First football highlight video of the season

I realize we're jumping into this conversation without a lot of setup, but we've spent the past two years trying to dial in a video initiative at Northwest.

I've come to several conclusions along the way. I've learned that good cameras don't come cheaply. We've bought several cameras that turned out to not be as good as they're labeled. For instance, a camera with manual focus shouldn't revert to AF just a few moments later. And having white balance that changes dynamically as the content of the shot changes is frustrating as well. Manual control over the camera settings is vital. Some of the cheapest cameras such as the GoPro, which don't offer control, are fantastic. They are expendable because of their cost and their size allows us to have several of them and offer unique angles we wouldn't have otherwise.

After trying to edit videos from shoots where we just used one video camera a significant less is that you can't have too many cameras. Unlike still photography, video doesn't allow you to move the camera in the middle of an event without undesirable consequences such as jump cuts or shaky video.

Our newest highlight video used five different cameras and a lot of pre-game conversations with coaches and staff who would help us put our cameras in unique places. Working with coach Joel Osborn we mounted a GoPro camera on the helmet of a player during run on. We also worked with our cheerleaders to mount a camera on a camera below a flag during the run on which gave us a unique perspective of our mascot. There's still room to improve with both those cameras and I'll be initiating conversations this week to try to perfect those angles.

Another camera we used was a Canon 7D as a time lapse camera. Coordinating with our university safety coordinator we gained access to the roof of the South Complex residence hall. I'm currently considering another rooftop to place the 7D for another time lapse.

You might wonder why I'd do it again. Well, the first time was hardly perfect. And looking forward to next July/August, I need perfect videos to create a commercial for Northwest. And we've been tasked with creating a new video for the football team run on.

Our other cameras were operated by Taylor Grimm and Logan Compton. Taylor worked this summer for Fox Sports at Kauffman Stadium and he's operating a Panasonic P2 camera on the sidelines for the third straight year in a row. Logan is new to our team. He originally interviewed with the CITE office at Northwest. I was able to sit in on those interviews and was impressed with all the candidates. We were able to use Logan for high angle shots early in the game. He also ran a camera at halftime during the marching band's performance. His main responsibilities this fall for athletics will be to create a highlight DVD for the volleyball team and he's also our shooter for Tuesday Interviews.

Athletic marketing was impressed with the video and has requested we consider shooting some in the locker room this year in preparation for a video we'd create for next fall.

A new school year and new ideas for the blog

September is the beginning of my 13th year at Northwest Missouri State University. My wife and I moved here in August of 2000 after school had already started. We lived in a residence hall for a month, ate microwave food and restaurants as well. After that first month we moved into a house that was listed for sale by a coworker. The stay there was memorable as we witnessed a faculty member and her husband caring for their newborn next door. I discovered the power of a good microwave and we watched The Wedding Singer on my big-ass Gateway desktop computer. After those first six weeks we finally got into a duplex. And two years later we bought our first home. We transitioned somewhere along the way from sleeping on a futon mattress to a real bed, furniture and two good vehicles. The only thing that hasn't changed is we still live like college students staying up until midnight. In the meantime as a professional photographer I started a sports photography business that boomed and then faded as others entered the market. And almost everything I've photographed at work has been done ten times over. It used to be every opportunity was irreplaceable. Now, I use much more of my student's time to photograph events. That said, it brings me to the point. My intention with this blog was never very clear and I didn't have a grasp on what to even post. However, my responsibilities at work have changed to include producing videos for Northwest. The blog will now focus on trying to document what we do at work with our video initiatives and how we're trying to take modest video equipment to create videos about Northwest. I hope to show how we've made some of our own equipment and modified other equipment to meet our needs. It's not my intention to call a lot of attention to the blog at first. The first goal is going to be linking and profiling what we do and trying to develop a depth of content.