Volunteerism Using Videography
Recently through volunteerism, I completed an 18-day videography mission with No Ordinary Journey Foundation. I was asked to join their international team of healthcare professionals as a videographer. Using videography I was able to capture their story. I learned a lot about videography tips. It also turned into a huge lesson in leadership for me.
I put together various clips to produce “Hue in a Day – part 1” & “Hue in a Day – part 2” videos on YouTube. It was a tribute to our international team members from not only Calgary, Canada, where NOJF is based but also from the United States, Hungary, and Australia. The No Ordinary Journey is another video tribute by 1 of our fantastic Vietnamese volunteers who traveled with us.
You can also watch this video on my YouTube channel – Vietnam is No Ordinary Journey
While there, our mission was also chronicled by VTV4’s Linku Xavier, producer & host, with NOJ’s Mission on EXPAT LIVING
I would be capturing them in action for a 30-minute documentary about this registered charity on this specific mission of March 2014. Of course, I jumped at this opportunity. NOJF works with children with #cerebralpalsy by revolutionizing the care, treatment, understanding, and acceptance of cerebral palsy mainly in Vietnam.
It was a working holiday with long hot days on a full schedule. But I was in my natural element. Not only do I experience the culture, people, and scenery of Vietnam but I work with an amazing team of healthcare professionals with teamwork seldom found in the workplace.
As a videographer, I knew I would have to have my camera with me all the time as many epiphanies appear instantly and last only moments. A challenge is trying to capture those moments under natural conditions which means my team had to be used to seeing me with a camera so they may not know when it was running. My goal was to capture the true essence of this experience, that being the parents who attended our workshops with their children. We all know that most people completely clam up once a camera appears.
I did fear that as fatigue among our team set in, they may not want my camera pointing at them. That was a risk I had to take. Selfishness is acceptable if the video I want to create shows our team members at their best, volunteering for a good cause of helping children in a developing country.
I also began to realize there is a risk I wouldn’t succeed – that I wouldn’t capture and present the story. Many who have heard about this mission along our 18-day journey were so impressed and inspired, raising the expectations of my documentary.
Well, there is always a risk. That’s the reality. Only my best will do to ensure the right story is told, as I saw it unfold before me.
Watch other videos on my YouTube channel by clicking on this link
[…] The writing, editing, and video work of this 30 minute documentary, Untold Story, Return to Tra Vinh, was the most challenging project I have ever undertaken. It began solely as a volunteer project. The video editing in my home studio took 2 months. There were times I didn’t think I would finish. Not only were my tools becoming a barrier, but the emotional impact was draining at times. But I knew I had to finish if only for 1 reason – to bring a most life changing experience to fruition by telling my story. […]