Things are moving along quite nicely here in Waco, TX. As you might recall, I’ve been working on a television pilot for a popular lifestyle network. It seems crazy to think we are only a week away from the final “reveal” of the remodeled home. Armed with a HDX 900, Canon 5D and a couple of Go Pros, I’m continuing to do what I love to do in the Lone Star State.
In this phase of the production it’s all about keeping up with the story lines that the producers feel are important. On top of that we also have to make sure to document all aspects of the construction. When I can’t be at the house I’ll set up a Go Pro to record a time-lapse of the process we need to capture.
Most of the time I’m shooting “scenes” with the talent and other people involved in the construction process. For this part I rely on the HDX -900. Hooked up to my camera is a wireless monitor where the director can watch the action unfold. If we miss something or need a cut away we’ll get those at the end of the scene. Shooting reality TV is a fast paced process. One thing our director is really trying to avoid is reenactments and over produced scenes.
After a scene we get OTF’s (On The Fly interviews) with the talent. Sometimes we can make use of Lite Panels or a reflector. Sometimes things are moving so quickly that we just have to make best with just the sunlight or a camera light to give the interviewees a little pop.
As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve also been shooting a lot of scenics too. This time around I’ve focused more on time-lapses. Of course, a good time-lapse requires patience and some sweet cloud cover. Luckily I’ve had both of those ingredients. The Canon 5D was my camera of choice for time-lapses. I captured time-lapses in two ways, per the producer’s request. I took pictures using an intervalometer and I also just rolled on a shot for 5 to 10 minutes. The producer wanted the editor to have choices and I gave them just that.
As we draw near the completion of this project I grow more and more excited to see the finished home. The reveal is sure to be an action packed day of shooting. There’s still some planning to do as far as where cameras will be placed. From what I hear we will be shooting the “reveal” in two different ways to give the editor and producers choices when this show gets cut together. I’ll be sure to tell you all about it in the coming week!
