Call of a Lifetime Season 2 with director Shannon Vandivier

In this episode, we sit down with cinematographer and director Shannon Vandivier to discuss his work on the Life Time Grand Prix series "Call of a Life Time." Shannon shares his journey into the world of filmmaking and storytelling, influenced by his father's career as a photojournalist. He explains how he approaches the editing process as a second director and the importance of having a clear vision for the story. Shannon also delves into the challenges of filming off-road racing events and the strategies his team employs to capture the essence of each race. He highlights the importance of building trust with the athletes and creating a connection that allows for vulnerability and authentic storytelling. Throughout the conversation, Shannon emphasizes the goal of the series: to showcase the dedication and inspiring stories of off-road athletes and to foster a sense of fandom within the community.

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About the Guest(s):

Shannon Vandivier is a cinematographer, director, and camera operator based in Austin, Texas. With a passion for storytelling and a background in photography, Shannon has honed his skills in capturing powerful imagery and using it to tell compelling stories. He started his own company in 2013 and has since worked with notable clients such as Netflix, BBC, and PBS. Shannon's work can be seen in various projects, including the Lifetime Grand Prix series "Call of a Lifetime."

Key Takeaways:

• Shannon Vandivier's passion for storytelling and capturing powerful imagery stems from his father's career as a photojournalist.
• The editing process in filmmaking is akin to being a second director, and it requires a clear vision for the story.
• Filming off-road racing events presents unique challenges, and Shannon's team employs various strategies to capture the essence of each race.
• Building trust with the athletes is crucial for creating authentic and vulnerable storytelling.
• The goal of the Lifetime Grand Prix series "Call of a Lifetime" is to showcase the dedication and inspiring stories of off-road athletes and foster a sense of fandom within the community.

Notable Quotes:

• "The power of editing comes with a clear vision. You don't know how your story is changing unless you know what your story is." - Shannon Vandivier
• "The bike has always been the vehicle to fun. And as I've matured through life, I've continued to stay on the bike." - Shannon Vandivier
• "The reality is, editing is second directing. The power of editing comes with a clear vision." - Shannon Vandivier

Resources:

• Shannon Vandivier's website: shannonvandivier.com
• Lifetime Grand Prix series "Call of a Lifetime" on YouTube: youtube.com/lifetime

Automated transcription, please excuse the errors:

[TRANSCRIPT]
[00:00:00] - ():  Craig Dalton (host): Welcome to the show. How you doing, man?
[00:00:04] - ():  Shannon Vandivier: Man, I'm glad to be here. I'm glad to be with you.
[00:00:07] - ():  Craig Dalton (host): I'm excited to have this conversation. It's probably a, an outlier. If I think back to the catalogs of conversations I have, it's usually athletes, event organizers, and event producers. So you're my first cinematographer, director, camera guy.
**** - (): Super excited to have this conversation. Cause I think a lot of us have seen your work in Certainly Lifetime, uh, Call of