FIVE YEARS OF MINI MONDAY MOVIES!

24 Feb FIVE YEARS OF MINI MONDAY MOVIES!

5 years! WOW!

I’m celebrating FIVE years of creating Scenes From The Weekend films as part of my #MiniMondayMovies hashtag project and sharing these films every week, on Instagram. I’ve never lasted this long at any creative project. It’s been a commitment, but also the time has whizzed by, I can’t quite believe it’s been 5 years!

Who knew this simple idea to document each weekend, would bring me so much joy. I’m glad I have this extensive archive of memories… a peek into the ordinary beautiful moments of life at the time. Each film is a Time Capsule of that particular weekend, transporting me back to those moments.

I’m so grateful.

So much has changed since Feb 2015, when I first created a 15 second mini film (see above) to share on Instagram, as part of a longer film I’d made. (This was before Instagram introduced up to 60 seconds of video and then later IGTV) I was taken with the idea of telling a mini story in such a short time, with just a few snippets of footage.

I’ve continued to make a mini film of my weekend, ready to share every Monday. Each year, life changes slightly, I can really see the differences and similarities in the films, as time goes by.

I’ve been rewatching so many of my films today and I feel overwhelmed with emotion. The joy of these everyday moments (so many of them would be forgotten by me, had I not documented them) and watching the boys grown taller as each year passes. Pass me the tissues….

I’ve enjoyed the discipline of the project and being able to consistently shoot something just for me. The power of the personal project is massive!… no brief to follow, no client to think of… just capture what I see and do. It’s simple and doable. But also, pushes me to try different techniques and ideas, to push myself creatively, to see something new in what I’ve done numerous times. To notice the mundane situations and capture them in a unique way. Just focus on documenting my life as it is right now, even if it’s a quiet weekend.

So now what…

Well, I wanted to reach this 5 year milestone, to celebrate it, just like it deserves. To acknowledge the achievement of showing up every week, no matter what. But I am going to take the pressure off myself to document my weekends in such a regular way. The past few months have been a struggle, my weekends are different now and I never wanted to dictate what I did at the weekend just because I wanted to film it. Sometimes, my weekends are either work focused and I’m often shooting things I can’t share. Or I’m relaxing at home or cleaning, which I’m happy to shoot but I’ve done that hundreds of times, so unless we move house and a new location brings new shot opportunities, I can’t video the hoovering again for a while!.

So this is the end of consistent “Scenes From The Weekend” films happening every week for now. I’d like to think I’ll still share a film on a Monday – maybe a weekend film now and again (I’d like to do one once a month for example) or something else I’ve shot, even something from the archives.

I don’t know yet, it still feels weird letting this go. Five years of doing this, is a big habit to break.

Let’s see how it unfolds. I have a feeling I’m going to miss it.

Thanks for following along, as always. I hope it inspires you to document your weekends now and again. Come and join #MiniMondayMovies whenever you like. I’ve written a blog post with tips to get started… You won’t regret it. These memories are priceless.

A mini Q&A of frequently asked questions about this project.

What do I shoot on? I use a mix of cameras depending what I’m shooting, where I am and the type of footage I’m looking for. I use my Canon 5D4 when I’m looking for shallow depth of field, sun flare and capturing beautiful light and crisper footage. The iPhone 11 Pro Max for ‘’on the go’’ shooting – on my bike, on the tube or out and if I’m making DITL films or shooting vertically. I was shooting a lot on my Canon G7X, but I’ve found the new iPhone is just so good, so I’ve been using that instead.

What do I edit on? I edit in Final Cut on my computer, but if it’s all iPhone footage, I will just edit on my phone using Videoleap or Adobe Rush – There’s more about apps to use on your phone in this post.

How long do I spend editing? It takes me about an hour to pull the one minute film together… sometimes a little longer if I can’t decide what music to use. I either edit on Sunday evening or first thing on Monday morning. A handful of times over the years, I edited a day or so late, especially over the summer when I was travelling. But I try to stick to sharing on a Monday, as I like it done and out the way.

Do I go and do things specifically to shoot for my film? No, I don’t set up anything or do something specifically because I want to shoot it. I do have quiet weekends of cleaning and lazing on the sofa, but I try to find something to film, even if it’s making pancakes and hoovering. Besides, I’m one of the those people that likes to think I can laze in bed all day, but actually I like doing stuff and shooting it!

Where do I find the music for my films? Mostly, I used Soundstripe for the first 3/4 years of this project and now I use a mix of SOUNDSTRIPE and EPIDEMIC SOUND (aff links). A subscription for endless music is perfect for this project because I have to find something suitable every week. (This blog post shares more of my fav music libraries.)

How do I get my children to be a part of my films? It was much easier when they were younger as they were around all the time and never minded being involved – they were always willing subjects and would come up with ideas for shots all the time. Once they became teenagers it was a little different, they don’t mind popping up in my films sometimes, but most of the time they’re not around, so I can’t video them anyways. But when we are together, I respect their wishes to only be filmed in certain places and situations and checking with them before things are shared. So far it’s been ok.

How do I ride my bike and shoot video? I’m quite good at riding one handed, which helps. So I hold the camera in other hand, knowing I only need a few seconds of footage. Always being as safe as I can be.

Let me know if you have any other questions… I’ll be happy to answer them

If you’d like more guidance to start making your own films – check out my online courses where I share everything you need to get started and inspiration to take you through the whole process and find the love of making films!