“So we need to shoot a few interviews and have them turned around within about 15 hours.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem. How many?”
“42.”
Normally the kind of job proposal that sends one screaming. The occasion was the American Mothers’ annual Mothers of the Year banquet at New York City’s Ritz-Carlton. These videos were to be shot the night before the awards ceremony to play during that same awards ceremony. The format was simple enough, just a short sound byte from each honoree. The time frame was a little hectic, but doable.
Rather than cheap out, I went with a semi standard two-camera setup, and did lighting for a single seat with boomed audio. That way, honorees could simply line up, talk for a very short while, and go on their way – no mic cables, minimum re-lighting, no fuss. The entire production session from setup to teardown lasted a mere three hours.
Post production fell to a simple formula. I’d created an ID 3rd template before the event, and simply plugged in names and identified 30-45 seconds within each mini-interview. Minor grading was applied and the output sent to render as I gathered a short snooze.
All parties were pleased, especially considering the tight schedule.
