Class Notes: Week 2

  • 3 - 3:30 PM: Reflection Workshop
    • Ira Glass
      • Editing - material is heading towards entropy/mess - try to vigorously structure it through editing
      • Having a purpose to anecdote
      • Narrowing material into best of best - be bold and shape material
      • Failure - Bob Lefkowitz - success rate too high - not trying anything worth trying
        • But don't try to fail - always try to do your best, but don't be afraid to take risks with questions, editing, and storytelling choices
      • Re: taste - figure out how stories that resonated with you did it
        • Why should they care
    • Bare Bones
      • Okay to use automatic settings on DSLR for a while before using full manual
      • Underexpose rather than overexpose in pictures
      • Every environment has potential -  shoot in halls that have depth
      • Shooting on DSLR is more challenging, but yields better pictures
        • ENG at DSB
        • DSLRs @ AMI
      • Camera is similar to eye - slight angles can make viewer feel something different
      • Camera can flatten image - fence example
      • 180 degree rule
        • Put main wide shot and do second more off-access
    • Production Manual
  • 3:30 - 4:15 PM: Tim Kiernan (Special Guest) (mrtkiernan@gmail.com)
    • Sound is very important - stay quiet and see if it is possible to film there
      • Bad sound --> bad picture overall/footage cannot be used
    • Always record 15-30 seconds of room tone!
      • Use it to let story breathe between sound bytes
    • Don’t fall in love with the stuff you are making - sometimes have to leave really good shots out
    • If you need to move to get best lighting and sound, explain why
    • Learn how to trust yourself and your tastes after small victories
    • 521 Studies LLC, Capstrat, Red Hat, Freelance
      • NC State - Dual Degree in Experimental Filmmaking, Video Installations
      • Vita Plume video - put mics up against loom, tried to capture every element of art - first time Tim and Carson felt good as storytellers
        • Musical score evolved through sections - set the pace of story and helped indicate change in story
      • John Hope Franklin Scholarship - worked on documentary for a year - had a breakthrough in animation and bringing it into work - Ecological (Earth Day)
        • Graphic designer mapped every idea of conversation - took that and animated it in the video - collaboration of designers, artists - became core for how he works today - collaborating with as many people as possible
        • Pitfall: doing everything by yourself
          • Learning to trust others is critical to success
        • This work got Tim interview at Capstrat - rude awakening to underbelly of corporate America - Capstrat was a great place to get feet wet
      • Capstrat piece for open source Linux got job at Red Hat
        • Pulled found footage - video was kept and incorporated into brand
          • Cost to make legal one - $60,000
        • Truth Happens - positions Red Hat in line of next technological development
          • Doesn't mention Red Hat until end of it
        • Tell a good story and tag brand at end - feels good
        • Scored his own music - tried to do everything
        • Worked there for 3.5 years - hit wall of telling Linux story without losing mind - under shadow of that video
      • Jump to entrepreneurship
        • Had been planning it for a while, could he survive for six months without a job
        • Week after, got really horrible videos for first video - disease videos - do what you have to do to get by
        • People leaving Red Hat and Capstrat call him for work - had to hire another company to make video for 25th year retrospective
          • Different than Truth Happens - gone through 3 iterations
        • Verisign
          • Highest end of scale - $250,000 budget vs $10,000
            • Does small things to keep small artistic passion alive
          • Got to find a way to keep artistic passion alive
            • Have to have some work that you feel genuinely passionate about
      • How do you assess budget and what clients' ranges are?
        • Depends:
          • Work backwards - what's our budget and end up using all of it? Budget can scale and get expensive fast
            • Lots of way to scale it down as well
          • Experience leads to good judgment - when getting started, do best you can with the budget you have
            • Did some videos for 0 budget for a while, but experience is key
      • Could you have started a company right out of graduation?
        • So much of business has been built on relationships with Capstrat and Red Hat
          • CEO of Red Hat just hired him to make video of family
        • Tough to have those connections right out of college
    • Do you take interns? Yeah! Business model is weird, works remotely - have had interns in past. Good guy to know.
  • 4:15 - 5 PM: Story #1 Pitches
    • Rebecca Holmes in the house! Check out Ello Raw!
      • Works at ThinkHouse - interested in entrepreneurship - talk to Becky about it!
