Studio Review (Change April 17th)

As I discussed in a previous post, I had a recent experience recording a tv show at the local studio. There were some things that I was really happy with, and there were a few things that I was really not happy with...

Things that went well...

Coming into the studio to prelight the day before was a huge advantage. The last thing that we would want to have to do with our guests is mess with lighting in front of them. It was good to be set, beforehand.

Being prepared as a group - in general - was a huge advantage in the studio. We had everything planned out: who had what job, who was responsible for what, parking for guests, escorting the guests, multiple copies of the written script, lighting, camera position, visual strategies, set design, redundency plan (my two cameras), etc.

One of the most important things that went well was my redundency strategy. Having my two cameras there REALLY came in handy when things went haywire (see below). Also, having Adobe Premiere to come to the rescue was really beneficial. I find that being able to produce media, independent of any job that I have, is essential, because it is the ultimate back up plan for every project. Period.

On top of those three things,  everyone really stayed on task and executed their jobs well. Everyone that I helped set up on camera did a great job, and the two girls - without my help - did a great job. I was very thankful to be a part of a group who had one or two others that were willing to put as much into projects as I do. We had a plan, we prepared early, we executed the plan, and - when everything stopped working - we still came out with a great final product.

Things that went.. not so well...

Everything was going according to plan until we found out that our recording in the studio had two huge problems:

Problem 1: Our footage failed to capture digitally after four minutes.
Problem 2: The sound was terrible. There was a loud buz that made the audio unacceptable by our standards.
Problem 1 was a huge deal because we needed time to edit, and we had three weeks to do so. Fortunately, though, it was just a matter of making the tape digital. UNfortunately, we had two weeks of - for one valid reason or another - not being able to transfer the footage. We had two class periods of helping other people record, which left us with 4 classes to capture and edit. When other groups weren't recording, a production class from Shepherd University was using the studio (this had a cable that we needed one week). This left us with the last week of school to edit the footage (that we didn't have digitally). The first class didn't work, because Final Cut would not import one of my files. On top of that, the tape was not brought to class for our last chance to capture it, before our last class.

Becoming very tired of everything going wrong, we made the decision to work on Adobe Premiere at my apartment, and one of our members was to transfer the footage outside of class to have it ready by our last class period. This was done, but the quality was terrible. I'm not sure what happened, but it was our last shot at getting that footage digitally, and something in the process failed, miserably.

Then, we ran into a problem of aquiring footage from a mac formatted hard drive onto a PC and otherwise. So, I had to find a program that would let me view and extract information from one filesystem to another. After this, we used my two cameras to create four virtual angles. We were creating shots for standard definition output, so I was able to take advantage of the 1920x1080 frames of my high definition cameras. We created a two shot, three shot, full shot, and had close-ups with my DSLR. We essentially recreated what options we would have had to work with (as far as camera angles) had everything gone as planned.

With this, I taught some members of the group how to use the multi-camera editor in Premiere with the live cutting function. It was like going back into the studio and making the calls live. We were able to reference what shots we chose from the original footage to make our footage as similar as possible.

The problem with all of this leads us to Problem 2. The audio that we were working with was on-camera, so I had to bring the audio from the bad studio footage into our project and sync it. Then, we had to address the terrible buzzing that was making the studio audio unuseable. To do this, I opened the audio that was already synced in Adobe Premiere in Adobe Soundbooth. In Soundbooth, I gave the program a sample with just the buzzing noise for it to analyze and use as a print of what to take out. Then, I worked with how much of the buzz would be removed. I got the audio to a point where the buzzing was JUST gone, and kept it there. After exporting, the audio automatically updated into my Premiere project. (I love Adobe integration workflow..)

