For my internship project, I took the lead on a video for the North County Media Center's e2 Media Network. This means that I set up the shoot, direct the shoot, and completed post-production. The video features my mentor Jefferson Drexler and his thoughts regarding the current election. This project was important because Jefferson wanted to be able to spread his message further with a video and it gave me an essential opportunity to learn by doing.
My main takeaway from this project is the importance of being able to set up a good shoot efficiently. I took a bit of time trying to set up the shoot myself and needed a bit of guidance from Jefferson. However, I did eventually set up the shoot properly and was able to learn from my mistakes. For example, I am now able to set up lights much more effectively. From completing project, I know have a much firmer grasp on how lights and their placement affect an image.
My main takeaway from this project is the importance of being able to set up a good shoot efficiently. I took a bit of time trying to set up the shoot myself and needed a bit of guidance from Jefferson. However, I did eventually set up the shoot properly and was able to learn from my mistakes. For example, I am now able to set up lights much more effectively. From completing project, I know have a much firmer grasp on how lights and their placement affect an image.
After setting up, we began the shoot with me directing Jefferson as he spoke to camera. This job mostly involved me making sure that the shot was always properly framed, that Jefferson stayed near the center of the frame, and that equipment like the boom mic were hidden from sight. Directing required a lot of focus on both the frame and surrounding environment to make sure that video was visually appealing throughout and that nothing interfered with it.
After the shoot, I began editing. I started by first cutting the footage that I already had to create a five minute "base" for the rest of the footage I would use. After creating this "base," I began searching for and incorporating footage and images into the video. It took me hours to be able to find and properly edit this footage into the video. Timing is incredibly important in editing, so I really had to listen to Jefferson's cadence to make sure that the video flowed smoothly. Lastly, I had to incorporate music that would give the video more emotional weight. This took me a while, but after searching on Soundcloud for quite a bit of time, I finally managed to find three tracks that would support the video's content and not draw too much attention to themselves.
Overall this project was a great learning experience that also helped me provide important content for the e2 Media Network. The opportunity to take the lead on a video was a great one that gave me real hands-on learning experiences. While I did get guidance from my mentor, especially during the set up, he made sure to give me enough freedom so that I was able to explore and learn about video production.
Overall this project was a great learning experience that also helped me provide important content for the e2 Media Network. The opportunity to take the lead on a video was a great one that gave me real hands-on learning experiences. While I did get guidance from my mentor, especially during the set up, he made sure to give me enough freedom so that I was able to explore and learn about video production.