Well, I gave my son Ray a choice. Sports camp or a project with me. Ray chose the project with me.
Now I just needed to come up with a project.
The clouds part, angel song surrounds my ear and a beam of light shines across my path. I have just the project. An interview, Ray shall interview me.
There are a lot of reasons why this was a perfect idea. It involved a simple lighting setup so Ray can learn where best to set a key light and how to balance background lights. It has set camera angles and simple audio. Meaning that I can teach Ray the basics and step back. It’s important to step back as much as possible and let him feel in control.
Next is the structure of an interview. You ask questions and wait for the answers. Again, straight forward does not need much input from me. I did expand the filming by getting him to film a little B-roll before the interview started which would open up editing options, more on this later. Editing is also easier with the structure of an interview, cutting back and forth from him to me.
I set Ray to work the week before the school holidays with the task of making 10 questions. With a little help from my wife, he was ready.
After the weekend, we got up and talked over what needed to be done and begun. Then with guidance from me, we filmed the interview.
Then throughout the week, we edited the video together. With the B-roll, we were able to bring a beginning to the interview and using L-Cuts and J-Cuts we created a fluid flow throughout. An L-cut is when the audio from the preceding scene continues to play over the footage from the following scene. A J-cut is just the reverse of an L-cut. A little music and titles using Premiere Pro’s motion graphic templates and we had an interview to be proud of.
It’s a great way to teach a kid what a project is. The fact that it has exciting times and fun times. Frustrating times and boring times. That once all done brings a feeling of proudness and achievement. Knowing your hard work and dedication is what processed something special. And I truly believe he has created something special.
As for me, it was a beautiful experience that continues to surprise me. My reactions to the questions are honestly real, it was the first time I had heard them. I was not expecting them to be so deep and involved.
The result shows the connection we have and I get emotional every time I watch it.
It takes time to build such a relationship and I believe it’s your duty as a parent to make sure you do everything possible to connect. So next time you see your child bored, stop and think. What could we do together, what can we create together?
If after seeing the video you too would like to have an interview with your family, get in touch.
