Life At A Snail’s Pace
Life At A Snail’s Pace from TheCameraForum on Vimeo.
In the modern fast pace world, Life At A Snail Pace could be right in your own back yard. In my case, that is exactly what happened!
It is amazing what inspirational stories you can find to tell right from your own yard. This video short actually started life as a macro still lens test, not even a video. It was made with my Zeiss 100mm f4 Macro lens, on bellows, mounted up to my Canon 5D Mark III. Originally, this was intended to be a still of the bright red flowers spring always brings to the ice plant, and instead has ended up here as a video – and of snails! A subject I probably would have never considered, being of little interest had I not shot first and seen what interesting movement they have close in at macro magnifications.
The snail pace movements are always deliberate and often sublime. There is a flowing motion to everything they do. I had never seen a snail drink, or eat before for that matter. Heck, I never knew snails had teeth until I shot this footage. Look close, and you’ll see the single black tooth in the scene where the snail is munching his favorite foot – Ice plant! And I certainly would have never thought snails also ate insects – stolen from a spider’s web at a snail pace!
With all documentary subjects, one needs to be prepared to follow the action wherever it leads you… even at a snail pace and even if the distance is measured only in inches.
It took me several months in production to get to this “final” version. It underwent four major edit revisions so far. Is this the absolute final? Who knows… we’ll see after I live with this edit for a couple of months. I present for your consideration my latest short film, “Life At A Snail Pace.” Thank you for watching!
