IAN GIBBONS

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Quick Quechua | Story of a photo The truth is I love filming, but I like taking photos too. I am in video mode more that stills mode most of the time, but amongst some of the photos I have taken, this is probably one of my favourites. It’s special for a number of reasons. For me, it perhaps represented a time when I had never felt so far away from my homeland, but yet so close to culture, people … but yet didn’t speak the language - deep! Anyway, there’s a bunch of reasons why I like it. So how did this photo come about? Summer last year, my company Panvista Production was commissioned by a charity in the UK to film the work it was involved in across Latin America http://www.latinlink.org.uk. Armed with my Panasonic Lumix GH1 and 20mm lens at the time, I was heading to a place called Layo in Peru, high up in the mountains to film an english couple supporting the Quechuan people. It just so happened that on my way there, my colleague and I passed a huge huge lake, which was so calm and still, surrounded by a vast open landscape. In the distance, I saw two women walking on this long dusty road we had been traveling on for quite sometime. As we got closer, I realised that these were two Quechuan women. I soon realised that this would make for a fantastic composition. With another car shortly approaching behind, I realised I would only have about 30 seconds. I asked the driver to stop, I got out the car, camera in hand, the driver asked the two women if it was ok for their photo to be taken. After a brief Quechuan conversation between the women and the driver, I raised my camera, set the aperture, and snapped a number of photos. Before I jumped back in the car, I flicked the camera to video mode. I managed to grab a few seconds of video, then we were gone. After this short encounter with the Quechuan women, we soon arrived at our filming location. It was at this location I met a Quechuan group of musicians who wanted to perform to the camera. After 13 flights I had finished all my filming in Latin America. I was quick to open the photos and video on my computer. It was only until I got home I noticed one of the women looking to her left. This made me smile as she must of been laughing at how the car behind was getting closer and I needed to hurry up. I had managed to edit the short footage of these two women, with the footage of the Quechuan musicians in to one stand alone video for my own post production project. The video became known as … “The Sound of Quechua” All captured with the Lumix GH1 Lumix 20mm lens for the photo + (30mm(60mm) Sigma and variable ND for the video)

Quick Quechua | Story of a photo

The truth is I love filming, but I like taking photos too. I am in video mode more that stills mode most of the time, but amongst some of the photos I have taken, this is probably one of my favourites. It’s special for a number of reasons. For me, it perhaps represented a time when I had never felt so far away from my homeland, but yet so close to culture, people … but yet didn’t speak the language - deep! Anyway, there’s a bunch of reasons why I like it. So how did this photo come about?

Summer last year, my company Panvista Production was commissioned by a charity in the UK to film the work it was involved in across Latin America http://www.latinlink.org.uk. Armed with my Panasonic Lumix GH1 and 20mm lens at the time, I was heading to a place called Layo in Peru, high up in the mountains to film an english couple supporting the Quechuan people. It just so happened that on my way there, my colleague and I passed a huge huge lake, which was so calm and still, surrounded by a vast open landscape. In the distance, I saw two women walking on this long dusty road we had been traveling on for quite sometime. As we got closer, I realised that these were two Quechuan women. I soon realised that this would make for a fantastic composition. With another car shortly approaching behind, I realised I would only have about 30 seconds. I asked the driver to stop, I got out the car, camera in hand, the driver asked the two women if it was ok for their photo to be taken. After a brief Quechuan conversation between the women and the driver, I raised my camera, set the aperture, and snapped a number of photos. Before I jumped back in the car, I flicked the camera to video mode. I managed to grab a few seconds of video, then we were gone.

After this short encounter with the Quechuan women, we soon arrived at our filming location. It was at this location I met a Quechuan group of musicians who wanted to perform to the camera. After 13 flights I had finished all my filming in Latin America.

