CHAPTER

Preproduction and Production

Some clients who ask to have video projects produced think it should take much less time than it actually does. Some think, “We need a 30-minute tape of a performance, so maybe it might take only an hour or two. Enough time to set up, shoot, pack up, and maybe do a little bit of editing.” In professional video, a little bit of experience goes a long way. People who have produced video know that shooting is just a part of the three-stage process of making professional videos, which includes preproduction, production, and postproduction.

Making a high-quality video program is not something you can do on the spur of the moment. It takes hours of thinking, planning, writing, rewriting, more planning, and other kinds of hard work. Like painting a picture or writing a story, it takes skill, time, and lots of effort.

This chapter will guide you from the preliminary stages of thinking about a video project through the essential steps needed for preproduction to the day of actual production and shooting. The activities discussed in this chapter will make the difference between success and failure. Preparing for the shoot and actually performing the shoot are phases in the overall production process in which most of the planning and video work is accomplished. Bad planning or a lack of planning leads to video disasters. Overlooking the need for careful planning is a common amateur’s mistake. The first part, Preproduction, guides you through all the steps you will need to plan your project in a professional way. The second part, Production, guides you through the day or days of the shoot and gives you the information you need to begin, execute, and finish a professional-style video shoot in the field.

PART ONE: PREPRODUCTION

Between the scriptwriting and the actual production of an EFP video comes the time for preproduction planning and preparation. This part of the production process should account for a majority of the total time spent on the project. Since careful and efficient planning at this stage can save time and money in the actual production phase, it is not unusual for video professionals to spend about 60 to 80 percent of the project time in preproduction activities. The preproduction phase leads to a further divergence in methods between the electronic news gathering (ENG) and electronic field production (EFP) styles of portable video.

ELECTRONIC NEWS GATHERING

ENG style demands that events be covered as soon as they occur—leaving little or no time for careful planning. Preparations for upcoming stories are simply the experiences gained from the previous stories. Events occur on their own schedules, forcing the ENG videographer to cope with whatever difficulties are encountered without the benefit of a second take.

ENG situations call for a more bare-bones style of TV photography. The number-one goal is simply to bring back acceptable quality video from every assignment, regardless of conditions or difficulty. What you can do beyond this in the way of quality and content is what makes a news videographer great. Often, all the equipment needed for the entire day must be carried by you at all times during that day—you must literally wear the gear. This limits the complexity of what you can do. It does not, however, limit the creativity of what you can do. Where EFP plans for every contingency and need, ENG plans for how much use can be derived from any one item of gear. The ability to travel quickly without an overload of equipment is essential due to the many deadlines in news gathering. Also, the poor economy that began in 2007 led many news outlets to switch from teams of a videographer, sound technician, reporter, producer, and editor to the “one-man band” crew. In other words, instead of paying four or five people to get a story, many news outlets pay one person to cover, write, report, light, shoot, get audio, edit, and send the story back to the station. Although this is not always the case, many young reporters or news photojournalists are being told that to get a job or keep their current one, they must be able to “do it all.” Obviously problems result from having one person carry all the equipment and set up the tripod, camera, lights, microphones, and other equipment. Just getting through doors while carrying all the equipment can be problematic.

A news videographer learns through experience to anticipate how the story will unfold and what equipment will be useful on any given shoot. The trick is to always have what you need before you need it and not have too much when you do not need it. The ability to improvise is the number-one item on the list of things to bring.

Because of the nature of news stories, everything you may ever need for a shoot should be in the van or car with you every day. A return trip to the station may be impossible, and you may not even know what assignments you will have for that day. It is incumbent on the videographer, in many newsrooms, to find out what the next assignment is. Often the information given to the videographer is little more than a street address. Sometimes the assignment may require special considerations that the videographer really needs to know about. The first of these considerations is whether the story is to be shot live and sent via microwave or air card to the station or not. The planning for any event or story starts when the story is assigned. This may be days, hours, or just minutes before the shoot begins. When more time is available for planning, the news shooters have more of an opportunity to add additional elements to their shooting plan. The result is that the production values of the story are raised. In the case of spot news, you may have only the time it takes to drive to the location to formulate a plan as to how to shoot the scene, how much time to spend doing each task, and how to get a live shot ready for the 5:00, 6:00, or 10:00 or 11:00 PM news. A news videographer always has a plan waiting and ready.

ELECTRONIC FIELD PRODUCTION

EFP productions are usually shot from a carefully planned script or storyboard that gives the videographer control over much of what is shot. The preparation for EFP work is actually similar to the preproduction process for studio work, but with some important differences. As in studio preproduction, EFP preproduction includes crew and talent organization and selection; a large amount of scheduling, budgeting, graphics planning, preparation, and the procurement of clearance on copyrighted materials. Studio and EFP preproduction clearly differ, however, because of the added tasks of location selection, travel for talent and crew, and transportation of equipment to the desired location for EFP production. (See Figure 6.1.)

FIGURE 6.1
Preproduction checklist.

PRODUCTION CREW

The responsibility for selecting the crew is commonly the domain of a person called the executive producer. This person first selects a producer who then helps the executive producer select the other major members of the production crew, including the director, videographer, audio engineer, lighting director, talent, grip, and editor. The number of people assigned to each task depends on the complexity of the project. A small project may require only one person in each area of responsibility or even one person who covers several areas. Larger projects require several people in each area.

News-gathering crews are usually just one or two people: the videographer with or without a reporter. A recent trend has been to have a one-person crew where the videographer and the reporter are the same person. Reporters are sent out with a small camcorder or DSLR to cover a story. Today, it’s expected that a reporter can write, report, shoot, and edit a story. People who can do this type of one-person reporting are referred to as backpack journalists or multimedia journalists. The latter title refers to people whose video may be used on a web site as part of an online newspaper or news service.

As market size or the demand for quality increases, a news crew can have a staff that is similar in size to a major EFP shoot. This is especially true in the area of documentary shooting. While technically a news-style product, documentaries are often done more like production work, sometimes having large crews and several layers of creative and financial control. In the next sections, the major crew members and their responsibilities are discussed.

Executive Producer

The production crew begins with the executive producer, who acts as a general supervisor of the project and often serves in this capacity on more than one project at a time. The executive producer initiates selection of the production crew after deciding on project feasibility given all the financial, equipment, personnel, and time constraints. Very often the executive producer makes the pitch for the program or project, which can result in getting the money that funds the project.

For the executive producer position, a scriptwriter or project creator often seeks someone who is able to find a funding source as well as the personnel and equipment to produce the script. Once the funding is located, the executive producer often decides generally how the money will be spent. Acting as a liaison between a client and the EFP team, the executive producer frequently selects (or at least suggests) the major members of the production team: the producer, director, and talent. The executive producer may also seek outlets for the exhibition of the project, if appropriate. After initiating the project and selecting a producer, the executive producer often plays a minor role in the day-to-day operation of the project, which is by then delegated to the producer.

Producer

The producer is usually selected by the executive producer and is involved from the very beginning of an EFP project as the overall coordinator and schedule-maker. Although the specifics of scheduling are often the responsibility of others on the team, the producer sets the parameters for the project (e.g., the completion date). Having the best overall picture of the specific needs of the current production, the producer also knows the requirements for other projects that involve the production facility. The pivotal person on the video production team, the producer, makes the day-to-day decisions regarding money, personnel selection, and schedule.

For many projects done in-house at TV stations, production companies, or corporations, the team may already be assembled and on staff, simply moving from project to project. Larger companies may have many people in pools of job categories selected on the basis of availability, not ability. While this system works most of the time, it can lead to disaster. It is always better to hand-pick the production team to get the best working relationships and the best end product.

