Katherine’s First Video Shoot

On the left is half of Katherine; on the right is half of a mostly finished slab table. (Sorry for the fuzzy…it’s a screen capture from a video.)

Katherine and I are in North Carolina to shoot a “slab table” video with Jerome Bias. Today was her first day on the road shooting a long-form video, and because her hands are a lot less shaky than my old mitts, Katherine is the Camera B operator. That means she’s getting all the great close-ups so that you’ll be able to see what’s going on. (I’m the lazy git behind Camera A – that means I don’t have to move much while I catch the wide shots and the audio.)

Katherine’s former job at Rookwood Pottery didn’t involve talking to people outside of her team. We threw her into the deep end here, taking her on first work trip, seven hours away from home and well out of state, and we’ve in effect forced her to socialize with a person she’s basically just met…all while also learning the ropes of video capture and of woodworking at the same time. (I’m glad my entrance into the craft and job wasn’t so precipitous – I doubt I would have handled all this nearly as gracefully and professionally my third week in.)

So I was curious to hear from Katherine how she feels about our first video day.

Below is a short Q&A.

Q: What has been the biggest surprise so far?

A: A lot of flipping of the project, and all the pieces that you’re working with, and how you flip it – so that you know you’re working on the correct face – was unepected. And I wasn’t always sure what angle to capture of the process. (Editor’s note: She did a good job of getting what was needed.)

Q: What has been the biggest challenge?

A: I’m not confident yet that I fully know how to frame a shot and how to show the work in its best light. Also, I’m worried I’m filming too much and there is redundancy in the shots. I know this will make the editing take longer – which is already teaching me what I can do better tomorrow.

Q: What has been the most fun?

A: Watching someones else’s process in their own workshop, and seeing their workshop setup, since I’m so used to the LAP setup. Also, picking up on little tricks that Jerome uses for tools, tools that I haven’t even used yet. Also, drinks after work.

Q: What have you learned on this trip already that will help with the next one?

A: I’ve learned a lot today about framing and angles, and I’m already gaining confidence. And to bring more charging cords. Also, to make sure we book a hotel with screaming fast internet. (Editor’s note: Without a lot of storage space on our cameras and computers, we have to upload our captures to our cloud storage.)

Q: To what are you most looking forward tomorrow?

A: Being more comfortable behind the camera after talking with you about my worries about today. And I’m looking forward to seeing the table come together, while also connecting more woodworking dots.

And now, we’re off to bed. OK, that’s a lie. We’re off to have a glass of wine.