Made with Love
Produced by Jenni Denekas
Videography by Jenni Denekas
Advised by Ifanyi Bell
ABOUT + PROCESS
Telling a wordless story in approximately one minute?! As a newcomer to video production, I benefited greatly from this assignment in one of the core courses for the Multimedia Journalism master’s program at the University of Oregon. It pushed me to be more concise—no matter the media, I need that reminder! I also enjoyed the opportunity to focus on crisp, clean, evocative visuals. This was one of my first assignments using the C70 and I relished the rich imagery it captured.
This particular visual poem began as a cut-and-dried sequence of candle making. Although there were some good shots, it lacked personality. When I discussed what the process of creating the candles was really like with my professor, I realized that the video should center on my relationship with my partner, Aaron. We have a playful, loving connection that comes through in everyday activities.
Even though it was a planned shoot, the playfulness came through easily. As I turned around after setting up my camera, I found Aaron had affixed a wax flake to his nose. That was a genuine moment of hilarity!
By changing the focus of the video from the how-to of making candles, to the people making the candles, I also got to practice using the C70’s face tracking feature. This made me more confident in pushing myself on future projects that involved more actual humans!