Best job in the world video making
Mon 02 Feb 2009To vote on my application go to the Best job in the world web site and rate it 5 from 5!.
With the snow dusted French countryside disappearing in front of me (my seat on the TGV faces aft), I depart Paris content in the knowledge that I have put my best foot forward in acquiring the "best job in the world". After 2 weeks of filming, editing, reworking, re-shooting, the pace of my round the word holiday can return to a slightly slower pace.
Not that I did not enjoy every minute of the effort, for the story that I have to tell in my application is exactly my life and appears, to completely fill their list of requirements. With so much alignment, I even get the niggling feeling that perhaps some divine or karma type intervention has inspired the creation of ChannelWhitsunday.com, where we have pioneered online video tourism promotion, starting and remaining humble since April 2007.
The story line for my video application was fairly obvious. While the video we produced for Emanuela in Rome was about producing laughter, my effort was going to be hampered by the lengthy story I had to tell and required a distinctly Aussie flavour. The intro scene in the roman attire was born of a left over from Ema's clip. We had planned to have her throwing flip flops at the Coliseum, perhaps hitting people in the head, as she practised the "national" sport of Australia, "Thong Throwing", but we ran out of time to make it fit in her 60 seconds of video.
The thong concept was then retrieved from the rubbish bin to be part of my clip, and enhanced to make me appear to be a master of the Aussie "Thong", ninja style, as I knocked off a would-be camera thief in Rome. The gaming console motif was added in the last week of production to make it clearer what was going on, display some more video editing technique and bring additional humour.
With Ema providing the camera assist to be the thief, we also pulled in a random Italian fellow to throw this hand in front of the camera and drop the thong into the shot to complete the scene. It is hoped that will get the attention of the judges and viewers, and tick the creativity box. It is also interesting how this could develop. The Aussie thong is obviously now my weapon of choice, similar to Indiana Jone's whip, Crocodile Dundee's knife and Robin William's sense of humour. Beware! trouble makers with in throwing distance!
The rest of video tells my story, living on the Great Barrier Reef on a cat with people constantly coming to stay produces large quantities of adventure, and related photography, so a quick review of my blog content, and on-pc gallery provided a classic Great Barrier Reef slide show.
The criteria asked for 1 years relevant experience. Having blogged for 5 years, and starting ChannelWhitsunday.com 2 years ago was perfect to tick this box. Scrolling a blog page and introducing ChannelWhitsunday.com was easy, supported by a Whitehaven Beach kite surfer for wow, and a cute intro for ChannelWhitsunday, with my junior sidekick Nina featuring.
Naturally, I saw the testimonial work for Telstra as worthwhile as it showed some history in serious media engagement… and why not. Telstra Next G provided the secret key to my lifestyle amongst the islands. High speed Internet most places on the Great Barrier Reef means continuing quality of service for my clients, and a connected lifestyle while enjoying the many wonders of the Great Barrier Reef daily.
The next message is about my adaptivity and portability. Unencumbered by even so much as a pet, I travel with the minimum of kit, but there is a bag full of technology. It is true in just one carry-on sized trolley bag, I had all the cameras, wireless mic, computers (and related chargers!) need to make the application video.
Toward the end, the semi-bullet time sequence made in a the town square on the Isle of Wight, sought to show off my portability further and technical ability. We used my Lumix still camera to make 30 odd exacting frames, while I stood frozen … (and freezing too). The sequence is not exactly what I wanted, but certainly looks cool.
Finally, the closing sequence. Having shot one already beside a lake in Turin, Italy, I was keen to improve the message and find a better backdrop for closing. The Eiffel tower was a natural choice and already part of my travel plans… Amazingly, the French had built a peace structure at the top of the grand gardens that front the Eiffel Tower, which provided a near perfect angle for closing and a great backdrop. On the camera, Nico assisted while I did about 10 takes to finally get one that I was happy with, had the thong going in the right direction, had no babbling tourists in the back ground noise, and had only a little sunlight fade, while the Parisian sky continued to close in.
"It’s a wrap!" and the judges have been handed my masterpiece. I trust they and you will enjoy it. Thanks everyone that helped, supported and provided feedback during the making of this feature.
Related Links:Please watch my application video on thebest job in the world web site and rate it 5 from 5