Director

The director takes a script for a video project and translates it into a visual reality. The director is, therefore, an interpreter of the scriptwriter’s words, a translator who takes written communication and transforms it into visual communication, or makes a storyboard come to life. The director must coordinate activities just before and during production, as well as coordinate the activities of the camera operator, talent, and lighting director during rehearsals to create the effect called for by the script or storyboard.

Once the desired aesthetic effect is achieved in rehearsal, the director can begin the actual recording. A good EFP director should know the film style of shooting a scene because most EFP productions differ from studio TV in that EFP usually involves one portable camera rather than several studio cameras. The film style of direction does not require one-take production with little or no postproduction editing. Instead, in film style, the director uses one camera to retake the scene from different camera angles and focal lengths to allow selection during postproduction and the freedom to shoot scenes out of sequence for efficiency.

The director must also be able to work with people effectively. This may involve coaching, cajoling, coercing, or otherwise persuading actors and other performers to get the desired performance from them. The director must accomplish this without alienating or demeaning the talent. One disgruntled actor can easily sour the efforts of an entire crew. Since field production involves smaller crews than studio work, each crew member’s performance is essential to the success of the shoot. The director is responsible for getting the best possible work from the entire crew.

Production Manager

The production manager is responsible for making sure that the equipment is available and is scheduled properly for shoots. Often, the production manager is the person who understands the needs of the script and translates those needs into specific pieces of equipment and crew members to operate the equipment. The production manager is typically the crew member who, along with the producer, actually schedules the shoots and reserves the needed equipment.

Videographer

The videographer in field TV has a larger responsibility than the videographer in studio TV, primarily because the field director does not sit in front of a monitor bank in a sound-isolated control room and give directions as does the director in studio TV. In the field, the director may have a portable monitor (which may be small or washed out by the sun) but cannot always give direction during a shot, because spoken commands may be picked up by live microphones.

Camera directions are given before a shot, and both director and videographer work together to make each shot look its best. A good videographer takes the director’s verbal commands or instructions from a shot list and gets the desired camera shots. A good videographer also finds additional shots through the variation of camera angle, focal length, selective focus, or camera movement. This can make a scene more interesting after it is edited. If the director is working from a storyboard, the videographer gives suggestions as to how the camera can be placed and moved to match the desired look and effect.

Audio Engineer

The EFP audio engineer is responsible for accurately recording sounds on the location shoot. Unlike studio audio engineers who have the equipment storeroom within easy reach, the field sound engineer, or sound recordist, must anticipate all sound requirements for the location shoot and pack the necessary items to accommodate them. Once on location, the audio engineer must live with the equipment decisions already made.

While studio sound engineers often have large, easy-to-read volume unit (VU) meters and high-quality control room monitor speakers to assess sound quality, location audio engineers often cope with tiny VU meters located on a portable audio mixer and a set of headphones. Since the camcorder is designed to be operated by one person, the camera operator may have to assume the duties of the audio engineer. This may be easy when the production is very basic, but can be quite a burden on the videographer when the audio situation is complex. When more than one or two microphones are required, the person assuming audio responsibilities must set up the microphones with the use of a mixer and then provide one or two audio channels from the mixer to the camcorder for recording. Audio engineers sometimes record a separate soundtrack, called wild sound, on an audio recorder so it can be added in postproduction.

Lighting Director

Location shoots require lighting that will satisfy the basic needs of the camera and the aesthetic requirements of the script. On smaller crews, that job goes to the videographer, but as the size and complexity of the production grows, a separate crew member, the lighting director, can be an indispensable addition. The videographer may need to start blocking and shooting one location while the lighting director and crew start lighting the next location to move the production along at a quicker pace. The lighting director should not only have a thorough knowledge of lighting techniques and instruments but also a familiarity with the specific demands of the lighting situation and the electrical power capabilities of the locations.

Grip or Utility

In the film industry, almost every member of the crew has a specific job title that has evolved over the years. Jobs like best boy, gaffer, and key grip are lumped into one title for TV production: the grip. People from a TV studio background usually call them utilities. Unlike in the film industry, these grips or utilities can cover quite a broad range of jobs in the production unless otherwise limited by a union agreement.

On any given crew, one or more members function as a grip whose responsibilities are to hold, or grip, reflectors or lights, a shotgun microphone, the recorder, or any other piece of equipment that requires attention during the shoot. The grip is often an assistant or apprentice to one of the other crew members and should have a basic knowledge of the equipment—that is, the grip should know the equipment by name and how to handle it. Because of the responsibility of holding equipment during the shoot, the grip should be steady and capable of moving equipment in and out of the location as well as in and out of the vehicle used for transporting the equipment.

Talent

Selecting talent is a somewhat different chore from selecting other members of the team. Whereas other crew members are most often employed by the same company as the producer, the talent may not be. In a half-dozen different shoots, it would not be unusual to have a different main talent for each one. This may not be the case, however, in industrial videos for training and demonstration purposes, or for internal public relations programs that have a regular host.

Talent may be selected by committee or by the executive producer, producer, or director. Talent can be locally acquired on location (i.e., in the city you will be traveling to) or imported with the rest of the crew. One mistake often made by beginners is to select nonprofessional actors as talent because of their voice or overall appearance. This can be dangerous. Inexperienced talent often force numerous retakes, because they may be unable to take direction to correct mistakes. Sometimes nonprofessionals look terrific in person or in rehearsal but cannot adapt to the real situation when taping. The advice here is to stick to experienced professionals whenever the budget allows.

As in so many areas of today’s TV production, many professionals are likely to be in a union or guild. This is very much the case with talent. Many professional performers are required to join either the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) or the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). A requirement of membership is the commitment never to work without a union contract, even in a nonunion production. This means you will have to pay minimum professional rates (and maybe more) to have a union professional in your show.

Editor

The editor takes the original, or raw, footage that has been shot and, with the help of a script, reassembles the program into its proper order. Often the scenes are shot out of sequence and numerous takes are available for each scene. This allows the editor to use some creativity and professional skills to produce a finished product that is creative and visually pleasing. However, the product must also follow the accepted rules for keeping the flow of the program visually and chronologically correct, while conveying the meaning intended by the producer, director, and scriptwriter.

A good editor enhances the ideas of the people who wrote and visually interpreted the script without changing either its meaning or its effect on the viewer. When hiring an editor, look for three skills: a thorough knowledge of the software and computers involved, knowledge of the workflow from camera to editor, and, most importantly, a strong sense for how to tell a story visually.

SCHEDULING AND COORDINATING

Scheduling an EFP project is often a slow and difficult process. Since many crew members in EFP work have other responsibilities, and video equipment is constantly being used for a variety of projects, getting a full crew with all the necessary equipment sometimes seems like trying to carry all the unfolded laundry without a laundry basket. If you stoop down to adjust a scheduled shoot time for a critical crew member, you may find that you have dropped something else, such as the availability of a special camera or talent. Occasionally an unforeseen delay, albeit a short one, can cause a serious problem in postproduction, such as missing a scheduled visit to the editing suite of your choice. Computer scheduling programs like Microsoft Outlook can help with the scheduling process.

Factors to Consider

When creating your schedule, first consider the general categories of items to be scheduled. You have people, equipment, materials, and facilities or locations. Prioritize these items based on your lack of control over them, and schedule first the items over which you have little control. The logic here is that once you have locked into place those items that may have no flexibility, you can more easily schedule in the more flexible items. A couple of examples may help to illustrate.

First, your independent production company may have contracted to shoot a five-minute demonstration/sales video for a company that manufactures a farm implement that attaches to a small tractor. The implement removes weeds that grow between the rows of soybean fields. Obviously, the first thing to do is find out what a soybean is and where it is grown. If you are not from the midwest, you may think that soybeans grow in health food stores. Fortunately, your client cannot only educate you about soybeans and the new product, but can also suggest an appropriate location, such as the client’s own test plots, for the shoot.

