Contructive Conversations

I've noticed a trend from both the insiders and outsiders perspective of communication when it comes to creative work. This will be mostly about the outsiders view of communication when it comes to trying to connect with a possible employer or person in the creative field. While submitting resumes and following up I've been looking at the time it takes to receive a response (any response). Most of the time a response will not happen (unless they want to work with you or hire you). The process of submitting an idea or a resume to a creative company takes very little time but hearing back takes an unknown amount of time that seems impossible to explain.

I once collaborated on a project with a someone for an ad agency and I filmed and photographed part of the event as a freelance videographer. After I was done with my work I dropped it off to my collaborator so he could edit it together. I had a copy of some of the work I did to use for my own resume since it was a very successful work opportunity! After about two months I wanted to check in with my collaborator/friend in the biz. I sent an email simply asking if the edit was finished. No response. I didn't know what to think so I went and focused on other activities. Another month rolled by and so I sent another email to my collaborator and again there was no response. The only reaction I could take was that of being puzzled.

Now I have found this to be a common occurrence in many forms of communication (email, phone, text message) when it comes to applying to a job or following up with someone on a project in the creative industry. There seems to be a loss of conversation since maybe everyone is too busy working to talk. What am I looking for? I'm looking for an answer. Either a"yes" or "no". Beyond that is something even greater and that is the creative constructive conversation. A conversation that builds on ideas such as "What do I need to do better?" or "That was great! Next time maybe this would work..." or "Sorry to hear that didn't turn out. Now we know for next time." These are the conversations I am always expecting and perusing when it comes to sending in resumes and following up on project. Why waste time? My hope is that the creative community and those that work in the field can carry a dialog like that. It's much better than just being ignored.

To end on a small positive note I do sometimes (very rarely) get feedback on what to improve on. Usually it's either "Sorry but.." or no answer at all. I try to email back asking what I could do better if they don't provide that kind of constructive dialog. From a creative field look it just seems like good solid constructive communication need to happen much more often instead of silence and the escaping time which we all share.

Creative Note: I don't want to be lazy in getting back with people. I want to keep a positive conversation with people but also understand that there are things happening with people and companies that I don't know about. Being patience and assertive can be like a high wire walk at times.

Wedding Edits & Edits & Edits

Recently I worked on a wedding video for someone. This was my first ever wedding video that I had the opportunity to create. I worked with another photographer at the event and we collaborated on the day of the big wedding event to capture some of the best moments on video and camera. The person I was making the wedding video for was the bride and she wanted to have a creative hand in the process. It sounded like a fun idea to me but I slowly found out that the wedding video turned into a belief of UN-realistic expectations and an edit that didn't highlight the memorable moments of the evening. It is very difficult for me to write this because I am thankful for the opportunity to shoot the video but I have learned how the edit and presentation of the wedding event can go in a completely opposite direction based on the desires of the client.

Here is a look at some of the notes I received while editing this project together with the bride (who very much wanted to give ideas to the creative process). I had some suggestions to make but it was driven mostly by the client/bride. I learned to edit in a very comprehensive way but as the weeks passed it turned into something very illogical. The edit's continued and would not stop. There did not seem to be a clear goal or understanding of satisfaction from her and it was just turning into "busy work". The project got done on time and it looks good to the client/bride but I do not think my best work was showcased. The final video turned into a story about two peoples lives and did not accurately highlight the "wedding day". For me the quality was diminished with the over use of graphics and quotes but the client was happy to see everything play out on screen.

Takeaway Note: Have a better idea beforehand and understanding of style. Clearer understanding of time frame and communication of what "works" and what "does not work" in the video.