I was thinking about Fathers Day recently and the fact that I haven’t seen my family in Australia since September 2019. That seems like such a long time ago. Actually it seems like an eternity. It is partly due to the fact that we were supposed to open the hotel project that I now run, in January 2020 and the timing was all wrong for a home visit at Christmas. But now it is due to SARS-CoV-2 and the closure of international borders and the world.

Drafting the second static photo/drone video schedules

As time goes by and the pandemic ticks along, I have come to realise just how much I am really missing out on family life, sharing times with loved ones and doing the things that I really wish I could otherwise do. Sure, there is a list of social media communication applications that one can use for video calls to keep in touch with people, but in reality it’s not the same as being there in person. I miss the hugs, the smiles, the smells and the body language that can only truly be felt when you are there in person. I really miss my girls.

Over the many months that I have been away in Malaysia, I have always tried to keep myself busy. “…Er, but didn’t you open a hotel?” you may ask. Well yes, but I do love non-work projects more. Anyone who knows me also knows that I love developing AV events and presentations. For each of the girls 21st birthday parties, I created show moments that entertained, but also captured something of the spirit of who they were as they grew up.

Testing video concept shot.

OK, back to the story; Father’s Day in Australia takes place in September, unlike Mother’s Day which seems to have the same date fixed in every country. I never understood that…  Last year, for father’s day, the girls made a wonderful video presentation and sent it to me. It strummed the deepest chords in my heart and I will never forget the emotions I felt. And then about two months or so ago I had an idea. I would make something really special and return the love, for fathers day.

Sorry folks, this is going to get very, very awkward and uncomfortable for those of you who don’t know the Fisher family. But for those who do, you will understand, so hang on.

I decided to make a music video. (see link below)

Final ballroom run sheet.

For me the song choice was obvious. If you ever saw the Leona Lewis cover of the Snow Patrol song “Run” you will start to get an idea of where I’m heading with this. One of the key lines goes “… even if you cannot hear my voice, I’ll be right beside you dear.” I thought this line was fitting under the circumstances. But I decided to go with the original Snow Patrol music arrangement, a little more simple.

Now, if this is all too much for you, here is the point at which you should probably bail out. I totally understand, really…

Ok, so now that is out of the way, let’s get on with the story. I have a DJI spark, an old iPad, an iPhone 11, and an Apple watch. Frankly, that is all you need to make a really good music video. Oh, besides good weather, a little imagination, creativity, some smoke and a few mirrors, and an LED wall.

Annoying the neighbours…

I started by mapping out a timeline and a visual screenplay, finding themes and ideas that would resonate with the family. I had many different concepts to begin with but scratched several storylines before I finally I got it together.

The big chorus in ‘Run’ starts with “light up”, so I figured the best way to reflect this would be to capture various sun light moods, angles and shadow effects at different times of the day.  Then there is the fact that my family is overseas, so the ocean had to figure as a central theme. Aside from that, I also needed to touch on certain family memories and pick up on ideas they had seen before. The girls had already provided me with some excellent video material from last year, the rest would be easy.

Setting up the ballroom LED wall shots.

Well maybe not so easy. I’m 59, I don’t sing anymore and the real song is in an awkward key just out of my range. Bring on multi track recording and iMovie. It turned out to be better than I thought, though I think I really pissed off my neighbours as I sang in the stairwell, over and over, trying to get the best ‘almost on-key’ recordings. The stairwell has a great echo and then there is the lounge room as well, slightly flatter sound… Still they never banged on the wall or came over to complain. So by laying down seven simultaneous vocal tracks I was able to add a bit of substance to the chorus. The non chorus bits? Er, well… But then, I’m not going for a grammy, right?

Hoping for the right weather.

Everything was made possible using the technology I had at hand. ‘Technology ‘ is perhaps a very grandiose word but in reality all the Apple device stuff was able to deliver everything I needed, along with a few apps I had used previously. Shooting the drone footage and normal fixed video’s was not so hard, but it took a few goes and re edits to get it the way I wanted. I borrowed a couple of props too. (Big thanks to Clive, my musician mate…)

Early concept shot.

The Angsana Hotel has some cool AV stuff that I wanted to make use of, except the only thing I didn’t have was a working knowledge of LED screen technology and intelligent lighting. There I needed to recruit the help of ‘Muzz’, my assistant chief engineer. He was very happy to be a part of it and more than a little surprised by what I was doing. Bless him.

So over the weeks that followed I worked away at it, in manageable bits. With a little careful planning and fortunate opportunism, I was able to finish the whole thing in about six weeks, well inside the timeframe I had allowed myself. But Fathers Day (September) was still a long way off. Okay, change of plan. I decided to look for the next possible opportunity to send it to the family anyway. Coincidentally, a family gathering had been arranged for Sunday, 6th June. But I then realised I also needed a co-conspirator.

Laying down the vocal tracks and writing the final shot sequences, again, again.

Enter Michael Peck. Mike has helped me previously with some other stuff that I won’t go into here. He was the perfect choice, being a trained sound engineer and the longtime partner of my youngest daughter Charlotte. I sent Mike a draft version in big screen HD format. He gave it the thumbs up and after a few last minute minor edits and tweaks, we were all good to go. He even suggested making DVD copies to give to the girls.

On Sunday, 6th June the girls came over to the house in Roseville for lunch. They didn’t have any idea that Mike and I were in cahoots, ready to put on a big screen HD show. But we were, and we did, and that’s enough for this story.

So, if you really want to see the music video, then click here. (I hope you enjoy it)