Factors such as soil conditions, weed height, soybean height, and weather may dictate whether you can actually go into the field for a demonstration. In other words, you must know the details and limitations of your location. After all of these factors are considered, a window of time (e.g., the last week of May) can be designated as the best time for the shoot to take place.

A second example probably represents a more common situation. An advertiser requests that your independent production company shoot a 30-second commercial featuring a new line of small kitchen appliances. Since the appliances require a precise setting and lighting situation, you decide that a studio is needed.

As is often the case with smaller production companies, you do not own a studio or a space large enough to house the necessary set and lights. In this case, you must find a studio that is affordable and technically acceptable. The studio must also be available at a time that will allow you enough postproduction time to have the commercial completed before the first scheduled broadcast date. Once you have the studio scheduled, you can proceed to schedule other items.

These examples were chosen because location or facilities are often the least available and not within the producer’s control. However, any necessary item can have the least availability. Your talent may have only two days a month available for shooting; the high-resolution HD camcorder that you need to rent may be in high demand and short supply; your whole team may have a sporadic schedule of shots for previously scheduled projects.

As a rule of thumb, you can expect to schedule the following categories of items (listed in descending order of scheduling difficulty):

1.  Location or special facilities (studio, office building, yacht)

2.  Special equipment (fog machine, fireworks, special spotlight)

3.  Talent or crucial crew members (a famous spokesperson or star)

4.  Postproduction time, facilities, personnel

5.  Graphics, props

6.  Crew members for noncrucial assignments

Keep in mind that for any given shoot, any or all of these can be difficult to schedule.

Guidelines for Schedule Making

There is no set formula to guide your schedule making, but here are a few hints that will come in handy when going about the chore:

•  Be flexible. Do not allow your own inflexibility to create scheduling problems. Even if you do not like starting a project on Friday, it may be the best starting day when you consider the schedules of others.

•  Do not schedule too tightly. Add time for reshooting or catch-up. If your shooting will be done outdoors, make sure you include some rain or snow dates.

•  Consult past schedules whenever possible. How long did the same crew take for a similar project in the past?

•  Have contingency plans. What is the probability of equipment failure? Are certain pieces of equipment prone to failure in the field? Make sure that equipment failure, crew no-shows, or talent problems do not prevent you from meeting your completion deadline.

LOCATION SELECTION AND SURVEY

During preproduction, the actual shooting location must be selected and investigated for specific information to facilitate the actual shoot. The script will probably guide you to a few choices for the location of your shoot. Many times the location is actually dictated by the script, for example, the Grand Canyon, a particular shopping center, or the corporate president’s office. In this case, you can avoid the selection process and go right to the scouting procedure.

When the script gives only a general description of the location (e.g., the backyard of a suburban home or a classroom), you have to select a few possible locations and scout them with a visit to see if they will satisfy your needs. Beyond the general look or aesthetics of the place, each location that you intend to use must meet some specific requirements. You may want to find some forms that will prompt you to remember all the variables that you want to consider.

FIGURE 6.2
Location scouting report used in corporate video. (Courtesy of Motorola, Integrated Information Systems Group, Visual Media Communications)

During this visit, you may find it helpful to conduct a survey for later comparison with surveys taken at alternate locations. An excellent way to do this comparison is to use a digital still camera. Using these still shots, you can sit in the comfort of the office and discuss with other members of the team which site would be better suited to the production and what problems other members foresee. The following is a list of some of the questions you need to ask during the site survey or at least before the final decision is made.

Is the location accessible? A beautiful mountain meadow or an island in the middle of a lake may be aesthetically perfect, but if your crew can only reach it on foot, by canoe, or by specially equipped four-wheel drive vehicles, you should be prepared to pay for that or look elsewhere.

Can you get permission to use the site? The owner might let you visit but not necessarily bring your 10-person crew, equipment, vehicles, and the curious onlookers often attracted by the sight of a video camera. Get permission in writing and also check local laws regarding shooting there; a permit may be required.

Can you maintain the appropriate traffic control? Shooting on a street corner or side street may seem easy during a 7:00 AM visit, but how busy would it be if you shot at 11:00 AM? Sidewalks or even hiking trails can be full of curious people, or even not-so-curious people, who demand the right-of-way. Make sure that the owner, park officials, city, or highway police agree to let you divert traffic from your location. In many cities, permits are required to shoot on or near any public property. These permits may also require fees and proof of insurance coverage.

What kind of lighting do you have? Full sun can be as troublesome as no sun at all. You may need to add fill light to harsh shadows or shaded faces. If artificial light is preferred, can you somehow eliminate the unwanted light? Time of day may dictate your shooting schedule.

What are the sound characteristics of the location? Empty rooms without carpeting or draperies may have echoes. In most cases, adding sound is no problem, but taking away sound is nearly impossible. A too-noisy location is undesirable and may require highly specialized microphones. Again, try to find out what the location sound will be at the approximate time of day at which you will shoot.

Is electrical power available at the location? If not, you may merely need to pack some batteries. But if artificial light is required, you will have to generate your own AC power. This may be accomplished with a gasoline-powered generator, but it is another piece of equipment that adds its own bulk and weight, plus that of its fuel. Also keep in mind that video lights require lots of power and that the generators produce noise as well as power.

Is there an acceptable spot available for camera placement? Many panoramic views available to the scout may be unavailable to a cumbersome video camera with attached tripod and cables. Make sure that there is a safe spot for your three-legged friend.

Does the location allow convenient loading and unloading? Are the doors and hallways wide enough and the floor even enough to allow your crew to roll in the cases of equipment? Where can you park the equipment van? Inconvenient access can add unnecessary and costly time to your shoot.

Will the location be available at any time after the scheduled shoot? It does not happen often, but even professionals can lose, destroy, or record over raw footage before the edited master is completed. Clients or producers can change their minds about how the program should look, and sometimes require a return to the location for a reshoot. Even if the need for a return shoot is rare, it is a good idea to pick a location that allows a possible return for additional shooting.

What crew conveniences are available? Will the crew have to bring their lunches? They may need adequate water, bathroom facilities, shade, or a cool spot to rest. Full sun for a full day or no sun at all may lead to some very unhappy crew members. If talent has been hired to be on location, they may have special needs that require special facilities, such as a dressing room trailer parked at the site.

Will the shoot be sent via microwave or satellite to another location? Can the signal that you send to the other location be seen, or are there buildings, mountains, or interferences that may require special arrangements?

Are safety and security an issue? Can you physically watch all your equipment (and perhaps all your people) to guarantee safety throughout your stay? How cold or hot does it get at the location? Does your insurance include coverage for shooting at the location or under the circumstances?

GRAPHICS AND PROPS PREPARATION

The preproduction stage is the appropriate time to order the graphics and other necessary materials so that they will be ready before actual production begins. For most productions, this will include things like computer-generated animation, or special graphics. In large production houses, most of these things are done in-house by staff artists, videographers, cinematographers, or computer specialists. Smaller production units often have to find specialists who can provide these materials as subcontractors.

Preproduction is the appropriate time to locate costumes, makeup accessories, set props, and other items necessary for the production. If sets or props need to be constructed, initiate the process at this point.

CLEARANCE ON COPYRIGHT MATERIALS

If you expect your video project to really be yours after completion, make sure that all the material you use has been created by you or by people who are working for you. If you or one of your coworkers uses material owned by others, you may find yourself spending time with lawyers instead of looking for more video projects to produce.

