to take on such a journey but something was missing – I needed a purpose.

The Idea
I have always been interested in the “common man” as opposed to the celebrity and the simple story that resonates in a viral way. I’m intrigued by people who go up against all odds, to right a wrong or fight for a cause and never give up. I usually side with the underdogs and am inspired by the Cinderella stories. And so after that day at the Met, an idea was born and that was to shine a spotlight on 6 people on 6 different continents who were making a positive difference in the world because it was their calling to do so.

Of course coming up with an idea is the easy part and many times those great ideas seem to drift away with time as one gets caught up in daily work and life. But this idea wasn’t going away – I knew it was the right time for me to bring these stories to life. My goal was to create individual videos about each of these people that would combine together as a feature documentary. My hope was that the film would not only create awareness of my subjects’ efforts, but also motivate others to create change.

The Pre-Production and Facilitation
Next came the hard part – making it a reality and the first step was figuring out how I would fund it. After working on 2 other self-assigned passion projects, I knew one thing and that is that it’s really hard to sell an idea. When I was in the planning stages of The Delta Bluesmen, I spent a lot of time applying for grant money and seeking funds from a variety of sources to no avail. I finally got frustrated and decided to self fund the project even though it meant taking it a bit slower and doing more of the work myself. My critics thought I was crazy to tackle a short film by myself and self fund it but I stuck to it and created a piece I’m proud of and which has brought many rewards to my life. So with that experience behind me, I took another leap of faith on my latest project and started the planning process. But perhaps most importantly, I focused on the fact that the positive aspects of working on a self-funded project is that it would be the way I wanted it to be – not compromised for the wrong reasons.

My first order of business was to send out a query to everyone I knew as well as use social media to find my subjects. My first subject was a given – a local young woman my daughter went to high school with, Maggie Doyne,

Maggie and some of her children

who opted not to trek off to college after high school. Instead she wound up in Nepal and built a home for orphaned children. She’s 23 years old now, has 30 children in her home and is in the process of building a school. Then my daughter Erin, expressed interest in working on this project with me. She knew she’s need to leave quit her job, sublet her apartment and say goodbye to her boyfriend for 3 months – but she wanted to be part of it. And so we became a duo and with that the project really took off with her support and help.

Since the project was self-funded, I had to be extremely creative with the budget – or lack thereof. So after nailing down our subjects across the globe, we started to plan the logistics –airline tickets, hotel rooms, visas, vaccinations and of course equipment needs. From January to May, I spent countless hours booking reward tickets with 14 airlines for 29 flights – a round the world itinerary with extra local hops thrown in. I’ve arranged for 99 nights of accommodations, staying with friends, friend of friends, using reward points, paying for budget hotels and bartering for other rooms. I had to bite the bullet and pay large sums for our vaccinations and visas and budget for our meals. Most importantly, I needed to purchase new gear because my intent was to shoot this project with the HDSLR cameras. I knew I wanted to shoot stills and video and also knew that I had to travel lean and mean so this seemed like the best solution. You can read more about the gear here.

The Execution
We are about one third through the shoot and have worked on 3 continents. The scheduling has turned out to be brilliant – we work hard and exhaust ourselves for chunks of time – anywhere from a week to ten days and then have a few days to recoup, catch up on sleep, write in our blogs, or just sightsee and take some still snapshots along the way. We’ve had a couple mother/daughter disagreements but for the most part we are having the time of our life and seeing the world. At this point we sometimes forget which currency we are using or what the exchange rate is or what our room number is but in the process of creating a film, we have built a lifetime of memories.

We have also created an audience who tune into our project blog religiously and follow our journey as we go along. But something remarkable is happening and that is evident in the comments we are getting. We are opening people’s eyes though our travels and our writings. We have connected our audience with our subjects and their endeavors and are building a global community. It has been truly inspirational meeting and working with our subjects and there are days that my heart is full to bursting and confirms my belief in this project.

Post-Production
When we return in September, my first priority will be to edit the videos that I promised in barter arrangements. And hopefully at the end of the month, I will begin the edit. It will most likely take me a month just to log and transcode the footage and sync the audio in the situations where it was captured independently. I’m confident in my editing abilities but I would love to work with a pro. So if there is a pro out there reading this who would love to get involved in a fabulous documentary – I’d love to hear from you.

Distribution
Not really thinking about this part right now other than to use social media and perhaps itunes and Amazon to distribute it. But I have faith in this project and something tells me that this will take on a life of its own. It’s a feel good story and we’ve already gotten a lot of support and interest.

At any rate it’s the trip of a lifetime and I’m taking it with my daughter so I’ve already been blessed.

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