From Seki Fadez to Snip City

Recently I was fortunate enough to meet Fetu. An aspiring law student who also gives unique haircuts from his home, called Seki Fadez.

I was lucky Fetu is a patient man because it took me awhile to navigate a tripod, camera, notepad and microphone in a space Fetu called “diminutive”.

I thought I had prepared myself quite well. I studied short films and broadcasts on barbers, had my sister as assistant, a list of questions, and toffee pops to soften up the talent.

However, I didn’t consider that my sister’s broken collar bone might affect her ability to carry the tripod, or that it’s hard to operate a camera, microphone and tripod and engage with your subject or that the toffee pops were left in the car.

My sister helps frame a shot while showing off her good arm.

Perhaps I should have remembered Colin Mulvany’s advice: “it’s important to master the technology. Your video camera needs to become your third eye. You should instinctively know how to operate it without a lot of fumbling.”

That might be second nature for Mulvany who is the multimedia producer at the Spokesman-Review in Washington, but I found it difficult to work sound and pictures and still engage my subject. The piece of machinery created a barrier between us and I think he would have flicked his eyes less suspiciously all over the place if I was able to step away from the camera to talk normally. Mulvany was right when he said you’ll be disadvantaged if you don’t know the settings and functions on your camera, but it’s difficult for one person to monitor everything.

He was also right when he talked about sequencing and pacing. Shot choice and their order along with the speed that they are shown are crucial to making an important video. Too fast and the viewer misses the information, too slow and you risk losing interest.

This video from b-roll.net entitled Snip City manages to link basketball and vasectomy into a humorous yet informative clip. Within the first 16 seconds the viewer is shown four close-up shots of a basketball and hoop that is then connected with a urologist. Apparently, the prime time to have a vasectomy (a word they say many men fear to utter) is during a basketball tournament.

Chiaroscuro- lit shots of suggestively placed basketballs on a surgery bed are intercut with shots of surgeon tools. This segment was clearly well thought out and the innuendo isn’t missed. It’s pacing is snappy – no shot lasts longer than 8sec are there are plenty more shots of two basketballs placed throughout to make sure the message gets across.

The placement of those balls isn’t fooling anyone.
Photographer: Dave Cohrac

Despite the overuse of dual basketballs, the segment shows how important a structure, good pictures and sound combine to create an interesting video visually and aurally. After attempting a couple of videos myself I can appreciate how difficult a slick video is to achieve.