I was quick to open the photos and video on my computer. It was only until I got home I noticed one of the women looking to her left. This made me smile as she must of been laughing at how the car behind was getting closer and I needed to hurry up. I had managed to edit the short footage of these two women, with the footage of the Quechuan musicians in to one stand alone video for my own post production project. The video became known as … “The Sound of Quechua”

All captured with the Lumix GH1

Lumix 20mm lens for the photo

+ (30mm(60mm) Sigma and variable ND for the video)

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*Latest* Video Production for GBC

Panvista was approached by GBC to make a video which would portray the life of their Church, show what Church is all about and what actually makes Church, Church. The video was primarily for the 40th celebration of their building at Millmead, but it would also be used on their website, DVD etc. GBC were eager that the video would show their Church as it really is, that no Church is perfect. They hoped it would demonstrate how they endeavour to reach out to the local community and show God’s love in the area.

I expressed strongly that this film should not come across like a promo.  I realised that there would be elements of that, but fundamentally it needed to show the life of the Church and stories from the people who make up their community.  Promotional videos can be very ‘look at what we do’, and GBC and I were very adamant that that was not to be the theme.

The challenge for me was to work out what, when and how to shoot this production. Quite tight timescales of about a month from start to finish, a lot of work, pre and post filming. My goal is often to achieve an overall ‘filmic’ look for the client.  This is often a very difficult challenge in terms of choice of lenses, angles and camera motion, as in this case a lot of the filming would be from real life as it happens.  Endeavouring to capture the best audio and visuals possible, in instant moments, is for me, the fun part of the job.

I am delighted that GBC really like the finished video, and actually it is a film which hopefully you and anyone can watch as it ‘unpacks’ Church and portrays what a Church community is, without  ‘jargon’ .

I really hope you enjoy it. Here you can watch it full screen and click ‘HD’ to get the best picture.

If Panvista Productions can support your video needs, give us a call or drop an email.

t. 0871 662 7586

e. info@panvistaproductions.co.uk

BTS Photos …

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Final Cut Pro X | My brief thoughts  A number of people have been asking me about Final Cut Pro X as a non linear editor choice. There is definitely a steep learning curve. I was keen not to avoid this software as Apple in my opinion tend to know what they are doing due to their success. Admittedly, the software was not ready when realised and the new update has been key. This project would not of started in FCPX without this update and came at the right time. What was frustrating for most editors, including myself is that Apple have told editors is how they should work - their workflow. Once an editor can accept this and go with it and adopt this style of editing, it is indeed a powerful tool. A few things I don’t like, but a lot of things I do. ‘Key Collections’ are fantastic by adding meta dat to your footage is superb! Your footage can span over multiple ‘bins’ rather than duplicating footage. Tags can be added to certain parts of an interview, so to documentary filmmaking, this is just brilliant. Im embarrassing it, but still have the old FCP on my other iMac. My new iMac and MacBookPro runs FCPX.

Final Cut Pro X | My brief thoughts 

A number of people have been asking me about Final Cut Pro X as a non linear editor choice.

There is definitely a steep learning curve. I was keen not to avoid this software as Apple in my opinion tend to know what they are doing due to their success. Admittedly, the software was not ready when realised and the new update has been key. This project would not of started in FCPX without this update and came at the right time. What was frustrating for most editors, including myself is that Apple have told editors is how they should work - their workflow. Once an editor can accept this and go with it and adopt this style of editing, it is indeed a powerful tool. A few things I don’t like, but a lot of things I do. ‘Key Collections’ are fantastic by adding meta dat to your footage is superb! Your footage can span over multiple ‘bins’ rather than duplicating footage. Tags can be added to certain parts of an interview, so to documentary filmmaking, this is just brilliant. Im embarrassing it, but still have the old FCP on my other iMac. My new iMac and MacBookPro runs FCPX.

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The Yehudi Menuhin School | @PanvistaPro

Shot this with the team last year, The Yehudi Menuhin School. The Yehudi Menuhin School founded in 1963 by Yehudi Menuhin provides specialist music tuition in stringed instruments and piano to about 70 musically gifted boys and girls aged between 8 and 19 and aims to enable them to pursue their love of music, develop their musical potential and achieve standards of performance at the highest level. The School also provides a broad education within a relaxed open community in which each individual can fully develop intellectual, artistic and social skills.

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