Using other people’s material without their permission is a copyright infringement; if you are caught doing it, you have created a legal problem for yourself. The problem arises very often when copyrighted music is used without permission. Four simple approaches will help you avoid this problem:

•  If you need music for your program and the music you choose is copyrighted, contact the copyright holder (the record company, music publishing company, or individual artist) in writing and ask for permission to use the material. In your request, be as specific as you can as to your intentions. Name the material, the excerpt (if appropriate), the program it will be used in, the distribution or exhibition plans, and any other relevant information. If you do this far enough in advance of your postproduction time, you may get an approval for use of the materials (referred to in the publishing business as “clearance”).

•  Use material that is in the public domain—material that has never been copyrighted or material of which the copyright has expired. Material that has not been copyrighted is probably available from your local amateur composer or music student. They may have excellent material already composed or may be able to compose music tailor-made for your project. Material composed long ago, such as old folk tunes (“I’ve Been Workin’ on the Railroad” or “Oh, Susanna”) or classical music that could be performed especially for your project, is generally available for use, since the copyright has long since expired. (Bach and Beethoven are rarely offended when you use their material.)

•  Purchase the material or subscribe to a library service that provides music or other material such as sound effects. These services work in two ways. One way allows you to use the material as often as you need to use it; you buy this privilege when paying for the material, and its use is at your discretion. A second type of service involves a needle-drop fee. Music library services provide you with the material, but you must pay when you use it. This term comes from the practice of being charged for using the material when

   your phonographic needle “drops” on the record (vinyl LPs) for actual use in a production.

•  Hire a musician or musical group that will use original compositions and perform them for you. Once you pay for this service, you should own the right to use the material.

Another consideration is that you have permission to use the images of people who appear on camera in your project. This can be accomplished by having those people sign a Model Release, in which they give specific permission for you to use their image in your project or program. More about this in Chapter 12.

TRAVEL PLANNING

By definition, all EFP involves some type of travel. Some set procedures for travel will help you to cope with the trials and tribulations of constantly leaving your home base to get the work done. If the travel is local and requires only a reasonable amount of driving time, a minivan, SUV, or hatchback automobile can usually serve the needs of a small crew and a one-camera shoot.

Transporting Equipment

For out-of-town shoots, your transportation vehicle should have plenty of space for backup equipment, extra personnel, extra tape, hard-drive recorders or memory cards, and perhaps some test or repair equipment. If your shoot is three hours away from your studio or office, you certainly do not want to waste time sending the vehicle back for an extra battery, cable, or mic. A van or truck might also allow you to bring a power generator when needed.

While EFP crews tend to carry their equipment in cases and use different vehicles for different shoots, an ENG crew often has a dedicated vehicle with the equipment always stored in that vehicle. A typical news van has many built-in shelves and storage areas for the gear (including the camera) that enable quick and easy access. Most ENG gear is kept as ready-to-shoot as possible because of the ever-present possibility of spot news happening. In these situations, seconds can mean the difference in getting the shot or not. The camera system has to be in a constant state of readiness, so that you can just turn it on and shoot. This also means that the gear must be in a secured state while riding in the vehicle at all times. You cannot have equipment rolling around or falling over while you are driving. Careful thought has to be given as to how the gear will be carried. The goal is to get as much equipment in the van as possible, keep it readily accessible, and at the same time keep it safe under all kinds of driving conditions.

Equipment Cube

Whether you drive a car, truck, or other vehicle, you should know the volume and weight of your equipment before your shoot so that you can compare these figures with the available storage space and maximum load-handling capability of your vehicle. This information is probably available in the owner’s manuals for your equipment. Before renting a vehicle for a shoot, you should find out how much cubic space is needed for your equipment. Make sure that when you reserve a rental car, you don’t just say, “Give me a minivan or an SUV.” These terms mean different things to different rental companies. If your cubic feet demand requires a particular brand of minivan, make sure that you request it by name and explain why it is important that you actually get that particular vehicle. SUVs can have widely varying cargo space. If the vehicle you get is too small, you will find that the crew does not like riding to the shoot with heavy equipment on their laps.

The process of determining the total cubic feet for your equipment can be achieved by simply stacking your equipment, which has been packed in its travel cases, on the floor in a compact manner and measuring the height, width, and depth of your cube. First, multiply height by width by depth to find the volume. Keep in mind that most rental cars, SUVs, and minivans don’t have open cargo areas but simply areas where the back seats fold down but can’t be removed. The odd spaces created by these folded seats can make loading equipment cases difficult and leave a lot of wasted space. Renting cargo vans is often the best solution, but they are not always available at airports.

FIGURE 6.3
Equipment checklist.

Measuring for the equipment cube may seem time consuming, but it only needs to be done correctly once. New pieces of equipment can usually be added to the list without going through the cube procedure. After you know the amount of cubic space you will need, it will be easier to select the appropriate vehicle for rental or purchase.

Air Travel

When the location is many miles away, air travel may be the only means of transportation. Because of the large expense involved, you are faced with some tough decisions. Should you bring a full crew and pay their airfare, lodging, and meals, or hire freelance professionals at the location? Should you bring your own equipment, pay for its transportation, risk its rough handling at airport loading and unloading, or pay to rent equipment at the location?

FIGURE 6.4
(A) These soft cases are great for carrying your equipment around town, but they are probably not strong enough when checking the equipment as baggage on a plane flight.
(B) For any type of travel, your equipment should be packed well in protective cases; the number, size, and weight of the cases should be carefully noted.
(C) Equipment cases that are designed for travel.

Both questions are complex and depend on the availability of qualified personnel and reasonably priced, dependable professional equipment. Keep in mind that renting equipment often means changing equipment or brands, and operating procedures may be different. Do this only if your personnel are experienced.

Whatever your decisions, make sure that you make your travel plans well in advance of your shoot date. Nothing is more aggravating than going through your travel decision-making process only to find that the vehicle you want to rent is not available or the flight you need is booked. Plan ahead!

Travel Tips

Here are some travel pointers to consider before traveling.

Never put your camera, camcorder, recorder, or laptop computer in with the baggage or airfreight. Always hand-carry these items as carry-on luggage, and stow them either on the floor beneath your feet or up in the overhead bin. Several companies make padded, soft cases specifically to take the camera/camcorder on a plane as carry-on luggage. The camera and recorder are the most important pieces of equipment you have, and you cannot take a chance on them being dropped from the cargo bay door by a reckless handler, or left in Chicago when you’ve gone on to Los Angeles. You must also be prepared to shoot at any time before, during, or after the flight. You should have at least one battery, a tape or storage medium, and a mic—as well as the camera—with you at all times. In some cases, the aircraft is too small to allow storage on the floor or in an overhead compartment. When you must let the crew stow your camera in a luggage compartment, it may be very helpful to personally carry the camera in its case to the aircraft. Try to explain to the person loading luggage that it is an expensive and fragile professional camera. Try to convince them to load it last (and it will be unloaded first). When you arrive, try to connect with a baggage handler to hand you the camera before you go to baggage claim.

Send all your cases through as luggage on your flight. Never ship any of your gear air freight unless you will not need it for a while after you get where you are going. Air freight can take a full day or more to get there and doesn’t arrive at the same terminal as you do.

Keep all your cases at a reasonable size and weight. Any cases larger than the biggest suitcase typically used by travelers, or any case weighing more than 70 pounds, can be rejected by the airline. This may mean more cases, but at least they will all be boarding the same flight as you.

Expect to pay an excess baggage fee for most of your cases. It is not unusual to have 15 or more cases with you for production shooting or extensive news shoots. It may cost more than sending them by freight (anywhere from $30 to $75 a case), but they will be there when you are. There often is no other option, especially for a traveling news crew.

Call the airline in advance to tell them what you are bringing. The airline may be able to help check the cases through and make better arrangements for your camera on the plane. They are used to dealing with TV crews.