After that, I had to address an issue with the tape camera that got the wide shot. There was a place where the recording skipped, and that video is what we were basing the audio and video sync to, because it recorded the entire show. (My DSLR had to stop recording halfway through, due to the FAT 32 4GB filesize problem that our first gen DSLRs suffer from.) After finding it, I had to re-sync the DSLR footage and new and improved audio to it. I found a way to cut it and have the part of the video still make sense. I covered the cut by switching to another angle... It worked well ;)

Conclusion

In my experience with video, I have learned to integrate contingency plans into each part of my production process. (From pre-production to post-production.) This includes recording with multiple microphones to multiple sources, having a multitude of extra batteries as well as - sometimes hard to find - ac adapters for each piece of equipment (including my DSLR), bringing back up lights, and always thinking of multiple plans, just in case one doesn't work. My computer is my ultimate backup, and I always have other recourses to tap into, if that doesn't work. I'm glad that this planning wound up being put to good use in our studio experience :)

TV Show

Our team divided into three groups to produce three shows over the last few weeks. I was in the first group: Group A. The show that we produced was based on wildlife preservation. I worked with some great team members who had some connections and really did their part to make the show happen and run smoothly.

Before the shoot, I was in the studio and helped set up the set - gathering chairs, assembling props, and working on which background would be best for our purposes. I then worked with the rest of the team to figure out lighting options. I tried dimming our main set lights to balance them with the on-set blue lights that we had as props, but we simply didn't have enough light coming out of the props to balance with even dimmed set lights.

I decided that we needed a front fill right in front of our set to brighten them. I remembered the inverse square law while doing so, which helped me make the decision; I wanted a light that wasn't bright enough to unnaturally light the background, but bright enough to reach the people in our set. So, I had the light far enough back that it would affect the people, but not the set as much.

Having a two camera setup in the studio was important so that we would not become lazy camera people or directors. I wanted a four camera setup, so I volunteered to bring two of my own cameras to give us more than two options in the editing process. However, we operated as if we didn't have the extra cameras, so that if anything went wrong with the additional cameras, we wouldn't have relied on them. Also, as stated above, we didn't want to get lazy: we wanted the challenge of recording a discussion between four people with only two cameras and live editing.

Knowing this, I wanted to make sure that both camera men felt comfortable with their jobs. I went through the basics with them, and helped them each with things that they weren't sure about. I also checked and observed everything about the setup of each camera, before leaving the camera men to do their job. One thing that I wanted to point out - to both of the camera operators - was where the locks were for panning and tilting. I realized that not everyone knew that in our previous endeavors, but it's an essential part of operating a camera.

Once the camera operators were set up, I set up my two tripods and cameras. Then, I set my focus, white balance, exposure, and other various settings to best match the studio cameras. One camera would be an establishing shot of the entire production. Because I was recording in high definition, I knew that we could use that establishing shot as a backup to create two and three shots of our set in a standard definition workspace.

After setting up the first camera that I would be operating, I set up my second camera for closeups. I would monitor both, and focus on the camera getting closeups (single shots) of people. I ran into some tripod and space challenges, but the image stabilization on my lens (Canon EF 100mm 2.8 L) was a tremendous help.

The studio didn't have the old 600 firewire ports, so I had to take the footage home to capture it. Once captured, I organized the files from both cameras that I operated, and now we're ready to edit. We're still working on the studio files to be able to edit, but the two extra cameras that I brought in give us options. If the studio recording were to not work, we would have enough from my two cameras to create the entire show and emulate a three camera setup. If we can't use my footage, we are still set up to go with the footage from the studio cameras. If - best case scenario - we can use all of the footage, my colleagues and I will have three angles to work with! (The studio recording was edited live, so those two cameras only show one at a time - counting as one camera.)

I also helped with other miscellaneous tasks before the show, getting things ready, but the important stuff - to me - was what is mentioned above.

Writing Center Shoot

What I did...

In the recent Writing Center shoot, I was responsible for a few things:

1. I was responsible for setting up the primary camera angle, and making creative and practical decisions (like using only one camera).

2. I also elected to help the lighting crew set up the final lighting set up that we had, and I created a situation for the camera people and lighting people to work together (so the camera op would sho the lighting people what was going on on screen).

3. During the shoot, I fixed the problem of people looking off camera by giving my job to another person and explaining to the on-camera talent exactly where we wanted their eyes. (This was for the last two actors. Unfortunately, I missed the first day of shooting because of a job potential.)

