It all started when I was a server at a prominent Greek restaurant in Manhattan – PYLOS. The new manager had just started working there, and part of her responsibilities was to manage the restaurant’s social media. Aware of my film background, she offered me the opportunity to create videos for the restaurant’s Instagram. Having nothing else going on at the time, I didn’t hesitate and eagerly embarked on this new journey.
I didn’t have a modern camera at the time, and my phone had a rather mediocre camera for the high-quality videos I planned to produce (or so I thought). Fortunately, one of my coworkers was an accomplished photographer who owned a Nikon Z5. The most important part was that she was willing to participate in the project and become my camera operator (thank you, Tamari!).
It was our first shoot. We didn’t have any lighting equipment – it was more of a test shoot, to see what I could come up with and present to the manager for approval. I probably thought about this first project more than any other later on. I chose a simple dish – three dipping sauces that people would eat with pita bread. Considering myself a true creative and not just a “linear” video maker, I came up with a few “movements” of the chef’s hands in the frame. The chef had to use three metal rings to shape the sauces on the dish, so I decided to shoot a sort of playful interaction with these rings, reminiscent of the famous shell game. This would undoubtedly add an element of play and entertainment to the video. As it turned out, I was right.
However, the lack of lighting and improper white balance in the first shoot did not exactly contribute to the overall quality. Still, it was a proper first step in the right direction, marking the beginning of my quest.
Regarding the music, I didn’t have a clue what to use initially. All I knew was that it had to be a high-tempo, dramatic piece with a prominent rhythm to accentuate the hand movements. Somehow, I came across the Mission Impossible theme, tested it on the first draft, and it worked perfectly well – exactly what I wanted. A 100% match! From that moment on, I’ve always been on the lookout for that kind of perfect match, though it’s not always easy, and often forces me to settle for something suitable, but not perfect. Perfectionism is another topic I’d like to explore in a future post.
One more thing I have to mention: even though my preliminary research on making videos for social media made it clear that I should shoot vertically from the beginning, I was adamant about shooting in the traditional horizontal orientation. It took me many more projects and time to agree with this self-evident “law” of social media videos. This just goes to show my not-so-linear and slow learning process.
Anyway, this was my first-ever Instagram video for which I got paid. The restaurant’s boss was very happy – either he didn’t know what high-quality videos should look like, or he was smitten by my “artistic” approach to the rather trivial dish, or he simply didn’t expect much from one of his seasoned waiters. Who knows.