Drive, Be Driven or Drown Part 2

Yesterday I talked about provenance and the back story, which made me think about applying it to my own narrative. The mantra was drive, be driven or drown.

Everyone drown's as some point. It comes from pushing beyond your boundaries. Though this is an inherent fear for some. The more you drive, the more you invite the circumstances that put pressure on yourself.

Drown

In doing something that scares you, for the last six years I  have been scared witless researching a thesis into  new types of storytelling that synthesises various approaches and I can't wait for it to be finally finished to share.

We communicate via stories, so story and narrative is at the heart of what we do. The thesis

pulls together:

• Working as a reporter for commercial television, ITV's London Tonight and producing on the BBC

• Working as a videojournalist starting from 1994, and as a producer and videojournalist for Channel 4 News and filming in France Moby

•  And online creations such as The Cube, in an attempt to explore the web's unique spatial narrative, as opposed to film's linear sequencing. This, an interview/film on intelligence was with an interview with the former head of the CIA, James Woolsey from Nato's War Games base in Denmark.

Be Driven

• Share ideas as collaborative goals. In fashioning this concept for new narratives I could not have done this without the help of others such as:

1. Richard Sambrook
2. The makers behind Pimary
3. Dimitri, head of Raw behind Nat Geos popualar series 'Banged up Abroad'
4. Tom Kennedy and Brian Storm from Media Storm
5. Nick Pollard, recently behind the Pollad Inquiry
6. Deborah Turness, the Editor of ITN News.
7. In all some 200 people were interviewed which I pared down for a narrative

Drive

• learn what you can from others then carve your own niche. For this elaborate story, I have travelled across 20 continents and territories which include:

1. China
2. Cairo - 4 year programme starting in 2007 for your filmmakers and producers
3. Chicago
4. Spain
5. United Kingdom - co-creating the UK's regional newspaper videojournalism programme with the Press Association 
6. Tunisia

This sums up one program and as I wind up its work. I can now cast my sights on new ones, which are more visual and film making.

My own provenance is I was an Applied Chemistry grad who wanted to work in the media, but could never get a job at least via an application scheme because on paper I looked very thin with the right sort of experience. 

But I always firmly believed in the mantra - drive, be driven or drown

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