Have you ever stood on the sidelines and witnessed a moment that will forever shape your child? Have you been surprised to see their spirit revealed to you in a new way? Do you know when THIS is the moment that you will look back on and say, "Oh yes, that was when..."?
This past weekend Josh had his "debut" as a film maker, when his hour long documentary was presented to the members of the United Congregational Church of Conway, Massachusetts. Working diligently for the past year, during two trips to Conway he interviewed 17 people, asking 18 questions, and compiled 37 hours of footage which was edited down to the final one hour project.
This young man dreamed up this project when he was a mere 14 years old, and began it a month after turning 15 years old. He completed it just before this past Christmas and the showing for the congregation was scheduled. It quickly grew into an enormous task, far larger than he anticipated. There were times he wanted to quit, much like Matt did when he was attempting to design and build his 3D printer from scratch, and just like Matt, a year later he had muscled through and had a finished product...and a sense of accomplishment that can only come from doing Big Things.
How he grew and matured through this process!! Dominick and I knew this would be a fairly expensive undertaking, but Josh was at a point where he needed some real one on one attention, and to be challenged by something that interested him. Every young person comes to that point in time where they are living in between childhood and adulthood, and need experiences that respect their budding maturity. He has offered such grace through the years as siblings received more attention due to their special needs, and his patience and kind heart shone through often. It was his time to be invested in more deeply, and to know we had faith in his ability to do something larger than life.
And he did...
Homeschooling can be as creative as we want it to be, and as we discussed proceeding with this, we were not at all thinking we had a young Ken Burns on our hands, but we saw an extraordinary opportunity for him that would bring with it learning unlike any other. How many kids can say that at 15 years old they have sat down with 17 people of varying ages and interviewed them, learning how to approach them and bring out key information as you guide the conversation along? It is incredibly practical and a skill he will use someday for sure. He undertook the massive organization of the entire project, from start to finish, which was also a big skill builder. He then had to build a story out of hours of footage, a cohesive narrative told in the voices of others. Then there were the practical skills of learning how to use a camera, editing software, microphones, and more...none of which he had ever worked with prior to starting the documentary.
Oh yeah, and he did it all having had only 4 hours of film class to start with.
We LaJoys tend to jump "all in", each and every one of us.
Josh also had to speak in front of the congregation, who currently gather in their local grammar school library, as their 250 year old church building was destroyed by a freak tornado 2 years ago. This hearty group of about 25 members had just returned after a 3 year mold remediation renovation of their historic building, when the tornado claimed their building permanently. Josh's film was to explore whether "the church" is the building or the people. Of course, he already knew the answer, so really be was illustrating the point, and creating a sort of historical documentation for this church.
Oh, I know most parents would have considered this pure folly. The cost, the breadth, the lack of experience, it all made no sense. We were also not likely to get a professional production out of it.
That was never, ever the point. It was all about the process, about tackling something huge that he was invested in, about trusting God was sort of in charge and we just had to say "yes".
I had no idea what was to be gained, but this weekend I understood.
Josh's film was about him understanding the power and value of community on a much deeper level, something that has always struck a deep chord in him. It was about having interviewed and having an intimate conversation with an articulate, emotionally open 87 year old gentleman who himself had been a "ward of the state" and two orphans finding common ground across the generations. It was about learning he had the power to move others to tears as he helped shape their understanding of themselves and held up a mirror so they could see their love for one another and their resilience.
For me, I learned far more about the heart of our precious son...about his emotional intelligence that is often hidden behind the veneer of teenage boy machismo, about his tender soul, about his insight and self-motivation. There are moments we all see our children anew, sometimes we are shattered by what we see, and sometimes, if we are fortunate, we are overwhelmed with emotions that are hard to put to words. It is something far deeper than pride, which is shallow, but perhaps it is akin to awe at what God is doing in someone and that we are gifted with the opportunity to be witnesses up close.
It was not a professional quality film, there was camera shake and editing mistakes. It was a rookie film, and he may never do another. But sitting there in the dark, watching others who were held in rapt attention, tears streaming in some moments and laughter shared in others, there was no doubt to anyone that this really, really mattered. When the lights came up, some couldn't speak as they were so deeply touched. They began to understand their life together differently, they were able to grieve the loss of the familiar building that many had been married in and counted on being buried in.
By complete coincidence, the Oscars were held the same day, and the congregation was award individual Oscars for their various roles in the film. Josh was awarded one as well, but he was really rewarded in hugs from many members, and a sense of accomplishment that will never leave him.
Despite the lack of professional camera skills, we were all surprised at how within moments, any awareness of that dissolved and we were all caught up in the story that was shared. Josh showed a remarkable ability to craft the story in their own words, carefully selecting just the right pieces of interviews, interweaving footage and music artfully. It was said by more than one viewer that it was hard to believe a 15 year old had captured the essence of each person so well, and weaved together their narrative in such a sensitive way. He did a beautiful job.
It is a great gift when others allow you opportunities to grow and try new things, and we are very grateful to the United Congregational Church of Conway for its cooperation with this effort. Below is the film, should anyone wish to view it.
