By Elizabeth Avery Merfeld - Posted May 7, 2010
Soon after becoming a finalist in the Event Dv All Star Team, I was approached by one of the journalists who asked me if I would contribute to a write up. I thought, “Why not?”. The questions were actually quite gruelling as I really had to think about my responses & how I felt about situations.
This is the extract from the Article:
Prewedding interviews and rehearsals are Morris’ opportunity to brief the couple on best practices for a great wedding film. It’s here that she will “speak about issues that affect what and how we film, such as how to exchange rings so that the camera gets a good shot.” Ironically, she says, getting a good view of the ring exchange isn’t a make-or-break, but rather a nice-to-have. But “talking about it makes clients realize we take our task of filming seriously, and that the little things matter.”
She often continues to offer direction at the rehearsal, limiting the amount of directing that will need to take place on the big day. She sees the rehearsal as “an opportunity to assess the situation and change possible variables.” To illustrate, she relates a story in which a pastor officiating the ceremony was an old family friend of the couple. Upon his direction to the bride to sit beside the groom on the front pew during the scripture readings, Morris said to herself, “Hmm … this man has no idea!” She discreetly pulled the bride aside for “clarification.” “So where is it that you’ll be sitting then?” she asked. The bride relayed the instructions, to which Morris replied with an alternate suggestion, that two seats be placed on the altar to make room for her flowing train, while reminding her that “ultimately, it’s her wedding day.” Sure enough, on the wedding day there were two seats on the altar. It’s in this way, posing suggestions and letting the couple decide how much direction to accept, that Morris realizes many of her ideas.
“Coaching is good,” she contends, in that it also “teaches couples that the camera isn’t so bad and that you really can be more natural when faced with an unnatural situation.” It’s an approach that works for Morris (below), but she’s quick to point out that others who are more aggressive in their direction can be just as effective. It all comes down to how smoothly you can pull off the command presence persona.
“Some people are better at communicating directions without seeming like they are directing. It’s an art that’s intuitive for some and can be learned by others.” At the StillMotion Australia workshop in February, Morris saw this firsthand, observing how the participants interacted with the couples. “Most of them made the couples feel comfortable, and they did whatever was asked of them. But there were times when I would shake my head and feel for the couple.”
http://www.eventdv.net/Articles/News/Feature/Directing-the-Action-67109.htm
