Nino
03-02-2008, 07:05 PM
I just got to tell this one. Few days ago I had a 3 cameras shoot, 2 Varicam and a Z1. Two photographers, a soundman, producer and reporter. The story was about a 13 years old boy with physical handicap who is now playing little league baseball. I knew I was in trouble when I saw the shooting schedule, note that I never get a shooting schedule.
Call time 8am set up at subject’s house
Interview, (two people plus reporter) 9 to 10
10 to 10:30 b-roll at the house
10:30 Shoot practice at nearby field
Interview of boy at 11:00
Shoot game.
The interview alone normally would have taken most of the day. I told the 20tish producer that it will never happen and that she should adjust the schedule. “But I was told that you are the best” she told me “yes sweetheart” I told her “you might be right but I flunk miracles in school”. I completely disregarded her schedule in setting the shot and did what I always do. Naturally we had to postpone the boy interview until after the game, now we have to shoot the game, why I’ll never know. She asks me if she can use my Z1 for extra shots so I gave it to her. I was going to be in the center outfield with the long lens and the second camera was in the right field to get the runners going to first, all routine. I set-up the camera over the outfield fence, good shot of the pitcher, the batter, catcher and ump al lined up…… and…..what in the world, the producer with the Z1 camera was sitting on the ground right behind the umpire. I tried calling her on the phone so she can get the hell out of there but she can’t hear the phone ringing. Then my phone rings, that’s the second camera wondering what the f**k she was doing there because he couldn’t get a shot either. I wave at her to get her attention, she sees me and she politely waves back. Finally she moves and I got my shot, almost. The boy hits one and runs to first, I follow him to first and I couldn’t believe what I saw, the producer was sitting on the ground between home and first just inches outside the foul line. This had to stop, time to take charge. If there was ever a time to patronize someone this was it. “Listen sweetheart” I told her “I don’t know how or why you are here or how you got here, is none of my business, but have you ever done these sorts of things before?” She told me that she has a degree in television communication and she has done something similar, and then she dropped the bomb, she attended the Rosenblum VJ workshop. I kindly removed the camera from her hands. “To start” I told her “if someone hit a ball behind not only he might rearrange all those pretty facial features of yours, but it might not do a lot of good to my camera either” “but I was getting good shots” she told me “no you weren’t” I replied “this is an automatic camera and you were shooting into the sky, all you were getting is a lot of pretty silhouettes, you are here to create a story, baseball is not the story, people is the story, there are parents here, teammates and coaches, they all had something to do with this boy making it to the little league, we have 3 cameras shooting basically the same thing, I have a soundman that’s carrying my tripod, we are costing the client about 10K for this day, and you haven’t got a story yet; you are the producer and not the photographer, go and produce, take along the second photographer with the Varicam, the soundman and you and the reporter go and find sounds to go with the story, and one more thing, unless you want become unemployed or work for minimum wages, everything that you’ve learned in VJ school do exactly the opposite”. So they did and they got incredible interviews, parents and coaches were crying when describing what this boy went thru to make it to the little league. After the day was done she wanted to take me out to diner but the day was long enough without turning it into a social event. Sometime you just have to take charge.
Call time 8am set up at subject’s house
Interview, (two people plus reporter) 9 to 10
10 to 10:30 b-roll at the house
10:30 Shoot practice at nearby field
Interview of boy at 11:00
Shoot game.
The interview alone normally would have taken most of the day. I told the 20tish producer that it will never happen and that she should adjust the schedule. “But I was told that you are the best” she told me “yes sweetheart” I told her “you might be right but I flunk miracles in school”. I completely disregarded her schedule in setting the shot and did what I always do. Naturally we had to postpone the boy interview until after the game, now we have to shoot the game, why I’ll never know. She asks me if she can use my Z1 for extra shots so I gave it to her. I was going to be in the center outfield with the long lens and the second camera was in the right field to get the runners going to first, all routine. I set-up the camera over the outfield fence, good shot of the pitcher, the batter, catcher and ump al lined up…… and…..what in the world, the producer with the Z1 camera was sitting on the ground right behind the umpire. I tried calling her on the phone so she can get the hell out of there but she can’t hear the phone ringing. Then my phone rings, that’s the second camera wondering what the f**k she was doing there because he couldn’t get a shot either. I wave at her to get her attention, she sees me and she politely waves back. Finally she moves and I got my shot, almost. The boy hits one and runs to first, I follow him to first and I couldn’t believe what I saw, the producer was sitting on the ground between home and first just inches outside the foul line. This had to stop, time to take charge. If there was ever a time to patronize someone this was it. “Listen sweetheart” I told her “I don’t know how or why you are here or how you got here, is none of my business, but have you ever done these sorts of things before?” She told me that she has a degree in television communication and she has done something similar, and then she dropped the bomb, she attended the Rosenblum VJ workshop. I kindly removed the camera from her hands. “To start” I told her “if someone hit a ball behind not only he might rearrange all those pretty facial features of yours, but it might not do a lot of good to my camera either” “but I was getting good shots” she told me “no you weren’t” I replied “this is an automatic camera and you were shooting into the sky, all you were getting is a lot of pretty silhouettes, you are here to create a story, baseball is not the story, people is the story, there are parents here, teammates and coaches, they all had something to do with this boy making it to the little league, we have 3 cameras shooting basically the same thing, I have a soundman that’s carrying my tripod, we are costing the client about 10K for this day, and you haven’t got a story yet; you are the producer and not the photographer, go and produce, take along the second photographer with the Varicam, the soundman and you and the reporter go and find sounds to go with the story, and one more thing, unless you want become unemployed or work for minimum wages, everything that you’ve learned in VJ school do exactly the opposite”. So they did and they got incredible interviews, parents and coaches were crying when describing what this boy went thru to make it to the little league. After the day was done she wanted to take me out to diner but the day was long enough without turning it into a social event. Sometime you just have to take charge.