Details of Video Shoot 11.20.11

I've wanted to write about the details of my video shoot from the day I took it, but I didn't have the pictures that were taken of the activities and preparation that took place during the shoot, and I wanted to include them in this blog, so I had to wait for the photographer to have them ready and arrange to pick them up.

Well folks, it's all here! So let's go.....

First off, I had a BLAST doing the whole thing. It's truly an inspiration when you see and experience everything you've planned and envisioned for several weeks in advance being brought to creative fruition at the execution stage.

Secondly, A LOT more went into prepping and then doing the actual shoot then I could've ever imagined. I know in a previous blog I had written that whenever you make plans to accomplish something it usually winds up costing more and takes more time than you planned, and this shoot was no exception. Shooting video is a lot of work. Even shooting a 30 second to a 1 minute video takes hours and hours of work. When we see these short, crisp videos, most of us have no idea what went into shooting them. My hat goes off to actors, directors, camera people, etc who are involved in the film making process. It's no joke.

I first had to come to terms that I needed a groomer/makeup artist. Since I'm used to shooting print, I usually don't need a makeup artist. A lot of photographers have commented how my skin is good enough that I don't need makeup, and also, Photoshop can be used to get rid of blemishes, scars, lines etc. Video however is a WHOLE different ball game because the camera picks up EVERYTHING, and with the lights on your face actually enhances things. So, though I didn't realize at first, a make up artist is essential if you want your video to be perceived as professional.

As I was going to be wearing plain white and grey t-shirts, I had to buy a couple of extra ones just in case makeup got on the one I was wearing. I put a lot of preparation and investment into this shoot and I wanted it to go off without a hitch, so I came extra prepared. Imagine seeing the final video and you see makeup marks and spots on a t-shirt? (unless of course it was meant to be there.

I had written up a storyboard for the shoot at my initial meeting with the videographer several weeks earlier, and had sent him my revised version several days before the shoot so he could get my vision and could plan accordingly. Though the storyboard flowed in one particular direction, the shoot had to be broken up into several "scenes" that would be shot in the particular order that was convenient for the shoot. Funny there's a flow for the storyboard, and then a completely different flow for the shoot. Never ever really considered that before.

Dialogue was also a another challenge as we had rented a wireless microphone to speak into and had a recorder to record my voice. The challenge was that when I was wearing clothes and the mic was attached to me, I had to be careful not to move around because the mic was very sensitive and picked up the slightest sound. When I was in my underwear, I couldn't wear the wireless mic and it had to be carefully positioned near me so as not to appear in the camera shot, and I also had to project my voice so it could be picked up. Not to mention, I had to be on point with my lines because I was limited with the amount of space on the video card that I had to shoot with.

All in all, like I said, the shoot was a lot of fun. I saw how tantamount it is to have a creative team that is not only competent, but easy to work with and work well together. It adds to the creative flow of the shoot and inspires you to express your own creativity. I don't come from a creative background, so it always inspires me when artistically talented and creative people bring their energies together towards a particular creative end. I just like to watch and soak it all in.

Shot from video

What was particularly inspiring about this project was just being proactive in making my dreams come true. Here, I conceived an idea to promote myself, and by the grace of God, was able to bring the necessary funds, talent, energy and tools together to manifest it into reality. There's such a feeling of personal power and responsibility that you feel when you get up off the sidelines, climb off the fence, and go and make things happen for yourself. Why deny yourself of such pleasure by simply just sitting and watching while others make things happen?

Either way, this project is far from finished. I'm still waiting for one of the two photographers I shot with to send me the pics from the shoot we did, and from the shots that I did receive, I have to sit down with my mentor, PSCOTT, and go over which pics would be the best match to fit into the flow of the existing video footage. And of course, the video still needs to be edited, after which, I need to get someone to compose a musical score for the footage.

No biggie, I realize that every great journey is composed of many individual steps, so I'm prepared to do what I gotta do...