My "First" Baby Movie

What can I say? I'm a sucker for a good emotional movie or t.v moment. I cry when the son comes home unannounced on Christmas Eve and surprises his mother in the kitchen making a pot of Folgers coffee. Gets me every time. I love watching wedding videos for the heart twisting scene when the tearful father gives away his daughter. Personally, I'm someone that believes in capturing life's milestones and telling a story that can be shared and remembered. When I heard that my dear friend and bridesmaid in our wedding was having a baby, I knew what my gift would be.

I got "the call" around 10:00 at night on October 13, 2009. As soon as I saw my friend's name appear on my iPhone, I knew it was time. It was a slow starting labor, so the party didn't get moved to the hospital until the next morning. I grabbed my gear and headed to the maternity ward of the hospital where my "first" Baby's First Movie would begin.

I have been a freelance video producer for years. Up until now, my projects have included small business videos to better explain their products and services, training videos for both small business and corporations and artist/musician video resumes. I was venturing into a whole new world with a baby's birth day video project. This birth would be extraordinary and I wanted to capture everything about the day that I could.

I began by capturing various supporting shots (hospital sign, weather outside, patient dad sipping his coffee at the foot of the hospital bed, fetal heart monitor readings, etc.) to help everyone who couldn't be there feel like they were. Then the big stuff started to happen. I wanted to get the shots of the grandmas and grandpas waiting patiently in the waiting room and capture the text messages on my phone showing progress inside the room. I grabbed footage of fresh parents with wonder in their eyes as they held their newborn in their arms. I recorded moments of first kisses and doting grandparents. You've never seen a woman look so beautiful in a hospital gown and pony tail on top of her head.

Over the next few days, I began to put together my movie. I chose a moving piece of music and began to piece together the footage to tell the story. When I was finished, I was so pleased with the final product. I knew the reaction I would get would be a good one, but the tears I saw in my friend's eyes when we watched Siena's movie together was more than I expected. I posted the movie on the internet and we sent the link to introduce Siena to family and friends around the world. Loved-ones were commenting on the movie, in tears, and were posting messages thanking the parents for sharing their day. I was shocked (although I don't know why) with the effect this movie had on people. Out of all the video projects I've done, this one was different. This project offered parents something that didn't exist anywhere in the marketplace but needed to. It offered an opportunity to capture the most amazing day in a family's life. So, here I am, doing my thing. I'm telling one of the most important stories that can be told....a story about a boy or girl born into their new family. Now that's a blockbuster!