HRVATSKA / Travel short with Sony A7s

[Gregormannschaft]

I had a great / weird trip to Croatia last month. I was psyched to get out and film and capture some of the beautiful scenery there, but when I arrived I was kind of devoid of ideas and inspiration. I guess work, the bad kind of work, can do that to you. When I got back I had a bunch of footage, didn't really know what to do with it, how to tie it all together and decided (after watching a few Brandon Li videos on holiday with my girlfriend) to try and capture some of his energy that he creates so wonderfully with camera movement and sound design put together in post. And this arose.

http://www.vimeo.com/138451703

I kind of like the finished result. It's not my favourite travel thing I've ever done though. Or, who knows. Probably now just need some distance. Any feedback is welcome as always.

Oh, and Sony A7s + Cine 4 modified by Kholi (sorry Mr Reid) + 24-105mm L + a couple shots from my new Carl Zeiss Jena 50mm lens which for some reason I only used at night in slow motion. Wish i'd used it during the day.
 

[agolex]

Sweet, lovin the shots and grade!

[User]

Hi Gregor, good to see your work again.

Feedback? A couple of things from my side that I try to remind myself of from time to time, more philosophical than anything else:

- Goosebumps. We know what they feel like when we get them, so try to take note of when and how you get them. Let this be one of your guides as to what is working and what is not.

- Creativity. It can come in waves and cycles, it can't really be forced, it can be conjured. Toms Waits sees it as a kind of 'divine intervention' and there is a story of him driving down the highway in SoCal where he is having an argument with a creative divinity who has just shown up to infuse him while he is driving and not in a position to pull over and note things down.

- Mass filmmaking. The web is chalk full of image clips pushing the latest tech and grades. The stuff that really shines for me is when the filmmaker connects with subject and manages to pull something emotional out of the situation before moving on. Like what you did with the Govinda.

- Sound. This is 70% of the game at has a deep connection with another primordial part of our brains. All the great travel clips we like strike a decent accord. People will watch a shitty picture with great sound, but not the other way around.

- Contra the heard. If you are in this for the long haul, be mindful and push yourself in the most unimaginable creative ways.

- Fear of failure. On that, I'll close with a quote from Oscar Wilde: : Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.

Keep on trucking and see you soon...