Smoky Mountain High
age can be used in various ways, depending on the needs of the program, or the needs of the students. For example, the 2013 film crew had a main objective of producing a three minute video for use as an advertisement for the Destination program. This video will be shown to incoming freshman in hopes of increasing student involvement in the Destination program. Footage can also be used for future documentary projects, honors program contracted credit projects, or other digital portfolio projects for film students who attend the trip.
Once Upon A Time Breakaway
In 2013, UWRF Destination hosted four domestic service trips. The focus of this white paper is the trip to Maryville, Tennessee. Maryville is home to one of America’s highest-ranked alternative spring break host sites: Once Upon A Time Breakaway. Breakaway is a national non-profit that facilitates community service opportunities for college students. Ed and Arleen Decker have been working with the Breakaway program since 1996 (“Your Hosts”).
Five students and Keywords one newly tenured Film, Documentary, Service Smoky Mountains, faculty set out to learning, Panasonic, LaCie redefine “service learning” in the Abstract majestic valleys The small size of the University Wisconsin-River Falls (UWRF) of Tennessee’s of makes possible many opportuniSmoky Mountains. ties for student involvement on by Jonathan M. Reid Photography by Maggie Sokoloski
2 April 2013
a professional level. March 2013, five Digital Film & Television students and Professor Erik Johnson traveled with a University sponsored service project to Maryville, Tennessee to document the trip.
A division of UWRF Student Services known as Destination hosted four domestic service projects over spring break. This white paper records technical information associated with the Maryville, Tennessee trip and concludes with an analysis of the successes and failures of the project. A five day blog is included as an appendix.
Purpose
The purpose of this white paper is to provide the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Digital Film & Television Department
with memory and historical value through the presentation and documentation of the 2013 Destination Film Documentary Internship.
What is Destination?
Destination was founded in 2006 as an alternative spring break program at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. The program’s main function is to facilitate service opportunities for students through local, domestic, and international trips. Through these programs students learn to be aware of social issues and
the root causes of these issues (“Destination”). By going out of their comfort zones, students gain exposure to a diversity of people and experiences. Leadership, perseverance, and communication are skills the program teaches and internship credit is also available. One internship opportunity provided by Destination trips is Digital Film & Television 499. For this class a group of students and a faculty advisor from the film department travel with the Destination trip documenting all activities on film. The foot-
Equipment
The film crew for Destination documentary borrowed equipment from three sources. UWRF Television services provided the majority of equipment. UWRF Student Life and film crew member Daniel Tyler provided the rest of the equipment.
Video Recording Panasonic AG-HMC150PJ Panasonic’s HMC 150 professional level camcorder is a standard in the film documentary industry. Panasonic moved away from the previous standard medium of
Smokey Mountain High 3
as in the field. The AA battery powered unit has XLR output which made recording a breeze since both Panasonic camcorders have dual XLR inputs.
The Panasonic HMC -150 at work. The camera’s manual iris adjustment and N.D. filter were much needed amongst Tennessee’s variable weather conditions.
Audio-Technica AT8035 Shotgun Microphone
Mini-DV tapes, deciding instead for the more reliable high-capacity SD memory cards. This medium allowed the crew to liberally capture as much footage as possible without worry of running out of space. The camera was set to record in full HD 1080/24p with a resolution of 1920x1080. The workhorse of the trip, the HMC was present on every shot of the trip. From stationary tripod shots and on site interviews to action low angle and high angle shots, the camera’s diversity was put to use. The wide-angle stock Leica Dicomar lens was more than sufficient for the marketing video and extra footage. Because of the ability to zoom to up to 13 times, close-ups and extreme close-up shot composition allowed the finished video project to be creative and immersive.
medium designed by Panasonic known as a P2-Card. The same HD 1080/24p, 1920x1080 resolution was used. Most supplementary and alternative angle shots were filmed with the HPX. Stationary still shots of landscapes and signage used to supplement b-roll material were captured with the HPX, as well as time-lapse shots of the morning sunrise and time-laps shots of volunteer work.
Panasonic AG-HPX250PJ
Sound Equipment
As a supplement and backup to the HMC, Daniel Tyler brought his Panasonic HPX 250 camcorder. The HPX is extremely similar to the HMC in form factor and design. Weighing two pounds heavier than the HMC, the HPX also zooms close: the stock lens can zoom up to 22 times. Rather than SD cards, the medium the HPX records on a flash based 4 April 2013
Cannon EOS Rebel T3i For mobile shots and camera stills, Cannons entry-level DSLR, the T3i came in handy. Ultra-portable in comparison to the two Panasonic camcorders, this DSLR sports an 18 megapixel sensor and a kit 18-55mm lens. For consistency, video shot with this camera was also captured at HD 1080/24p, 1920x1080 resolution.
