Dust

The other day I was in the college I used to work in and sitting on a shelf I saw an Angineux 12 - 120 zoom lens.  I immediately recognized it as the zoom lens Gerrit, my father used on Amuigh Faoin Speir.  It was clean and had been used recently as far as I could tell.  It got me thinking.  There are so many things now that seem redundant due to technology that sit on shelves gathering dust.  I think that this is sad.  I have spent the last couple of months gathering all this old technology so that it has a home.  Besides I'm sure there will come a time when I will need it.  Just because it's old doesn't mean it's obsolete.  You hear that film is no longer in use, but most times when I work I seem to shoot film.  The other day I sat in my fathers old studio looking at cans and cans of film wondering what I would do with it all.  It's been gathering dust for 15 years since he died and it's time the cans were opened, looked at, cleaned and cataloged.  I spent many years working with him.  I also spent many years working with film.  I like film, it's great to shoot and if you spend time with it the results are fantastic.  I wonder where all this data we shoot nowadays will be - whether the drives will spin up and whether all work will be intact.  I wonder whether in 50 years from now my son will be sitting in my studio looking at my work wondering what to do with it?

Nature does Matter!

Well I gave 2 talks in the last 36 hours.  On Sunday I spoke about Gerrit my father and it went well.  I was very pleased with the response.  It was very nice to talk to my friends and strangers about my Dad and I was particularly pleased that people I hadn't seen for several years came.  Also something struck me - a book about my Dad would be a nice thing to do - now there's a thought.

Secondly I went into my children's school and talked about hibernation and drawing birds.  The age group was 4 to 6 year old children.  It was an absolute pleasure and thanks Gerrit for the wonderful illustrations and slides - great to do and I'd love to do it again.

Nature Matters

I spent all day scanning work of Gerrit, my father and pictures of him, some of which I include here, this is for a talk entitled "Nature Matters" I am giving about him next Sunday the 15th in the Nature Room of the Pearse Museum, St Endas Park, Rathfarnham at 2pm.

 

 

 

 

Gerrit

Gerrit was my Dad.  I worked with him, I certainly listened to him.  The nation listened to him. Most people over the age of 35 know who he was as "To the Waters and the Wild" and "Amuigh Faoin Speir" were very prolific.  In 2 weeks on the Sunday the 15th of November at 2pm I am giving a talk in the Nature Room of the Pearse Museum in St Endas Park in Rathfarnham about him.  Gerrit loved nature, I love nature.  The room is full of nature.  I am a bit apprehensive.  I have given this talk before - the last time was on the anniversary of his death 2 years ago.  But then I knew what I was going to say, I was prepared.  I had video.  This time I'm not so sure. What do I want to say about him now.  But then I do have 2 weeks to get ready.  I miss him.  I miss his wit, his intellect and his singular point of view.  Most of all I miss the endless art.  The drawings, the paintings, the sketches and the cartoons.  I learned so much from him.  Hopefully I can do him some justice...

Proposal Writing

The key thing to proposal writing is to assume nothing, just because your audience (as in the commissioning editor) likes you doesn't mean they know anything about the subject that you have so intimately researched, studied, written reams of material about etc etc..

When you're trying to sell the idea on paper never assume they know as much as you - the key thing is this: "What's the hook?" - What do you want to tell in 1 to 2 pages that excites them, intrigues them and most of all makes them want to meet you so that you can sell your idea in person.   TV is a cruel world, commissioning editors love good ideas, they love to put their spin on them.  But remember this - what you think is interesting and riveting TV may actually bore them to death.  You have to be absolutely sure about your motives for making something be it financial or creative.  It's not just the commissioning editor who has to live with the idea for a year - you do too.

Pitching

Pitching is everything.  You can have the greatest proposal, the most wonderful script - but in the 30 seconds you have before you open your mouth you have to answer the following question: "Why is this such a great story and what can I bring to it?"  Then you open your mouth, you begin - you don't start with FADE IN, you sell them your idea and that you're the only person in the world to deliver it.

I'm going to be doing a lot of pitching in the next 6 weeks as this is the season for it.  The mantra I must practice, I must practice goes on in my head night and day..

Halloween

Having just spent a month working on a documentary about the Kennedy enigma I'm looking forward to spending some time this Halloween with my children before I start on a project about squirrels.  Grey squirrels, red squirrels - the war is on. Watch this space!

Teaching Older People

One of my students today opened her locket and showed me two black and white pictures; one of her and one of her husband two years before they were married in the late 40's. She is 86. I'm teaching her photography as her late husband was the photographer in the family. Life is sometimes sublime.

Website updated

After doing the web design classes and a lot of tuition from MD and Oisín I have managed to update my website, attached this blog and am in the process of organizing all the stuff I stuck on it over the last couple of months.

Website link:

www.finnvangelderen.com

More video and new video on the way.

We are Barnardos

I operated and produced this for Barnardos:

http://www.barnardos.ie/media_centre/hear-us-and-see-us/barnardos-dvd.html

Canon XL-2 shot progressive, graded in premier pro and after effects with a broadcast master made for distribution. 44 children in 2 days with the rules of commercials and dramas from a production point of view. Great fun to do and raised them loads of cash.