A little over an hour ago I posted the Fall 2011 probate video for The Theta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Needless to say, it caught some buzz. In under an hour the viewcount jumped to over a thousand on the host site, vimeo. I didn't expect it to generate this much buzz, but when my editor, Doug D., showed me the finished piece, I knew we had something special.
I took inspiration for this video from an earlier individual who shot a probate that completely blew my mind. This individual was John Ledbetter and his work is on point. I knew I wanted to make something as visually compelling as his piece, and when the AKAs hired me to videotape their probate I knew this was my chance.
I hired three other camera men for the job, one of them being my photography friend and mentor, Kevyn Bryant. With three camera men (including myself) we put together our gear and set up a floor plan for the event.
Gear: Canon 5D MK II (2), Canon 6D, Canon 550D
50mm Ziess f/1.4, 28mm Ziess f/2.8, Canon L 35mm f/1.4, Canon USM 50mm f/1.4
Audio: Zoom Audio Recorder, Shotgun Microphone
I set up Kevyn as my master shot setting him all the way in the back. Two camera men were placed at opposite sides of the stage ( I was one of the two), and I set up a side profile master shot to the right of the stage as well.
This allowed us to cover all areas of the probate. I set the Ziess 50mm and Canon 50mm on the two closest cameras which would be moving in and out for medium shots and close ups. I set the Canon 35mm L and Ziess 28mm f/2.8 on the master shot cameras for the wider coverage of the ballroom we were set in.
Shooting was excruciating. I had a shoulder rig set up on my camera the entire time. I allowed the second camera opposite of me to work with a monopod. I wanted my shots to be a little less dangerous (and steady), while allowing my third camera-man to have more of a dynamic range. Still, the rig put a terrible ache in my back throughout the show, but I knew I had to capture this no matter what.
Afterwards, I sat down with my editer, Doug, and went through the entire probate from start to finish. I wanted him to understand the importance of each phase of the event so he could flow quickly and seamlessly throughout since I wanted a short version as well as a long version.
Doug delivered! The final cut looked great. I got some feedback from Ledbetter and had Doug spruce up a few shots, plus design a sleek introduction and ending logo for the video.
I'm happy with this one, but I'm ecstatic over the fact people are enjoying this and sharing it rapidly. It feels good to know as a filmmaker your work is appreciated and your team makes something amazing.
