Today was a fun day of shooting video and the beginning of the editing process.
The big trick in filming people is to make them as comfortable as possible. Many of the people that come into our studio do not have experience in talking on camera. Sure they have experience talking to huge crowds of people while giving presentations, but sitting in a room with nothing but a couple of people and a camera to stare down. Not having others to play off can be a daunting task and not working off a script can only elevate the nervousness and tension. It isn’t their fault really. It is not their job to be camera savy. It is out job to make sure they are made comfortable and confident.
Aside from setting lights and sound, starting the camera, and coaching the talking heads, reassurance is needed. Having to do several takes for a segment really isn’t a bother. Thanks to digital production we can shoot all day and not have any wasted tape. As long as you reassure the person that not everyone is able to be a one-take charlie. Calming down the frustration and embarrassment some might feel after take 12 is all in a day’s work. Telling them, “Oh yeah, we have had much worse in here” and “don’t worry, you are doing fine” comes with the territory. And as you are saying this you quietly hope that you can do some quick enough dissolves to hide the face they made at the end or the rolling eyes - no matter how many times you told them to just hold until being told recording has stopped.
Putting the pieces of the puzzle together is where the real fun begins. It is always a good day when the video will contains slides - like the one today did. Slides help mask all sorts of odd visual cuts as long as you make the audio work. This afternoon I slaved over a hot computer, well ok, it wasn’t that hot, prepping the clips and dropping them on the timeline.
A 45 minute shoot (for about 10-15 minutes of footage) is reasonable for the inexperienced, but when they don’t give enough time for a production meeting before the shoot day surprises can pop up. The surprise today - aside from no script even during the shoot - is that they need the video to be ready for shipping on Friday. This after we first mentioned on Monday we aren’t sure how fast we can turn it around thanks to a full schedule and only two bodies in the studio. But everything is on schedule and on its way to completion.
Sure working in a studio can make life easier than shooting an event. You have total control over the lighting, camera position, and the person in the spotlight. But all that control only helps so much when you have people who are not only not used to the situation but also are not prepared.
Just another day in the studio.