4. I coordinated with a person from the writing center and led a team of three people to direct, plan, light, and shoot B-Roll including a directional walkthrough with a steadicam, moving shots of the area in the bottom of the library, a shot of the sign for the Writing Center, and shots of students actually being tutored.

What I learned...

A fourth light really helps a three-light setup. Adding a fourth light to the back (camera right) to illuminate the other side of the talent's face was actually very useful.

Explaining what you want to talent is always best. The whole reason you have someone on camera is for them to do what you want. The best way for them to do what you want them to do is to let them know exactly what they should be doing. Not explaining that we want their eyes on the camera didn't work. When someone would say "make sure to look at the camera," it didn't really help. A full explaination like "pretend the person feeding you lines doesn't exist and just keep your eyes on the lens for the entire shoot" doesn't make the talent nervous. That just allows the talent to move forward knowing what we want. Getting everybody on the same page is extremely important.

Wireless (battery powered) lights are invaluable. We used them to be an on camera light (to light the person at the end of the walk in shot). We used one to fill the desk area (hiding the light behind a pillar). And, we almost used one on the sign above the greeting area of the main desk in the writing center, but we found another light to do that without being seen.

I did miss one day of shooting, but I learned a lot from that day, as well. :)

Modules, Plugins, & Expansion

We've been discussing expansion for different content management systems. Seeing front end and back end expansion was really cool to differentiate. After seeing all of the back end customization for Drupal, I wanted to look up what WordPress had to offer. I was surprised to see a lot of the same things [with quite a bit of variation].

For instance, I found multiple variations of CAPTCHA, allowing me to choose what method I want to use to ensure that users are not robots. One, for example, makes a user click and drag different items depending on the command that is written [Put the duck in the pond!]. Others provide math equations. One option had pictures of animals that the user had to identify. I tried it out about ten times, and I found that without a space or comma it didn't work. I definitely want to test these things out extensively, before deciding on one. After installing six different CAPTCHA programs, I went with a pretty standard version with distorted text.

I'm currently looking for an WYSIWYG HTML Editor for users [I already have one available in the back end of things]. When I find this, I will install it to make it easier for users to post with some variation in their text. I hate the little note at the bottom of every comment box that tells users which HTML tags that they can use in their posts. It's ugly and old. This would be a great replacement.

While looking for the WYSIWYG HTML Editor, I came across an editor that allows me to go to the front end of the website and create edits from there [much like editing in the live view in Dreamweaver]. This functionality is AWESOME! I'll show screenshots in my next post!

I'm glad to see that WP isn't totally useless! It has great expansion options! I'm looking forward to exploring more plugins :)



A

Writing Center Commercial

The Writing Center at Shepherd University needs a commercial shot. The idea was pitched to a group of us, and it goes something like this:

There is a script that will be read by multiple actors. They will be shot individually with similar lighting and framing. Because the script is the same, we will be able to cut from person to person to show the faces of Shepherd University, talking about the writing center. (And answering the where, what, and how..) As of now, the actors will be facing off camera so that untrained actors (real members of the Writing Center) can avoid an attempt at making a teleprompter look natural.

An idea in class was to show a video of how to get to the writing center as some B-Roll footage. I proposed the idea of getting some actual B-Roll of people at the writing center. All of this B-Roll should happen after we shoot the A-Roll, so that we can see if there is anything else we need beFORE we go out to shoot. That way, we can grab anything else that we need while we're there.

It's funny that while this idea was being pitched, I was thinking of the project that I JUST shot and have yet to edit. It is a commercial that I am creating for MLT with my friend, Gabrielle. The idea is that there is one script and multiple people reading the same script. They will be cut to and away from mid sentence or in the middle of a thought to another person finishing that line of thought. The twist is that each person has a flag painted on their lips, which corresponds to the language that they will be speaking. The entire video will have English subtitles, while each person speaks their part in a different language.

I wanted to say something in class, but I wasn't sure how relevant it would be. I couldn't figure out a way that this could help the project, BUT maybe it can.

