Skip to main content

Investigation 5/9: Mini-THON Tech Reflections

With our Mini-THON event finally being completed, I'm now able to take the time and reflect on all of the video and production work that I've been able to do. The past year has lead me to do so many different things while serving as the Mini-THON Tech chair and I've definitely learned a lot over that time. I've already talked a few times about Mini-THON, but here's one final reflection about the last things that we did this year.

Man Pageant

Working on the Man Pageant revealed to me what the technical side of live productions is truly like. By being a part of the musicals, I've know what it's like to be the one onstage. But now, I understand exactly what must go on in order for the show to go on. Working to set-up and plan for exactly what the show entailed was a feeling and work-flow that I always wanted to experience but only was able to now. The one real struggle that I experienced was working on the pre-recorded portions of the show. There was multiple nights where I worked long into the night in order to make sure that I got the videos done. Overall though, Man Pageant was a success both in regards to Tech and the show itself.

Leading A Committee

At first I had some worries about having to lead a committee of people during our event. After being a committee member last year and seeing what it was like for Georgea to handle it all, I wasn't sure how it was going to go for me. Luckily, things this year turned out pretty well. Any hurdles that came up during the event, either my committee or myself seemed to overcome them pretty well. Only having a few people made it difficult to do some tasks, but was easy to manage in comparison to having any more people than I did. While this year's tech committee duties were lighter than any other year, I still applaud my committee members for sticking with me and doing a good job doing what I asked them to do.

Work Log

  • 5/3 - Man Pageant Editing
  • 5/4 - Man Pageant Editing
  • 5/5 - Man Pageant Rehearsal
  • 5/6 - Man Pageant
  • 5/7 - Documentary Work
  • 5/8 - Mini-THON Event
  • 5/9 - Recovery Day/Recap/Documentary Work

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Investigation 3/1: The Tools Of Camera Stability

One of the most important aspects of cinematography that goes commonly unnoticed is having the camera steady. Even a slight amount of movement within a shot can pull the audience away from the film, so it is important to attempt to have shots. There are multiple different ways that you can use to stabilize your camera, some of which are more effective than others. Tripod Using a tripod is the easiest way to stabilize the camera while filming. By having three points of contact with the ground, a tripod keeps the camera extremely stable. The camera would likely only move due to very large movements on the ground or strong winds. The one downside to using a tripod is that it has to remain stationary. If the required shot involves moving around, a tripod can likely not be used. Overall, the tripod is the easiest, simplest, and cheapest way to keep your camera steady. (Image Source) Shoulder Rig A shoulder mount is one way to keep the camera stable while also being able to mov...

Investigation 11/1: Rear Projection

Friday October 30th marked the release of the second season of the hit show The Mandalorian . While there are many things that contribute to how great of a show it is, the one aspect that has peaked my interest the most would have to be it's use of virtual sets. Virtual sets created in real time using the Unreal Engine makes the world of Star Wars  come alive on-screen at home and for the actors during filming. While the technology that creates virtual sets is amazing and will likely change the way that all films and shows are made, it is definitely something that smaller productions and individuals won't be able to make use of. Instead, the tool available to all film makers that I will be discussing today is Rear Projection. Why Use Rear Projection Rear Projection allows for a cheap and easy way to transform the background of your scenes. The concept of rear projection involves the projection of a pre-recorded video behind your actor. This allows for the actor to act within th...

Investigation 11/8: Steadicam Vs Tripod

Previously, I have investigated different tools you can use to stabilize your camera, which can be found  here . Since writing that blog post, I have had plenty of time to test using both my tripod and my Steadicam. While each of them is useful in certain scenarios, sometimes it is difficult to bring both pieces of gear with you for some shoots. For this reason, I have decided to compare the strengths of each to determine which is better for all-around shooting scenarios. Strengths Of A Tripod Using a tripod allows you to get the very smooth and stable shots with minimal effort. From my experience using my tripod, it has been most useful when I have been in front of the camera and unable to closely monitor how the shot looks. With the tripod being able to sit completely still without requiring someone to be near, it can completely replace a camera operator in some scenarios. Tripods also take the edge in smooth tilts and pans. While it is definitely possible to get stable pans and ...