Make sure everything is well packed and padded. As with the determination of your equipment cube, your regular set of gear needs to go through a packing/padding determination only once. After that, you should have a set of pads that you use whenever you travel. If you think that this is not important, watch how luggage is loaded and unloaded from airplane cargo holds. It will renew your motivation to pack and pad your equipment well.

Make a list with brand names, model numbers, and serial numbers of everything you are taking. Leave one copy at home and keep one copy with you at all times.

Remember that thieves know what expensive video equipment cases look like. In a large airport, an inattentive videographer can lose a case or two in a split second.

Have a Skycap or baggage handler help you. This costs more money, but helps prevent theft and makes it easier to haul. This used to be easier than it is now. Because of heavy security, there are fewer Skycaps at airports. Make sure that you have the personnel to handle everything if necessary.

Get a car or van that you can work out of the whole time you are on the shoot. If the car is just big enough to hold the crew and gear with no room to spare, you might find yourself having to dig out equipment every time you need something. It may be better, though more costly, to rent a bigger vehicle or a second vehicle to give yourself some room to work. At least you will not be unloading the entire car at every stop.

Foreign Travel

Traveling outside the United States can be fun and challenging but also a major headache for those who are unprepared. Each country has its own way of doing things; many do not have the rights of a free press. Doing business as usual could land you in jail and, in some repressive countries, could actually get you in big trouble. These are not things to be taken lightly. Do extensive research regarding the countries you will be traveling in to see what media restrictions may be in place. Permits may be required to do any kind of professional photography, including news. Find someone who has shot in that country before and gain from his or her experience.

In addition to the political concerns that can be dangerous to your health, there are economic concerns. Most countries, including the United States, have import/export laws placing tariffs on certain high-quality photographic and electronic equipment. After going to certain countries and returning to this one, you will be asked to prove that the equipment you have is indeed yours and that you bought it here after paying the proper taxes. The best way to prove this is to have a carnet, a document recognized by the Customs Service that guarantees that the equipment is yours. You need a complete list of all your equipment with brands, serial numbers, purchase prices, and model numbers. You should have many copies of this list with you as you travel. The carnet requires the posting of a bond for this list of gear (up to 10% of the equipment’s value). Although the document is recognized in many countries around the world, it is not recognized in all countries. The next best solution is to simply have the gear registered with the US Customs Service. The carnet is for reentry to the United States, but some countries also take it as proof of ownership. If you are going to a country that doesn’t accept a carnet, try to get in touch with their consulate here to make arrangements to get your gear in and out of that country. Always travel with as much documentation as possible. It is not unheard of to have gear confiscated or impounded for lack of documents. There are companies in almost every port, both here and abroad, that offer a customs-help service. These customs brokers are simply facilitators who, for a fee, can guide you through any customs clearance legally.

Press credentials are very useful in a foreign land. Officials at many entry points to a country are accustomed to seeing traveling news crews. Showing a press pass, even a hometown press pass, can prove effective. If your gear looks worn and has ID stickers of the station or production house on it, few customs officials will question its origin. If it is EFP gear that looks new, you will need documentation. A letter from the production company or from that country’s consulate introducing you is better than nothing. Always have a return ticket with you, even if it is for an incorrect date. Coming into a country with new or near-new video gear and a one-way ticket can send up a very large red flag. You may find yourself trying to get your gear out of the impound cage for the next few days.

Always have a sufficient amount of cash with you. It is amazing how many problems can be solved with the right amount of cash in a foreign land. Credit cards, debit cards, ATM cards, and traveler’s checks may be fine in the hotel, but not elsewhere. Bribery is not a nice word in this country, but it is a way of life in many parts of the world. Gratuities may be a better word, but regardless of what you call it, you had better be prepared for it. Never let anyone see how much money you have, and never keep it all in one place. A healthy dose of paranoia and some preplanning can make your international trip a smooth and successful one.

After the crew has been selected, schedules have been created, locations scouted and selected, and necessary travel preparations have been made, it’s almost time to begin the next phase of the project, production. Before that happens though, you need to make sure that everything that you have planned will actually occur. Inform everyone involved in the production phase when the shoot will occur, where it will occur, and what will be needed for the shoot.

Directors and production managers have to worry about two major ingredients for a successful production shoot: the people in front of and behind the camera. Getting the right people to the right location on time (and for the right length of time) requires a “meeting of the minds” between the director and the talent. Getting the right equipment and people to operate the equipment requires the production manager to schedule the equipment and the people for the shoot.

Most of the problems that occur can be avoided by common sense; be clear to the staff about what is needed and when it is needed. One of the best ways is to communicate the requirements simply and noticeably. For example, the Call Sheet shown in Figure 6.5 is a commonly used form that lists all the talent needed for a particular shoot. The top part of the sheet has spaces to list the unit of production, the day of the schedule (first day of four shoot days), the date of the shoot, the name of the production, the producer, picture title, and director. The next section lists the set, scenes, and locations for the talent.

The cast and day players are the people (talent) who must be at the shoot, and they are reminded what part they play, their makeup, the time they are needed, and other remarks about their role for that day. At the bottom, there is room to list the “Atmosphere and Stand-ins,” the people who don’t have speaking roles but must be on the set for “atmosphere,” as “background” players, or to act as stand-ins for the stars during some of the initial rehearsals.

Similar sheets can be constructed for the crew to inform them where to be, when to be there, and what jobs they will be performing. An equipment “call sheet” is equally important, especially on complex productions that require very specific audio or lighting equipment. The point for all the paperwork is to help make a complex task involving many people, lots of equipment, travel, and lots of hard work as simple and clear as possible to everyone involved in the production. Once you have everything organized for the first day of actual shooting, it’s time to move from the preproduction phase to the production phase.

FIGURE 6.5
Forms like this Call Sheet keep everyone informed about the who, when, and where for an upcoming production shoot.

PART TWO: PRODUCTION—SHOOTING ON LOCATION

Pulling up to the location of the shoot is when the moment of truth starts. The planning, preparation, and training are now going to be put to use. Now, more than ever, the main factors driving news (ENG) and production (EFP) are in play: time and money. News is done on a deadline, and production is done on a budget.

In either case, the goal is to stick with what you have learned. You must go about the act of shooting with deliberation: a conscious attention to the details of what makes a story work, what shots are necessary for editing, how much time everything is taking, and where everything is leading. This section of the chapter contains some of the general considerations that need to be dealt with in any location shoot. Each trip into the field will be different. Conditions and circumstances will be different, as will your goals. With a firm grasp of the basic elements of visual communication and the abilities of your equipment, you can execute any shooting assignment—news or production—with confidence.

The three most important points at the start of any location shooting are:

•  You must have everything you might possibly need with you at the start of the day.

•  You must adjust your needs to the limitations of the site.

•  Stick to the plan.

It is expensive to reshoot after you have wrapped from a location.

ENG VERSUS EFP

The differences between an ENG shoot and an EFP shoot can be enormous. The coverage of news events is largely unpredictable, and short notice is more common than advance notice. Therefore, the strategy for an ENG shoot is to be constantly prepared for almost any twist and turn in the situation. A news videographer never knows whether the next shoot will be a plane crash or a city council meeting. As he or she pulls up to the location a mental checklist needs to be done. Sometimes, with very little knowledge of the story or situation, the news videographer must make decisions that can affect the way the story is covered. Things as simple as whether or not to bring the tripod from the car can change the way the story is visually approached. Anticipation and instinct are two very valuable traits in a news videographer. Unfortunately, both of them tend to come with experience, rather than from a textbook. The best way to learn news shooting is to know the basics and just get out there and do it.

