20mm: I know that your video has had a profound effect on people. People from all over the world have confirmed that. People who don’t have ties to aviation and people who do. The inspiration and passion has translated boundaries and language and time zones. Tell us some of that, what you’ve seen and lives that have been touched. What is the effect and how has it changed you, your family, those around you?
Brad: To me this is the most shocking or I should say profound turn of events this video has presented to me. I remember telling my wife that I felt I should put my email at the end of the video because I felt I was going to meeting some interesting people from it.
Now here’s the amazing thing, I did meet someone very special and very specific for possible future projects. Not only did I meet that “special one” but I have also met many more fantastic “hand-picked” people from all of this and here’s a glimpse of the very 1st person I met because of the video.
The very first email I received actually went unnoticed as it was captured by my spam folder. Don’t know why, but it was. I just happened to look in my spam folder that evening and my eyes quickly saw the subject line that read… ”incredible tribute to the Dream of Flight”. I double clicked that faster than any other link/email I have ever done before! Wow, someone actually emailed me about the video!
As I read the words in that email I began to cry. It was from a beautiful woman in California who had recently overcome her battle with cancer and she shared with me how the video made her feel after seeing it. She told me that it was a daily source of Inspiration for her and that it had moved her to realize that she could go after her dreams… that she could once again believe that she could achieve her goals! How incredible is that? When I realized the gravity of that email, I knew right then that I had already won! Not won the contest, but more importantly I had accomplished my heart’s desire and that one email truly changed my attitude. The attitude I had that I had nothing to give… nothing to share that meant anything.
Of course, there were so many other emails from all over the U.S., Germany, Australia, England, Finland, and other countries. I spent so much time personally responding to the emails that my fingers began to cramp up. I was so moved by the words that everyone was sharing with me. I have met some truly incredible people from all of this and have actually had people fly in to town to come visit me my family. We have had a gentleman take us out flying and he let me fly his turbo prop over the Easter Shore. It’s been such an amazing experience; one that I hope never ends. I have made some really great friends from this and I because of that I just know the journey is not over yet!
20mm: How did you decide what video clips to use and what not to use?
Brad: I know this may sound lame, but you know, this video just flowed from me. I never storyboard my pieces. I just like to pick up the brush and start painting. When I had finished my second video (we were allowed to post 3) I just felt it lacked what I was “feeling” I needed to create. At that moment I just lowered my head and said a silent prayer asking God to help me create what my heart has been holding for all these years. Flight to me has always been something dear to me and I wanted to truly give this video the very best I could.
Well, no kidding, immediately after raising my head the very first clip I pulled onto the timeline I knew it had begun! I saw this story emerging and I knew this was going to be the one I was looking for. I usually spend the first moments pulling about 60 or so clips into a pick and choose folder that I want to brainstorm with. What amazed me the most was that I had seen this clip before, but for some reason this time it just seemed to jump out at me! I’m talking of the opening scene where the Red Rippers F-18 is taxing by with the Red Eagles flying in the background. From that one clip everything else just fell into place.
20mm: Music is key to this effort. How did you come to decision with the music you used, the break points, especially the big one that occurs about midstream in the video.
Brad: You are so right about the music being key to any project of this nature. I personally feel music is the “mood setter.” You see, to me it’s the images that get your attention and it’s the music that sets the mood you’re trying to convey. If you can marry the right images with the right music then you truly can create a moving experience. More often than not, I find myself spending more time trying to find the right music for a project than I do the actual editing of the footage! I get obsessed with finding the right music.
I actually did not find the music until after the project had been laid out on the timeline. I remember telling myself, “Okay, the video is laid out, now I need the right music”. I began searching through some of my usual sources and I came across the pieces I wanted to use in a matter of minutes. When I listened to them it was as if they were created just for this piece and to me it just confirmed that indeed I was “in the flow” and that something special was happening.
And just for the record. The music was expensive! The three pieces cost me over $500 bucks and that $500 bucks is still sitting on my credit card!
You know, I now wish I would have videotaped this whole creation process. It was such an incredible creative experience! However, all is not lost, as it is all very well preserved in my mind’s eye.
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