MITCHELL POWERS

• Documentary-style Video Producer/Shooter/Editor

• Direct Cinema/Cinema Verite

• DSLR Video for Non-Profits

• Virginia Tech: Film to Video

• Senior Multimedia Producer, UVA

“Scalable Video Solutions”

THE EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE

• Editors need choices and the more choices the better

• There is not enough footage

• Cut to support emotion, story and rhythm -Walter Murch

• Wide, Medium, Close to create tension, underline emotion

• Eisenstein and Montage Theory, the edit is the ‘nerve’ of film

• Every edit is a chance for a new idea, a new emotion

THE BUILDING BLOCKS

• Interview, edited loosely or aggressively

• B-roll footage, as much as possible

• Music, neutral or emotive

• Voiceover

• Animation

PROCESS PASSIONA Foundation for the Work

PRE-PRODUCTION

• Pre-Interviews, Character and Story Analysis

• Scripting, bringing in collaborators

• Storyboarding

• Shot listing

• Writing interview questions

• Collaboration vs. One Person Band

PRODUCTION

• Shoot interviews

• Shoot B-Roll

• Find the story

POST• Collecting Assets

• Self-indictment

• Rough Cutting

• Fine Cutting

• Screenings (Collaborators return)

• Revisions

• Export and Upload

SHAREABILITY

• Quality, audio taking precedence.

• Give them a hook

• Tell them a story

• Emotion

• Use your capital

• Consider share ability in pre-production.

THE NEW SCIENCE OF VIRAL ADS

• Pulse the Brand

• Give the viewer an emotion immediately, joy or surprise

• Shift the emotional dynamics, change the tone

• Hone the first five seconds, make a hook

• Target and cultivate extroverts

• Make a ‘cinematic social object’, a place to gather

By Dr. Thales Teixeira

MAKE POETRY NOT PROSE

• R.I.P. to the Seven Minute Video?

• This is good: Brevity is the Soul of Wit.

• A caveat: Every length has a place at the table.

VIDEOS IN THE SOCIAL CONTEXT

• Upload it to Facebook or embed from Youtube.

• Control and experiment with what you can

• Headlines

• Thumbnails

• Titles

• Descriptions

PICK YOUR JAW UP OFF THE FLOOR AND TURN SOCIAL

MEDIA INTO A LABORATORY. • Experiment with your approach to EVERYTHING.

• Reflect emotion, be personal

• What works with your audiences?

• How can you help the audience connect?

• Above all else, don’t stand in their way

KEN ELZINGA

• A beloved figure

• Interesting, layered character

• Two camera interviews for the students

• Two camera interview effect with one camera?

VIDEOS WE MAKE

• News Packages

• Profiles

• Marketing

• Super Shorts

• “Web Videos”

WHO IS THE AUDIENCE???

• Prospective Students

• Students

• Alumnae

• Parents

• Influencers

GETTING YOUR SHOTS

• Stand on a chair! Get low, get low!

• Always get more than you need. Choices.

• Wide, Medium, Close, take notes from Hitchcock.

• Portraits.

• Cutaways.

• Get creative with movement.

BRANDINGIt’s the world we live in. A source of ideas rather than

restrictions. It’s also not a one-way process.

CASE STUDY: DREAM VENDOR

• Pitched as an ensemble cast

• Cinematic movement.

• Telegenic Grad Student, W.I.T.

• Split into two videos

• Continues to be watched. Evergreen.

STORY PITCHES

• Get them past “We Need a Video.”

• What’s the STORY. Is it VISUAL?

• What can a video accomplish as opposed to other methods?

• Internal politics can interfere. Sometimes you compromise.

• A win for both teams.

CASE STUDY: ERIC STANDLEY

• His Origin Story: Dyslexia, and a formative experience with the infinite.

• Arts and Technology.

• It’s about finding good stories and storytellers.

• Find people with real passion.

• Visual stories make for great videos.

WHERE TO FIND A VIDEOGRAPHER.

• University Community

• Photographers

• Talented Students with desire to learn

• ProductionHub, Google, Mandy

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN SAMPLE REEL

• Good lighting.

• Good audio.

• Focussed. Composed.

• What styles are they shooting?

• Can they make you feel something?

HOW TO WORK WITH A VIDEOGRAPHER ON

LOCATION

CONCERNS OF THE VIDEOGRAPHER

• Large spaces to establish depth, for many reasons.

• The dreaded conference room.

• Good, controllable light. No high noon exteriors w/o shade.

• Exposure.

• Controllable sound.

• Complex setups to do in short periods of time. Focus.

• Highly organized shooters are best.

• Get B-Roll. Wide, Medium and Close.

CONCERNS OF THE PRODUCER

• Keeping Subject relaxed.

• Exploring additional information.

• Make sure videographer has what s/he needs.

• Making sure the videographer gets his shots, has good audio.

• Getting the interview subject to say the same thing again and again.

Further Questions? mitchellspowers@gmail.com