Most EFP situations involve following a master plan or script. There will always be unexpected problems, but for the most part, a production shooter will know everything that needs to be done far in advance. The shoot has been planned. The difficulties during the shoot are keeping things on schedule and on budget while still achieving the producer’s goals. Much of this section is aimed at the typical EFP shoot, but all the principles described here can apply to any form of shooting.

SETTING UP

One of the first skills a good videographer needs to learn on location is how to imagine the site with all the equipment in place. “Loading in,” as it’s called, needs to be done with an eye to the finished setup. The camera location is always the very first thing to be determined. But moving a large sofa out of the way of the camera’s spot can backfire if it’s moved right to the place where the key light has to go. Upon arrival, the videographer must first envision the situation with everything set up, so that equipment can be quickly placed in the right spot the first time.

For EFP shoots, keep in mind that just having a crew show up for the shoot doesn’t mean that anyone remembers what to do, or at least what they are supposed to do that day or on that shoot. It is a good idea to have a meeting just after making the initial on-site assessment to give out specific assignments. This division of labor will help avoid crew conflicts and also prevent people from standing around at the location. Establish a staging area where equipment can be close to the final location without its being in the way.

FIGURE 6.6
Equipment for a large news or production shoot can take up quite a bit of space. Having everything in cases makes loading and travel easier.

Setting up for your shoot involves a number of individual tasks, some of which happen concurrently. Sometimes, as the scene is coming together, you will notice potential trouble spots. Before the work of the entire crew is wasted, you need to stop the setup and make adjustments. For example, a multimedia project about bicycle riding requires a mountainous terrain to help demonstrate the ruggedness of a new model mountain bike. The site survey and the preproduction process set the bike and a rider against rugged hills or mountains. On the shoot day, the hills are hidden by low clouds. Is there a better place for this shot now that the hills are gone from view? This decision needs to be made before everything is set up.

Initial camera placement is dictated by the type of shot that you need first. If you want to prevent the busy background behind your subject from being a distraction, you could keep the camera-to-subject distance long and shoot with a long focal lens. This will blur the background. A shot that requires showing quite a bit of detail of a complex object like an old coin needs to have the camera very close to the subject.

The appropriate, preferable location for the tripod is a level area, out of the way of traffic (both vehicular and pedestrian) and wind gusts or water spray. When using a handheld camera the location should be relatively flat to allow the camera operator to move around unimpeded. Other mounting options present a more complex preparation problem. If the camera will be mounted on a crab dolly that travels on tracks, the dolly unit needs a flat surface and plenty of space. You also must allow enough time for constructing the dolly’s tracks. Other mountings, such as those on an auto for shots of a driver or passengers while driving, or shots of the scenery as the car passes by, take plenty of time and must be mounted carefully to avoid camera vibration while the car moves. In addition, if the car is moving at high speeds, the mount needs to be extremely strong and able to withstand high wind speeds without moving or perhaps getting blown off the car.

SOUND AND LIGHT

Once the subject is placed and the camera location is chosen, lights and sound equipment can be added if necessary. If the subject is placed in natural light, you might have to add reflected sunlight for fill or use filter material to soften the light. A light reflector will help fill in harsh shadows or simply add more light to the subject. Artificial lights may be added if the available light is insufficient. Adding artificial light to natural light may require matching the color temperature to the existing light, usually 5600°K. This can be accomplished by using an HMI light or placing a color-correction gel (daylight blue) over a standard video light. Specific types of light mounts and light stands can be considered to give the desired lighting on the subject within other constraints, such as available power, available space, the ability to reflect off surfaces, and so on. While lighting is attended to, other crew members can be attending to the audio needs of the production.

With any luck, a good scouting report has yielded a location selection that considers the ambient sound of that location and outside sounds such as traffic that might occur at varying times of day. A final assessment at the time of the shoot is always necessary. Things change. All too often, small but common things, such as occasional aircraft passing overhead or the all-but-unnoticed rumble of an air conditioner, can escape the location scout but become an extreme annoyance when heard on mic.

Microphone selection and microphone placement are critical procedures on location. Are mics or mic shadows in the shot? Can framing and lighting accommodate the mic placement demands? If microphone cables are placed across a place where people must walk during the shoot, care must be taken to securely tape the cables to the ground for safety and to prevent cables from being pulled out of the recorder, or microphones being yanked out of your shot because someone or something has caught the cable. Mics and mic cables should be kept away from power cords to reduce the chances of audio interference hum.

Basic Camera Setup and Prep List

Carefully secure the camera to the tripod head.

•  Connect camera to power supply or attach battery

•  Turn on power to camera

•  Remove the lens cap

•  Set focus to manual

•  Set exposure to manual

•  Set filter for indoor or outdoor light

•  Set lights, reflector

•  Set white balance (manually)

•  Set subject or object, then adjust lights

•  Set for establishing shot

•  Zoom all the way into your subject/object and focus to get a sharp picture

•  Zoom out to your desired shot

LOCATION INTEGRITY

Location integrity concerns the assessment and maintenance of the condition of the location at which you are shooting. Although your location scouting should give pertinent information, when you arrive for the shoot you once again have to ensure that the situation will be safe and then make sure the location is not damaged during production. Everything from electrical shock hazards to the condition of the hardwood floors has to be considered. The shooting location has to be made safe not only for the crew but the public as well. Do any cables or cords run across pathways? If so, are they taped down? Is there sufficient distance between car traffic and the crew? Are all lights well secured and stands weighted down to avoid accidentally tipping them over? You should also consider things like slick flooring or the ability of the location’s floor to support your equipment and crew. Crowding all the equipment and crew onto a small balcony to get the perfect shot of the sunset behind your talent might be motivated by aesthetic concerns, but if the balcony can’t support the huge increase in weight it has to bear, the shoot could be a disaster.

One important goal in location shooting is to be able to enter the location with your crew and equipment, set up, rehearse, shoot, and wrap up without leaving a trace. It is the same kind of awareness that you would have when going backpacking or camping. You need to use the site, but not abuse it. Heavy, bulky equipment can cause damage to woodwork or even cut grooves in flooring. Hot lights set too close to delicate drapery can cause discoloration, scorching, or even a fire. Rolling or dragging your equipment across exposed wires can also create problems. It is always a good idea—if possible—to have thick blankets like those used by moving companies to place over floors and carpet or pieces of delicate furniture that are very near the equipment setups. Scratching an antique desk can take the profit right out of any shoot or stick the station with a hefty bill. That is why TV stations and production companies have insurance. Without it, your job or entire business could be in jeopardy.

MAINTAINING CONTROL

Television studios are designed to allow the television producer the ability to control almost all production variables. In addition to sound, light, camera placement, and availability, the studio is usually temperature controlled and is considered a restricted area to people not involved in the production. When you go to a remote site for your EFP shoot, your job is to control as many of the production variables as you can given the crew, budget, equipment, and timeframe allowed for by the project. Again, selecting the right location will help you control the variables.

In any situation where you are acting as both videographer and director (and maybe producer, too) you need to be in charge at all times. You must watch over the entire site, looking for potential problems and safety concerns. If a grip or production assistant (PA) is no longer needed in his or her assigned role, reassign him or her to crowd control or to pulling camera cables. Unless you have large unionized crews, it’s best to keep everyone working on some aspect of the production or site integrity the entire time they’re on location.

