Que Sera Sera Films

Jennifer Lewis & Mahmud Rahman

October 10, 2019

Storytelling Should be Open to Everyone

SMALL DOES NOT EQUAL LESS

Last week I (Jennifer) was interviewing someone for a documentary we are working on.The person being interviewed commented they had never seen a film crew of one. We would definitely prefer to have more than one when we are working, but when you are on a budget and you must get the job done, one CAN actually do it. I know because we have done 100+ interviews, indoors and outdoors, sitting and walking. And no one would ever know the difference.

My production partner, Mahmud and I came to this game with very little (not a lot of gear and little cash). But what we did have was our minds. And the mind can be your biggest tool if you allow yourself to use it.

ALL YOU NEED IS YOUR BRAIN

I wanted to show off the time lapse (below) for our first blog post, because 1) to me it epitomizes what we stand for (pulling off the impossible, with ingenuity and hard work) and 2) because I want those who read this to realize, they can do this too. Not just building time lapse motors, but anything you can dream up. We have many goals at QSS Films. And one of the most important is to even the playing field. To ensure that those who want to tell stories can do it.

Mahmud and I watched the opening credits of “House of Cards” and salivated. First wondering what gear they used to do the time lapses. And then after looking at the high price that gear, we wondered could we build this gear on our own? We are lucky because Mahmud is a scientist. So he was used to testing and experimenting. He also had spent a lifetime, tearing apart anything electronic he could get his hands on because he had an insatiable curiosity about how things work. This was just another nice challenge for him. And he solved it. For less than 80USD, he built a slider and motor and brain (board with code) and voila! We have the same gear that we wished so badly for.

I love this video, because immediately I see what went behind it. The ingenuity and resourcefulness. This video worked perfectly because Mahmud used his brain. He built the gear, and then using a free app to determine where the sun would set, timed perfectly a backwards slide reveal around a corner where the sun in the time lapse hit the end spot exactly when the camera had it in view. Brilliant? Yes. But not impossible. Was this his first run? No. How many tests did we need to run to get the system to work? Many. But here you have it. With basic parts (including pvc pipe and dental floss) it is a fully functioning system which we rebuilt and took just last week to Yellowstone. And it worked flawlessly.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO THIS TABLE

The moral of the story is that film production is no longer only for the wealthy. Or those that work for the wealthy. It is now within everyone’s reach to share what they know through film. And if anyone can share stories, and tell them in a beautiful way, then the chances for a greater democracy in sharing narratives across our planet will increase. Everyone deserves the chance to be heard. Finally now there is the opportunity.

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