The KID CAM

Looking Back on Another Journey to OZ

Technically it is a Flip Video Camcorder…but I called it the “Kid Cam” and it had three simple rules.

Rule #1: Everyone gets a turn. Share.
Rule #2: Do not disturb those rehearsing, performing, or working.
Rule #3: Return it to me by the end of the night.

All three were clearly printed and labeled right on the camera. Ten minutes after I handed the camera over to one of the kids, I was playing judge in the “Case of the Camera Hogs.” So much for sharing….

Twenty minutes later, I walked out from backstage and found all 48 kids sitting in the house, apparently because they were being too loud, for what I quickly realized was a direct result of the “Kid Cam.”

At least Rule #3 was never broken. I’m thankful for that.

So, my brilliant plan to capture youth theater from the Petite’s point of view was not working out as I had hoped. But, I promised the kids that the “Kid Cam” would reappear, but not until the cast party…not ideal for any of us, but it worked.

While I don’t have enough usable “Kid Cam” footage from rehearsals to work it into my documentary, I have more than enough of the cast party. Everything seemed to work out in the end, because I planned every since pre-production to use video from the cast party beneath the closing credits.


The video ranged from dizzying….



….to thankfully not so dizzying…




…to…well…

Waterfalls and Other Things...

Looking Back on Another Journey to OZ.

Looking for a challenge? Try holding an interview with someone under the age of 15...

There are three things I learned about interviewing kids:

1.No matter how extroverted they are, no matter how many times they’ve graced the stage, or no matter how shy they are, when it comes to talking on camera I quickly found there are two kinds of kids; the kids who barely notice that little red light and the kids who stare at it like it could leap out and eat them at any moment. And even working in a theatre environment, I still found those camera shy kids. For these cases I eventually developed a strategy of sorts: I would allow the kids to choose where they wanted to talk (I also avoided the term “interview” as much as possible) so that they would be someplace they were comfortable. Sometimes, as a result of this, either my video or audio suffered mildly, but the answers I received in return from the kids were well worth a little extra editing in Premiere.



2.It does not matter how great you are at talking with kids; interviewing them is something entirely different. The younger they are the more specific your questions need to be. I fell into this trap a few times when I asked, “What is your favorite part of being in the Petite Players?” And well, let’s just say I did not always get the type of answers I expected. (Like…waterfalls…)



Um...whoops!

3.Kids cannot stand still, and they will move out of frame. And they will do it a LOT. Just ask them to sit. It’s so much easier!


Check out the Petite Player's web page!
http://www.elizabethgrand.com/Theatre_Classes.php

I Took a Journey to OZ....

Looking Back on Another Journey to OZ

ATTENTION! ATTENTION!

Well, not really, but I just wanted to say that since my capstone project is nearing its completion I am shifting the focus of my blog, but only for the remainder of the semester!

I guess I should begin by explaining what my capstone project is…

Currently, I am in the post-production stages of a documentary short called Another Journey to OZ, which will be somewhere between ten to fifteen minutes in length, focusing on a Pittsburgh area youth theatre troupe out of Elizabeth, PA known as the Petite Players. The story follows the kids (from grades 3-12) from the initial stages of rehearsal to the final curtain to the cast party, as they get ready for their production of OZ! in early June 2009.

Very soon, on December 8^th to be exact, I will have the nerve-racking task of presenting the finished product to my professors and peers (and parents!).

I have learned a lot in the time I spent with the Petite’s. Some of what I learned is practical things that I can apply to future projects as I finish out my final semester in college and move on to a job after graduation. Some of the other things I have learned the Petite’s taught me without either of us realizing it.

As I edit my documentary I am flooded with memories of the two months I spent laughing and smiling with these kids. They invited me into their family…no questions asked, and every one of them will always have a place in my heart. I have been visiting the Grand Theatre every time I come home from college for some break or another, and every time I am bombarded with hugs and stories.

My next few posts will focus on everything I have learned working with the Petite Players…my second family.