video
Where Gear Geeks and Creatives Meet
Cameras, lighting, audio, production hardware and software, all this gear is pretty technical stuff. We counted it up and a typical multi camera shoot requires 20 unique pieces of equipment. Since most of our work is live streamed, or at least real time production, we can’t fall into the “We can fix that in post” trap. We have to get it right on set which means we also have to shoot the same scene from many angles while maintaining a consistent look and feel. We usually run three cameras and wireless mics which are all connected to our production hub. The hub itself consists of a video switch, PC, and preview monitor. Most shoots require one large key light with two or three additional fill lights. Each one of these components has its own level of customization that has to be dialed into for each location and shoot. So this is where the gear geeks really get to shine. Choosing the right equipment, placement, and settings, to make sure the final product looks and sounds great.
The same holds true for cameras. When a client is expecting a certain look and feel for their videos, decisions around color profiles, aperture and shutter speed, and camera movements, all have to be planned out to produce that look. Again this is where our production designer and art director (The creatives) help translate that certain look into a list of requirements for our gear geeks. Once those requirements have been established, the gear geeks know what type of equipment to bring and how we can best accomplish the look through various camera techniques.
So in the end, creating videos that meet or exceed client expectations is really a close collaboration between highly technical folks (Gear geeks) and the creative minds at nReach. One without the other would just lead to hours, even days, of fixing it in post. And when your live streaming, that just isn’t an option.