We're Off To See The Wizard

The scope of this project was a feature on Olathe Northwest's production of Wizard of Oz. This story focused on Grace Horvat and Allie Carroll who play lead roles in this years musical, this video also displays the hard work that is put into the musical and how it is coming along.

 Rachel and I wanted to promote this years musical, so we began by choosing an angle and picking who to feature, we decided on Dorothy and the Wicked Witch. We then planned out interviews and when to get b-roll. After getting interviews we then stayed after school to film a full costume dress rehearsal of the musical. The video needed to be done in just a couple days so we quickly edited and put all of the footage together.

From making this video I learned how to change the lighting in our studio to make the interviewee look their best. I also learned that putting a song/nat noise throughout the video will enhance the overall feel and tone of the video. Lastly I learned that interviews should be done in interesting places.

 If I was to do this video again I would chose a more interesting interview spot and possibly do a combined interview of both lead roles. Another change I would make is to interview each subject on a different side to add variety to the interviews.

 I would use a lot of nat noise again because it makes it more interesting, I would also get a lot of b-roll again because it makes editing go faster.

I will use my experience of the new techniques I have learned and work to improve my videos.

 Overall I was very happy with the turnout of this video on such short time of editing, the b-roll was very visual and the nat noise made this package interesting. Our interviewees also had excellent interview answers.

5 Tips to a Great Interview

1. Plan and prepare questions to get the best answer out of your subject. When planning an interview the questions must be well written in order to get a good answer out of your interviewee. Start by asking questions to warm up your subject and make them feel comfortable, then proceed to harder questions. Ask questions that need an explanation with their answer, opposed to yes or no questions. Getting good answers are crucial in an interview.

2. Set up before the interviewee arrives. Prepare where your interviewee will sit (never do a standing interview, it can be uncomfortable and awkward), make sure that all camera and audio is ready to go without any technical difficulties before the actual interview. Doing this allows for a more professional and prepared feel. Remember to use the rule of thirds so the subject is not straight on the camera but at a corner of where the imaginary lines meet.

3. Lighting can make or break the look of an interview. You always want your subject to look the best so make sure the set is well lit. Too bright and the interviewee will look washed out, too dark and it would be hard too see. An interview should never be shot looking straight into a window, ideally the light would be facing the subject. Good lighting is essential and will make the overall look of the interview polished and professional.

4. During the interview keep quiet. Allow the interviewee to completely answer the question without any interruption. Head nods and smiles are good to let your subject know you are interested and engaged in what they are saying. Speaking while they are can be tempting but causes editing to be quite difficult and unable to use certain audio clips because of the interruption. Keep your lip zipped during the interview.

5. White balance the camera. Without white balance the hue of the camera will be either a yellowish orange or blue. Press the white balance button on the camera to balance all color. While editing the color can be corrected on the computer but it can be timely, always white balance before the interview.

Unique Artist: Shannon Smith

The scope of this project was to show a unique artist at ONW and how she expresses herself. We found out what her hopes are and what she wants to be. Shannon Smith talks about why she paints her face and applying to colleges.

To start this project we began by meeting with Shannon and asking her if she would like a feature story. We then began getting b-roll in her art classes and conducting an interview. After getting all of the footage we began editing. We pulled pictures of her artwork off of her Instagram for the package. This package was unique because we filmed her painting her face with different angles. Once editing was done we exported it.

 Along the way I learned that audio can be difficult to balance but to switch it to dual mono on final cut pro. I learned how to use extreme close ups to enhance a video. As far as collaborating I learned how to work with the subject and make them feel comfortable and not intimidated by the camera, I also learned how to shoot an interview with two cameras.

If I was to do this project again I would make the second interview at more of an angle and get more b-roll of her artwork. I would also steady the camera and make sure it is focused to create better sequences.

 I would set up two cameras again for multiple interview angles, I would also do the sequencing the same.

I will use my experience of setting up interviews, getting b-roll, and using the 6-shot system to enhance my next project.

Overall I liked the turnout of this project and how the beginning was unique. Next time I will make the audio more balanced.