IS IT WORTH IT?
by Mike Stephenson
During the summer months I was invited by a friend, who is active
in amateur theatre, to video their latest production"The Wizard
of Oz". I took up the challenge because I needed the practice.
In the past I have filmed ballet and tap dance shows. For this I have
used four cameras. Camera 1 was locked off at the back of the stage
to look at the audience, etc. Camera 2 was locked off taking in sound
feed and a full tight view of the stage. Camera 3 was locked off close
to the stage for some closeup action that may take place. Camera 4
was operated by myself following the main group of dancers.
The fundamental flaw with using all these cameras would be in trying
to sync up and edit 4 tapes. I would start the cameras rolling and
then stand at the front of the stage and fire off a flash gun. The
flash from the flash gun would only be found on one frame of each
tape so this would be the sync point to edit and crop each tape. Lots
of hours later I would have a finished master to dupe and sell. After
buying in the tapes I was left with £300 -£400 profit.
Was it worth it?
For "The Wizard of Oz" I asked Mark Wessendorif if he would
like to work with me as a mobile camera. He said yes as he wanted
the experience as well as myself. I wanted to produce a really good
finish so we decided to use three cameras, all digital. Before we
went to film the show properly, I went along to check the job out
at the second from last performance. The only place we could film
from was the back of the auditorium. There would be kids making noises
and coughing taking place between my camera mic and the stage. Unacceptable!
Taking a trip to 'Edwards Electrical' at the top of Crowthome High
Street (where I live) for a lead proved a bonus. "Would you have
any screened mic cable? I know it's a stupid question," I said
"but I have a job on where I need my mic to be 30 yards from
where I am filming." To my surprise he pulled out a huge roll
of screened mic cable, donned a huge grin and said "How much
do you want?" Fifty yards later I found myself sitting at home
soldering a male and female jack plug onto it.
All tapes rewound and at the ready we setup and flashed out the sync
point with the flash gun. I gave Mark the brief to follow the main
groups across the stage in either long or medium shot. I would try
to get some head shots and tight action. The other camera was to act
as the safety shot. It would take in the complete stage and sound
feed. If all else failed (and hunting focus and everything else considered,
it does!) the safety camera would give us the shot to go back to in
the editing stage that would save our lives and most of our reputations!
Before the production started I asked my mate how long each segment
was so that I could have the tapes laid out ready. "45 minutes
each segment "he said. "Great!" All we needed was 6
digital 60 minute tapes. The tripods were extended well above the
heads of the audience so that if anyone was to walk out they would
not be too much of a distraction. We stood on chairs and got started.
Everything was going fine until I noticed that the counter in my view
finder was ticking over at 59 minutes. OH NO!! All three cameras are
going to grind to a halt at any moment. I started to franticly signal
Mark. Although he was only six feet away from me he had his eye glued
to the viewfinder. After an episode of flailing my arms around I caught
his sight. I mouthed to him that all was not well and asked him to
change his tape for continuity. Slight panic set in and Mark turned
to dismount the chair.. Getting his foot caught, he went sprawling
and landed on the floor with a crash! Worst of all he landed in his
pint and broke the glass! Some of the audience turned around and we
smiled at them as if to say" It wasn't us!"
At the end of the sequence the curtains closed, and the cameras were
still operating thanks to Sony putting more on the spool than sixty
minutes. We came home sore from standing still on a chair for a few
hours, but non the worse for wear. I took the tapes for one half of
the show and Mark took the tapes for the other half. We now have to
get together to make a decision on how many inserts we are likely
to use per minute. This is so that when we join the two halves of
the show together Mark's editing style will be complementary to my
own.
The experiences are always good practice but the truth is that the
people who ask you to the job want results not excuses. The question
is, "Is it all worth it?" The answer to my question is both
yes and no. Yes for the experience. Yes if you want to use your equipment
instead of sitting looking at it. Yes if you want to have a crash
course in insert editing.
I have learned a great deal from taking on jobs like this. I now
feel confident when people ask me if I can do the job. However, I
would say. No it's not worth doing if you are not geared up for the
job. No if you value your free time more than editing time. No if
you expect a large money return. The amount of copies that you are
likely to sell will probably depend on how big the cast was.
In this case about thirty. At £15 a video we are only likely
to come away with £450 from the job. Probably not worth doing
for the editing time involved, especially if you can get more profitable
video jobs.
For my next learning curve I intend to link cameras into my mixing
desk via S video leads and do a live mix. I'm going to need two good
camera men to help (anyone out there??) By mixing live Iwill hopefully
be cutting out the time in the editing stage. Then the job might be
more profitable and less laborious to do. Getting the experience in
the first place has been great and the learning curve is now not as
steep as it was when I first started to film shows. Mark seemed to
enjoy the experience and seems keen to have another go at it in the
future. All in all it was good company, a good laugh (even if it was
at Marks expense!) and good experience. The money we will hopefully
make will buy another bit of kit!
(Editor's note - learning can be painful but as they say "no
pain no gain" - you can read all the books, but there is nothing
like going out and doing it to polish up your skills.)
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