Interviewing #1
Interviewing and asking questions was hard for me. It is hard for me because I am worried about the questions I ask being silly or too difficult for the person being interviewed to answer. Luckily I knew the person I interviewed, Sarina, fairly well, so I knew which questions would generate interesting answers. Unfortunately, the camera was slightly out of focus, so the footage wasn’t as good as it could be. I asked Sarina questions about her life; where she was born, whether she likes her new home or her old home better, and about activities she is involved in at Burr and Burton. The setting was beautiful; we were filming on the Adirondack chairs, facing the turf field and the mountains in the distance. If I were to do something better, it would be to just let the person being interviewed talk. There was one point where after Sarina finished answering a question really well, I immediately made a noise. This didn’t have that big of an impact on the final result, but it was a pain during the editing process because I had to time it perfectly so that the sound of me was cut out but Sarina’s voice didn’t sound cut off.
Being Interviewed #1
Being interviewed was my favorite part. I love answering questions, and I tried my best to restate the question when it was asked to me. Emmet asked me questions about my life, especially regarding my time at Burr and Burton Academy. I talked about mountain biking, my favorite class at Burr and Burton currently (cinematography), and classes I want to take. I tried to speak as clearly as possible, and tried really hard not to look at the camera. This was my first time ever being interviewed in front of a camera, so I tried to not think about it too much. If I were to do something better next time, it would be to remember to not say “um” too much, and to enunciate my words better. I have to remember that my answer doesn’t have to be immediate; I can take some time to think about what I am going to say, and it can always be edited out later in the editing process.
Behind The Camera #1
I enjoyed being behind the camera. This was my first time ever being behind a camera. I learned the callouts to alert people that the camera was rolling, and learned how to finish recording and the proper way to end the video. I learned how to set up and take down all the equipment necessary to make a great interview, including lights, microphone, stands, and the camera itself. When filming, I learned to not touch the camera at all during the filming process, because it shows during editing. I practiced my knowledge of the rule of thirds, positioning the camera so that Emmet’s face was a third of the way into the frame. If I were to do something better during the filming process, it would be to make sure the camera was in focus. I admit that I didn’t check to make sure Emmet’s head was fully in focus. It turned out well, but that could have been bad. I enjoyed the experience being behind a camera gave me, especially learning how to set up and take down the equipment.
Interviewing #2
Interviewing and asking questions was hard for me again, although I had more practice this time. I always worry about the questions I ask being vague or too difficult for the person being interviewed to answer. Luckily I knew the person I interviewed, Katelyn, well, so I knew which questions would generate interesting answers. I asked Katelyn questions about her life, especially her time at Burr and Burton. I knew which questions would generate interesting answers. I knew that she is a stage manager, I knew that she is on the Model UN team, and I knew that she took a service trip to Guatemala, so I asked questions regarding those things. Having a basic understanding of how to interview people was very helpful, and I think the end result was better the second time around because of it.
Being Interviewed #2
Being interviewed again my favorite part. I love answering questions, and I tried my best to restate the question when it was asked to me, although I didn't always do it. Avery asked me questions about my life, especially regarding my time at Burr and Burton Academy. I talked about mountain biking, being in the band, and being in the percussion section. I tried to speak as clearly as possible, and tried really hard not to look at the camera. This was my second time being interviewed in front of a camera, so I tried to not think about it too much. If I were to do something better next time, it would be to remember to not say “um” too much, and to enunciate my words better. I have to remember that my answer doesn’t have to be immediate; I can take some time to think about what I am going to say, and it can always be edited out later in the editing process.
Behind The Camera #2
I enjoyed being behind the camera. This was my second time ever being behind a camera. I practiced the callouts to alert people that the camera was rolling, and practiced how to finish recording and the proper way to end the video. It was good review for me because it is something that is necessary to know when taking a cinematography class. It was also good review to remember how to set up and take down all the equipment necessary to make a great interview, including lights, microphone, stands, and the camera itself. I also remembered to take extra LED batteries for the lights. I practiced my knowledge of the rule of thirds, positioning the camera so that Avery’s face was a third of the way into the frame. When filming, I did a good job of not touching the camera during the filming process, I positioned the camera how I wanted it before the camera started rolling. However, something I did not do well was focusing the camera correctly. It looked good on the camera, but my decision to not double check to make sure it was properly focused showed during editing, as well as the end result.