Elias Shoes Grand Opening
NOTICE: This is an old article I forgot to post back in October of 2014. Some information might be irrelevant or outdated.
Sonny and Cher prophetically said these famous words, "A cowboy's work is never done." And that certainly is the case when it comes to multimedia and marketing. Just three weeks ago I had to film the grand opening of Elias Shoes, an amazing shoe store in Murrieta... And with my name on it too!
This video was a real challenge for me. Not only was it the first (official) promotional video I have made, but I was using gear I wasn't familiar with, and to top it off I used a software I didn't know how to use. Why so many challenges? Sit tight and I'll explain.
For this, I shot with two cameras. A Canon 60D for the video, and my good old workhorse Canon T1i for the time-lapse portion. The lenses I used were the Sigma 17-55mm f/2.8 for video, and the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 for the time-lapse. For sticks I was using my Manfrotto 294 Kit, and a Manfrotto monopod for video stabilization, a RØDE VideoMic for Audio, a Cowboy Studio arm, and the F&V Z96 Daylight Balanced Light for some on camera fill light.
This was the first time I had used the 60D on a professional shoot. That was a problem for me because all the buttons were in different places to the T1i, the camera I'm used to. I actually kept hitting the Trash button when I wanted to change the Display preferences. This is why when you're on set, you need to be able to identify problems and fix them fast. It's a ridiculously important trait and I cannot stress it enough. Be it in the studio photographing a product, a videographer shooting a short film, or a sound mixer mixing a song, you need to be able to adapt quickly.
After I got to know the gear well enough, I was then able to capture the day. All in all, I was just going around and shooting what I felt I needed. Now I wasn't shooting hap-hazardly. I had a shot list in my head and knew what I wanted to be in the final cut of the video. Again another trait of a run-&-gun filmmaker (one I'm still learning myself). Knowing when and where to be and knowing what and when to shoot is one of the most important skills you can learn. All in all... I only gathered about 30 minutes of footage (not including time-lapse), but knowing I was going to edit it down to three minutes, I knew it was enough.
The editing software I used this time is Premiere Pro CC. Yes, Premiere Pro. I felt I was getting comfortable with FCPX and figured it was time to challenge myself. And let me tell you... it was a challenge. The first thing I wasn't used to, was the non-magnetic timeline. I constantly had to shift the clips from one place to another to keep the sequence from getting out of sync. But in the end, worked out and I now know how to use two different pieces of software.
That's my experience on shooting the Elias Shoes video. Was it a challenge? Yup. Would I do it again? Absolutely! Be sure to check back next week with a brand new post. Until then, thank you and have a great day!