In ENG, control may be nearly impossible to obtain. In general, a news shooter will only have to worry about two people: the news shooter and the reporter. One major concern is to stay out of the way. That involves constantly looking over your shoulder and from side to side. Shooting inside a factory with busy forklifts zooming around the plant floor can make for a dangerous situation. Shooting in a sports arena with many intoxicated fans can be just as dangerous. In each situation, you cannot control the environment, so you must have complete control of what you are doing. Tricks like setting up with your back against a wall or fence will protect that direction of approach from unwanted intervention and danger. By using site materials (e.g., chairs or tables) or natural boundaries like walls or hedges, you can usually create a little “safe zone” for your setup. The more you can isolate yourself from trouble, the better the shoot will go. Of course, at times you will have to “wade in among ’em” to get the shots. In those cases, all you can do is hold tight to the camera and make sure any cables are closely controlled and not getting hung up on anything. Nothing upsets people more than getting their head banged by the battery on the back of your camera as you turn around too quickly in a crowd. When shooting on location always move with deliberate caution.

Continuity

When you have to shoot at a location for more than one session you have to be concerned with continuity. This is a consideration for making sure that from one shot to the next, the important elements stay the same. In other words, your talent has to be dressed the same, have the same hairstyle, and so on. For the general background of your shots, you have to be concerned with the appearance of the location. When returning to a location for a second time, you should be thinking about the placement of furniture, props, and all things that were in the shots during your first shoot. Editing shots together that have only slight background differences results in a jump cut. You should also be looking for differences in light. If you have used artificial lighting in the first shoot, then make sure that your lighting is exactly the same, especially on the faces of the talent, on the second and subsequent shoots. If shooting outdoors, the time of day becomes critical. You should not edit shots together that were shot at very different times of the day, because the color temperature will cause skin tones to vary. Paying attention to continuity ensures that you can edit shots or scenes together that were shot at different times at the same location without creating jump cuts or leaving the audience wondering why the video just doesn’t seem right.

Often the responsibility for continuity falls to a script supervisor, or on large-scale productions, a designated continuity director.

BACKUP PLANS

Try not to go to any location without some type of backup plan. This may be necessary for a variety of reasons. Weather problems can force your shoot to a different location. Last-minute changes in personnel due to illness or conflicting scheduling can force you to rethink crew assignments. If your camera operator is a no-show at the last minute, who will be your backup shooter?

No matter what the plan is, in either news or production, you should always have a what-if scenario in the back of your mind. How can this shot be done while eliminating the offending element? You’re set up in a good spot to get the candidate at the podium, but now the audience is standing on their chairs and you can’t see the stage at all. How are you going to get the most dramatic part of this speech? You can run down to the front of the crowd, but how will you get the podium audio? Can you still see the politician from an angle that low? Never assume your first choice will work perfectly, especially in news. On EFP projects you will have more control—and, one hopes, more help—but you still need to have a plan ready if the situation goes awry.

SECURITY

Shooting on location means that you leave the safety and security of the studio. When you go on location to shoot, you bring expensive equipment out into the open for people to see and perhaps give those that are criminally inclined an opportunity to steal it. Not only does theft of cameras and other equipment happen, it happens all too often. Professional camcorders can be sold quickly and often transported out of the country before they can be traced to the rightful owners. There are criminals in this country who travel to newsworthy events to see if an opportunity will arise to steal equipment. ENG often requires a news crew to shoot in a high-crime area, increasing the chances that thieves may see the equipment and try their luck. Although it would be rare for a camera to be stolen right off the tripod while the crew is working around it, the times when cameras and other equipment are being loaded and unloaded are the most opportune for thieves. A simple rule of thumb for protecting your gear on location is to never let it out of your sight. If you’re by yourself, that means taking the camera to lunch with you and even to the bathroom. You wouldn’t leave a $10,000 diamond necklace lying on the back seat of your car while it’s parked, would you? Many cameras are worth a lot more than that.

Your crew is also at greater risk on location. Muggings and assaults can happen, especially when newsworthy events are occurring and attention is focused on a particular action, but not necessarily the perimeter where the production crew is working. In ENG work, reporters and videographers are often in danger from other people, but also from the elements of the event itself. Shooting a forest fire, hurricane, or tornado presents obvious personal danger. News events like foiled robberies that result in hostage situations can lead to shooting, bombs, and other dangers. Covering wars, uprisings, the aftermath of cataclysmic storms, or earthquakes can put videographers in jeopardy. In dangerous situations, one responsibility of the EFP producer is to keep his or her crew and equipment safe. In ENG, the crew might only be the videographer and the reporter. These people must truly “watch each others’ backs” while shooting.

It is not unreasonable for producers and news crews to hire private security guards to accompany them into the field when the possibility of danger exists. In larger cities, production crews pay off-duty police to watch over the production.

DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC

Remote shooting doesn’t necessarily imply shooting at locations remote enough to be far from the public. This is especially true in ENG, where most of the stories involve people. On a large-budget EFP project, crowd control is often the responsibility of a crew member, such as the assistant director. Even if production permits don’t require it, that person should get permission from the appropriate authorities to barricade streets or portions of streets to keep curious onlookers away from the shots. When this is not possible, a crew member should be asked to deflect passersby and gawkers. People who appear at the location are almost always trying to satisfy their curiosity about what is going on.

Unfortunately, these folks and their questions (or their desire to be on television) can be time-consuming distractions and can jeopardize your ability to get the necessary shots. It is a constant job to find shorthand ways to fend off the curious (sarcastically referred to by news people as “lens lice”) so that you can get the work done in a timely manner. It is never a good idea to be rude or sarcastic with the public, no matter how obnoxious their behavior may be. It is not uncommon for people to vent their anger about the news media at you, even though you may be on a production, not news, shoot. Don’t argue with them. Say you’re sorry for the state of affairs in TV but you’re powerless to change any of it. Acknowledge their complaint but don’t enter a debate. You have work to do, and they might have years of anger that won’t be satiated in this situation. Avoid confrontation at all costs because interaction with the public is one of those unforeseen factors that can change a shoot. One belligerent bystander can shut down an entire production. You could be forced to move to another location or call the police.

CHECKLISTS

Shooting video on location is a complex task that consumes considerable time and energy. You can easily make it an even harder task by trying to memorize everything that you need to do and bring to the shoot. Instead, make appropriate lists and notes to yourself (and others) during preproduction so that you can arrive at the shoot with everything and everyone that you need for the shoot. You can begin setup, rehearsal, and shooting without having to return to home base to get forgotten equipment, supplies, or even people. In EFP, the location shoots are often very different from each other. No two are exactly alike. Therefore, the equipment and facilities that you require for each shoot are probably somewhat different. Using the facilities sheet during each shoot helps you keep track of everything that you need for each shoot on location. Using a checklist for equipment needs and facilities will save you time as the shoot goes along. “A gaffer’s clamp would really solve this problem, do we have one?” Check the sheet.

You should also have checklists of shots needed for the day or location. It’s easy to forget the cutaway of the sign after spending so much time on the talent’s blocking and lighting. Even in news, it is a good idea to have a “laundry list” of shots in your pocket. Have a quick meeting with the reporter at the start of the story and make a list. The reporter then goes off to gather facts and the videographer starts the methodical work of getting the necessary shots on the list. There are always so many things to remember and deal with (and distractions like the public) that it is easy to forget a small but highly important shot. If at all possible, make a list.

RECORDING

After taking into consideration all of these ideas and concerns, it is now time to start recording. Keep in mind that all that has been discussed so far is actually there to ensure that the creativity of the shoot can happen in a safe environment free from unnecessary distractions—even if it’s in the middle of utter chaos. Be acutely aware of all that’s going on around you to comfortably change your concentration to the real business at hand: shooting.

REHEARSING

In EFP, rehearsals can begin as the camera, lights, and sound equipment are being set. This may involve a performer narrating, an athlete demonstrating a tennis swing, a chemist pouring liquid into a test tube, or even an animal performing a trick. The director should see how the subject will perform the desired action and make sure it is in keeping with the intention of the script. This is often a judgment call on the part of the director, because it is the director who has the most influence on the visual interpretation of the script.

