After shooting for our intern team’s pro-bono video, we’reback in the office, starting our post-production week. Also known as another fun week with Avid Media Composer. While going through all the footage from the Think Local First Awards night, the team was surprised by how much we have improved. Here is our On-Set Survival Guide we created from all the mistakes we made before.
Battery is life.It was a four hour shoot at the Think Local First Awards show. We filmed the setup, registration and conducted interviews. We were responsible for making a sizzle reel out of the event. Everything went smoothly until a near heart attack moment approached when the battery sign turned from green to yellow, and eventually to the breathtaking red. However, we learned from our dead lavalier mic experience from our first shoot. The intern team had a set of fully charged batteries standing by for all types of equipment.
Don’t depend on the lighting at the event. The Double R intern production team was thrilled to find out that the awards show was located in a well-lit and spacious showroom. Everything was perfect for filming, but of course, the peaceful situation didn’t last long. When guests started entering the room, the lights were dimmed to a dark party mood. We would have panicked when the low light warning popped up on our camera screen but we had our portable lights with us. We attached the light to our camera and the team was all set to film again.
Guess what would be the last thing on the survival guide? No surprise here. The 7Ps. Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Production. Always be prepared. Plan out the best you can and be flexible to deal with any on-set video-situation.
-Shirley
