The Ballroom Doc

Okay, so this blogging thing just didn't work out for me. Turns out after I see something, writing about it seems to take away from my ENJOYMENT time. Lame, huh? So now, in order to recreate the whole blog thing in my world I'm going to start with the creation process of my OWN Ballroom Documentary. So, here is the chance for you (my current three followers) to BE the critic in a very hands-on kind of way. I'll post previews of the footage that I've shot, bounce around ideas of styling and editing, you can post questions you want to ask the competitors I'll be following (I just thought of that one, that could make this wicked fun!). So here's how it all started...

I am a ballroom dancer. Yup, I know, I don't exactly introduce myself as that, and I toss a sharp glare to my friends who leak it to people I'm hanging out with. I don't know why. I'm not embarrassed about it. I guess I've just never liked labels. In high school I didn't want to be called a surfer or a singer or whatever. I just wanted to be the dude (no Big Lebowski reference intended), just me. To be labeled as a Ballroom dancer comes with certain... assumptions. Unfortunately I don't exactly fit into the stereotypes. Mostly, I'm straight, and I started dancing because of girls. I did a little hip hop/jazz a little in high school, but my college didn't have that, so I figured I'd dance in what they were good at. They were ballroom champions and I was a swing dancer for quite a while. So away I went, down the rabbit hole that is the ballroom program at my private university. I like to think that that's part of the reason I didn't make it into the film major. They knew better than I did the time it would suck out of my life. But alas, I love it. So, I'm gonna document it.

The thing about documentaries today is they all know exactly what their doing before they start. But to me, I think that this one's theme or purpose is going to show itself only after I start making it. That's what makes it so exciting! I don't know whats going to happen! So, the first thing, I used my student loans to buy a camera. After much deliberation and with a very nice customer retention program I went with a beautiful refurbished Canon 60D. Its said to be the best video DSLR on the market, and I like it. Its got so many settings and options that I get to explore. I've been torturing myself over lenses, but my loan is gone and I'm jobless. So it looks like I'll be renting somehow. I've gotten quite a bit of help from another website nofilmschool.com as far as some great options with the DSLR. And when it came to the buy, Garrett Gibbons (http://www.garrettgibbons.com/) was the man. He's been a great go to question guy. He was a ballroom dancer too. And my main right hand man is Justin Hemsley. He's a level five dragon master when it comes to editing, and he's one of the coolest kids I know. So there.

I've shot some footage at a competition at Orem High, and I think it was good practice. My tripod SUCKS! I got the cheapest Manfrotto at Best Buy, but I'll be taking that back. Its not smooth. But the bulk of the film will be the people. The ones who are the dancers, the 'labelled ones.' So I've got my first interview lined up tomorrow with Emily McVea. She's a 10 dancer who is on my team. And she's competing Pre-champ and Amateur. That's actually the title. Pre-Champs. I like it because its this weird in between level of dancing that's kind of subservient and unrecognized in a way. Its not straight up beginner, but its not advanced yet either. Its a big melting spot where beginners can match up against really good dancers too.

I'm also going to do both latin and standard (now just called ballroom) styles. I'll follow about 10 couples along the way to Nationals in Utah in March of 2012. Some students at my school, come at another, some not students at all. Man, this is long. But that's the bulk of it. If you want to chime in, I'm all ears. Got any good docs you've seen lately? Lemme know! I'll take a gander. AND WE'RE OFF!!