Members Needed!
We are in much need of people to join the group and help us make documentary-style videos. The WSVG is non-profit and all the roles are voluntary. It's best if you can provide your own equipment (none of which is expensive and advice is available if needed, as is training).
In a small (at the moment) group as ours then each participant will have to take on a number of roles. Below is a list of the ones we've thought of so far-
Sound recordist
Capturing good quality sound, especially speech, in what might well be a noisy environment is an important task. Good sound is vital to a video where a large part of the information to be conveyed is aural.
Camera operators
Surprisingly enough, one of the easier tasks. Nevertheless. vitally important. You'll need to hold the camera steady and level, make sure it's actually recording when needed and that the settings are adjusted correctly.
Researcher
Despite the unexciting name, probably the single most important job of all of them. It's the researcher's task to find people to film, to approach them to get their cooperation and to gather information about what they do and how it fits in to the overall picture. Largely a pre-production role. They will also need to ensure the person/s featured signs a release
Director
Someone needs to have a picture in their head of the finished video and to oversee the production (filming) of the video to achieve what was decided on in the pre-production phase. There may well be many different ways in which the filming could be done but someone needs to choose one so that everyone else will know what’s expected of them. We may well take turns at this role.
Marker
It’s very helpful if there is someone who can keep track of which takes went well and which ones did not, and if the sound is being recorded separately then the use of a clapper board will help synchronise the video to the audio in the post production (editing) stage and prevent time being wasted winnowing out the bad takes.
Presenter/Narrator
Normally the videos won’t need an on-screen presenter or voiceover narrator but occasionally one might be needed so someone who isn’t shy and who can talk without frequent pauses and ‘ums’ would be welcome.
Editor
Another vitally important position. The editor will construct the finished video from the material supplied by the production team. DaVinci Resolve is the preferred editing software not only because it’s professional standard but also because it’s free. There is a paid version which is even better but even that only costs £226 and updates are free.
Editing a video is a slow process, the editor may have to watch clips (the usable portions from the takes) many times over as the video takes shape and ensure that the resulting video has everything needed to tell the story in an engaging, entertaining and informative way and nothing that isn’t.
Facilitator
There’s probably a better name for this role, but let’s go with facilitator for the moment. On location there’s always much that can go wrong and it’s the facilitator’s job to ensure that it doesn’t go wrong, or that if it does, to deal with it. They will also be involved in the pre-production phase and help organise the team members so that everyone is where and when they need to be.
If any of this is of interest please get in touch by email