BEHIND THE SCENES

A behind the scenes look at specific shoots where I describe the challenges each shoot
encountered, as well as the advantages that made them go smoothly.

Mannes, the New School "Centennial"

Mannes, a music school in NYC owned by the New School, celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2016. To celebrate, Mannes wanted to make a series of videos about the alumni, making small vignettes about their most celebrated musicians. I was hired to shoot the interviews and b-roll, and to coordinate with a producer from Mannes on the edit and color grade.

Challenges. For the most part, I'd consider this a one-person crew. There were some shoots where we had a production assistant, but largely the shoots were just me and the producer. Setting up two cameras, lighting and audio equipment on travel shoots is not always the easiest, especially since some of these shoots were in Italy and the UK. Just traveling to some of these places took a lot of effort and planning. In the case of our shoot outside London
Advantages. Luckily, the producer from Mannes is someone I know well, and someone who has directed and edited short films. So, the logistical stuff of where to be and when, and knowing the right questions to ask before interviews was something she had had much experience with. It isn't enough to just find a time that works for an interviewee, there are questions about space, set up time, and whether or not a room is quiet enough.

These shoots were absolutely some of the most fun I've had while working. That said, I can't understate how hard it is to move eight hard cases filled with equipment and a cart. It's no small feat! It was from these shoots that I've figured out how to pack the most I have into the fewest number of bags in a way that will be the most portable. The only time I seriously questioned my spatial intelligence was in Italy when we called a cab to move all the equipment from the hotel to the shoot location. I wish I had a photo! The cab driver looked at me like I was insane as we pushed everything in the trunk of something small enough to make a Fiat blush. It's from these shoots that I always look at what I want to shoot with, then pare it down to what I need to shoot with.

The other main challenge, as it seems with any shoot involving an interview, is working around other people's schedules. Our subject, Myung-Whun Chung, had a rehearsal and a press interview before we met with him, meaning we had to wait until that was over to find out what we could and couldn't shoot in La Scala. The interview itself, which happened on the second day, was also pushed into the afternoon, a change we didn't anticipate. Working with high profile people means always being ready to change the shooting schedule.

DJI "drobots/tello"

When I got the call from DJI, the world's largest drone maker, I was stoked. They wanted me to travel to DC to document and interview a group running a camp for the YWCA as they showed young girls how to fly drones. The idea behind these videos from a production standpoint is to get the best quality content while having the smallest footprint. These videos are a great example of what I can create by myself as the producer, shooter, sound and editor. It’s not always ideal to do everything, but in order to get the story DJI wanted, this approach was the best.

Challenges: Trying to make a cinematic look/feel despite being inside for most of the shoot. The sample videos I was sent as a reference were of whales being cut loose from fishing nets and the London Police using an Inspire drone to find a missing person on the side of the room. I had 20 young girls flying (and crashing) drones in a basement.
Advantages: Having good communication with the client at DJI and with the team at Drobots, the ones running the camp. Also having a pretty clear idea of what was needed as a final product for DJI--I knew they needed to show how the small drone was useful and how it was used as a teaching tool.

When I first showed up, I could tell how hard it would be to get the cinematic shots, let alone get things in focus. Everything moved very fast and at a close distance, which makes for difficult framing and focusing. I knew I had to get outside if I was going to get something better, something more like what DJI has been putting out for the past few years.

In addition to my b-roll challenge, I had to fit in interviews a the tight timeframe. Since the camp ran from 10-12 in the morning and 1-3 in the afternoon, it was hard enough to get all the b-roll I wanted, let alone get quality interviews. I stacked most of the interviews on the second day, figuring I'd get the b-roll the first day. Using zoom lenses to work quickly, and having the interview area set up before the camp started, I was able to get the b-roll and interviews. Having a dedicated area to do the interviews--which took up a whole room with the tripods, lighting and audio--was key for me. Otherwise I would have used too much time setting up and breaking down every time someone said they could do an interview, which usually meant they only had 20 minutes.

Despite the challenge of getting the cinematic look, I'm very happy with how this turned out. Working with DJI was great, because they coordinated the shoot, providing me a framework to work within. From there, it was all about finding the most interesting visuals and working out the story from the interviews.

OFF-WHITE MEDIA

RATES

VIDEO

Director: $1500
Director of Photography: $1200
Camera Operator: $900
Audio Engineer: $1200
Assistant Camera: $750
Gaffer: $750
Grip: $650
DIT: $900
Production Assistant: $250