Small Story Visuals

Protestor Confronts NYPD Officer

November 26, 2011 By Philip Small Leave a Comment

After a visit to Liberty Square, a friend asked me if I thought any real change would come of the OWS protests. That’s when I remembered this video I shot back on October 6th. At around 5pm on Oct. 6th, tens of thousands of protesters and union members had just finished a rally at Foley Square and were walking to the Financial District in protest of disappearing pensions, health benefits and more. As I walked through the crowd, camera (and monopod) in hand, I came across a woman with a look that could kill.

In the first few seconds of the video the anger and disgust is almost palpable. I like the reaction of the girl next to her. The woman in pink recognized the officer from an earlier video on youtube where she claims the officer can be seen dragging a woman by her hair. If you have been asleep for the past month (or are part of the 1%), the occupations that have been taking place all over the country in protest of financial greed and corruption have been met by a barrage of police brutality, excessive force and illegal seizures of goods. In the age of the camera phone and YouTube though, this means there has also been a barrage of videos displaying obviously excessive are sometimes criminal behaviors of police officers throughout the nation (sometimes in seemingly coordinated efforts like the ones on Nov. 15th). The videos and anti-police brutality rallies have brought this problem (which is not new to some communities of minorities) to light. So much so that a single officer amidst probably hundreds of cops handling a crowd that day could be identified. As you can see in the video, she did exactly what she should have- expose him!

In similar fashion, the banks, companies and politicians that steal, mislead, mistreat and engage in illegal and immoral acts now have a spotlight shone on them. If nothing else, this movement can stand to make us informed, caring citizens who stand as the antithesis to those who would harm others in the name of power or money. Companies, banks and politicians that do not have the interests of the public at heart should not be allowed the luxury of masquerading as they do. I do believe this movement will motivate at least some of the power and money hungry to change, but even if it doesn’t, at least we’ll know who the bastards are.

Here are some links highlighting some of the acts of police brutality around the nation.

And a little light reading:

http://www.alternet.org/story/153134/caught_on_camera:_10_shockingly_violent_police_assaults_on_occupy_protesters?page=2

http://blog.witness.org/2011/11/top-10-tips-for-filming-occupy-protests-arrests-police-conduct/

http://occupywallst.org/

http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution

Filed Under: VIdeo

Occupy Wall Street Protestor on Federal Reserve

October 2, 2011 By Philip Small 24 Comments

On Friday I hopped on the A train, camera in hand, and took it to the Broadway Nassau stop. A block away I saw democracy at work. When my friend Shawndra asked what its like done there I told her “crowded, enlightening, inspiring and entertaining.” Walking through Liberty Square I stepped over moving sleeping bags and signs, carving my own path through the crowd. It took me forever to get to the other side of the park -every second stopping to get a better look at a creative sign or colorfully decorated protestor. All the while I could look up and see the the new World Trade Center with its massive crane on top screaming of symbolism and irony from its perch.

There is no leader of this movement. There is no political agenda. There is only the cry of the people: “We are the 99%.” The 99% “that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%.” Dr. Cornel West describes it as “the US Fall responding to the Arab Spring.” The Occupy Wall Street movement has been a long time coming. I personally am glad its here.

MUCH more can be said, and I hope to better capture the emotion and views of more protestors as the occupation continues. I leave you with the views of one.

Filed Under: VIdeo

Brian and Emily’s Ceresville Mansion Wedding

August 24, 2011 By Philip Small 2 Comments

Filed Under: VIdeo, Weddings

Shannon + Sheldon Wedding

August 18, 2011 By Philip Small 3 Comments

They were smiling from beginning to end. Listening to the toasts of family and friends you would understand why. Guest after guest took the microphone to share their experience with Shannon and Sheldon. The same theme recurred throughout. Each newlywed was described as the type of friend, child, or sibling we all want to have. Loving, caring and selfless were the adjectives repeated again and again. The kind of adjectives you would want to describe your spouse. It’s no wonder so many people flew from hundreds of miles away to see this union. The smiles began early in the morning and lasted even after everyone was all danced out.

