ironman

• Yay!!!!  I finally finished Uncle Dan's Ironman film.  I've been dying to find a good stretch of time to work on it, but until now, I only had little snippets of time.  To make a film, I really need to get in a zone and build it in my mind and heart before I get down to the nitty-gritty of the technical end of things.  
• This was really challenging for me.  I knew that I needed to tell the story of the day, but I was having a hard time shaping it in my mind.  Also, it was really tricky because the actual footage of Uncle Dan was minimal because the points along the course where he passed us were minimal, and when he rode/ran past, it was soooooo quick!  We lost him entirely as soon as he entered the water for the swim.  I had to think creatively to make the most of my footage.  I decided to use slow motion, so it's a good thing I had filmed at a high rate of frames per second.  I don't usually, so that was a blessing.
• I changed the music about six million times.  I just couldn't get it right.  The pacing was important to me.  I needed something that was dynamic and inspiring, but not too happy, and not too sad.  I think I actually made six versions of this film before settling on this one.  
• The thing that hit me the most as I made the video was the passage of time.  The film is only four minutes long, but Uncle Dan swam, biked and ran for 13 hours.  That's amazing.  I don't know how he could will his body to keep moving after that much time.  
• I also wanted to weave a little love story into it.  Auntie Becca was there cheering him on from the very beginning until the bitter end.  I loved watching her support him in this huge accomplishment.  
• Katie, thank you for coming with me to keep me company and cheer your uncle on.  It was pretty fun to spend time alone with you.  I love how you ran with him near the end of his run.  You're pretty sweet.
• Overall, I'm proud of my work.  I learned a lot and I'm excited to try my new knowledge and realizations on my next film.  I still want to make my documentary about Ken and Mark, and I see this film as a leg of the journey towards doing this project that has captured my mind and heart.