I have an expert!

           Most of my friends consider themselves to be somewhat of a film buff. Whether it is from them working at a movie store, families routed in movies, or have just taken a few film classes their college offers; they simply know how to watch a film. Yet, none of them can really be considered “experts.”

            During the trial of my post production on my mini documentary I am going to need critical, unbiased feedback. As much as I like having friends tell me “It looks good.” or “Yeah, I’d watch it.” Their input will not really alter how the final product will look.

            That is why I decided to have Dr. Suzanne Prestien as my on campus expert to review Life on the Road. Dr. Prestein teaches Public Relations, English, and Film Studies courses at Westminster College. I’ve had Dr. Prestein for a few classes and know she is capable of constructive criticism, yet, can give credit when she likes something.

            Dr. Prestien received her PhD at Case Western in American Studies with an emphasis on Film. When most film studies minors, such as me, come to Westminster they are usually introduced to the film program by taking Film Studies 101 with Dr. Prestien. She also teaches a cluster course incorporating gender studies and film. In most of Dr. Prestien’s classes, even ones not regarding film, she effectively utilizes in class films to highlight important lessons.

            However, Dr. Prestien, isn’t foreign film and film noir, she has a particular soft spot for documentaries. Some of her favorites are The Thin Blue Line and Hoop Dreams. I’m sure Dr. Prestien’s background, love of documentaries, and expertise will provide me with helpful feedback. I’m planning to let her see progress when I reach about the halfway point and then again at full completion.

All About Drew

My capstone documentary takes a look into the life of motorsports culture by following Drew Carl through his day to day tasks. However, I think it would be good if everyone knew just a little bit about Drew before they view the documentary in November.

I met Drew sometime during my freshmen year in high school. At Chartiers-Houston High School, classes usually graduate with give or take 100 students, so it didn't matter that I was a freshmen and Drew was a senior we had similar interests and kept with the same group of friends. Naturally a bond formed.

When Drew graduated he went to a local community college for computer programming. However, every time I had a chance to see Drew he was usually talking about going to some race on the other side of the country or how he was fixing up his ATV's.  By the time it came to be my senior year in high school Drew had decided to start his own business E-score. Coming from a small school and having a close friend prosper at such a young age gave me something to look forward to.

The downside of Drew having his own business is that he had to spend most of his time (not to mention his entire summers) building up his company. As a result, I lost touch with Drew and saw him during an occasional Penguins game during winter breaks. This all changed last spring when I had to make a 15 minute documentary. Through trial and error with bad ideas the only logical action to take was to get in contact with Drew and see what his summer was like. Of course, Drew had to be spending a vacation (or his down time) in the Grand Canyon-his cell phone never received my calls.

Finally, Drew returned my calls and said he would be more than happy to have me come with him on a couple of his business trips.

Before I really had time to prepare to make this documentary I was throwing my bags in the back of Drew's truck to begin a two week adventure to Minnesota. Fortunately, I was able to catch up on all my preparation (and tell old stories with Drew) during the 14 hour ride into central Minnesota.

During the ride I also found out Drew was a bit camera shy and realized that would affect my interview process. So I began writing questions to "soften" Drew up, questions I still wanted to know but didn't think there would be room for them in the documentary. I asked Drew how he got started and why, his plans for the future, his outlook on the industry he is in. To my surprise, Drew gave some in depth answers and his cooperation encouraged me to ask some of the questions I decided should be left out.

The interview with Drew went really well and was able to find some "nuggets" in his answers. If I could go back and change anything, I would have interviewed Drew while he drove his truck (or at least find out a way to get ample lighting to do the interview.

My main concern for viewers of the documentary is its' lack of diversity. During the interviews, no matter how differently the questions were worded, the subjects gave the same general answers as those before and after them. I'm hoping I can find a clever way of editing to make this work for me.

Ups and Downs

     As the deadline for my capstone approaches the weight on my shoulders seems to become heavier. This is mainly because I am worried how my final product will turn out. I have plenty of material (cover shots, interviews, and action shots) and more than enough time. My biggest difficulty is getting past the video logging stage.

     The logging stage is going through all of the material and determining what you want to use and where it is at. I find this the most difficult stage of post-production because it is very tedious. Looking through 80 minutes of video to be condensed to around 15 minutes becomes quite the process. It is here that I have to decide what is good, bad, and just usable. Labeling shots and interviews then categorizing them into their own folder is time-consuming and requires the patience/organizational skills that I am grateful I developed during my time at Westminster College. On the bright side, once I get into the final editing process my production speed will likely pick up.

