Final week!
8/9 - Sunday
In the late afternoon, we interviewed and shot B-roll of our second and final Big/Little match. We shot everything in beautiful Frick Park on a 90 degree day, our first of the year. Both interviews went quite well. We then filmed them bicycling, skateboarding, throwing and catching a football, and talking. All of it was great b-roll. We knew it would add a lot of excellent content and color to the video. We were really proud of what we had captured, and of the fact that we got it all in 2 hours. We would have imported the footage at New Perspective immediately following, but the P2 card reader was out of the equipment office at the time.
8/10 - Monday
I decided to come in early at 8am on Monday to import the footage from the previous day. It was our first official day of editing. The footage imported into the Avid successfully and I began to subclip and lay down the best footage onto the timeline. All of the interview footage that we wanted to use was now in order. Near the end of the day, Sarah and I even got to lay down some B-roll over the interview dialog. We stayed till 6pm that day, and got a lot accomplished.
8/11 - Tuesday
More editing, all day. It was Dan, Sarah, and I today, all together in our small editing room. We got an excellent dialog going between us about what each of us wanted and thought was best for the video. We laid more B-roll into the timeline in the places we wanted it and the flow of the video began to feel more like a promotional video. We were very happy with what we had achieved in just two days. We left at our normal time.
8/12 - Wednesday
All four of us, Dan, Sarah, Mike, and I, were together today. Dan took over the editing for a while to help cut down parts of our main interview with the founder, Kenny Ross, which was running very long. We finished laying down the B-roll for most of the video and were all happy with it. I spent about 45 minutes adjusting the sound levels for each clip. In the afternoon, we together added the music that Dan and Sarah had chosen. We made further adjustments to the sound.
We were close to picture-lock. We had one nagging problem, however. The beginning segment with the interview with the founder was giving us trouble. We didn’t have appropriate B-roll for it, which I had known the previous week. I had shot some extra fairly neutral B-roll at the park on Sunday for this very reason, even though I knew that most of it probably would not be right either; but at least we had it. Exhausted with small red and green rectangles burned into our retinas (Avid timeline segments), we called it a day.
At 5:30, the New Perspective staff held a party for us at an Irish restaurant a few blocks away, The Harp and Fiddle. We were able to give feedback on the internship and share our experiences. We all had a wonderful time.
8/13 - Thursday
My last day at New Perspective. It was just Dan and I today. In opening the project and watching what we had put together in the past 3 days, we both quickly came to the realization (rather comically) that the B-roll we had for the first segment of the video was not going to work. So (rather spontaneously), we decided to take the company van (with permission of course) and the HVX200 and go out and shoot the B-roll I had wanted to shoot a month ago. Luckily, it was a sunny, dry day.
This is one of the great joys that the digital format brings: spontaneity, speed, and the ability to shoot much-needed footage one day before picture-lock. Yes, it was crazy, but we were surprisingly calm about it, and we managed to pull it off. We got fantastic B-roll from the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh headquarters and from around the city. We returned to the studio by 1pm. Since the P2 Reader was out of the office again, we couldn’t import the footage yet, so I made the lower-thirds (titles) to go on top of the interviewees’ footage and placed them into the timeline. I then made some minor adjustments to the edits we had made during the week. At the end of the day, all that was needed was the additional footage we had just shot. Since Dan’s internship was 5 days a week, he said he would add the footage. I am still keeping in contact with the other interns to ensure that the editing gets finished at the top of next week. The DVDs should be made by Wednesday or Thursday.
My tolerance for intense editing was tested, and I made it. I even still considered it enjoyable. That was confirmation for me that I would probably do very well as an editor. I never got bored with watching the footage over and over, and the intensity of working in a small room for several hours didn’t even faze me. I had to remind myself to take breaks. Once I was in the ‘zone’, the whole process was pretty straightforward and things occurred very naturally.
One piece of advice to those thinking about becoming editors: do not underestimate the good 10-minute break. Everyone needs it. It will get your blood circulation going, will give your mind a rest, and allow you to return to the project with fresh eyes, ears, and mind. If you’re working in a group, even if you are in charge of editing, don’t be afraid to turn the reins over to a fellow partner. S/he can offer a refreshing perspective on the project at every stage. Also, don’t get too attached to certain aspects of the project that someone else may wish to cut. Keep the big picture in mind and consider each clip in terms of what it’s doing for the greater project.