At this stage of the process, many problems may become apparent. Lights may need to be adjusted, the mic placement changed, or the entire shot scrubbed. Rehearsals can actually start before the talent or real subject arrives. If you have any idea what the action will be, have a stand-in walk through the scene. They may be the wrong height or hair color, but seeing a body in the shot can get the scene closer to actual shooting. There’s a saying in the movie industry: “You can’t light air.” It means you can set up all the lights you want, but until there is an actual subject in the picture, you can’t tell if everything is working according to plan.

Even in ENG, it’s a good idea to rehearse such things as stand-ups or a handheld camera shot before recording it. You may find that the shot doesn’t work and you can quickly move on to something else. Many reporters never “nail” the stand-up on the first try. A good rehearsal can save the shot especially if the stand-up is going to take place in front of some background action. As the complexity of the shot increases, so does the need for rehearsal. The reporter may want to do the on-camera shot just as the train is pulling into the station. Practicing the shot while imagining the train arriving could mean the difference in getting this one-chance shot right or not getting it at all.

SHOOTING (AND RESHOOTING)

As your finger is poised on the record button, there is one more checklist to consider. Is the camera white balanced? Is the focus set? Do you have enough recording time? Is the audio good or is there a plane flying over? Are the batteries holding up? Are you comfortable? It doesn’t do the shot any good if the camera operator is contorted around the camera and can’t stand still for more than 30 seconds before fatiguing, or if the viewfinder is not adjusted for your eyes. You should be at the point where all production variables have been considered and now, free from anxiety, all you have to do is just make the shot.

Your concentration can now turn to maintaining framing, following the action, and making sure the shot gets recorded as planned.

Once the shot ends make sure you check your video. How does it look? You may be surprised by how often your memory can conflict with what actually ends up on the recording. In the jostling of the crowd, how long was the candidate in the frame? You may think it was several seconds, but after reviewing the shot it might turn out to be only one or two seconds—not enough to be usable. Double check your shot to be absolutely sure you have it. In EFP situations, you often have the luxury of playing the shot back in the field to check it. That, of course, presents another possible problem: after playing back a shot, you must make sure that you recue properly so that you don’t record over previous material. In ENG you almost never have the ability to look at what you have done in the field until the action stops. You have to know what you have (or don’t have) recorded. That requires a rather intense level of concentration, often involving counting the seconds in your head to determine the length of shots.

A constantly revolving and evolving checklist of factors, such as camera wobble, framing, anticipation of action, the best focal length to use, editing considerations, and simply choosing which subject to follow, are all part of the creative process. Once again, that’s why you can’t be overprepared for any shoot. And news can be the most difficult of all to plan for. In the chapters on ENG and EFP styles, you can find out more about what kinds of shots and techniques various situations will require.

WRAPPING UP

There are several pitfalls that you should think about when you begin to wrap up after your shooting is over. First, are you sure that you have shot everything that you will need? Inexperienced videographers often make the mistake of leaving the location without getting all the shots necessary for the editor to put the story together. The shots most commonly left out are cutaway shots or transition shots used to cover some bad video. Review your shots on a color monitor to make sure that all your shots have proper color balance, exposure, framing, composition, and acceptable backgrounds. Also, listen carefully to your audio. You may find that some of the audio is not clear, or that you picked up some interference. This is also a good time to record some ambient sound for use in editing. After you have completed this test of your recorded material (and have reshot anything that is not acceptable), you should begin to wrap up.

Start the process by turning off all your video lights. The less you use your lights, the longer they will last, so turn them off as soon as you are sure they are no longer needed. Also, they must cool down before they can be removed from their mounts and put back into their cases. Next, if you are recording onto tape, remove all tapes from recorders and check to see if all tapes are properly labeled. Make sure you do this before the power to the recorders is cut off, because you cannot eject tapes without power to the machines. If you are shooting on hard drive or flash drive, make sure that your footage log is accurate. The next step is to turn off the camera and remove it from the tripod or mount. Put the camera in its case or in a very safe but visible place, usually on the floor. Remember not to leave the camera unattended, because this is the point in the location shooting process when cameras can be stolen. Your tripod or mount should then be taken down to traveling size and put in its case, if it has one. All connecting cables for signal and power should be properly coiled and stowed in the accessories case or bag.

At this point, carefully remove all gaffer tape that you have used on floors, walls, or doors. You may have to remove any sticky residue that remains after the tape has been pulled off. Sticky residue on glass can be removed with a razor blade. Floors, walls, and desktops can be cleaned with a mild solvent, but avoid using any liquid on wood surfaces. If your light housings are cool to the touch, they should be lowered, and then removed from their stands or mounts. Place the lights in their case, but remember that the bulbs are extremely fragile, especially when they are hot or warm. Take down the light stands or mounts and place them in their case or secure them in the vehicle. All props and set pieces should be removed and placed in the vehicle. You should place your camera in the vehicle last so you do not have to put heavy equipment cases on top of the camera case.

Now you should have all the equipment loaded in the vehicle, and you can conduct a very careful visual survey of the location, sometimes called the “idiot check.” Check around power outlets for extension cords left behind. Was your equipment placed in more than one room at any time during the shoot? This is another good reason to have a staging area where equipment can stay when not in use. Check all rooms used for the shoot. Pick up all the trash generated during the taping, such as coffee cups and soda cans. If the site is as clean as when you first entered it, and the objects or furniture have been replaced in their original locations, ask the contact person to look it over. Let them know you have made every effort to return the site to its original condition. If they acknowledge and approve of your cleanup, thank them for the use of the location (especially important if there is any chance that you might have to return to that location) and leave with peace of mind.

Despite the hectic pace of ENG news, take the time to restore your location to an acceptable condition. Your trash can be a very ugly reminder of why many people distrust the media. Sometimes you may only have apologies to give for the trampled flowers, but make some type of effort to acknowledge your damage. Don’t confuse arrogance with the rights of a free press. If you make a mess, take responsibility for it.

Whenever possible, take the time before you leave a location to make sure that you have gotten all the shots that were planned on the shot sheet (or shot list).

This is also a good time to make notes on your video log about the quality of the scenes and takes. Write notes about which scenes or shots might require a reshoot or getting alternative footage. Once you leave the location, it will cost you extra time and money if you have to go back to it.

SUMMARY

Good video projects come from good planning and good execution. It has been said that in EFP, you should plan the shoot, and then shoot the plan. In ENG, the situation is somewhat different, because there rarely is time to make a plan, so preproduction for news shooting has more to do with being prepared for anything and everything that can happen. Even though ENG is usually a barebones style of shooting, you must have a myriad of supplies and equipment with you or in your vehicle at all times. The ability to improvise will often come in handy.

EFP almost always starts with a plan. After a project is initiated, the preproduction process of goal setting, research, scriptwriting, crew selection, location selection, and materials preparation begins. Careful consideration must be given to travel of any kind, because it involves not only people, but sensitive and expensive equipment as well.

The culmination of the preproduction process is the actual production. The crew needs to unload the equipment with a special consideration for where the camera will be placed and how the location will be lit and the sound collected. When arriving on location, it is important to carefully note exactly what is there—the location of the furniture, plants, books, and so on. It will be important after the shoot, when everything must be put back exactly the way it was before the shoot. Professional videographers always have a backup plan for any location and are always careful about security. Protecting your equipment from the elements and theft is important. Security also means making sure that your crew is safe at all times. Before you shoot, make sure that all of the variables that should be under control are under control. Consult your checklists for things you need to do before the shoot. If everything seems right, the actual shooting should go smoothly. Remember, don’t leave a location until you are sure that you have all the shots that were planned and any shots that might help make a better video project. After the shooting, wrap up by removing all equipment and making sure that the location is in exactly the same condition as you found it.