Who knows where Josh will head in life? It likely won't be film making, but whatever it is, he gained a lot from this experience, and most of it was far more valuable than how to make a film.
This past weekend Josh had his "debut" as a film maker, when his hour long documentary was presented to the members of the United Congregational Church of Conway, Massachusetts. Working diligently for the past year, during two trips to Conway he interviewed 17 people, asking 18 questions, and compiled 37 hours of footage which was edited down to the final one hour project.
This young man dreamed up this project when he was a mere 14 years old, and began it a month after turning 15 years old. He completed it just before this past Christmas and the showing for the congregation was scheduled. It quickly grew into an enormous task, far larger than he anticipated. There were times he wanted to quit, much like Matt did when he was attempting to design and build his 3D printer from scratch, and just like Matt, a year later he had muscled through and had a finished product...and a sense of accomplishment that can only come from doing Big Things.
How he grew and matured through this process!! Dominick and I knew this would be a fairly expensive undertaking, but Josh was at a point where he needed some real one on one attention, and to be challenged by something that interested him. Every young person comes to that point in time where they are living in between childhood and adulthood, and need experiences that respect their budding maturity. He has offered such grace through the years as siblings received more attention due to their special needs, and his patience and kind heart shone through often. It was his time to be invested in more deeply, and to know we had faith in his ability to do something larger than life.
And he did...
Homeschooling can be as creative as we want it to be, and as we discussed proceeding with this, we were not at all thinking we had a young Ken Burns on our hands, but we saw an extraordinary opportunity for him that would bring with it learning unlike any other. How many kids can say that at 15 years old they have sat down with 17 people of varying ages and interviewed them, learning how to approach them and bring out key information as you guide the conversation along? It is incredibly practical and a skill he will use someday for sure. He undertook the massive organization of the entire project, from start to finish, which was also a big skill builder. He then had to build a story out of hours of footage, a cohesive narrative told in the voices of others. Then there were the practical skills of learning how to use a camera, editing software, microphones, and more...none of which he had ever worked with prior to starting the documentary.
Oh yeah, and he did it all having had only 4 hours of film class to start with.
We LaJoys tend to jump "all in", each and every one of us.
Josh also had to speak in front of the congregation, who currently gather in their local grammar school library, as their 250 year old church building was destroyed by a freak tornado 2 years ago. This hearty group of about 25 members had just returned after a 3 year mold remediation renovation of their historic building, when the tornado claimed their building permanently. Josh's film was to explore whether "the church" is the building or the people. Of course, he already knew the answer, so really be was illustrating the point, and creating a sort of historical documentation for this church.
Oh, I know most parents would have considered this pure folly. The cost, the breadth, the lack of experience, it all made no sense. We were also not likely to get a professional production out of it.
That was never, ever the point. It was all about the process, about tackling something huge that he was invested in, about trusting God was sort of in charge and we just had to say "yes".
I had no idea what was to be gained, but this weekend I understood.
Josh's film was about him understanding the power and value of community on a much deeper level, something that has always struck a deep chord in him. It was about having interviewed and having an intimate conversation with an articulate, emotionally open 87 year old gentleman who himself had been a "ward of the state" and two orphans finding common ground across the generations. It was about learning he had the power to move others to tears as he helped shape their understanding of themselves and held up a mirror so they could see their love for one another and their resilience.
For me, I learned far more about the heart of our precious son...about his emotional intelligence that is often hidden behind the veneer of teenage boy machismo, about his tender soul, about his insight and self-motivation. There are moments we all see our children anew, sometimes we are shattered by what we see, and sometimes, if we are fortunate, we are overwhelmed with emotions that are hard to put to words. It is something far deeper than pride, which is shallow, but perhaps it is akin to awe at what God is doing in someone and that we are gifted with the opportunity to be witnesses up close.
It was not a professional quality film, there was camera shake and editing mistakes. It was a rookie film, and he may never do another. But sitting there in the dark, watching others who were held in rapt attention, tears streaming in some moments and laughter shared in others, there was no doubt to anyone that this really, really mattered. When the lights came up, some couldn't speak as they were so deeply touched. They began to understand their life together differently, they were able to grieve the loss of the familiar building that many had been married in and counted on being buried in.
By complete coincidence, the Oscars were held the same day, and the congregation was award individual Oscars for their various roles in the film. Josh was awarded one as well, but he was really rewarded in hugs from many members, and a sense of accomplishment that will never leave him.
Despite the lack of professional camera skills, we were all surprised at how within moments, any awareness of that dissolved and we were all caught up in the story that was shared. Josh showed a remarkable ability to craft the story in their own words, carefully selecting just the right pieces of interviews, interweaving footage and music artfully. It was said by more than one viewer that it was hard to believe a 15 year old had captured the essence of each person so well, and weaved together their narrative in such a sensitive way. He did a beautiful job.
It is a great gift when others allow you opportunities to grow and try new things, and we are very grateful to the United Congregational Church of Conway for its cooperation with this effort. Below is the film, should anyone wish to view it.
Who knows where Josh will head in life? It likely won't be film making, but whatever it is, he gained a lot from this experience, and most of it was far more valuable than how to make a film.
1 comment:
Such a beautiful film.
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