Every Camera Has a Story

One of a filmmaker’s greatest tools to telling a story is the camera.  Film or digital, the camera has the magical ability to capture action so someone can manipulate that action into a story.  So ironically enough I found out my camera of choice, my Canon XHA1, has a story of its own to tell me.

I bought my XHA1 almost three years ago.  It’s an HD, tape based camera.  Imagine that: a high definition image on MiniDV tape!  Who would’ve thought that exists?  Anyways, I saw it on EBay and realized I had enough money saved up for it.  So I bought it used from a graduated film student from USC.

It was delivered to my home address, so I was ecstatic to see it in the living room when I came home for Christmas break in 2009.  I dove right in and started learning all the features of the camera.  While it’s a little outdated by today’s standards, it’s hard to imagine me using something newer when it offers so many more features that today’s DSLRs just don’t have:

Servo and programmable zoom functions, backwards compatibility with NTSC video on MiniDV tape (an essential need from my TSTV days), programmable buttons for user functions (I always have zebra bars a thumb click away), distinct and easily accessible image controls, and most importantly, built in XLR audio ports!

If you can’t tell, I really love my camera.  I’ve used it on multiple shows at TSTV and I’m still using it now for Hyperdrive Pictures.  I’m sure everyone develops memories with their favorite film gear as they bring them out on project after project.  But here’s where I get to that story I said the camera has for me, because up to now I’ve just been telling you my story with the camera.

Remember how I said it was a used camera?  Well one feature I don’t use too much is that it captures still images to an SD card, among other settings (I wish it could also record video to that card to keep it competitive with today’s workflows, but oh well).  I use that feature about once or twice a year.  While waiting to start a shot on a project a few weeks ago I decided to browse through the pictures I’ve taken on the card, the card that came used with the camera.

Coincidentally most, if not all, of my pictures on that card were taken at various conventions at the Austin Convention Center over the years.  All in all, that’s maybe 7 photos total.  But as I scrolled down I started seeing people I didn’t recognize in an apartment that wasn’t mine.  Oh my gosh, this was from the former owner!

It hit me again that the man who sold me this camera was a film school graduate, which I pretty much am right now!  When I think about all the projects I’ve used my camera on, I wonder how many he used it on.  What kinds of projects were they?  I wonder if I could see them anywhere.  I wonder if the previous owner felt as attached to this camera as I do now.

Then I thought up something else interesting: this camera’s been places.  As far as I can tell, it began its ‘life’ of use in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, a place I attended briefly for a summer program.  That film student with this camera very well might have been at USC at the same time as me that summer.  Small world, huh?

But then it traveled in a box to me all the way over in Texas.  It filmed some fun and cool projects and got lots of exposure on television (thanks TSTV!) in my film education.  And now I’ve moved to Los Angeles, and my camera came with me.  It went on a full circle journey back to where it began.  I know it’s just a camera, but it’s kind of cool.

Most of the pictures on that SD card are from the previous user, and he took pictures of a lot of famous locations across Los Angeles, locations that I’ve been to since moving here.  It’s like the camera and its pictures are a clue to a former life, and I’m the one to take the camera back home to it.  After all, who says you can’t go home?

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself; I had to throw that reference in there once I thought about it.  Well, now that I’ve lost all credibility, I’ll wrap this thing up with a side comment like I seem to always do.  A couple of pictures on the card are of the owner or one of his friends smoking…something in a living room.  Seems like something you might want to take off of the card.  But it makes for a good laugh.