first set of interviews
interviewer:
Being the interviewer was an interesting process, trying to ask questions that would get me enough information to create a substantial video. Working with humans rather than plushies was a very different experience, but it gives me an idea of what I'm going to be doing in the future. I need to be more forward with the way I "direct", because I was too nervous for a while to remind Emmett that he needs to repeat the question in his answer. B-roll was also slightly difficult for me, becuase I wasn't able to get any pictures of Emmett so it would be easier to connect him with the topics rather than random images from google. After this first experience I now have a basis on which to base my second interview on. In class, I heard Emmett critiquing my interview, mentioning how none of the pictures included him. However, I did ask him to send me B roll and he never did, and I had to finish the assignment so I could continue moving forward. My favorite comment is, "wow this editor was really great".
being interviewed:
Being interviewed was really awkward for me. Personally, I don't really like being in front of a camera, so starting off I was really nervous to be talking and video taped. I said "Um," a lot because of being nervous, which made editing kind of difficult for Stephen. I also forgot to restate the question in some of my answers, which I know from dealing with is annoying to edit because once you take the actual question out it might be difficult to have any idea what the person being interviewed is talking about. Honestly, this was probably the part of the first set I enjoyed the least. It's also awkward sitting so close to Stephen and watching him edit with my face on his computer. It was interesting to see what he cut out and what he left in (especially my answer to the "do you like cheese" question he asked because I'm from Wisonsin). This experience does let me know what I can do better next time.
working the camera:
For me, working the camera was the easiest part of the process, as it probably is for most people. After focusing and framing the shot, pressing the record button and saying "camera rolling, action", the job was pretty simple. To frame, I really focused on the rule of thirds (which I've used in photography), to make the shot more interesting. Focusing was simple, as I'd practiced it in my plushie video. Lighting was new to me, because I'd never used lights like that before. Then all I had to do was watch the time, and then say "cut" after a few seconds when they're done with the interview. The most important thing in this job is focusing, lighting and framing the shot as well as giving the interviewer enough empty time to edit with (reason for the few seconds at the end and the beginning). I like being behind the camera, and this really solidified that for me. I honestly don't really like doing interviews, but this is important to have a basis of film and how to film with people.
Second set of interviews
interviewer:
Being the interviewer has gotten less stressful, because now I had basic questions and I decided to do it more conversation style instead of asking a different variety of questions. I asked him questions that generally had to do with something he said previously. Editing was more difficult than last time, because Adam, who was behind the camera, didn't let me know when we had reached around 4 minutes, so he ended up keeping the camera rolling for 8 and a half minutes, which I spent all of wednesday cutting down. Thursday, I spent the day finding what B roll I could, and I emailed Noah asking for pictures specifically of him and his cats. He was unable to send me them before Friday, so again, I had to improvise with pictures I found online.
being interviewed:
Being interviewed was a lot easier this time around. I was a lot more comfortable in front of the camera, and the questions I was being asked distracted me from the fact that I was being filmed. Adam asked thought provoking questions, such as "is a hotdog a sandwich" and "if you could change the sky to any color, what would it be?" The transitions Adam chose were interesting, and he didn't edit out a lot. He kept in some of my pauses, and I'm not sure what he took out, since his interview is over 2 and a half minutes. The music is interesting, I'm still getting mixed responses on whether or not we were supposed to put music in the video. I still don't like the way I look, and I'm not sure about the angle of the camera/focus/lighting. It honestly doesnt look like Adam did any color correction on the film.
working the camera:
Being behind the camera was even more simple this time, because I understood what I was supposed to do the first time, so I was able to do it the same way the second. However, this time I was unsure about the placement of the light, but I didn't think it was awful so I didn't say anything. Though I could also be completely wrong and the light was where it was supposed to be. It took me a little while to focus the camera, because I wanted it to be perfect, although I'm sure it's not as good as it could be. I kept the time around 5 minutes, so that Noah wouldn't have too much footage he would have to go through to edit. I thought the angle was okay. I know I could have done better but it all comes with time and practice I guess. This was the first interview we filmed on Tuesday, so I checked that the mic and everything was working, and that the rule of thirds applied so when we switched places, the DPs after me wouldn't have to change anything, at least in terms of framing. When we first started filming, it was really bright outside so Adam looked very pale and white on the screen, but looking at the final product I dont think the light was as bad as it could have been.