Confessions of a Wannabe Spielberg

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Well, considering that it was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was mostly the worst of times. Through an unexpected eviction and a surprisingly-long lay off, my wife and I found ourselves at home for a lot longer than we had ever been. The extra time translated itself into a lot of home-made croissants and lively games of Scrabble, but also considerable time spent on that effortless time-waster social media. It was actually on Instagram, during a state of relaxation one tranquil day, that I came across the post that got my heart beating faster.

I almost scrolled past it the first time, but even with just a glance, the images had cast their spell on me. I scrolled back up and took it all in with a mixture of awe and bewilderment. There, shining through my cracked phone screen, was a video featuring a device that I had long dreamed of owning.

You see, having been an aspiring amateur filmmaker back in the olden days of the early 2010s, the device was hauntingly familiar. I felt a wave of nostalgia crash over me as I recalled my days of cameras and fake moustaches, of funny voices and ill-fitting wigs, of poorly-titled short films like "Saving Private Luigi" and "The Good, The Bad, and The Ticklish."

There had been a few things that a certain bespectacled, green-eyed boy had yearned to add to his cache of equipment, and this was most definitely one of them. You see, most of my films had been shot from a world-weary camcorder on a flimsy tripod, and although I dreamed of moving shots that could add flair to my low-budget action flicks and spoof commercials alike, the camera would always shake too much to resemble the clean, professional look I craved.

But here was an Instagram post uploaded by a Canadian videographer, shooting the most eye-catching, beautifully-fluid footage I had ever seen outside of a Hollywood production, and all with a shockingly small, handheld gimbal. I needed to know what kind it was. I inquired, and was told that it was a DJI Osmo Mobile 3.

Sure enough, a quick search on Google led me to the company’s website, which revealed the piece of movie-making equipment that I had always felt too poor to purchase as a lad. The website read: “Motion without blur. Action shots without shake. Perfect video even when you move. Thanks to advanced technologies specifically designed to keep the camera flat no matter how you move it, the DJI Osmo helps you record videos and take photos like never before. It is much more than just a camera. It helps you create with more freedom than ever.”

To create with more freedom than ever.

Still infected with the filmmaking bug although years had elapsed, those words spoke to me and fed the flames of a fire that was growing ever rapidly. Frankly, I could never afford the industry-level drones used to create the epic shots of some of my favorite Hollywood productions. I could never attain the sophisticated camera dollies that had tracked some of the greatest actors ever to grace the silver screen. But here was something that I could have, and how perfect to get it now with all the extra free time!

It wouldn't exactly be cheap for my shoestring budget, but then again, neither was my dream.

A few clicks later, and the Osmo was on the way to my home. Partially excited, partially terrified, I waited each day with bated breath. Had I thrown my money away on something that would fail to live up to the glossy ads? Had I invested in an overly-complicated product that would take a NASA scientist to figure out? Only time would tell.

And then finally, it came.

As I opened the box, I was almost surprised at the simplicity in the Osmo’s construction and design. Could something so unpretentious really produce the footage I had seen on Instagram and in the ads on DJI’s website?

I must say, I was pleasantly surprised at the results. Although it took a little time to get used to the various buttons and knobs, and how many times I would have to click on a certain button before accessing a certain feature, it wasn’t too difficult to learn. Before long, I was using it to pan, zoom, and track moving objects (all with a fairly decent amount of stability). Of course, I quickly realized that it wasn’t perfect, although for the reasonable price I had paid, I certainly wasn’t going to complain.

Since those first few days, I have had the chance to film a short promo video for my mom’s Instagram and to shoot behind-the-scenes footage of one of my wife’s photo shoots out in the fields of Ontario.

However, life has gotten busier, and to be honest, I haven’t used the Osmo as much as I had hoped. I was also surprised to find out recently that DJI had discontinued the model I had bought, although they have since created other models and instruments that boggle the mind. A particularly appealing one is the DJI Inspire 2, the second edition of a filmmaking drone that allegedly improves on the first, which was already the first such drone in the world “to integrate an HD video transmission system, 360° rotating gimbal and a 4K camera,” according to DJI’s website.

[For more of DJI's awesome products, you can follow the link here]

Although I can’t see myself shrugging off the responsibilities that adulthood has planted on my shoulders in favor of more carefree days of curly wigs, cowboy costumes, and backyard film shoots, I do enjoy having my Osmo and plan to continue using it whenever I have the chance.

And who knows? Don’t I still have time to become the visionary Canadian filmmaker that creates our generation’s take on Ben-Hur or Lawrence of Arabia?

Well, probably not. But a man can dream, can’t he?