A couple of weeks ago I shot the Hopewell Cancer Support 5k Reach Out and Run event. I was contacted to shoot photos by their Creative Director because she liked my work of the Baltimore Marathon. With every potential client I take a look at any material I can find to see their photography style, uses, and brand ideas. After checking out Hopewell's site I found their Survivor Stories from previous speakers at the race, and after reading them, I felt they could be even more impactful if they were videos.
We decided I would video all the speeches at the end of the race, then use b-roll footage of the race, family events, and signage of the event. There will be two videos, one as a gift to the main speaker Brother James Kelly of Mount Saint Joseph High School and a more traditional 3-minute web video showing the importance of the race to people surviving and fighting cancer.
The Creative Director and I had two pre-race meetings to discuss day-of logistics and develop a workable shot list. These were vital to make sure we had enough material for both videos. It was a truly collaborative effort and even though I was the only shooter, I enjoy working with the client to fit my vision to their need.
Day of the race equipment consisted of:
Canon 7D
16 GB of SanDisk Extreme Cards
IndiSYSTEM ULTRA Compact Video Rig
Azden Shotgun XLR Mic
Zoom H4N Audio Recorder
After toting the kit around all morning, my shoulders were exhausted. It was very light at first, but carrying it for three hours was rougher than I would've thought. I audio synced with Plural Eyes and edited with Adobe Premiere Pro. I am still learning proper editing, rendering, and codecs, but overall the client and myself were pleased with the product. This was a great experience and I am looking forward to working with Hopewell and Meg on future projects.
My 25th birthday was yesterday. Typically I'm not the one to celebrate birthdays, but this is definitely a special one. Crazy to think that I'm a quarter-century old. Em surprised me with the Orioles experience - pre-game at Pickles Pub and then the Sunday afternoon game against the Rays. Great seats and fun times with friends. Then for my actual birthday night she took me out to dinner at Brewer's Art. We'd been wanting to go for awhile, great food and beer.
Going to be a busy end to the month, putting the finishing touches on a number of things:
My first video for a client
Creating the marketing plan for the rest of the year
Publishing portal for my personal work on entrepreneurs
Planting of the organic garden
Re-finishing the 2nd floor original hardwoods
Wedding planning
Thanks to everybody for the birthday wishes from Facebook, Twitter, texts, and calls. Lots of excitement and work around here. New client work will be up next week!
It's been a busy few weeks, lots of marketing work, project planning, shooting, and house work. It's finally spring here in Baltimore and baseball is now in full swing. More to share soon from my first video assignment and new launch.
Baltimore high school baseball in Patterson Park on April 15, 2011
