You only get to know what you’re not doing once

“The Photographer Sescau (Le Photographe Sescau),” Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1894

I remember the first time I picked up a camera. 

It was my dad’s JVC Super VHS camcorder, a clunker by today’s standards but a game-changer at the time. I would sneak it out of the closet when my parents weren’t home and make movies with my best friend. We’d prop the camcorder up on a sofa and act out scenes between our Barbies and homemade popsicle stick people, making up the dialogue as we went along.

My dad eventually upgraded to something more compact, but it wasn’t until many years later that my urge to make videos swung back around. It was the summer between my two years at grad school, and I decided, out of nowhere and knowing nothing about filmmaking, to make a short documentary about civic participation in Beijing. Never underestimate the bold naiveté of youth. 

I applied for a grant, got some money, and bought my first video camera: a Canon Rebel T3i. It was accessible and affordable, which made all the difference for a novice like me. That summer, armed with my DSLR, a beginner’s filmmaking guide, and bottomless optimism, I made the most out of what I had, failing and learning along the way. The final product wasn’t amazing, but I was proud to have created something. 

On the job in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 2014

There have been plenty more cameras in my life in the decade since, but I will forever cherish my Canon Rebel T3i because, as Greta Gerwig so charmingly advises: “you only get to know what you’re not doing once. So don’t miss it.” 

We recently invested in a new cinema camera for Xerophile. It’s got all the bells and whistles a gearhead could wish for. It’s also a major investment in our storytelling. To be honest, it’s simultaneously exciting and terrifying. Which is exactly where I want to be. 

Empathetic and honest storytelling will always come first, there’s no doubt about that. As filmmakers who believe in the timelessness a good story, we know that cameras are only a part of the equation. But having the right tools really does matter, especially in an industry as competitive as multimedia production. 

We’re excited to dive in and create.

— Steph