The technique that I am using to cut will be positioning the person as close as exactly in the same position as the person before them and cutting to the next person. We are using two framing options to cut back and forth between people. A further away shot and a close up of their lips (top of nose to just below the chin.) I don't think that fades will work unless the face is being morphed into the next face OR placement is perfect. A cut will work better. Below is one angle. The other is a head and shoulders shot. We have a third backup shot for each person that is a macro (closer than below) shot of their lips. We will probably not need to use that. This project is a little more dramatic than the Writing Center commercial, and the client has asked that the speakers be well lit (not dramatic). So, if we could think of a way to more seamlessly cut between people, I think that it would make the video turn out much better.



If I could shoot this commercial with no need of being in the studio, I would shoot it all on-location. We, unfortunately, cannot do this. However, getting B-Roll on location will definitely help the audience get an idea of what the Writing Center is all about.

Studio Experience

My favorite studio role has been working as a camera man. I really thought that I would enjoy some "bigger" positions, but being behind a camera (still or video) is so natural to me that I feel too comfortable to leave. I would assume that I would feel the same way about editing, but we're not there in our studio process, yet. Editing and camera work (along with lighting) are things that I really like to have control over. Yes, I'm that guy. Sound is so important, as well, but it's not my favorite place to be. I opt to be the sound person if nobody else can do it better or as well as me, but - in general - my favorite experiences are in the realms of working with light, the camera, and in post production.

As a camera man, I went through the standard white balance, back focusing, framing, and exposing. I noticed that the cameras don't seem to have a way to control ISO (ASA). It seems to only allow partial exposure control that is manual (which is a bit confusing when trying to match settings on multiple cameras), but the director should be able to match the two (because he/she can see the two images side by side).

Being a director is definitely harder than I imagined. When you have two camera operators thinking that they are camera one and they both have the same first name, it really leaves a first time director with a bad taste in his/her mouth. It was definitely a humorous experience. I think that I would have gotten the hang of it and enjoyed it more without all of the confusion. It is straightforward, but surprisingly difficult to set up a shot and gauge when a person will speak without the luxury of three or more cameras. (I can see and appreciate why our teacher wanted only two cameras. We will never be lazy in a production environment when we learn on a setup that requires constant movement of both cameras.)

I've been learning about the importance of communication and familiarity with a crew. I forgot the terminology for directing cameras and switchers, and I think that, if we all committed the standard set of terms, we could be much more efficient.

Why Use A CMS

In a world that changes so fast, the demand for web content to be changed quickly is higher than ever. The ability to change the look and feel of your site without any knowledge of CSS seems to be what everyone wants. (Why wouldn't they?) Not only do people want to be able to change the look of the site easily (and have everything work), but they also want to be able to edit, manage, and add to websites (without any knowledge of html or web experience at all).

In fact, even people with web experience want things to be easier. No designer wants to have to create new directories every time they need to add a page or content. Designers, along with everyone else, want things to be more quick and efficient.

A solution that has been helping solve these problems is content management systems. This means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but a CMS - for the purposes of this article - is a relatively user friendly website that does just what the name implies: it manages content for the user. It handles the creation of new directories, when you want to post something to your website or add a page. It saves everyone time.

Most of the serious web development companies have their own custom built CMS that they design, because it allows them to be more flexible than the popular free and paid CMSs.

From (http://www.spyridontech.com/cms/why-a-cms)

• Scalability - A CMS website is well-suited for a growing organization. Contents can be continuously added / edited and its inherent hierarchical structure keeps the content organized and easy to search and find.Rapid Development - A CMS provides the website organization infrastructure so a new website can be built very quickly. The focus of the work is on the content, not the navigation, layout, etc.Easy Maintenance - A CMS allows even the non-technical persons to easily update and add content. Built in permission structures allows the website to be updated and maintained by more than 1 administrator with different access levels.

• Live Update of Content - Content of a CMS website is stored in the database. So, updates can be live and immediately published online.

• Faster Learning Curve - Instead of learning html, css and other programming languages, you only need to understand how to use the CMS software application instead. There is no investment cost on web publishing software such as purchase of dreamweaver. Also, because this is Open Source, there are no licensing fees.