I also received my Intern Evaluation Form, with excellent marks and comments all around. I almost cannot believe that 11 weeks have passed and the internship is over. It was a great ride and I learned a lot. I will take everything that I garnered from my time at New Perspective back to SCAD and I know that I will be a better filmmaker now having completed this internship. I’m sure it will open many doors for me later on. I am very happy and proud of our entire group. It was a very productive and positive working environment, and I would love to work there again.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Week Nine at NP
Another enjoyable week at New Perspective Productions. So much happened that it’s near impossible to mention all of it here. Since it’s close to the end of post-production, I can reveal the fortunate non-profit organization for which we are doing the promotional video: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh.
8/4 - Tuesday
In the morning, I conducted Photoshop work on some graphics for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the afternoon, I observed the rest of a shoot that was going on all day for an employee orientation video. The same actor from a previous shoot was on this one, and he and I had had a really good conversation. The TelePrompTer was involved again, and we even got to operate it.
8/5 - Wednesday
Wednesday marked the start of editing (at last). We had determined at the start of the internship that I would lead the editing portion of the project, and so I have. We had originally planned to have 4 weeks of post-production, but due to scheduling conflicts with our interviewees, we were left with two. I was slightly disappointed since much of the scheduling conflicts had occurred during the week I was on vacation. However, I was still optimistic that we could get it done on time.
I started the Avid project and organized all of the video footage into bins. Then I divided the footage into subclips and put them in their own bins. Lastly for the day, I laid the best interview moments from all of the interviews into the timeline. That put us at about 18 minutes. Our ultimate goal is to get everything under 10.
8/6 - Thursday
Call time was 7:30am for another exciting New Perspective shoot in the studio. I was a grip and a production still photographer. Mike and I also went out to buy a variety of props beforehand. We were now completely comfortable with green screen and we used it all day. We also had a child actor on the set, so that made it even more fun. The shoot went very well and we wrapped early at 3pm. I spent the remaining two hours cutting down the interview footage.
8/4 - Tuesday
In the morning, I conducted Photoshop work on some graphics for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the afternoon, I observed the rest of a shoot that was going on all day for an employee orientation video. The same actor from a previous shoot was on this one, and he and I had had a really good conversation. The TelePrompTer was involved again, and we even got to operate it.
8/5 - Wednesday
Wednesday marked the start of editing (at last). We had determined at the start of the internship that I would lead the editing portion of the project, and so I have. We had originally planned to have 4 weeks of post-production, but due to scheduling conflicts with our interviewees, we were left with two. I was slightly disappointed since much of the scheduling conflicts had occurred during the week I was on vacation. However, I was still optimistic that we could get it done on time.
I started the Avid project and organized all of the video footage into bins. Then I divided the footage into subclips and put them in their own bins. Lastly for the day, I laid the best interview moments from all of the interviews into the timeline. That put us at about 18 minutes. Our ultimate goal is to get everything under 10.
8/6 - Thursday
Call time was 7:30am for another exciting New Perspective shoot in the studio. I was a grip and a production still photographer. Mike and I also went out to buy a variety of props beforehand. We were now completely comfortable with green screen and we used it all day. We also had a child actor on the set, so that made it even more fun. The shoot went very well and we wrapped early at 3pm. I spent the remaining two hours cutting down the interview footage.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Week Eight at NP
Happy August everyone! We're halfway through the summer already! It really has been amazing so far. Week Eight of my internship at New Perspective Productions was a week of shoots which led to other opportunities, which I will detail below. Here, then, is Week Eight.
7/28 - Tuesday
To start the week out, I went to a shoot at the Westin Hotel and Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh with Mike H. and his sound colleague Chris. Our job was to interview representatives from various energy companies during the conference. Mike operated the HVX100 P2 camera, Chris mixed and operated the boom, and I was responsible for a small portable light on a light stand which could be powered with a battery.
It was also my job to run up to the hotel room (where our other equipment was and where another colleague of New Perspective’s, Bill, sat editing our footage as it came in) and bring another battery if we needed it. The light was very easy to move around, without having to worry about finding an electrical outlet and long cables. The battery was about the size of a Trimpack battery, with a small cord that came out and connected to the cord of the small light. I had never worked with that kind of battery or light before (being used to big Arri lights) but it was very simple to use. It also had a daylight filter attached to it, which could be flipped down onto the light if we were ever near a window. With help from the producer, who was getting people to be a part of the video, we interviewed 6 representatives about their role at the conference and what they thought about being in Pittsburgh. We occasionally took P2 cards up to hotel room where Bill was editing so that he could edit on the fly. It was a very organized system. We all had a great lunch together which the hotel provided for the conference. The shoot went very smoothly.