Sony ECM 44B Lavaliere Microphone No documentary package would be complete without a solid lavaliere microphone. The Sony ECM 44B fit our needs perfectly. The omnidirectional polar pattern of the device made it possible to get interview dialogue in an impromptu studio setting as well
In situations where the lavaliere microphone was not available the Audio Technica AT8035 microphone substituted. Shotgun microphones (other known as boom microphones) are meant for supplementary or supporting sound effects because of their focused range. The polar pattern on this microphone is line and gradient, meaning sound directly in front of the microphone is extremely exaggerated. This aided in on site interviews with the microphone pointed directly at the mouth of the speaker, or with extreme close ups for catching supplementary sound effects. The added wind screen made crystal clear audio, even during blustery days in the valleys of the Smoky Mountains.
Film crew member and senior Digital Film & Television major, Daniel Tyler teaches a Cherokee boy how to use his Cannon EOS Rebel T3i.
Professor Erik Johnson (seen here “cranking the fun meter”) has been at UWRF for 5 years. 2013 was Erik’s second Destination trip as faculty advisor to the film crew.
Gitzo Microphone holder and Series 3 6-Section Aluminum Microphone Boom Pole Together, these two items complete the shotgun microphone kit. UWRF Television Services did not spare any expense when choosing Gitzo products. Both are made of durable aluminum making them light. The students filming needed a boom pole operator by their side at all times in the field. Boom pole and camera operators must learn to work together as a team. Throughout the week, pairs of students became more comfortable with each other, learning individual nuances and habits.
Chad Retterath operates the Panasonic HPX-250 while Once Upon A Time Breakaway host Arleen Decker teaches the Destination volunteers how to make homemade, blackberry jam.
Digital Storage Smokey Mountain High 5
cameras. The film crew used a total of four 32 Gigabyte flash memory cards in both the HMC and the T3i. The memory card reader slot on the Mac Book Pro allowed easy transferring at the end of each day. Since the weather conditions included snow and rain, the included protective cases saved valuable data from moisture damage. The only downside to this product was the small size. Losing this card meant losing hours of precious video footage.
Lacie 500 Gb Firewire Drive
The Panasonic HVX-250 takes a proprietary flash memory known as a P2 card.
Panasonic 32 Gigabyte P2 Card AJ-P2E032FG Proprietary storage is always controversial in that devices other than that made by the original manufacturer usually don’t support the form factor in terms of connectors or input. What the format lacks in flexibility, it makes up for in reliability: the flash memory is capable of withstanding impacts up to 1500 G and vibrations up to 15 G. The Panasonic HPX 250 camcorder used on this trip has slots for two P2 cards. While no adapter or slot was available on the mac pro laptops used on the trip, uploading was no trouble by simply connecting the camcorder to the computer via a firewire cable.
Transcend 32 GB Class 10 SDHC Flash Memory Card SD cards have become the standard for Camcorders and DSLR
6 April 2013
Portability and durability are key when taking a film production on the road. The Lacie Rugged line of portable hard drives provide just that. Built with protection in mind, the brushed aluminum casing is surrounded by a rubber case. While we never had the unfortunate opportunity of testing the drive’s durability, Lacie claims the drive can survive a six foot drop. This piece of mind was priceless while on the move. With a 500 Gigabyte storage capacity, this drive had more than enough room for the entire weeks footage. Dual firewire 800 ports allowed easy connection to our Mac Book Pro and the ability to daisy chain to another drive or device if necessary.
Computer Hardware Mac Book Pro Our team used two Mac Book Pros on the trip. The battery life and reliability of the computers served the team well. Editing was done in the car when traveling from site to site, as well as during downtime on site. The computers’ Two Mac Book Pros and a 500gb LaCie portable hard drive turned the minivan into a mini mobile editing studio. (Dramamine strongly recommended)
SD card readers made uploading files at the end of the night simple and timely.
Computer Software Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 Fall 2012 marked a significant change in the Digital Film & Television department at UWRF. Previously, all film classes worked with Apple’s Final Cut editing software package; all class switched to Adobe’s Premiere Pro video editing software Fall 2012. The release of Final Cut X has caused a mass exodus of videographers. Apple’s latest version is simplified and dumbed down to the point of being unusable for many. Premier Pro CS6 is on the rise in the digital video editing world, and UWRF is on the cutting edge. A large majority of computer labs on campus have computers with the software suite loaded. The campus and the film department’s embrace of Adobe’s flagship program, made the choice to use Premier Pro CS6 for the Destination video a no brainer.
Challenges and Successes
As with any learning experience,
the Destination film documentary had its ups and downs. Living in close contact with twenty-three other adults is bound to cause some conflict. Not to mention, live-action, un-scripted film-making can lead to some challenging and unpredictable work environments. Through the difficulties, development of conflict management and film experience shined through. Both teams—the Destination volunteer team and the film crew—came away from the trip with beautiful, lasting memories.
