PROJECT
Colleague: “So [redacted] had to cancel and [redacted] said they can’t do it either. I know it’s last-minute, but do you think you could shoot and edit a video for us?”
Me: “Sure.”
BACKGROUND
Ramsey County renovated their Maplewood Service Center and we wanted to promote its re-opening. Numerous county officials and the mayor would be speaking, and local news stations would also be covering the event. My task was to produce a short video in both horizontal and vertical formats that we could post on our social media channels the same day. I would also create a “fancier” version within a few days to share with the local chamber of commerce.
TOOLS
Adobe Premiere Pro (videos)
PROCESS
Armed with a copy of the run-of-show, I storyboarded a one-minute video, created a shot list, and then created sequences in Premiere Pro using proxy footage I shot in the office. I’d shoot in 16:9 4K so I can produce both the horizontal and vertical edits from the same source. I’ve used this approach before, and the actual A-roll and B-roll are never exactly like the proxy footage. But it gets me close to a final edit with room for game-day modifications.
I planned to shoot the entire event on my iPhone, transfer the files to my laptop, then upload the finished videos for posting within two hours of the event.
Using an iPhone on a tripod with a wireless mic.
RESULTS
The event went well, and I was able to get a lot of good footage. I was able to send videos for review, get feedback, and produce final videos in under two hours - goal met. After posting it, the stakeholders were happy enough that a second version wasn’t necessary. You can see both the horizontal and vertical versions below.
Overall, the videos performed well with much higher-than-average engagement. It’d be nice to get some budget for lighting, better mics and more time both before and after the shoot, but it’s also a fun challenge to work fast with what you have and still produce something that works :)