Thought Piece #4

This section of the book was kind of weird. Chapter 49 was about how to shoot footage of kids. I know that it is okay to film kids but for me it just feels unethical since they are minors. I never would want to come off as a creep recording kids in a park. It was interesting to read that viewers would rather see kids misbehaving than being “normal”. It makes sense the more that I think about it because humans are always more drawn to drama. 

The most important thing that was noted in this section is on page 169 and it was to keep shots short. They should only be about 10 seconds long for each clip. I like how Stockman included suggestions of different shots for events like weddings and graduations. It was interesting to read about how sometimes it would be good to consider submitting a cover letter in the form of a video instead to give more variety. While it is nice, I do not think I could ever do it just because I feel better being behind the camera than in front of it and a video would not be the best way to portray myself. I do believe it could be helpful for some people after reading about it in chapter 53. 

The further I get in this section it seems to be more about different types of videos that can be shot, not as much diving into how to shoot the videos and how to make them stand out. Chapter 57 interests me the most because it is about shooting a scripted video. For my sports video I do plan to have a little bit of a script for him but it is more so just making sure he includes certain phrases. I already have the video planned out and those few short sentences can contribute heavily. What I am seeing as the biggest thing to keep in mind when shooting something scripted is to film it several times. Not only to film it repeatedly but also to practice it with the subject. It will help them memorize it and also as the videographer changes can be made to get different emotions and energy from the subject. 

In editing 101 it explains the rule of less. I had never heard of this until know so it is very interesting. It essentially means that if something footage wise is even slightly off track and losing focus of the video to delete it. The best way to describe it is that less is better. I definitely agree with that, sometimes when you include so many fancy elements it overshadows the point of the video and it just gives viewers a headache. 

One thing I struggle with when shooting and editing video together is making it seamless. Going from one clip in one location to a different clip in a different location where the subject is doing something different always confuses me. In my mind it would make the most sense to use a transition but sometimes that can be too much for the video and ends up so distracting that it throws everything off. 

Overall this section was helpful, but the beginning of it lost me a little bit because it was not as eye-catching and it did not keep my attention. I feel at this point of the book some of the stuff being written is starting to be repeated.