"I Have a Dream..."

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. day! Here in the USA this is one of those in-between holidays, work-wise, where government offices are closed, some businesses are closed, but many are open. Schools are all closed here in Maryland.

Clearly, Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech is an excellent example of superb oratory skills combined with a dynamic, resonant message. It is universally recognized, etched into the minds of most of the free world. Regardless of your opinion of it, you know it, you recognize it, and on some level you feel it.

It's interesting to me that many have been comparing Obama's recent concession speech to the speaking style of Dr. King. The cadence, the use of repetition of key phrases, the clear message of hope.

There are important lessons to take from succesful speeches like these, independent of their content. As you plan your visual projects remember the importance of cadence, of rhythm, of repetition. Remember that the most powerful connection you can make with your viewer is the emotional connection. Don't just tell them your story, give them a reason to care, to feel it. Don't just tell them what you've got, show them why they need it, convince them they need to care. Do that, and you message is much more powerful.

(Reminds me of the old Vaudeville joke - "The key to success in this business is sincerity - If you can fake that, you've got it made.")

At any rate, aside from that, I've been trying to think if I have any interesting black-history related war-stories to tell. I don't have anything really earth-shattering, other than the fun story of when I was hired to do steadicam for an NAACP convention. They were having an awards show for students from all over the country who had demonstrated achievement in a variety of subjects. Music, math, writing, a bunch of different things. The show was very much like the Oscars in design, and my job was to get the shot of the winners walking from their seats, through the auditorium and up on stage. We had two steadicam ops that day, yours truly and Sheila Smith, a really cool, talented operator from Virginia. It was a really cool event, with a lot of electricity in the air as these kids from all walks of life waited to see if they had won.

At any rate, before the show I'm setting up my rig, getting the camera mounted, securing the cabling, checking everything out, giving my assistant the low-down on what I'll need him to help me with during the live show. Suddenly his face went blank, his jaw dropped, and he muttered, "Lando..."

Sure enough, walking toward us was Billy Dee Williams, one of the hosts of the show. In my mind, of course, he's intergalactic space scoundrel Lando Calrissian. As he approached, I put my hand out, said, "Mr. Williams!" and hoped for the best. Without breaking stride he shook my hand, flashed that winning smile, said, "How ya' doing, fellows?" and kept on going.



My assistant and I took a moment to collect ourselves, exchanged one of those, "Okay, that was one of the geek-cool highlights of our lives" looks, and got back to work.

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