Goal: Content Creation | Documentaries | Photography
Package: Simple Starter Kit
Location ⚘ Year: Brooklyn, NY. 2023
Our contribution
This project was a simple one. A half-day solo shoot where I show up on location, converse with the interviewee, film, take photos, then create content and a short documentary.
____ Project Details
Plan
Pre-Production Research
Unfortunately the client wasn't available to talk much prior to shooting so story boarding was difficult. This meant I had to be flexible with the story in-post.
In-Post Planning
After viewing the footage I get the chance to rewrite the story in places that need it. This happens whenever the interviewee says something unexpected and noteworthy.
Experimentation
Tried a lot of 120fps. There was also some new camera settings that backfired which made me try some new techniques with lighting, shutter speed, and ISO.
About
Subject challenge
We barely got to speak leading up to the day of the shoot! Planning was rough… I had a story I knew I could tell but had to be ready to improvise since I did not know exactly how she would respond to my questions in the interview process.
Projects tags
Documentary
Content Creation
Photography
Social Media
TEAM MEMBERS
1
PROJECT MANAGERS
1
SUBJECT SHOOTS
1
RESEARCH Q&A'S
3
01/03
Research
____ Key Points
Ask
Research Goals
I knew two important things about her background – she’s not from the US and she just graduated from Berklee College of Music, one of the greatest music schools in the world. The goal was to find out how she got to that point and the type of person that journey made her, as well as what led to her music career along the way.
History
Born in Tijuana, Mexico. Mainly lived with grandparents while parents worked. Attended school in California, crossing the boarder daily, until she graduated high school. Studied in Cuba before heading off to Berklee and graduating in 2022. Now working as a singer, producer, and teacher in Brooklyn, NY.
Purpose
Wants to make positive music in her native language that eases the minds of her listeners. She’s challenging the big city as a bilingual singer.
Question areas
The mission here was to dive deep into her past and really understand how she became the person she is today. I focused on three areas.
Life in Tijuana
Deciding to pursue music
Her end goal with her music
____ Persona Details
Mercedes Gala
Age: 24
Occupation: Singer | Producer | Teacher
From: Tijuana, Mexico
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Tier: Mid-level
Pain points:
Establishing yourself as an artist in NY requires a lot of hard work. It’s expensive to live here so working a day job is a must and music takes up all her free time.
Goals:
Make a living as a singer.
Key takeaway
It was clear that there was something pushing her to work harder than most. At such a young age she has already accomplished so much – winning awards and graduating from Berklee. I had to find out what motivated her.
Motivation is an action based in emotion. She was shy, so to get her to share the emotional side of her story that she was keeping tucked away I had to get her as comfortable as possible with speaking with me.
____ PRODUCTION ANALYSIS
Understanding the
After we had our initial conversations and turned the cameras on the plan was to ask as few questions as possible and let her speak as if she was talking to a longtime friend. But things don’t always go smoothly with a plan like this.
Pros
- She will speak freely.
- She will go on tangents which always provide good information.
- Can ask more organic questions based off tangents.
Cons
- Don’t know what to expect in-post.
- Have to create a story off what she says.
- Conversation may not go according to plan.
02/03
Pre-Production
____ Story
Plan
Emphasis
She has a past that most in the US don’t know anything about. What from her past has led her to thinking the way she does today? We want to highlight her work ethic, innocence, and intensity.
Work Ethic
Innocence
Intensity
Honesty
The Journey
Purpose
Atmosphere
Nostalgic & inspirational.
Opportunity
Each step she made in her journey has the opportunity to teach but it all depends on how the story is told in-post. I need to keep everything authentic. Some interviews get chopped up and reorganized in the editing process, not this one.
Location | Gear
Location
- Brooklyn, NY.
Lighting Gear
- GVM 800D-RGB (2)
- NanLite PavoTube 15C (4)
Photography Gear
- Sony A6400
- Sony FE 50mm f/1.8
- Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8
Interview Gear
- Sony A6400 (2)
- Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 (2)
- Magnus VT-300 Tripod (2)
- Rode VideoPro Stereo Mic
- Tascam DR-10L Lavalier Mic
03/03
Execution
____ big brain shit here ladies and gentlemen!
Finalizing the
Shoot
Half-Day
This was the second tightest location I’ve shot in. After moving some furniture we had a 10×12 space to work with – just enough space to lay out two cameras but didn’t leave many options in terms of angles and distance from the subject.
The best part about the situation is that I was prepared with a some Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 lenses. The depth of field these provide are amazing.
Post-production
Edit
This was more like listening to a podcast then editing it into a digestible story but that’s nothing new when pre-production research doesn’t go according to plan.
This was the first time I incorporated 120fps shots into my work. It was perfect for this client though. Made it all majestic like.
Releasing content
Documentary | Social Media
Once the edit was completed and exported it’s time to repurpose it into a vertical format for reels and shorts on Instagram and other platforms. I use the Captions app on my phone for to add the captions.
The covers for the reels as well as the post featuring quotes from the artist were done on Canva.
Lastly, the video was released on Youtube and by the company Hear That Music.
Summary
About
Overall, this was a smooth shoot and release. Both the client and I were busy shooting other projects during the editing process so that didn’t move as quickly (mostly my fault), otherwise it was no problem.
Results...
There was a positive reaction from her community! This was the first time she was documented in such a way which made sharing it a special moment.
...
The posts are also shared on the account of HearThatMusic.com.
It’s about getting impressions from non-followers and turning them into followers.
____ Key Findings
Measuring the
What I did well
Improvising. When it comes down to it I’m still confident I’ll execute. I showed up with very little knowledge of the individual but made her feel comfortable enough to tell me her story.
What I would do differently
Like I said, I need to connect with the individual more prior to shooting. I also had trouble with my camera settings during the photography portion of the shoot which ruined the focus on some pictures. Need to have those setting dialed in before shoots as well.
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