There has been so much amazing work being created in the group that it's really difficult select one piece to digest. This week I wanted to highlight Augustine Institute's "A Father's Heritage" mostly because I knew they would be excited to be featured on Creation of the Week.
How excited? This excited.
As I said, it was hard to pick this week, but I this one really lined up with some thoughts that I've been mulling over for in my own creating in this season of my life, but first, here's the video:
Story First
Craft is so important. Quality & excellence are qualities we should strive for with our art. We edit to death, labor over every stroke, export and export again until we forget that the right story is more important than any of the mediums by which we tell it. Powerful narratives that reveal the truth in the flesh is what this world needs, not necessarily more cinematic shots or cooler graphics.
That's why I love this video. The footage isn't great. Some shots are professional, some aren't; some shots are cinematic, most are home video. The titles leave a lot to be desired from a design standpoint. This was clearly not a big production with a lot of investment. The story, however, is more moving of a portrait of fatherhood in two minutes than many full feature films on the topic achieve in two hours.
The Augustine institute's team pooled home video footage for moments with their Fathers. It is so incredibly authentic that you get the feeling that you are seeing through the shot and into some transcendent substance behind it. You see beyond the kids running around in their diapers, shooting each other with water guns, into Childhood.
The narration offers no triumphalist, trite cliches that can often accompany tribute's like this one. Instead, it speaks to the real moments of pride throughout a father's walk with his children. "I will be happy every time I see you act with wisdom and I will be moved every time I hear you act with integrity. I am happy to be your father." The final line is delivered over a shot of a father walking his daughter down the isle. Chills.
The last reason I loved this piece is how subtle it is with it's religious message. It's not going to hit anyone over the head with a catechism and start talking about the political state of marriage in the US. It is, however, incredibly Catholic. It speaks of something truly masculine, that imitates God's fatherly heart towards us, His children. It does so without any overtly Catholic language that would be a turn off to the non believer, but by drawing us into the experience of Fatherhood. When the last title rolls past, that the words are taken from a general audience with Pope Francis, the audience is genuinely surprised. It sparks enough curiosity to re engage the video with a different lens. Now, the audience is possibly more open to another Catholic message. Bravo Augustine Institute. Keep up the good work.