A note about interpersonal relations on set: as a filmmaker, no matter what your individual role is on set, it is your job (along with everyone else) to maintain as positive an attitude as possible with all you encounter, even if one or more of the people you are working with are not. There are always going to be people you work with whom you may not like. Some people can be grumpy, annoying, or downright rude, but that doesn’t mean you should be the same. It never leads to anything good; plus, it takes away from the work you should be doing. It’s a common phrase, but sometimes, you just have to ‘smile and nod.’ I’m not saying you should allow yourself to be walked all over; if someone crosses that invisible line, let them know, but in a proactive, professional manner. Keep the bigger picture in mind. Think of what the greater project means to you, and all those people you enjoy working with who are depending on you to do a great job. As long as you maintain a positive, hard-working attitude, committed to what you are there to do, the people around you will notice and you will be the person they call for the next project.
7/29 - Wednesday
Wednesday delivered a fun day in the form of another shoot. Call time was 8:00 am at WQED Studios in Oakland for a reality show pilot episode involving 6 teenagers. Mark from NP was my supervisor for the day. I mainly observed everyone’s roles and workflows throughout the day, occasionally asking questions. At times, I held a larger role. The first thing we shot with the WQED staff was a series of interviews with each of the students in the show against a green screen. I helped with some of the interview questions. I also went to get things the crew needed.
Later on, I assisted the sound mixer on one of the sets. We both wore headphones, which were connected to a large mixing board. When we started, I could hear a low-frequency buzz that he couldn't. When I let him know about it, he asked one of the other WQED sound designers to have a listen, and he could hear it too. It wasn’t until he turned the headphone monitor knob all the way up that he started to hear the buzz. What we couldn’t figure out was whether the buzz was being recorded or if it was just how our headphones were connected to the mixing board. Nonetheless, he found a way to change the connection to reduce the buzz; I gave him feedback with the headphones while he made adjustments. Being a Sound Design minor at SCAD, it felt good to know that I had had a direct impact on the quality of the sound for a pilot TV show episode.
It rained often and hard, and I frequently had to run out in it since we were sometimes shooting outside in an 18-wheeler truck. During a break, I met an old externship supervisor of mine (and the host of ‘On Q’ on WQED), Chris Moore. I had participated in his one-week intensive externship, the Frank Bolden Urban Journalism Workshop, during high school in 2006, with a focus in Photography. I was already passionate about film at the time. The week had been a rewarding and memorable experience. All 3 of my news articles and a couple of my photographs were featured in the workshop’s section of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Mr. Moore and I quickly caught up on the past 3 years (no easy feat), and we continued our work at the studio. I ran into him again as we were wrapping up the shoot. The 2009 Journalism Workshop at Point Park University was starting the coming weekend, and he decided to invite me to speak as an alumna of the program at the alumni panel discussion to help inspire this year’s class of externship students. I was honored and gladly accepted the invitation to speak that Saturday.
7/30 - Thursday
Back at New Perspective, I took a breather on Thursday from all the shoots. I was given the job of cutting out designs for an entry form that NP had designed. Later, I watched and transcribed footage that was taken during my vacation week. I took notes on the best clips to prepare for the editing process.
Since there were delays in scheduling interviewees who had conflicts with our timetable, there are now two weeks left for editing, with at least one interview to go. It is times like these that make me thankful that we are shooting digitally (knock on wood). There were some format issues with the most recently-shot footage, but those have been resolved now. Due to another shoot on Tuesday (tomorrow), we start editing this Wednesday. Since I’m leading the editing portion of this project, I intend to cover a lot of ground on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, the other interns will take over.
8/1 - Saturday
I just thought I’d note how the alumni panel discussion at the Journalism Workshop at Point Park University went. In two words: incredibly well. I met some old classmates from the 2006 Workshop and networked with some other alumni. When it was my turn to speak, everything came very naturally. It felt very rewarding to have so many students be engaged and fascinated by the work I was doing now, since graduating from the externship. They were particularly interested in SCAD and my film and sound design work.
At one point, Chris Moore decided to pull down the screen in the classroom and have me log onto the main computer so that I could pull up a recently-completed sound design project the students were interested in seeing. Afterwards, many of them were asking for SCAD’s URL and my email address. I could tell that at least 3 of them would be on SCAD’s website that night. It was all very exciting and I was humbled by their enthusiasm and motivation. The whole experience was a nice reminder of how far I have come thus far. And it all occurred because I happened to be on a film shoot at WQED.
If you’re interested, here is that sound design project from last Spring Quarter at Savannah College of Art and Design. It is a 3-minute clip from the film ‘Deep Impact’ with the entire soundtrack redesigned (music, dialogue, and sound effects).
7/28 - Tuesday
To start the week out, I went to a shoot at the Westin Hotel and Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh with Mike H. and his sound colleague Chris. Our job was to interview representatives from various energy companies during the conference. Mike operated the HVX100 P2 camera, Chris mixed and operated the boom, and I was responsible for a small portable light on a light stand which could be powered with a battery.
