Imagine a photo assistant who is calm, collected and quiet. Imagine he knows your camera menus as well as you do, in fact uses the same cameras you do for his own projects. Now imagine that your assistant has taken several years of cinematography classes, done sixty or seventy video projects and won cash awards for his Public Service Announcement video projects. Imagine an assistant that can do better audio and better microphone booming than anyone else you've met. Imagine you could hand him an extra camera and tripod and trust him to cruise around on three floors of a class "A" office building in downtown Austin, autonomously shooting great "B-roll" for the project and that he remembers all the responses from the video interviews you are currently shooting and can translate them into visual opportunities without having to be told or prompted.
Then imagine that he showed up early, wore just the right shirt, pants and shoes for the client at hand and he was polite, engaging and endearing to the clients (and to the photographer). Then imagine he does all this just four days after having all of his wisdom teeth extracted. You might call him a "miracle assistant". Around the house we call him "Ben."
I worked with the guy for a full day today. We were shooting stills and videos for a new client and I wanted everything to go smoothly. Really smoothly. So I took Ben. Later he told me, "You didn't really need an assistant you just wanted someone there to assure you that you were doing the video correctly. And you were." I don't agree with his assessment but so what?
It's fun when you realize that your kid is much better than you are at stuff. Not everything, but a lot of the stuff that really matters. Everything he suggested was right on the money. And the beautiful thing is that he only suggested if I asked. That's a great assistant.
17 comments:
You're a proud father with all rights to be :)
I love when I see my 5 old on horseback and I tell her teacher "within two years she'll have me beat", and the teacher says "make that one year". Yeah, it's sweet when our kids better us, because it means we've been good parents. And since that's the hardest job in the world, congratulations.
Wonderfully warm story.. The family dynamic is so important..
Sounds like the assistant should have been lead, and vice versa.
Your Ben sounds like my daughter - isn't it wonderful when your kid turns out to be such a wonderful person?
Good for the two of you!
also helps to have a great mentor
That speaks more to you being a great dad....
Hope ya paying him well !! ;-)
What's yout address. I have a couple that could use some training. :-)
Gordon
Going rate for assistants. in Austin you have to figure about $225 a day. + lunch.
Streuth I have to pay double that, any chance you could pop him on a plane to Australia for a couple of jobs I've got lined up?
Ever heard of succession? Better watch your back!
He's far too smart to settle for the life of a photographer. And his mother would never have it. She's already lived this drama once...
I'll check with his social secretary...
Kirk, this is the best thing I'll read on the Internet all day...perhaps all week! And I love how he called you out on the "not really needing an assistant". Kids! Ha!
Crikey. If I had 5 days a week work at that rate, I'd be earning a lot more than I am now. Good for Ben!
Congrats to Ben...sounds as though he has a promising future. Congrats too, to mom and dad...nicely done!
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