What happens when a PR intern goes on a video shoot?
Recently, I went on a video shoot with Brandon and Coleman. I am not a film major nor do I know anything about filmmaking. The closest I get to filmmaking is sending a funny video to my friends via Snapchat. To say I was out of my element is an understatement.
We left the Immotion Studios office to go to the site where we would be filming. Not only did Coleman and Brandon tease me about being the intern, but they also bullied me into making the decision about where we would eat lunch. As an indecisive 21 year-old, this was a very hard decision. Not only did I have to choose where to eat for myself, but I had to choose for two other people as well. In the end, I chose to eat lunch at Schlotzsky’s. As we ate our lunch, Coleman explained what we were doing for the client today and the past projects Immotion has done for them.
We arrived at the client’s office and started to unload our equipment onto the cart. As a PR and social media intern, I just need a computer and a cell phone to get my work done. As the film intern for the day, I was unloading a camera, two different types of lights, multiple stands, cables, cables and more cables. Never in my life have I been around this much film equipment.
We made our way through the building to the room where we would be filming. The client explained how he wanted the video to look. The backdrop for the video was a window with a view of the building next door. Being an “expert” at shooting iPhone videos, I thought there would be too much light coming into the shot. Of course the actual video experts, Brandon and Coleman, did not have an issue with the light.
Then we started unloading the equipment and setting up the shot. As we set up the shot, I became the light test model. I sat in the chair in front of the camera, monitor and lights to determine how the best lighting for the shot. This was the easiest part of my day.
After the lighting was fixed, we started with our first interviewee. I stayed behind the camera looking at the monitor. Brandon was manning the camera as Coleman watched the monitor and real life action. We shot multiple takes of the four interviews.
Pretty soon, the office where we were filming started to get noisy. I was appointed as “noise control.” I was in charge of telling everyone who walked by to be quiet.
Finally, we wrapped the shoot inside. We started putting the equipment away and loading it back on the cart. As we made our way out of the building we stopped at a conference room where I was shown a touch screen computer. It was a huge iPad.
As Brandon started getting exterior shots of the building, Coleman and I started loading the equipment into the car.
On the way home, we got stuck in traffic. Worn out from loading and unloading equipment, I fell asleep for a couple minutes in the car. Coleman laughed and woke me up.
Although I probably will not have a career as a filmmaker, I was very grateful for the opportunity to see how films are made. There is a lot of work and wisdom that goes into making a professional video that most people do not realize.
Written by: Kelsey Taylor, PR & Social Media Intern
