Motivation from a Meme (or Emerson)

I was sitting around trying to find motivation from the internet, when this meme jumped out at me...

These four words, coined by Ralph Waldo Emerson, spoke to me. When looking for the story, it really is that simple - be silly, be honest & be curious. I can relate that to just about every video project I've ever produced. The silly makes people more natural. The honesty speaks to the viewer. The curiosity forces the producer to go deeper. Without any of these, your production will fall flat. 

SILLY is not just for elementary school kids. Silly is a way of life - a way of thinking. It means you don't take yourself too seriously. It means you are free to do what you want, and how you want to do it. It means you don't mind laughing during a tough moment, or dancing on set to lighten up a mood. It means you can connect better with your crew, your talent, your interview subjects, your client. It means you are free to be yourself in any given moment and you don't really care how it looks on the outside. It is these moments that allow genius to flow from your video. 

HONESTY is always the best policy. And in video, it's doubly important. Your videos are always subject to fact-checking. And in this world of social media, people are always at the ready to dispute information in every video, article or post online! You want to make sure that in whatever you are doing, you are checking and double checking facts. Honestly also applies in working with your interview subjects. They will know when you are not being honest with them, and that will disrupt the integrity of the video you are capturing. If they feel you are not being honest with them, why should they be honest with you? Your honesty, and willingness to open up, will typically get your interview subject or talent to be honest with you and give you exactly the money shot that you are looking for!

CURIOSITY didn't really kill the cat. I think it made the cat wiser! We value curiosity in our kids...why wouldn't we value it in the working world? In video production - curiosity always forces us to ask questions. What value does that shot add to our production? What would lead someone to do whatever it is that they did? What mood do we want to set in a scene? Without these question, we're just observers. 

Next time you're looking to find your story to tell...just remember to be SILLY, HONEST & CURIOUS and your story will come naturally!