After releasing my Reel in Fall 2016, my wife and I were taken by pleasant surprise when our Yorkie-poo, Mac, slyly remarked "Woof! Woof! Grrr... ruff. Woof!" [You know Dad... if you ever need me to, I wouldn't mind playing a small part in one of your films... like an extra or something... You know... in case if you ever wanted to use... a highly trained, yet handsome, photogenic subject, with four legs of course], while going to town on his chew bone. My wife and I glance at each other, shooting mutual nods; locked at the eyes, smiling closed-mouth. Silently amazed, yet unexpectedly impressed. Our chins down and in, mouth ends pulled down, stretching with amusement. Kind of like how Robert De Niro nods his iconic tight-lipped, frowning smile to Al Pacino near the end of the "Restaurant Scene" in the film Heat (either to contain mutual excitement or to actively deceive, counting down the minutes till this conversations' over. The shop's closed, pal).
Facing back to Mac, I catch him still trying to work me with that mastered side eye of his (not missing a beat on that bone). So I play it cool, I thank him, gratefully accepting his offer (all the while scratching through the fur on his back) and that I would sure let him know of a part I thought he may be interested in as soon as I know of one.
The truth; My wheels were spinning, shooting sparks only my wife can clearly see. I was excited to see what he was made of. Eager to write him a part in a project as soon as possible. But... the hard fact was... that as we had just moved here to New York, I no longer had complimentary access to an awesome Sony Super 35 digital camera, lenses and all. That privilege was made available only through my previous employment as an apprentice video editor for a decent video production company back in Texas. After losing access to that Sony, I believed I needed a "really good camera" to make a "good [looking] film or video," I was refraining from shooting anything at all until I saved up enough money to buy my own name brand digital camera. Something that could at least shoot in 4k Full-Frame, low light, at least 60 FPS (120 would be awesome), and at least one lense, a tripod and slider.
A couple of months later, we have family from San Antonio visiting us for Christmas, and that's when my good friend and cousin-in-law, Urban, shares with me a piece of advice that completely changed the game for me. We're still both not sure of who may have originally said this, but he once read from a statement made by well-known photographer, Chase Jarvis:
"The best camera is the one that's with you."
That quote just about slapped me in the face. Inspiring me to see beyond my invisible walls. Walls that I had built under the condition of "waiting for the right tools" as a means to create "something good, worthy." I was enlightened. Humbled. Changing the way I thought about cameras.
So I flipped the script, and used what I had available to work with – my wife's iPhone 6 (For the record, I would've used my Android, but her phone's camera was, in fact, better) (I still use Android, btw). And that's when Mac got his shot – a starring role in a short, about a dog's day at the park. Giving birth to this project.
As for the music, after watching the film Me Before You with my wife, I absolutely loved the emanating power, sound, and feeling of X Ambassadors - "Unsteady" (Erich Lee Gravity Remix)(IMO, a great track and a good film), and I knew I just had to use it for this project, hopefully expressing just how much Mac means to his momma and I. And as for Mac... well... in addition to earning a nice, big, juicy T-Bone, later that year, he landed his second role as a supporting actor in the promotional Butterfleye. Talk about "Good, Boy!"
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- Filmed on the iPhone 6s Plus, handheld
- Music: Me Before You - X Ambassadors "Unsteady" (Erich Lee Gravity Remix)*
- Filmed on the iPhone 6s Plus, handheld
- Music: Me Before You - X Ambassadors "Unsteady" (Erich Lee Gravity Remix)*
*A personal use, portfolio project; not used for monetization.