• Easy Addon of Components - New applications can be added onto the default installation easily with one click. This essentially means that your site can grow, along with introduction of latest web applications.

• Lower Maintenance Cost - Since the website can be maintained by you, there is no need for another web designer/programmer to update the site on your behalf. But don't worry, we will always be here if you need us for your custom programming needs.

From (http://ithemes.com/2008/06/11/5-reasons-to-use-a-content-management-system/)

• 1. Cheap or Free Using a CMS for your web site means you can use cheap or free software and save loads of money. Haven’t you heard? Stingy is in.

• 2. It’s That Easy If you’ve got any computer savvy, most CMS software is easy to use. If you can send an e-mail, use Microsoft Word or set up a Facebook account, then you can use a CMS. And in most cases normal use doesn’t run the risk of mucking up the design. It’s web site creation for non-techies.

• 3. Do It Yourself With a CMS you enter the Do-It-Yourself world. No more waiting for and paying a programmer to fix a tiny error, saving you time and money.

• 4. Many Users, Many Places Most CMS software is online and offers multiple users, which means you’re not the only one who can fix something in a pinch and you can access it from anywhere. Which means if you’ve got Internet access in Tahiti, you could work from there. That also means your important site is backed up on a secure server with multiple redundancies, not some high school kid’s laptop.

• 5. Climb the Search Results Most CMS software also makes it easier to optimize your search engine results. That means your site is more likely to land on the first page of Google results (check out our WordPress Optimization video tutorials), which means people are more likely to find you.

Multi Camera Shooting - Theory vs. Practice

THEORY

I am very familiar with video production, but my background is in video production that is NOT live. It was very interesting to learn the theories behind live television production and a multi-camera live production. This has never been an interest of mine, and I didn't know all of what it entailed. Watching behind the scenes videos of multi-camera live productions was by far the most rewarding part of our in class theory.

After watching Hamilton Hamish do his job, I had a definite shift in how I viewed live production. I also didn't realize how fun it might be do be a director or operator in a multi-camera live production. While watching this BTS footage, I had a lot of questions about the communication and planning aspects of a live production. I understood the use of headsets and the understanding that no one speaks unless spoken to by the guy pulling the strings, but how was everyone on the same page with little to no rehearsal time with an on tour band? I know, from my experience in video production that is NOT live, that you may need to try the same shot over and over again. You could double or triple the amount of tries, if you are trying to explain it to someone else.. How, then, could you tell someone, live, what to do and get it right the first time? How could they possibly know what you mean, if you've never shot at that location or with the talent, before? This is where practice came in to play..

PRACTICE

I was surprised about how fun the live production process actually was! Getting into a studio that nobody has used before, and working jobs that we have never worked (especially live) before actually produced some decent results! It was nice to get in and just have a go at the different jobs, after they had been described to us. It was shaky and not very good, but it was, at the same time, decent!

While working live, I realized the importance of communication. To answer the question at the end of the theory section, properly and efficiently communicating instruction, questions, and ideas is the easiest way to combat NOT having any re-shooting. You can't give or receive vague instructions like "OK, now zoom in on him." Who is "him"? How far should I zoom in? Is my camera on air? Do you want a slow zoom that goes on air? Or, should I adjust the frame as quickly as possible so that you can cut to me? Do you want the framing centered or following the rule of thirds?

To combat some of these new questions, planning with stand-ins was good practice. However, it still left some questions. I believe that coming up with definitive words and phrases that are universally known to and used by the crew would be essential to pulling off a real production. Letting camera people know if they are live and SPECIFICALLY what they are being asked to do is so important.

I also think that practicing with fake talent - or just working as a team a lot - would help the process become fluid and successful. Working with fake talent would allow planning "if then" strategies. Working as a team would allow for mistakes and learning your team's mannerisms and the meanings behind them, as well as getting used to the specific terminology that the team decides on.

In summation, both theory and practice are essential to learn something like a multi-camera live video production. Both theory and practice bring up and answer vital questions to the process of a successful video production.