Pushing The Boundaries

In my interview for the AD job at Cosby, as I have probably written here before, I was told that in the job, I would always be expected to say "yes." Whether I thought something was possible or not, I was always supposed to say "yes," and then work like crazy to make it happen. 

Whether I had that mindset before that job, or whether I acquired it there, it is a mindset that has put me in all sorts of situations that seemed too big to handle, but too hard to pass up. 

This weekend, it was shooting video of my daughter's show--not for myself, but for the production company. It's not that I've never shot video before, but it is usually just for myself. Professionally, I am more often the person working with shooters--either describing shots or editing them together (I once had a nightmare about working camera on a soap--and woke up in a cold sweat!). So this was a stretch for me, both in terms of preparing the equipment and knowing tech specs, and in terms of putting my camera skills on display for a whole lot of other people. 

While there has not been quite the cold sweat from my "camera op for a day" nightmare, there has definitely been some sweating. There have been nerves, and false starts, and wishes that I were just editing someone else's footage. But I am pushing through, and in the process, learning a few things I didn't know before. And gaining even more respect for what camera people do to "get the shot." They endure uncomfortable positions and lots of time on their feet. They anticipate things that, if you don't, it's too late to capture. They combine knowing the technical with capturing the beautiful. 

It has been a "pushing the boundaries" experience for me--at times, painful and difficult, at times, immensely satisfying. I am hopeful that the product will be good. In the meantime, I will concentrate on the experience--and my newly expanded boundaries.