Production Roles and Pitch Session

Production Roles can help you be clear about what you need to do when going on a shoot. The roles can be assigned by the Director, but you should choose a role that interests you the most.

Camera Person

• Is the lens clean?

• Is there a tape in the camera? Is it cued?
• Have you recorded pre-roll? • Have you focused the camera?
• What does your shot composition look like? Does it support your story?

Is there nose room and head room? Are you following the rule of thirds?
• Is your shot steady? Check your tripod.
• Did you record post-roll?

Interviewer

• Do you have your questions in front of you?

• Is your subject in a stable, non-moving chair?

• Have you offered your subject a drink?

• Is the background appropriate to the topic?

• Are you asking open-ended questions?

• Is the subject repeating the question in her/his answer?

• Are you listening and asking follow-up questions?

• Have you gotten a release?

Sound Person

• Have you plugged the microphone into the camera?

• Have you checked the audio settings on the camera?

• Have you checked your audio levels on the camera?

• Do you have the headphones on?

• Do you hear any background noise? (eg. refrigerator)

• Is anything rubbing on the microphone?

• Is the boom pole out of the shot?

Lighting Person

• Is there enough light on your subject?

• Do you need to use a reflector or fill light to fill in the shadows?

• What should the exposure be? Is it on manual?

• What is the color temperature of the light? Have you checked the white balance?

Now that you have done the research for your topic with the Using Research For Your Video Handout you can prepare to pitch your idea to the class just like you did last semester.

What have you learned from your research?

Why is this piece important now?

What do we (the audience) need to understand this issue?

What would an opening tagline to your issue be?

What would an opening image to your piece be?

What local story or person are you going to document to illustrate your statement? What about this story illustrates your topic? What is happening right now with this person and how does it illustrate your topic?

The Pitch Worksheet for Advanced Class can help you present your ideas clearly. You can use SCMAA (Story, Conflict, Message, Audience, Aesthetic) for your pitch.

Story

What is the story?

How is the story presented/what is the story structure? Use this information to fill out the Story Arc worksheet.

By the end of piece: What has changed or what question has been answered?

Conflict/Driving Force

What is the conflict/What drives the story?

Message/Idea/Theme

What is the message/idea/theme? If there are several, describe the primary message/theme/idea and then the secondary ones.

Audience

Who is the audience and how does the video communicate this? If there are several audiences, specify who are the primary audience and then the secondary audience(s).

Aesthetic

What style is the video? (eg. non-fiction, fictional narrative, poetic, hybrid)

What are the techniques the filmmaker(s) used to tell the story? (eg. voiceover, interview, text, verite, observational, performance, drama, found footage, stills)

How do the audio and visuals contribute to the message and the story?

Reminder: Job Readiness/Professonal Panel

The Job Readiness Training/Professional Panel is next week, February 18th at Sports Basement. This training is mandatory. Training begins at 4:45pm. Please check your BAVC gmail accounts for more details from Felice, Internship Coordinator.

The Sports Basement
1590 Bryant Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
name of conference room: "The Grotto"

Panelist info:

Andy Leeper from http://mochaleaf.com/
He has many years of experience working in the tech industry, using open source tools and platforms. Also, he has experience managing projects/teams for IT and software development.

Nicole Atkinson-Roach :: Video Producer from Common Sense Media. They hosted interns last summer.

Will Abramson from http://yourstru.ly/
Yourstru.ly is a video production company/music website focused on cutting-edge hip-hop, indie rock, folk, funk and everything in between. We create live performance video's of amazing artists as they pass through the SF Bay Area on tour to help them promote their new albums, singles, and burgeoning careers.

Mohammed Allababidi:: CG Animator, also is volunteering in the 3D Gaming & Animation class

Not In Our Town, Story Arc, Brainstorming

As a youth media maker you have the tools to create videos that create a positive impact in your community and reach audiences beyond your Digital Pathways video class.

Not In Our Town is a local organization that works with the community response to hate crimes nationwide.

In continuation of our work with SCMAA: Story, Conflict, Message, Audience, Aesthetic. We reviewed the elements of the Story Arc using the Story Arc Handout.

The beginning of a story is usually the Set up. In this section you answer what the story is about. You introduce the Who, What, Why, Where, When, How. Then there is a Conflict or tension in the story which can be obstacles, oppositions, loss, creating change. The conflict could be between feelings, ideas, places or people. Then there is a Resolution towards the end of your story. It is the conclusion to your story. The conflict that arose may end, new ideas may be introduced, your story may raise more questions. Remember that your stories don't have to have all the answers. You can leave it open ended.

We watched a couple of video examples from N.I.O.T. and analyzed them using the story arc. What About Walter is an example of a character based documentary. Students Teach Students to Stand Up to Bullying is a youth driven response to bullying in their school. A couple of local San Francisco community responses to hate are Lowell Students Dance Away Hate and Reversing Vandalism.















Students met up in their respective teams to continue brainstorming their topic and mapping out their story in a story arc. Through the course of the session the team that was working on Muni Fare Increases decided to work on Youth in Foster Care instead and the team working on Gentrification decided they were more passionate about Muni Fare Increases. The Sexting team is already going to start production next week!

"Sexting" - Andrea, Ricardo and Amy (absent)
"Youth in Foster Care" - Moe Moe, Thuy, Monjaro
"Muni Fare Increase" - Ruby, Jonathan and Trina (absent)

Krystal is going to lead a MANDATORY camera basics review on Saturday, February 6 at 12noon to 2 pm.

Common Sense Media is going to interview the following students on Wednesday, February 3. Monjaro and Ruby at 4 pm, Ricardo and Andrea at 4:30 pm.