For my directorial debut, I decide it's best to keep it simple. "Freecording is living and shooting at the same time," advises Canon's website, so all I need is a camera, some friends and some nice weather. Thankfully I get all three, so one sunny Saturday in September, five head down to the seaside.
My idea is straightforward: shoot our grand day out. However, I want to do this in a way that will actually capture the sense of fun we had on the day – something that is rather lost in most unedited, unabridged home videos (see my Dad's eight hour Disneyland epic from 1991). This means faking it a bit – but that's OK as it becomes part of the fun. I try to mix conventional shots with arty moments, and shoot as much as I can: the sky, the view, the sea.
The construction is all in the edit – an upbeat, summery track (courtesy of Ambassadors of Morocco) and the whole day is condensed into two and a half minutes of fast paced fun. If it creates that feeling of the last great day of summer for anyone who sees it, then I know it's worked. If not – well this is just the start. I'm hooked. And once you get started, I'm sure you will be too.
