Sometimes a chance meeting blossoms into a strong connection and friendship between folk from diverse backgrounds. I had the privilege of experiencing this recently after we were approached to film and edit an instrumental DVD for a gospel artist. By the time we had met, planned, shot and edited the first two videos, a part of my soul that I’d somehow lost touch with, was re-awakened.
Ntokozo Ndlovu is a talented gospel pianist who has earned a wide-spread audience around the world through his inspired interpretations of popular worship songs, which he and his supporting musicians play with passion and a deep sense of sincere faith.
When we first met, Ntokozo shared with me that he had been told about my and Naomi’s exploits into the African bush and that he loved the sample of work displayed here on our OV&P website. Our galleries include just a taste of the photos and videos that we’ve had the pleasure of capturing over the last 20+ years at unforgettable destinations like the Masai Mara in Kenya, the Okovango Swamps and Kalahari Desert in Botswana, as well as too many local wildlife getaways to list here.
What Ntokozo had in mind was firstly for us to create a nature-based video depicting the beauty and splendour of God’s creation, so we shot the footage at some pristine locations along the Crocodile River and in the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens. Then we choreographed and timed the various scenes to fit in with the melody of “We Glorify Your Name”, played by Ntokozo:
The second video that Ntokozo requested was wildlife-based. For this one we compiled some of the footage that we’ve gathered on our adventures into Africa, combined with scenes we shot of him driving around at a local game reserve during a visit that was arranged by my good friend and highly respected game guide, Brian Colling.
It was special to see how the experience of actual wildlife encounters and viewing our African Wildlife footage in our studio inspired Ntokozo, who chose to play a beautiful rendition of “Our God is an Awesome God” as the music track for this video. It is accompanied by powerful visuals of the awe-inspiring Big Five and enchanting footage of creatures as small as meerkats teasing some rhino, as well as dung beetles doing their thing on the ground. Take a look for a moving experience of your own:
In addition to creating these two videos, we filmed and edited 15 instrumental gospel tracks featuring Ntokozo and his band members performing at Yamaha South Africa’s world-class theatre facility. Our valued clients and associates at Yamaha generously provided all the high-tech Audio Visual (AV) equipment, musical instruments and moody lighting required to record the tracks and create a top quality production. To give you a sneak peek, the pic at the top of this post was taken during shooting.
A unique feature on some of these videos is that Ntokozo introduces a lovely young lady signing the words of the songs for deaf audiences who cannot hear the music but can appreciate the visuals, enhanced by her sharing the lyrics with them.
The feedback we’ve received from Ntokozo and his team has been truly heart-warming. We’re proud to have been instrumental in creating a unique set of videos that convey Ntokozo’s vision to inspire thousands of his followers to live wholesome lives and to develop their individual centres of influence into peace-loving and happy communities, wherever they may find themselves. We wish them all the very best and are grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute our expertise towards this worthy endeavour.
