Challenge for Media
Photographers, Videographers & Journalists
Thanks for your interest in covering sword swallowing.
Since there very few true sword swallowers left inthe world today,
you have the rare opportunity of a lifetime to capture and preserve
this dying ancient art formin your chosen field of media.
In 1970, photographer Diane Arbus snapped a photo of albino
sword swallower Lady Sandra Reed performing at a sideshow in
Maryland. That single black-and-white image entitled “Albino
Sword Swallower at a Carnival” has since become world-famous,
and is now seen as THEimage that represents sword swallowing,
an icon of an era now long gone. This image is nowconsidered a
masterpiece, and in 2006 it sold at Sotheby’s auction for $38,400.
My challenge to you: Create your own new masterpiece!
Like most audiences witnessing sword swallowing for the first time, when most photographers, videographers, interviewers and writers cover sword swallowing, the obvious natural tendency is to focus on the actual physical feat of sword swallowing itself. As a result, there are literally thousands of photos of swords going into my mouth and down my throat.
However sword swallowing is not only a physical feat that takes place in the performer, but the real act is the mental, emotional, and psychological transformation that takes place in the minds of the audience at the point of realization that sword swallowing really IS real!
People react to PEOPLE. Most people respond when they see another person's REACTIONS.
Your challenge: Capture the REACTIONS!
Even though sword swallowing is not a magic "trick", permit me to use a magician as an example:
David Blaine's TV specials showed us, the viewers, the reactions of his audience (sometimes even just an audience of one). Blaine and his producers snubbed the usual TV-magic-special focus on the performer and his skills. Insteadhis crewallowed us to bask in the astonished and awestruck reactions of the AUDIENCE who witnessed his feats. More than anything else, it was this single decision by Blaine's creative team - to focus on the REACTION more than the trick itself - that catapulted his specials into the ratings stratosphere.
People react to PEOPLE. We empathize with other people we can relate to. Blaine's team understood this. Magicians watched the first special and saw Blaine perform a standard magic trick, and then exclaimed how they could do it better. What did the rest of the world see?
A brief trick where two cards changed places - but mostly they saw a locker room full of Dallas Cowboy football players recoiling in astonishment from what they saw, laughing and slapping each other in disbelief. On screen, the reaction lasted far longer than the trick.
The entire show followed that format, and the high audience ratings lead to reruns and more TV specials -- actions that had other magicians scratching their heads, but delighted the public.
What made David Blaine stand out was not that the camera crews focused on the "tricks" themselves, but rather that they focused the majority of their camera time on the raw reactions, the facial expressions, the looks of amazement, that revealed the inner mental or emotional transformations in the audience members. By focusing 90% of the focus on audience impact, the camera crew got a much more emotional story, and David Blaine was propelled to being seen as one of the TOP magicians in the world. The Blaine team sold the sizzle, not the steak.
Sell the Reaction, not the Feat.
My challenge to you is to not only to capture the physical feat of the sword going doing the throat (focus on chin and throat), but in addition, try to capture the mentalparadigm shift, thetransformation as ithappens in the minds of the audience members at the "Aha!" moment of realization(with equal focus on the spontaneous reactions, comments and expressions on the faces of audience members). You can always get more photos or B-roll footage of my chin later; the main focus should be on the raw reactions of the audience -- spontaneous, honest and unrehearsed-- as it happens. This will get you your "hero" shots, your prize-winning gems that will capture YOUR audience’s interest and becomethe most interesting highlight or even the masterpiece of your portfolio for years to come.
Find a New Angle. There have been thousands of photos and videos focusing on my face, mouth and chin as I swallow swords.But the photos, videos and story angles that get the best response and make the biggest impact are the ones that include unique angles or focus on the audience. I challenge you to come up with new angles, creative innovative ways of looking at sword swallowing in a new light - and then come up with unique angles that not only show the physical act in the performer, but that also capture the spontaneous reactions, the mental and emotional transformation in the faces, reactions, and comments of audience members at the same time.
Be original. Be creative. Whether you’re a writer, photographer, or videographer, what can you come up with that will surpass previous coverage of sword swallowing? What unique angle can you come up with for the overall subject of sword swallowing that is unique beyond the basic premise that sword swallowing is a rare, odd, dangerous, or historical art form, an amazing physical feat of “doing the impossible”? Consider new story or camera angles - over-the-shoulder, between the legs, down-the-throat, the performer's POV, the audience’sPOV, the host’s POV, or even the sword's POV. What unique angles can you come up with to capture what's going on inside both the sword swallower AND the audience member at the same time?
The Challenge. My personal challenge is not only to make each performance top the last one without killing myself, but also to preserve and portray this ancient dying art to the best of my ability. My challenge toYOU is to make the best of this rare opportunity to stretch your artistic talent, use everything in your experience and creative powers to come up with YOUR most creative and original work -- what could become your signature piece, your own personal masterpiece -- a portrayal of sword swallowing thatcould stand the test of time asa benchmark in YOUR field, a timeless piece of art -- and in so doing, help preserve the ancient art of sword swallowing for years to come.
Will you accept my challenge?
Looking forward to my art becoming a part of YOUR masterpiece!
Dan Meyer
Sword Swallower
Cutting Edge Innertainment
(615) 969-2568