Troubleshooting while shooting (video) at the gun range

This weekend I headed out to the Lone Star Gun Range in Lockhart to shoot some video and capture audio of a concealed handgun licensing class that was sponsored by Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. Before I even picked up my equipment, I was brainstorming potential problems that I might encounter. I think other people might benefit from my experience, so I’ll do a short write-up.

First off, I got there at magic hour. Nothing is better for photos and videos than people shooting guns at dawn. But the light can also wreak havoc on your shots. Keep an eye out to make sure you’re not shooting into the light, unless you want some mean silhouettes and sunbursts.

But the light wasn’t really my problem this weekend. My issue was sound to go with my video. With a wireless lavalier in hand, I attached the microphone to my subject (the CHL instructor) and plugged into my camera. The class was already moving, so I wasn’t able to get a mic check. Don’t make the same mistake!

After realizing my headphones were only picking up static, I double-checked things on my end. XLR input was good, input was turned on, mic was off mute, but the mic receiver was on but not receiving. Crisis.

I shot wides in the meantime, realizing I could get back on in the second round of shooters and record my audio with tighter shots.

After the first round I checked the mic out on the subject (his name is Mike, so I’ll say Mike). Everything looked good on his end, but I didn’t have time to play around. Mike was also wearing a second microphone for amplification, so I went to my second option.

Back in my pile of stuff was my shotgun mic. I unplugged my wireless set and plugged in. With my headphones on, even through my earplugs, I could hear Mike’s amplified voice clearly. During the second round I worked on getting medium and close shots, along with enough audio of gunfire to use in future SoundSlides or video effects.

So here are my suggestions:

1.) Always, always, always get your sound check in. Even if it means confronting a group of people with guns.

2.) Bring along an extra microphone. Whether as a backup or for a different use, it’s nice to have that security.

3.) If your audio is messing up and you know you’ll get another shot at it, shoot your wide shots. It’ll be nice to line up the audio with the facial expressions in the close-ups and medium shots, so wait until you have good audio.

4.) Make friends with the amplification. An additional microphone doesn’t have to be your enemy, and in my case can save you. If you have to, switch to a different camera microphone to better capture a PA system or whatever is being used to amplify.

5.) Don’t stress. It’s more fun when you let it flow.

The fun begins and the terror of job-searching

My multimedia story really begins to roll on Saturday as I start shooting video of some of the people directly involved with the debate. I’m also lucky enough to be able to film one of the classes, which are usually just one per year at each of the major universities in the state.

I’m excited about the story and Professor Alves gave me some input on it in a meeting with him this week. Expect to see some more photos here and on Flickr, actual good ones, after this weekend.

I’m also looking forward to my research paper on news organizations that used Twitter during the Egyptian protests. And the icing on the cake of the semester will be my third International Symposium on Online Journalism.

Other News

I picked out the stories I’ll be writing for my health reporting class, and have already created a list of sources for them. The book for the class is interesting, but the reporting techniques are about as standard as for any other beat. Identify resources, develop sources, find important topics that your audience cares about, write the story.

Job Front

As the semester progresses forward, I’m becoming increasingly excited and terrified about looking for jobs. I scroll through the listings on JournalismJobs every day, as well as a few other places with listings. The idea of finally being able to report and write full-time, without thinking about having to go back to school, is definitely something I’m looking forward to.

I’m ready to get to work for a news organization and work like crazy like I’ve done the past four years. The getting there part isn’t as enjoyable.

Multimedia and nerding out on a Friday

The semester is officially in full swing. I have several stories in the works, as well as my big multimedia project for J334 and a research paper in the same class.

Last week I shot photos and video for the project, including a talk by Suzanna Hupp. It was really interesting and was a good opportunity for me to work with a new camera and mic system.

The photos I shot were mainly at the Capital, while I wait for an opportunity to go out to the range. On the day I went, the House adjourned just after noon, but I got what I think is an interesting photo of two clerks at work by the podium and a lone security guard in the gallery.

Shooting photos at the range will definitely be more interesting than empty rooms and storefronts, but we just needed to show we could use Photoshop for this assignment.

Nerding out

Today I started familiarizing myself with the basics of JavaScript and Python. I hope to teach myself a little of both during the semester and find ways to apply it in the future. We’ll mention JavaScript briefly in Web Publishing, but I’m a nerd.

Good reads

On a sidenote, if you’re not following David Carr or CJ Chivers on Twitter, you really should. They both have a lot of interesting things to say and both of them share really interesting links.

Carr also provides a lot of insight about the world around us that I really respect. For example, how we’re basically serfs for big media companies.