Highlights from a recent vacation to Rome, Italy. Shot with a Canon HG10, edited with Final Cut Express. Music is “First Breath After Coma” by Explosions in the Sky. Typeface is Gotham by Hoefler & Frere-Jones.
I’m no video virtuoso. I only dabble with video as time allows, which it usually doesn’t. But this is one short film I managed to get lucky with.
I’ve had a passion for film production ever since I was young. I saw myself first as a stuntman, then later as a film score composer. My time has passed on the first, but I hope I still have a shot at the second sometime in life. In more recent years, I’ve found myself behind the camera and in the editor’s chair. I have much to learn about what it takes to shoot and edit and a great film.
If there’s one thing I’ve done right since purchasing my Canon HG10 last year, it’s to shoot far more film than I think I’ll need. That’s how I got lucky with "Roma Italia". I shot more angles than I figured I’d need, and I left the camera running longer than I assumed was adequate. It paid off in the end, leaving me with five minutes of solid shots from a total of roughly two hours of footage.
I had no script for this piece, and there were only a few shots I planned beforehand to use in whatever the final film would become. The rest was editing mojo. I analyzed the material I had, pieced it together in way I felt told a compelling story, and added effects that complimented the storytelling. “First Breath After Coma”, a moving and driving piece by instrumental rock band Explosions in the Sky, was a perfect fit. Not only is it the best song title ever, but its story matches that of ”Roma Italia”: One of awakening, surprise, and climatic rush and release.
In the end, I hope you enjoy the story. It’s a chance to see the magnificent city of Rome through my eyes. Perhaps it’ll encourage you to see it through yours.
