The newly re-named Interactive Media Program at Bradley University (of which I am a member) is updating the Slane College of Communications website. Jim Ferolo, head of the program, asked me, with the help of my class, to handle the production of introductory videos for the five departments that make up the college. Sounds like a simple task. Except…
The professors selected to be interviewed did not have time when my students were available to assist. So, I was doing the shooting alone for the most part. No problem! I’ve done it before. They were also all over campus. Well, I guess I get a workout!
We also had a variety of lighting conditions with which to contend. Still no problem! We shoot fluorescent and use color balanced bulbs for each environment.
Finally, for the visual effect, we were shooting with the Canon 5D MkII. This added some fun to the mix! The video from the camera is stunning. The lack of manual controls is a bit of a problem but a bit of internet searching allowed me to get results with which I could work. However, the audio on camera has auto gain and no level meters. Plus it only has a mono 1/8″ input for an external mic. Shooting alone, I couldn’t find a way to handle the camera, monitor a separate audio recorder. So, I had to use a Beachtek box for XLR conversion and hope for the best! This worked OK for the most part. Except that the Beachtek is stereo. It has a mono switch that sends either XLR input to both channels. Which works fine unless the switch gets flipped! I had to re-shoot 5 interviews because of this.
My class is now editing the videos. We need more B-roll to finish. Things are moving along and they’ll be done soon. I’ll post video when they’re ready.
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