    • Sophie and Chris
      • Pompieri Pizza
        • Fast, casual, gourmet pizza - focus on locally sourced, sustainable, seasonal ingredients
          • Angle: Farming system within own walls, long line of fish tanks, don't look carefully - part of an aquaponic system - when fish are fed, produce nutrients that help nourish plants. Use space above to grow herbs for pizza
          • Cool being in a city, finding farm to table, see if we could talk about how unique and sustainable it is and how it impacts as a whole, tanks are deliberately placed
      • Belgian Waffle Crafters (formerly Belgian Waffleology)
        • Francois - Triangle Area in 2012 - psych major - stay for 6 months originally, but wanted to bring Belgian to states
        • Loved cooking - started food truck in Durham/Triangle Area - really interesting
        • Angle: clash of Belgian culture in Triangle Area - quote: "Psychology meets the Belgian waffle"
        • Wants to know more about the story - cool to find out more - on campus Thursdays now
      • Heavenly Buffaloes - pretty popular within Durham
        • Cute building, neon orange, green and blue - sticks out
        • Interesting because started by man named Dain who owns Dain's place - take-out only, little shack
        • Locally sourced wings - open until 3 AM
        • Fills niche for late night food source - learn more about him and thought process about opening it
    • Wei and Nathan
      • Pony-saurus
        • New brewery about to spin-up, working out of Cookery in Durham, pretty interesting that brewery in Cookery
        • Build brick and mortar and have a taproom in Durham
        • Haven't contacted at all - owner seems interesting - special ed teacher 7 years beforehand
        • Craft brewing! Brand master on website - lots of focus on brand, beautiful - Baldwin& - potential for exploring that relationship
      • Japanese restaurant - Dashi
        • Americans started Japanese restaurant - chef is Japanese
        • American controlled - Japanese chef - interesting, enthusiastic about food - strict with process of food - noodles of Asian food should be made, then soup, then eat as soon as possible - timing is important
        • Well-designed pots and cookware - light there is artistic - visually passionate about food
        • Two couples came together to start that - Toast, Cookery
      • Non-profit Bee Downtown
        • Bee population has plummeted
        • American Tobacco - put bee things on top, works with Burt's Bees
        • Dynamic character
        • Talk about partnership for later
    • Jillian and Jenny
      • Eliza Portley - organic farmer, no farming and agriculture experience - raised money on kickstarter to create mobile farm classroom in bus, then bought organic farm, now food security manager for company that delivers food to areas in need
        • Don't need to know so much to be an entrepreneur - production and food side
        • Difficult to talk to her
        • Interfaith thing has ton of videos on her
      • UNC grad - Betty - simply be gluten-free - won startup contest - won $100,000+ in Carolina Challenge
        • Cookery in Chapel Hill - young, cute, fun and seems excited about being featured
        • Opened up own kitchen space - cool character says Becky
        • Going out of time - have to move quick
      • Third one - Ninth Street Juice and Coffeehouse - massive guy smoking cigars
        • Talked to him for a little bit
        • Parents own Silvia's in NYC - huge in food industry
        • Interesting interview - music business in LA, coming to Durham for health reasons
        • Going to city hall for liquor license
        • Hungry for exposure since he is brand new
        • Has been a coffee shop for years, has high turnover says Amy
          • Get answers on his life - music industry, use his music, stay away from commercial aspect - focus on his life
    • Tristan and Cassidy
      • Cocoa Cinnamon - community backed campaign
        • Keep blog - transparent between community
      • Mateo's Tapas Bar - Spanish focused
        • Vin Rouge chef - opened new one downtown
        • Went to France and ate 48 meals in 6 days, went to Spain and tried to discover food - cool story - restaurant looks cool to shoot in
        • Back story - Durham, foods are bland - show his super vibrant plates
        • Theme - classy, very sharp, very fast - tell this story of his energy
        • Big thing is creativity in kitchen - combine dishes that focus on Southern or Spanish food
        • Amy: Why Durham? Super saturated with Southern - that is a huge risk, how did he get funding, back-up plan, sounds like a character to know more about? How creatively can you show him travelling without that? Use open source music and attribute lyrics and stuff
        • Maybe have him point to maps, Spain vs France music, Spain vs France dishes visually shown w map
    • Melissa and Alex
      • Mati
        • pArts - Tatiana Birgisson - tea drink in dorm room - cafes around Durham - Google Demo Day, got a grant
      • Cocoa Cinnamon - local coffeshop in Durham - all local organic stuff, provide livable wage for all employees - active in community, very close to campus, walkable - recently ranked nationally on Buzzfeed
        • Opening a 2nd shop - community sourced and backed campaign - Durham residents fund next store - crowdfunded first store
        • Amy: Love to know more about Arielly and Leon - artists/DJ and have different lives before community coffee shop, work with local artists, person who does woodwork lives around the corner
      • The Pit - bbq restaurant
        • Committed to preserving Southern culinary tradition and coming back to what Carolina bbq is about and using local grown ingredients - big supporters of farms
        • Michael Pollen -  follows Ed Mitchell of The Pit around
    • Cara and Brandon
      • Good Heavens Confection: corn made marshmallows in Durham
        • Kahlua, pumpkin, fancy food
        • Don't look like marshmallows - awesome pieces of art
        • Left job as interior designer from stable job to crazy idea
        • Neat to see food entrepreneur in beginning stages - working out of store
        • Carson: likes tension of will it work or not, Becky Holmes agrees - head is full of questions and so many ways to go with that
        • Be careful about showing how she makes videos
        • Carson: Wireless mic, get her in kitchen cooking, document it and talk to her as she is doing it, so much more interesting to watch
        • Amy: Also get her to do the normal interview as well
      • Cuban Revolution
        • Edgy restaurant and bar - salsa dancing, petitions
        • Eccentric food location where food is not primary attraction - why do they keep putting themselves in middle of controversy? Weird juxtaposition of salsa dancing and reggae music
        • Challenges:
  • 5 - 5:30 PM: DSLR Workshop, Next Week Assignments
    • Pre-Interviews: very important to do initial discussion - talk about what you want to do, don't ask all questions
      • Doing this for a class
      • Understand schedules and explain time commitments
    • Tips
      • Check audio beforehand
      • Double AA batteries and headphones are a must when using zoom
      • Play around with equipment beforehand