May 6, 2007
The name on the other side of the lens
This morning, I took a camcorder with me to do duty at the boarding house. I wanted to record impromptu messages from the boys to “Mr G“, my good friend and mentor who taught at the school for 4 years, before emigrating to New Zealand.
As soon as I whipped out the camcorder, the boys had the typical human reaction – they shied away, embarrassed and self-conscious. Come to think of it, I’d probably do the same, if somebody pointed a live video camera at me.
It all turned around, however, as soon as I mentioned that I wanted video messages for Mr G. Instead of fleeing the camera, the boys approached it with the same familiarity and friendliness they would have shown for the man himself.
I think it’s a measure of the boys’ trust and respect for this man, that they felt at ease in front of the camera, once they knew he’d be on the other end.
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