    The area in which I am so comfortable with is my camera work. I am lucky enough to have a great friend who let me borrow his Canon Mark II. To say the least, it is outstanding. Once I was able to figure out the complexities of the camera it became very easy to use. Shooting in HD will always give a documentary a better, more professional look. With the Mark II I was able to make ample use of lighting for interviews, and it also captured great audio.

     In hindsight, having such great shots is probably what has been delaying my logging process. I can’t make up my mind which shot is better or where I should cut off from a shot. Eventually my weaknesses will be overcome by my strengths and Life on the Road will be finished.

A Tip For Jon

After reading Jon's blog (http://wctitansoccer.blogspot.com/) on his documentary about the Westminster Titan soccer program I immediately saw the potential in the project. In summary, Jon will be documenting two freshmen soccer player, one from the boys team and one from the girls, and how they develop as players under Coach Girish Thakar.   

I feel pretty confident Jon will capture the hard work and training that goes on at a soccer practice since he played soccer at Westminster under Coach Thakar. Jon will probably have multiple interviews throughout the season with coaches and players leaving him an abundance of good material to work with. The drama of wins/loss and relationships of the teammates will provide a natural story structure to follow. Developing that story is when things can get hard.  

Picking and choosing sequences during long editing sessions can keep Jon distracted from the focus of his story. At the same time, if he focuses on just the surface levels (interviews and dialogue) Jon would miss out on potentially great compelling audio/video elements. To me, a great sports documentary has outstanding editing between highlights of the athletes alongside interesting dialogue. It is when these lines become too defined rather than meshed together that a sports documentary can lose the touch. For example, a sportscaster rambles off stats throughout the entire segment; And the only thing worse than watching the talking head ramble through the numbers is having a graphic up displaying the very same facts you are hearing. I hope this doesn’t show up in anyone’s documentary.    

For Jon, I would recommend watching Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets. I followed this year's HBO training camp special on the New York Jets not just as a fan of football but of the great production values within the program. In no point in the show does someone have to stop and wonder "What's going on?" More importantly, it is masterfully edited; making excellent use out of interviews, fast paced training sessions, coaches' conference, sideline banter, etc. Yes, the show is shot with state of the art HD cameras and audio equipment, but shows the audience an inside look on one of America's favorite professional sports. From the development of quarterback Mark Sanchez to the pep talks given by foul mouthed head coach Rex Ryan, the show gets rid of the overdone analyses of the game as various sports shows provide. Simply put, Hard Knocks gives the viewer everything they want- drama.   

When Jon hits the slump in his post-production phase (like to the rest of 602), I hope he can catch a couple episodes of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets to get motivated and focused again on making a great sports documentary.

     Hello everybody. I’m Mike, a senior broadcast communications major at Westminster College, and this is my blog. I'll be posting at least once a week mainly on the topic of the progress of my senior year, particularly my capstone project.
       I have been doing television and radio production since my freshman year, most notably on the Titan Crew. The Titan Crew broadcast events such as: Westminster College and high school football and basketball games (including several PCN Game of the Week). I’ve also been involved in nearly every aspect of WCN’s news show, The County Line, Through tasks such as technical directing and producing/anchoring sports I have improved my television production skills.

      This past summer, however, I started production on my first documentary tentatively titled Life on the Road: the Culture of Motocross. It features a two week shadow of young entrepreneur, Drew Carl. Included with the trailer Carl drives is three of his employers, two dogs, and endless amount of DVDs. The focus of the documentary is on the culture of motocross (hence the title) and the interactions of the people within the American subculture.

      However, you must be warned, Carl and his crew do not splash through muddy tracks or climb steep grades to fly weightlessly through the air. Instead Carl’s company, Escore, stays along the side of the track with other merchandise vendors. Escore rents/sells transponders (a software component each racer mounts on their vehicle) which help determine the outcome and score of the races.

      Life on the Road looks at the interrelationship of the Escore crew and Carl’s relationship with other vendors and the racing world’s amusing people. I became aware the benefits of living on the road, as well as the setbacks , as I watched a bond form between this small traveling community.

      The thought of watching another video of young men covered in gear and dirty riding at top speeds doesn’t appeal to everyone, however, an introspective look into the drama of a culture tends to grab more people attention. As I enter the final stages of post-production this semester I hope to build on my writing skills as well as polish my technical skills.

      This semester is going to be pretty demanding. The challenge of finding time to keep up with the blog and editing will be unlike anything I’ve experienced at WC. But, as always, I welcome a challenge.

for more information on Drew Carl's business Escore