Well, first you find the tallest building in your respective city, go to the top floor and then walk to the ledge….
I kid myself, but I can’t act as if I haven’t contemplated similar (slightly less violent) thoughts in these past few weeks.
It all started at Double R Productions’ 25thanniversary party, where we interns recorded the event and then edited a highlights reel for all who attended. I worried about the shot composition, the lighting, and even whether I was polite enough to the stars. One thing I didn’t think about, however, was the sound. In the midst of everything, I made the quick, foolish decision to leave the sound off when recording b-roll. My action was based on my limited experience with videos for concerts and my small microphone, where the sound is usually too crunchy to use and the battery-based device is turned off frequently to save life. But none of that mattered when we finally sat down to edit. I had removed an integral part to a good highlights reel and there was nothing I could say or do that could change that.
The experience put me in a funk for a week or so. I constantly questioned my own competence in this work and my ability to last in this industry. How could I have done something so stupid?! Even if sound weren’t necessary for b-roll it still wouldn’t hurt to have it! I’ve done similar things like this before, how could I have made such a rookie mistake? The regret was wholehearted and the mistake haunted my thoughts relentlessly.
In fact, I’m still thinking about it. It seems like no matter where I’m at or what I’m doing, I will always here a little voice in the back of my head saying, “Hey stupid! Don’t forget the sound!” As weird as it sounds, I think that’s a good thing. That’s what this internship is all about, having that little voice in your head, or putting one there if you don’t already have it. Mistakes hurt. They show us just how feeble we humans are. But they’re necessary too. You can only learn so much from a book or the lives of others. Sometimes you have to experience and feel it to understand, to realize why you should never do it.
The video is done now. We just finished it and Rosemary loved it. Our senior editor, Michael Gionis said it was “aight.” With this important lesson learned, I couldn’t help but smile.
— Daniel Perez
