“I don’t know if I’m gonna survive this”
I sat down on the edge of my bed and looked at the production email from the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce. We had a stacked day planned: Four locations. Three hours. Two producers. One video.
My first collaboration with the Chamber was going to be one for the books…
…or the obituaries.
Working as a videographer in Little Rock, Arkansas is always interesting, but nothing could have prepared me for filming the 9 to 5 & Beyond Women’s Conference hype video. We hit several locations, worked with a wide variety of talent, and cut it all together into a fantastic video.
Don’t believe me? Check this out:
If you liked that and want to know how I produced that video, stick around!
and, if you didn’t like it? I can’t really help you there.
Key Takeaways
Adapt Quickly to Dynamic Lighting: Multi-shoot locations require working with ambient lighting. Make sure to adjust your white balance accordingly!
Prepare for Extreme Production Environments: Bring an insulated water bottle to all of your gigs. Hydration is important.
Leverage Pre-Production Collaboration: On a multi-location shoot day, spend some time beforehand thinking through each setup.
Location 1: Nexus Coffee Roasters
We started the day across the street from Chamber Plaza at Nexus Coffee Roasters in Downtown Little Rock. It’s a fairly nice location with a LOT of great natural window lighting. We began around 8:30 AM, so I had everything I needed from the glassy storefront.
With a little help from the Chamber, we were able to get some beautiful shots of the location! Nexus has that cool, modern coffee shop aesthetic locked down.
Like, can you seriously believe we shot all this with no lights?
I guess I should mention that this was the first time I ever used my Sony FX3 professionally. Yeah, that was probably a bad idea in hindsight, but it all worked out in the end.
Location 2: CHI St. Vincent
The jump from Nexus to CHI St. Vincent was…
…interesting.
We went from a location with beautiful sunlight to an LED-lit corporate office. One location you pay to be in, the other you’re paid to be in.
I’ll let you guess which is which.
I shouldn’t talk too much trash. They were very gracious and allowed us to use a big conference room and private office for shooting. We even had an escort!
Shooting in CHI was fun. It reminded me of my first job, where I was a Video Content Specialist for UAMS. It might sound strange, but the corporate healthcare environment just kinda feels like home for me.
I’m hoping that I can get back to more of it some day! Check out my Healthcare Video Production page for more information.
Location 3: The Green Corner Store
After struggling a bit with the lights at CHI, I was so relieved to pull up to the Green Corner Store in SOMA. It also has amazing window lighting, which is perfect for the shop’s natural feel. The owner very graciously allowed me behind the counter (I only begged a little bit) and let us try a couple of different shots.
I’m no stranger to retail videography. This wasn’t even my first retail shoot that day, so working with the Green Corner Store was a breeze.
Location 4: Baldwin & Shell Construction Site
Speaking of breeze, I really could have used one at our final location. I unloaded at the Pinnacle View High School construction site, overseen by the Baldwin & Shell Construction Company.
Now THIS was something I’d never done before.
I eagerly suited up in the air conditioned trailer set up for the project management team. I was blissfully unaware that the Arkansas heat was still climbing, topping out at a whopping 105 degrees that day. Just a reminder to other videographers:
BRING AN INSULATED WATER BOTTLE TO YOUR GIGS.
Once we actually got into the structure, it was really neat! I worked with the Vice President of Central Arkansas Operations, which means that I got the inside scoop on what was happening, how far along the project was, and how the construction would shape up in the future.
I was able to get a lot of awesome shots that really highlighted the great work they’re doing there.
The Wrap Up
By the time I packed the FX3 into my sweat-soaked camera bag, I was mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. The iced coffee from Nexus had long run out, so I made a quick call to my girl back home and asked her to go ahead and put on a pot. I knew I’d need it for the next stage: editing.
Because getting the perfect shot is one thing, but figuring out how to stitch together four drastically different locations into a seamless high-energy hype video for the Chamber is another beast entirely.
So check back in next week to see how I took this from a bunch of clips to an engaging opener.
And, if you’re too impatient to wait, let’s chat! I’d be happy to discuss how I can turn your footage into an amazing video as well.