Thank you Shannon and Sheldon for giving me a chance to capture the love you have for each other. I know you will continue to keep those smiles from ear to ear.

The reception at Jericho Terrace was breathtaking.

The kids helped add to the moment here. They couldn’t help but to be on the dance floor.

The dance floor was the place to be. There were A LOT of empty chairs once the soca and reggae started! I’m so happy that Sheldon and Shannon not only joined together in marriage, but had such a fun time doing it.

Filed Under: Photography

Ashanda + Mike’s Wedding at the Coral House

August 9, 2011 By Philip Small 4 Comments

Love lives where it ought to be-inside our hearts. In some it’s invisible, like a gentle wind, reminding us every once in a while that it’s there. Sometimes we can get so used to the invisible love that we miss out on the kind you can see right in front of you. A guest reminded me of this when she told me she could see what it’s like when a man loves a woman by seeing how Mike looks at Ashanda.

Everyone at this wedding knows the look I’m talking about. We saw it over and over again. Mike was calm and confident and Ashanda was right at home in his arms. Maybe it was the comfort of knowing that you are about to marry not just the person you love, but also a friend.

Thank you Ashanda and Mike for letting me be part of the experience, and thank you for not being afraid to share your love. Its a reminder to the rest of us of what love should truly look like.

Filed Under: Weddings

There is a Place Behind the Scenes

July 3, 2011 By Philip Small Leave a Comment

This piece was inspired by the work of Salomon of www.salomonligthelm.blogspot.com. I love his work and how it all comes together. After watching a few of his videos I decided to try my hand at this somewhat abstract style of visual representation.

I’m going to try to go through the process with some detail so others may be able to do something similar as well. The entire piece was shot with a Canon 7D using an 85 f/1.2, a 100 macro 2.8IS (both rented from adorama camera rental) and my 24-70 f/2.8. While those pieces of equipment are amazing, I think the star of the show was my manfrotto monopod 561bhdv. The little legs add stabilization while allowing you the speed and flexibility of a monopod. More on the 561bhdv here from Stillmotion http://vimeo.com/15359451. If Patrick from Sillmotion says its the “absolute best piece of gear for your toolkit,” then its surely worth taking a look!

FCP was used to edit and grade the footage. I tried, but I wasn’t able to learn enough about Apple Color to do my grading there. I toyed around with it, but decided to stick with FCP for this one. I did have to learn a bit about After Effects, which I was unfamiliar with. I used it to add the motion and light effects via Video Copilot’s Twitch plug in. I also used it for the Titling. I am kinda falling in love with a few things in AE, but it is still a foreign land. I used ProTools and Reason to compose the audio.

The entire process was difficult because I had to learn the order in which things should take place. Should I create the music based on the visuals? Or vice-versa? While creating the audio I need to make sure it fits the video, but FCP pauses every time you click out of it so you can’t go back and forth between FCP and ProTools on the fly. I’d like to create my motion effects in AE, but I can’t sync them with the music because my audio isn’t playing in real-time in AE. Then there was the transfer between FCP and AE, which I used Popcorn Island’s terrific script for, but I couldn’t find how to go back into FCP anywhere. Luckily I have Chip Dizard’s phone number, who directed me to a tutorial of his on www.webvideochefs.com that helped me through.

The good thing about trying something new is that you’re learning all throughout the process. The excitement drives you forward and there’s never a dull moment. Also, I know the next one will take less than half as much time to complete. Here is the final piece…

And here is some behind the scenes footage of what went on that day. A good amount never made it into the final piece, but I wanted to show some of the adventure..

Filed Under: Devotional Videos, VIdeo

What are you hungry for?

