lovely story, even if they don’t win…but let’ see if they can.
Normally, I don’t respond to requests like this, but after I watched the video I was so moved that I thought, ‘what the hell, let’s help them out’.
Here’s the email that TCA Grad Kenny Mikey and his wife sent me:
So, I’ve been a follower of your blog for a while and I’ve seen that you put up a lot of videos about everyday schmoes with cameras (and a little skill) making great video. Well, I’ve done that – I’ve created a simple video that elicits a powerful emotional response and I’ve entered it into a contest. I think it’s worth a mention on your blog.
http://www.sandalsgreatestlovestory.com/entry?id=250
It’s a simple video my wife and I made to win a vacation at Sandals. We actually shot it twice. Once, where it was JUST the story of how we met and that we perform together. Yeah, that version stunk. And since 60% of the voting is on “emotional draw” we knew we had to get “real”. So we pulled out a story that makes me cry every time I think about it. We rehearsed it a bunch of times (up until the part that I knew was gonna “get” me) and we rolled. One take. pure emotion. all real. waterworks flowed.
They have 6 finalists chosen by judges over the past 6 months. WE just entered 3 weeks ago and they had ONE finalist left to choose. Honestly, we were flabbergasted that we didn’t get it, because everyone that’s seen our video seems to be overcome with emotion. BUT WE STILL HAVE A CHANCE! There’s a “popular vote finalist” that’s still available. It’s a long shot, cause some people have had 6 months to get votes.
And, this one is personal too. My wife and I ARE soulmates. I never believed in that soulmate crap until the moment I met her. Really. And every day since then (15 years ago) we’ve fallen more and more in love. I may be an idealistic romantic, but I just can’t imagine anyone being more in love than this…well, AT LEAST in this contest! She is by far my greatest asset, both personally and professionally. (Sickening, I know. It’s doubly sickening for ME, because normally we NEVER put this kinda stuff out there. We love each other, but the world doesn’t need to know. This was actually REALLY hard for us to be this vulnerable.)
So, can you help me? Can you put up a blog post about it? Obviously, I’m a TCA grad as well, so you got that angle. And, again – I attribute the impetus to making the video more “real” is a direct result of everything you taught us at TCA. I’ve incorporated it into my videos in general and it makes ALL the difference in the world.
We have only ONE MORE WEEK to get votes! (September 14th voting is closed) So we need something big to happen fast. Any other ifeas you got, I’m open to ’em!
thanks for your help!
kenny
3 Comments
kenny September 10, 2011
And, that was meant as a personal email and not intended as a blog post. I was over the top and out of line for saying anything about the other videos. From one colleague to another, I was commenting on a particular STYLE of shooting and editing that Michael teaches in his courses and is very vocal about. As a student from one of his TCA classes, I was just stating that one of the main concepts Michael espouses is honesty and “real” moments. And from what I’d seen of the videos that I watched, I think ours has the best example of that.
Me saying anything beyond that is inappropriate and I apologize.
Michael Rosenblum September 10, 2011
Kenny, as I posted on nyvs.com, that was one of the most powerful videos have seen in a long time. Brought me to tears actually. Don’t be so modest. There’s only one winner here. It’s going to be you. You deserve it.
kenny September 10, 2011
Thanks Michael! And I was wrong – voting is closed on September 14th. Doh!