Challenges Preparation To be successful in any group project, preparation and planning are key. In this way, the film documentary was plagued from the start. The Destination students met weekly, every week leading up to the trip; these meetings included such activities as planning, bonding, information on the social context of the trip, and leisure activities. The film crew on the other hand, met only four times prior to loading the vans and driving eighteen hours to Tennessee. The lack of planning meant that film crew positions, planned shots, team purpose and vision, were all done in a rushed manner. Lack of planning led to conflict and disagreements on location; communication styles between crew members had to be learned over night. While this type of experience challenged and strengthened each member of the crew, preparing them for possible projects in the future once working in the film industry, the overall product—the three minute
video created for the Destination program—suffered. Future trips would be smart to set up weekly meetings ahead of time to build stronger crew member bonds, develop plans for shooting individual shots on location, prep interview questions, and become familiar with equipment. Since each film crew student was required to sign up for a three credit class (DFT 499), it does not seem unreasonable for that class to have an assigned time slot in esis. This way, there is a spot that each group member already has set aside in their schedule on a weekly basis. This will give the crew at least eight full hour time slots to meet before the trip.
The 2013 Destination Film Crew. From right: Sam Armstrong, Jonathan Reid, Katelyn Sather, Chad Retterath, Daniel Tyler, and Erik Johnson.
Authority Quite possibly, the largest challenge on the trip was the struggle for authority. The film crew— including faculty advisor Erik Johnson— was under the impression that the film crew was free to do whatever it took to get the film project done. After all, the buck stopped with Erik as far as completing the promotional video was concerned, why shouldn’t Smokey Mountain High 7
the authority of the film crew be in his hands as well? The student trip leader of the Destination volunteer team was under the impression that he had complete authority over the film crew as well as his volunteer team. This conflict became so tense, that an entire day of filming was lost because the trip leader refused to let the film crew bring any equipment. This type of conflict could be easily avoided for future groups. A possible solution would be better communication before leaving for the trip that the film crew is free to do whatever they need to do as long as it does not interfere with the Destination volunteer projects. Another, more viable, solution would be to have Service Coordinator for UWRF Student Life—currently Amy Lloyd—attend the trip. The Service Coordinator would be able to act as a mediator between the film crew and the volunteer team if necessary.
Successes Interview with the Hosts A huge catalyst for professional relations between the film crew and the hosts of the volunteer
Host Ed Decker (not pictured) organized a private dinner with regional television persona, Bill Landry (center). Bill shared stories of his adventures in television production and environmental conservation.
8 April 2013
site came within the first two days of the trip. The film crew set up a studio style interview— complete with fill lights and back-lights—with hosts Ed and Arleen Decker. Not only did this interview communicate a willingness of the film crew to learn about the passion and purpose of the site, it also demonstrated a respect and appreciation of the hosts as individuals. This personal connection made the hosts more comfortable with the film crew, leading to special access and preferential treatment for the remainder of the trip. On top of the personal benefits, the on camera interview garnered insight into shot and scene selection tailored to the focus issues of the host site. Future trips should seek out the hosts for a personal and genuine interview on camera as soon as possible.
Alternative shots Once relationships with Ed and Arleen were respectfully developed, the hosts went out of their way to make sure the film crew was taken care of. When leading the group on trails, Ed was patient and gracious in waiting for the film crew to catch up and get set up for each stop on the trail.
Similarly, Ed went out of his way to point out two extra locations for the film crew to get some supplementary footage. One such location was Look Rock Point, about fifteen minutes outside of the Once Upon A Time site. Another was a scenic overlook on the site property facing the sunrise. The film crew captured time lapse footage of the sunrise and sun set at this location. Supplementary footage such as this is perfect filler for any video related to the trip. Future film crews should look for opportunities to get as much extra footage as possible; after all, you don’t have to use all the footage, but you can’t come back to recreate it later!
Conclusion
Three credits and an internship for a little over two hundred dollars is a steal. Add in the benefits of working directly with a film professor and having a professionally published film for a digital portfolio and any film student would be foolish not to travel along with a Destination trip as part of the film crew. The situation really is a win-win because to hire a film crew to make a marketable video for the university would cost upwards of ten thousand dollars. The opportunity UWRF Student Life has provided students through the Destination program is deservedly appreciated. The system set up isn’t perfect, however. Preparation and communication are areas for future improvement. As each trip becomes more comprehensive, the possibilities for resume-building, portfolio-enhancing projects grow dramatically. I encourage students, faculty, and Student Life staff to continue to take risks with both the locations of Destination trips, and the scope
of side internship projects. The extracurricular and personal, faculty involvement opportunities at River Falls is unparalleled at a University at this price range in this region. These opportunities are the backbone of what makes the school marketable and should be encouraged, fostered, and rewarded for generations to come.
Photographer Maggie Sokoloski (left) and Destination volunteer team leader David Dahle plant willow trees to fight stream bank erosion in Smoky Mountain National Park.
References: “AG-HMC150PJ.” Panasonic.com. Panasonic Corporation of North America, 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. Decker, Arleen. Personal interview. 25 Mar. 2013. “Your Hosts.” Once Upon a Time Breakaway. Once Upon a Time Wilderness Adventures, 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2013.
Contact Information: Jonathan M. Reid Professional Writing major Digital Film & Television minor University of WisconsinRiver Falls
The warm spring sun sets behind the Maryville, Tennessee horizon.
Smokey Mountain High 9