I feel like I am studying for a final. The final is pass/fail. And I’m taking the test in less than three weeks. I am looking in so many directions from camera gear prep to software tutorials to World War 2 history. It all feels a bit overwhelming. But the pressure is on to get all the material I need while I am Egypt. If I miss something, it’s not like I am going to pop back over for pick up shots.

Divi Problems

If I watch one more You Tube video on how to use the website builder product, Divi, there might have to be an intervention. I’m getting to know instructor Jamie’s rhythms and patterns really well. I’m not getting a website made, but I am good at following along. Jamie makes it look so easy. A couple of clicks, a few pastes and he has a beautiful slider module. I try and recreate the same thing and suddenly I’m on with tech support at Elegant Themes. They explain to me the problem I am having stems from a bug in the program they know about and will be fixed in an upcoming version. In just under three weeks, the website will go live to maybe tens of people. It would be nice if the website didn’t look like a pile of trash.

Why do I need a website? Isn’t the project a documentary? You are absolutely correct. Turns out documentaries need publicity if you want people to come see them. For the last three documentaries I have made, the website for the documentary has appeared last in a sort of slapdash effort. I figured this time, I would do it proper. I would make the website well in advance so I could publicize the documentary as I went. I could create the record while I made the documentary. How hard could it be? All these tutorials insist it is really easy. Yet, here we are with a barely functioning home page with a couple of these blatherings posted on it.

New Gear Problems

If I am not watching tutorials about website development, I’m probably watching tutorials about  the Max 2 360º camera. Last week I got it into my head, that it would be fun to shoot with a 360º camera while in Egypt. They aren’t that expensive and all the videos I saw of the kids doing cool things with 360º cameras made me want to be a cool kid, too. Can I use 360º footage in the documentary? Probably not. Is editing 360º video in my skill set? Not even a little. I’ll be out this weekend with the new Max 2 filming around the house and then editing that footage. I’m sure it will be great.

I can try and incorporate all the camera tricks I’ve seen on instagram videos. I don’t think anyone just posts photos on Instagram anymore. It’s all short videos. And a lot of the videos explain how to make videos to be more popular on Instagram Yes, old man rages at clouds. Instagram is all about getting on Instagram. I have saved dozens of videos on all the tricks buried in Instagram. I swear to God I didn’t know there was a mini-editing program in Instagram to make videos. 

They also really want me try to Cap-Cut to make special effects videos. There is a young Visual Effects artist named Tyler who constantly spams me with ads for his Cap-Cut course. I almost went down that well until I learned Cap-Cut was subscription based. I pay enough monthly fees now. I’ll stick with learning about all the things under the hood on Instagram.

Instagram Problems

Why this focus on Instagram? How does that help you make a documentary? It doesn’t. But, again, it comes down to promotion. Plus, now that I’ve been kicked off Threads for being a robot, I have to spend my social media time somewhere.

Instagram knows I’m going to Egypt. Every other post is a ten best spots list to hit while in Egypt. I see a lot of posts on how to learn Egyptian Arabic in just 3 months. La, Shukra. I have less than three weeks. I have plenty of posts that give me a few words in Arabic. The most important phrase I need to learn to say is, “No, I don’t want a picture on your camel” I have a been shown a million places I really want to visit and I only have 48 hours to see them before I head out to look at 84 year old battlefield locations. That is a problem.  At some point, though, I will eat Koshary at Abou Tarek.

Ronin Problems

New equipment means new training challenges. The Max 2 training waits for me. As does the training for the DJI RS5. Yep, I have a gimbal for the Nikon. I have long been seduced by the silky shots available by using a gimbal. I have yet to realize the silk in my shots though I have had many gimbals over the years. The RS5 is going to turn the corner towards acumen for me. You Tube will show me the way. Dozens of gimbal shot tutorials wait in my queue.

Guide Book Problems

The biggest indicator that I am studying for a final and not just going on a trip is the fact a 62 page booklet showed up at my door. The booklet comes courtesy of tour guide Richard and details the battle of El Alamein. I just flipped through the book last night and saw plenty of maps of the areas we will visit in October. Not daunting at all. I figure everyone else on the trip will have a firm grasp of what we are going to see except for that Yank chasing his grandfather.

I also read the war diary of Everette L. Marcum. He doesn’t see combat until late in the desert campaign at the Mareth line. But he does stop in Cairo on the way to his post for a few adventures. He has a delightful time, according to his account, with some French women. He also goes to a Cafe called Groppi’s, which I will endeavor to locate. 1st Lieutenant Marcum was a bit of a player.

The Cairo Trilogy continues to task me. I don’t know if I will ever finish. Whenever I feel like maybe it is time to give up and just put the book down, some bit of detail keeps me going. I’m probably about halfway through the first book in the trilogy, Palace Walk.  Anima, the mother, has returned home after being kicked out of the house by her husband, Abd al-Jawad. Anima had the temerity to leave the house for the first time in years to go to the local mosque. A big no-no in the household.

No Problem

I have a lot on my plate (None of it Koshary). Despite the impending departure date in front of me, the trip is only one small bit in the whole process. There are so many more places to visit. I have big gaps between trips to muddle through the things to learn. I have faith it will come together into one big story. I have to believe the madness at present will pay off down the road.