March, 2011
“The rest of the interview”
I thought Susan Isaac’s clip a few weeks back about sexuality was an all around success. The provocative topic drew a number of new visitors and stirred up great conversation. It was also the most recent clip to have prompted a number of requests for “the rest of the interview”. I have a standard response for these types of requests, and in this case I also had a second more concrete response. These responses give some insight into how I produce the weekly videos, so I thought I’d share them here. I’ll start with the canned response.
The interviews I’ve shot for Recycle Your Faith were never intended to be watched in their entirety. All aspects of the interview process, from the camera setup to the interview questions, are executed with the final product (2-4 minute videos) in mind. Approaching the interviews in this way increases the usefulness of the footage I shoot, but also makes the footage unsuitable to watch in its entirety. For example, I minimize setup time by using only one camera, but watching the full interview with only a single stationary camera angle becomes mind numbing fairly quickly. Moreover, whenever I spoke I wouldn’t be on camera. I also often discuss a number of random topics with my interviewees in a short period of time without any transitional segues. This makes the full interview disjointed and hard to follow, hardly something that works for full length viewing. These production decisions make it possible to shoot at a surprisingly low shooting ratio, which is really the secret behind how I’m able to continue to post weekly videos. Each 2-4 minute video is typically edited from a 6-8 minute mini-conversation (occasionally as long as 12-15 minutes). In comparison, last week I shot 8 hours of footage for a non-RYF project which will result in one 4-minute video. Each production approach has its strengths and weaknesses. Shooting at a low ratio, as I do with Recycle, allows me to edit the content down while better maintaining the essence of the full interview. I take pride in my ability to greatly increase the pacing of an interview’s content while maintaining the integrity of the original source. To summarize, even though you’re seeing only 20-60% of the original content, you’re not missing much.
My second response, specifically relating to Susan’s video, might actually be a bit more insightful and raise some provocative questions. I couldn’t show more of Susan’s interview about sexuality because it doesn’t exist. Susan and I only discussed sexuality for a few minutes more than shown and all of the major points/aspects of her story were included in the final edit. I’ve gathered that many of those requesting “the rest of the interview” were specifically interested in hearing how Susan responded to her sexual urges in singlehood. I didn’t include this because she didn’t specifically share those details and since I didn’t think it was important to the story, I didn’t ask. In my conversations with those requesting “the rest of the interview” I’ve picked up on a common theme. Most were looking for some sort of resolution. They wanted to hear how Susan responded. Just knowing that she struggled without knowing the outcome left some people frustrated and wanting more. As I dug deeper, I found that some were looking for solutions to their own situations, while others were simply interested in hearing more of Susan’s story. Still, most wanted resolution. I am fascinated. Why is resolution so important to people? In classic Craig fashion, I’m not going to offer any resolution. I hope you’ll join me in a conversation below.
Here are a few questions to get us started…
Do you prefer that stories offer resolution? Why or why not?
Why do you think resolution is so important to so many?
We are desperate for resolution, in part, because we are desperate for hope. And because we’re selfish. Let me explain. I believe that every time we engage in someone else’s story, we’re most interested in the parts that allow us to connect their story to our own. I, for instance, am particularly drawn to stories in which someone overcomes a crappy start in life and makes wise choices about not letting their past dictate their future. And of course it’s because I had a crappy start to life and am trying desperately to make the most of it, to embrace the future God has for me. When a story like that engages me, and it doesn’t resolve some of the bigger questions, it forces me to examine whether some of my stuff will be dangling ‘out there’, also unresolved. And because I’m selfish (like all of us are), I want to borrow hope from your story so that I can believe my own story will end well. If I can’t borrow hope, that means I have to wrestle with the questions alone and look only to God for it. That’s harder.
I do prefer some stories to have resolution, partly because in some cases,a specified resolution is already prescribed by culture, and I want to hear an alternative. I like having multiple options before me, and yes, I like to cheat a little, and see how things worked out for you before I try to do what you did. Even knowing that each life is different. So I agree with Kande about why I like resolutions – that borrowing of hope, experience and knowledge about God, humanity, life in general. But I believe there is something more to the need for resolutions, and it may simply be that our culture is about quick-fixes all the time, and it may be sometimes because you feel a connection with someone and you want to know how it ended up for them because of that connection and no other motive.
Nope, resolution doesn’t bother me – I’m interested in thinking and the process of thought rather than getting to a ‘right’ answer, whatever that is.
I think resolution is important to people because they’re actually scared of thinking. Scared before they’ve started that it might end them in a destination they think they’ll not be comfortable in – apologies for the poor grammar, I hope you see what I mean.
I would suggest that most of want resolution because we are wanting to end some kind of pain. Being unresolved in any area creates tension (at the very least) and sometimes even something like death (as when we have unresolved relationships or unresolved disease). Our fear of pain/death often results in a frantic and desperate need for either resolution or medication (to numb the pain).
I don’t think life was designed to be live entirely resolved. It’s too much of an adventure for that. But it seems some people are less able to handle the uncertainties of life than others. And I think most of us prefer to have our tv shows (and maybe our lives) wrap up, eventually, with solutions and happy endings.
[In re-reading my post, I realize that I have taken this a totally different direction than others who listened to her story, but it is what struck me about the conversation today.]
On the Meyers-Briggs test, I’m a J – I like closure, making decisions and moving on. And that is not how life is most of the time. Or at least, that is not how I’ve experienced life.
God has reminded me that resolution is my need, not Her’s. When something happens in my life – a hurt, pain, mistake, I try to learn from it. Sometimes, I say – ahhh, that was the lesson I was to learn.
Another year passes, and it shows up again in my life – a new way – but still the same issue. What? I thought I had resolved this one. BUT, this time is different. God takes me to a deeper level of understanding. What I thought I understood and resolved, is not understood nor resolved. And there is something even deeper to be learned, my next time around.
It is the journey that matters, not the resolution.
From my perspective, Susan Isaac’s is on a journey. She has a theory. She is exploring that theory and will adjust the theory as reality and life happen.
I would add, the need for resolution reeks of the black/white, right/wrong thinking for me. Life is a lot of grey for me…getting grayer all the time.
Brene Brown in her work on shame, says we are born wired and equipped to struggle. In today’s culture, we try to protect our children from struggle. We are raising children that do not know they have the capacity to struggle and survive. It is like the story of helping a baby bird hatch or helping a butterfly from it’s cocoon, it is the struggle that brings them life. Denying them the struggle leaves them weak and easy prey.
Elaine,
Thank you for that last part about children and struggle. As a parent, I choose to let my children struggle with some things. It is so challenging for my emotions, but I hold on to the hope that they are strengthened through their struggles.
Kara – Yes! I think that is a gift to your children. I remember when Erica and Lianne were the only girls playing on the junior high boys soccer team. The conditioning required by the Coach was hard and he didn’t cut them any slack because they were girls. Loved it! It stretched her and taught her that she had more capacity in her then she had ever realized. It was both mental and physical. It was a gift that has served her well. Struggle increases our capacity whether it is physical labor or mental or struggling with our believes – struggling is where the learning comes. Life is hard. Equipping them now to know they have the capacity to get through it and triumph when the hard stuff comes is great parenting. [this is not talking about abusive behavior]