My introduction to video

I have been shooting video for fun at home for about a year or two. Nothing spectacular, just using a Sony Handycam. I rarely produce the video, just sort of leave it on the mini disc for future .....or well, I don't know, future archives?

When my friend Rupert suggested that I come out to shoot video for a story the paper is doing on him, his wife and autistic son, I brought it to the boss. I wanted ownership of this story in some way because I had been pitching it since October 2008. When the documentary about taking his family to see shamans in Mongolia was chosen for Sundance and then our own SXSW film fest, suddenly there was some interest. http://www.horseboymovie.com/

I have known Rupert and Kristin for awhile from their pre-kid days. I loved talking to Rupert because of his love and knowledge of horses. We would begin a horse discussion at a party and our spouses would drift away bored with our enthusiasm and subject matter.

I met Rowan, their son when he was two and not diagnosed with autism. He was a cute energetic boy then. Someone was always chasing him. After he was diagnosed, we lost touch until last year when I got his email from a mutual friend. I wanted to talk horses with him and found out so much more about what he and his family were up to.

Their story was written about in the NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/books/15horse.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

The Statesman will have a wonderful Pat Beach story coming out soon. I got to shoot the video. I shot 20 minutes of footage that I will need to whittle down to 2 minutes. I hope I can do it. The raw footage looked decent for a first try.

I got to the New Trails Center and there was no one in site. I pulled around back and met Christine who is Rowan's home school teacher and occupant to the house at the center. There were horses milling around the back and very soon a carload of children arrived ready to play with Rowan and have lessons on the horses. They played with the bunnies and goats, jumped on the trampoline and climbed the mulberry tree searching for ripe berries. I was getting good B-roll but also getting annoyed that the main interviews were not there yet.

Christine rounded up the horses, and got a student mounted. She needed to get the loose horses put away, but was having trouble with a newly gelded horse who was running around like crazy because he was separated from his friend. I helped her catch him and was walking him cross the paddock when the gang finally showed up. Must have been a sight to see me in my skirt and keds, walking a spirited horse across the paddock.

Finally I could get some footage with Rupert and Kristin. Unfortunately it was 5pm and I needed to get my kiddo from daycare by 6pm. I was 45 minutes away from town and it was rush hour. I would have to call the cavalry. My neighbor Karen came to the rescue, got Jake and took him to her house. No more distractions or outside responsibilities.

Got my interviews, Kristin's better than Rupert's because of the location, got footage of Rupert and Rowan riding and finished up. Rupert had been trying to instruct me on some horse moves via email so he told me to get my own camera and he would show me what he was talking about. I got another 20 min of video of him showing me how to teach my horse to bow and how to teach a horse the Spanish Walk. I thought that was a decent bonus and made up for them being so late.

Of course it made them late to whatever they had going on next, but I suspect life will be like that for them for awhile as they enjoy success from the movie and book.

I hope to volunteer at New Trails with Bailey and start teaching again. I am not sure where I will find the time, but I am sure Jake would love to play out there once in awhile. I'll post the video link when it is done, all 2 minutes of it.