The fun of exploring new equipment continues. The most recent mission was a gimbal for a smart phone. I originally had ordered a FlowMotion ONE in August 2018, but after six months of shipping delays on the manufacturing side, I needed to cancel the order and seek alternatives. Many gimbals are available. The Zhiyun-Tech brand…
11 Lessons from an Editing Workshop in Adobe Premiere
In January 2019, I attended a beginner’s workshop in Adobe Premiere presented by Beth Perloff at Film North in St. Paul, Minnesota. The following post brings together 11 takeaways from that two-day workshop.
Unboxing an Insta360 ONE X Camera
Part of the fun in learning about creating new media is exploring new equipment options. I opted for an Insta360 ONE X camera bundle. The camera offers some options I want to check out, had some good reviews, and fit the price range.
Notes toward an Interactive Documentary Production Class
This post offers a thinking through of an interactive documentary production course’s possible assignments and a bit about their rationales.
11 Lessons from a Workshop in Audio Production
In early November 2018, I attended a workshop in audio production presented by Owen Brafford at Film North in St. Paul, Minnesota. The class represents another step toward proposing a multi-media documentary production class. The following post brings together 11 takeaways from that too-brief afternoon workshop. 1. Learn a little physics. More specifically, learn a…
11 Lessons from a Cinematography Boot Camp
In early November 2018, I attended a class in cinematography presented by Jeremy Wilker at Film North in St. Paul, Minnesota. The class represents another step toward proposing a multi-media documentary production class. The following post brings together 11 takeaways from that two-day workshop. 1. Every shot must serve a purpose. This reminder is important…
11 Lessons in Smartphone Filmmaking
In early September 2018, I attended a class in smart phone filmmaking presented by Nick Clausen at Film North in St. Paul, Minnesota. The class represents another step toward proposing a multi-media documentary production class. The following post brings together 11 quick take-aways from that day-long session. 1. To (third-party) app or not to (third-party)…
11 Lessons from a Documentary Bootcamp
In mid-August 2018, I attended a Documentary Boot Camp presented by Film North in St. Paul, Minnesota. The class represents a first step toward proposing a multi-media documentary production class. The following post brings together 11 quick take-aways from that day-long session. 1. “Not all who wander are lost.” No single path leads to learning…
Five Starter Books about Documentary to Check Out
Studies in documentary film have boomed in the last two decades. What used to be a shelf-ful of books about the form now number in the hundreds, maybe even thousands. Both single volumes and publisher series, including Minnesota’s Visible Evidence series and Wallflower Press’s Nonfictions series, go behind the screens and investigate the subject in…
Revisiting Teaching Op-Docs
Op-Docs refers to the short documentary video series curated by The New York Times. Op-Docs showcase an array of documentary storytelling styles and address a diversity of social issues. I have used Op-Docs as a pedagogical model for short documentary production and am considering them again as I develop an advanced multimedia production class proposal….