April 9, 2011 By Philip Small Leave a Comment

Note to self: listen to the words CAREFULLY before you film added footage. The reason for the extra footage (like in the Show me what you got and She’s not yours videos) is to help illustrate the point of the speaker. Unfortunately for this one, I didn’t listen to Celes’ point as thoroughly as I should have before I went off shooting the extra footage.

I left out of the video a part where she speaks about some women being hungry for relationships rather than waiting. I mistakenly thought her point was ambiguous and that she was saying PEOPLE are sometimes hungry for relationships. So, I spend about five hours taping an extra set of scenes acting this out with two actors. I get home, load up Celes’ video in Final Cut Pro, listen to her part and my jaw drops. In the part they just acted out, the GUY is hungry to be in a relationship with the GIRL-not the other way around as Celes said in her part. So…..I had to scrap the majority of what was shot that day. On a brighter note, I can still use the footage for another video in the future. Let’s just hope I listen carefully next time

Filed Under: Devotional Videos

My Path to Womanhood by LaTeisha Clément

March 6, 2011 By Philip Small 3 Comments

Guest blog post by writer/poet LaTeisha Clément

Life was not easy because I made it hard. I would stare at myself in the mirror for hours creating flaws to justify my complaints. Being so thin never helped me feel like a real woman. Honestly, it is not even easy for me to bear my soul right now because of how much I was hurting. When I saw this clip, I was inspired by myself (if that is not too cocky to say). It was an out-of-body experience. I was that little girl mesmerized by a beautiful woman who survived an ugly past. Silly me kept thinking, ‘I want to be like her when I grow up!’ The emotions in the video were real. Hearing my story in retrospect, allowed me to face wounds that have yet to heal.

Striving to be the perfect weight was a constant battle. Endless prayers for God to bless me with extra pounds went unanswered, or so I felt. I knew what God had to do to make me look better, so why wouldn’t He just listen? How foolish was I! Only as I matured, did I realize my Creator made no mistakes with me. I made the error in internalizing other’s criticisms and upholding them as truth. I made the mistake of demeaning myself.

There was, and still is, NOTHING wrong with how I look. Being of a small frame is OK. Also, having kinky or tightly curled hair is gorgeous! Please believe it. I AM BEAUTIFUL. Self-affirmation has gotten me a long way, so bear with me.

Through this devotion I chose to share my testimony hoping someone would be blessed. Although my experience is drastically different from millions of females striving to lose weight, the message is the same. Many of us struggle with self-acceptance, whether we are hiding behind excess make-up, an all-black wardrobe, or bad relationships. We are all battling something. But there is hope.

It was not until I knew my worth that I began to accept the reflection in the mirror. My worth told me I was fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) My worth told me I was a virtuous woman (Proverbs 31). My worth told me God created me from the rib of Adam and He pronounced me “good” (Genesis 1: 31, 2:21-23). So, it’s all good in my hood (Ok, I had a moment!).

Getting back to the topic, I’ll leave you with this message:

Knowing your worth and the Source from which it derives will give you peace. It worked for me. God showed me my importance. For this reason, I will no longer succumb to insecurities.

Written by LaTeisha Clément
Writer/Poet

Filed Under: Devotional Videos

Transforming Power

January 7, 2011 By Philip Small Leave a Comment

I spend this past weekend in Baltimore, MD attending the 2010 Generation of Youth for Christ (GYC) conference. If you are looking for people who are striving to be like Christ, attend a GYC conference. I don’t know how to describe the feeling of this weekend and I doubt I can, but I do know that I could feel God’s presence. In addition I was able to see it in the lives of the people there. One of those people was Arlo Corey.

I heard about GYC from a friend. At GYC, another friend met Arlo and told him to come join his small group meeting one night. A third friend who was at the same group texted me to tell me that she heard an awesome testimony that I need to capture on camera. When I came over, I met Arlo. I could tell you about his story, but of course, he does it best.

For more on the GYC experience, check out my friend Mike O’s post. http://www.semekablog.com/2011/01/gyc-general-of-youth-for-christ.html