A note about interpersonal relations on set: as a filmmaker, no matter what your individual role is on set, it is your job (along with everyone else) to maintain as positive an attitude as possible with all you encounter, even if one or more of the people you are working with are not. There are always going to be people you work with whom you may not like. Some people can be grumpy, annoying, or downright rude, but that doesn’t mean you should be the same. It never leads to anything good; plus, it takes away from the work you should be doing. It’s a common phrase, but sometimes, you just have to ‘smile and nod.’ I’m not saying you should allow yourself to be walked all over; if someone crosses that invisible line, let them know, but in a proactive, professional manner. Keep the bigger picture in mind. Think of what the greater project means to you, and all those people you enjoy working with who are depending on you to do a great job. As long as you maintain a positive, hard-working attitude, committed to what you are there to do, the people around you will notice and you will be the person they call for the next project.
7/29 - Wednesday
Wednesday delivered a fun day in the form of another shoot. Call time was 8:00 am at WQED Studios in Oakland for a reality show pilot episode involving 6 teenagers. Mark from NP was my supervisor for the day. I mainly observed everyone’s roles and workflows throughout the day, occasionally asking questions. At times, I held a larger role. The first thing we shot with the WQED staff was a series of interviews with each of the students in the show against a green screen. I helped with some of the interview questions. I also went to get things the crew needed.
Later on, I assisted the sound mixer on one of the sets. We both wore headphones, which were connected to a large mixing board. When we started, I could hear a low-frequency buzz that he couldn't. When I let him know about it, he asked one of the other WQED sound designers to have a listen, and he could hear it too. It wasn’t until he turned the headphone monitor knob all the way up that he started to hear the buzz. What we couldn’t figure out was whether the buzz was being recorded or if it was just how our headphones were connected to the mixing board. Nonetheless, he found a way to change the connection to reduce the buzz; I gave him feedback with the headphones while he made adjustments. Being a Sound Design minor at SCAD, it felt good to know that I had had a direct impact on the quality of the sound for a pilot TV show episode.
It rained often and hard, and I frequently had to run out in it since we were sometimes shooting outside in an 18-wheeler truck. During a break, I met an old externship supervisor of mine (and the host of ‘On Q’ on WQED), Chris Moore. I had participated in his one-week intensive externship, the Frank Bolden Urban Journalism Workshop, during high school in 2006, with a focus in Photography. I was already passionate about film at the time. The week had been a rewarding and memorable experience. All 3 of my news articles and a couple of my photographs were featured in the workshop’s section of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Mr. Moore and I quickly caught up on the past 3 years (no easy feat), and we continued our work at the studio. I ran into him again as we were wrapping up the shoot. The 2009 Journalism Workshop at Point Park University was starting the coming weekend, and he decided to invite me to speak as an alumna of the program at the alumni panel discussion to help inspire this year’s class of externship students. I was honored and gladly accepted the invitation to speak that Saturday.
7/30 - Thursday
Back at New Perspective, I took a breather on Thursday from all the shoots. I was given the job of cutting out designs for an entry form that NP had designed. Later, I watched and transcribed footage that was taken during my vacation week. I took notes on the best clips to prepare for the editing process.
Since there were delays in scheduling interviewees who had conflicts with our timetable, there are now two weeks left for editing, with at least one interview to go. It is times like these that make me thankful that we are shooting digitally (knock on wood). There were some format issues with the most recently-shot footage, but those have been resolved now. Due to another shoot on Tuesday (tomorrow), we start editing this Wednesday. Since I’m leading the editing portion of this project, I intend to cover a lot of ground on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, the other interns will take over.
8/1 - Saturday
I just thought I’d note how the alumni panel discussion at the Journalism Workshop at Point Park University went. In two words: incredibly well. I met some old classmates from the 2006 Workshop and networked with some other alumni. When it was my turn to speak, everything came very naturally. It felt very rewarding to have so many students be engaged and fascinated by the work I was doing now, since graduating from the externship. They were particularly interested in SCAD and my film and sound design work.
At one point, Chris Moore decided to pull down the screen in the classroom and have me log onto the main computer so that I could pull up a recently-completed sound design project the students were interested in seeing. Afterwards, many of them were asking for SCAD’s URL and my email address. I could tell that at least 3 of them would be on SCAD’s website that night. It was all very exciting and I was humbled by their enthusiasm and motivation. The whole experience was a nice reminder of how far I have come thus far. And it all occurred because I happened to be on a film shoot at WQED.
If you’re interested, here is that sound design project from last Spring Quarter at Savannah College of Art and Design. It is a 3-minute clip from the film ‘Deep Impact’ with the entire soundtrack redesigned (music, dialogue, and sound effects).
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