Video

Shooting, Directing, Editing & Production

As a photojournalist, my skill and experience telling stories with images comes from years of practice in the field.

 

Covering national political conventions, Final Four events, Super Bowls, World Series, and other complex major events taught me the importance of planning, logistics and preparation. 

 

Hiring the right team of people and coordinating resources is as vital to making excellent, meaningful visual stories as it is to meeting tight deadlines on budget.

 

Successful video production comes from a great network of creative talent, and good project management just as much as it depends on creative storytelling and craft.

Xavier High School promotional video

Video Editing for 15-second short holiday message

Producing and Directing

Yale Women for Africa Forum

This production required filming and acquiring audio during the forum, lighting and interviewing the speakers, and shooting the attendees’ activities for b-roll. We worked closely with the Yale production department to make sure the video and audio were recorded with as little interruptions and distractions to the event as possible.

 

I collaborated with the Yale Communications director on writing the script, and hired a wonderful voice-over announcer to make it a seamless story. In order to have multiple camera angles for cut-aways, we used six cameras and three shooters. The editing required us to procure some necessary licensed and stock footage for additional B-roll. I also served as final editor, working through several iterations until Yale was fully satisfied and pleased with the final result. 

Connecticut Public Promotional Video

This video was produced, shot and edited for Connecticut Public (the statewide PBS and NPR station), in collaboration with drone photographer John Woike. It is used as a promotional video for their strategic expansion into the Fairfield County broadcast market. The production required working closely with their Marketing team to develop a shot list which would enable the local audience to recognize vibrant, iconic places in the region, and to feel a sense of local pride.

 

This required extensive advance legwork was taken to obtain permissions to shoot some of the required events and locations, and to procure the video releases from people in the video. I served as director and final editor of the video, which is used online and for in-person presentations to community partners. The client has reported a great deal of satisfaction with the final result.

Video Editing

Below are some News and Features videos I edited in my role as Director of Photography at The Hartford Courant. Shooting and reporting was done by the staff of photojournalists and freelance photographers whom I supervised.

 

The first three videos were for a season-long project done in collaboration with deputy sports editor Jeff Smith on high school football. Jeff worked with his sports writers to gain full access with some coaches. The videos were entirely shot directed and produced by my photo staff and, network of freelancers.

 

We collaborated on which games to shoot, who to interview, and how to edit the videos. We decided to produce three shorter videos to make the project more digestible to our online readers, and produced one for the first half, one for halftime and one for the second half and end of the game.

When  video journalist Lauren Schneiderman brought me this idea for a story, I confess I was skeptical because I thought it had been done too often. But I gave her some little time to shoot and experiment to see where it would go. Her first interview was remarkable and worth proved the story was worth exploring deeper. I’m sure our viewers were enlightened by the subject’s words and the treatment provided by Lauren. Working with her on the editing was rewarding, and her work made the story far more than it might have been. Great job, Lauren!


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