Location Is Everything: 5 Tips for Location Filming

Since anyone can pick up a camera and start shooting web video today, it's increasingly important to find an edge that helps distinguish you from your competition -- which is everyone ELSE with a camera.

At STBD, one of our assets is location -- both the city itself (which is highly cinematic) and our recurring cluster of unusual indoor locations (the WANT FM radio station, the Affogato cafe, etc.).

When you're considering filming in a location, here are 5 questions to keep in mind:

1. How "Available" Is This Location?

A lot of small business owners are keen on supporting social media in exchange for some extra exposure (and the cachet that comes from knowing the cool, cutting edge media makers). But not everyone wants to make this a weekly proposition.

Treat every opportunity as if it will be a one-time thing. If you (and the location owner) have a positive experience, THEN you can discuss the possibility of a recurring arrangement. But don't plan on having 24 hour access to a location, write a number of scripts under that presumption... and then destroy your relationship with the location owner on the first day.

2. How Flexible / Creative Can You Be in the Location?

One reason we love filming in Affogato is because it offers so many options for plot / character situations. ANYONE could be in Affogato for ANY reason at ANY time of day. And, as a "public" location, it enables us to introduce new characters and cameo appearances with little need for justification or planning (since every cafe has random customers).

Conversely, when we've filmed in Torque Denim or Pavement Shoes, we've had a limited window for filming (usually an hour before they open), and we've had to work around their employees / interns, which creates an additional logistical challenge. Is that challenge worth it? Depends on what you can achieve within those limitations...

(Side note: Versatility in a location is underrated. We filmed the "Caroline Meets Lloyd" episode in a utilitarian space in the South Side Works that happened to be serving as a makeshift art gallery at the time. That same week, we realized we needed to re-shoot part of the "Caroline and Rich at the elevator" sequence from the first episode of Season Four... but we no longer had access to the original location. Fortunately the "art gallery" had generic white walls -- similar to the elevator location -- so we faked the re-shoot there instead. [Whew.])

3. How Often Do You NEED This Location?

Just because you CAN film in a location on a regular basis doesn't mean you NEED to -- or that you SHOULD.

One of the easiest places to film is a cast or crew member's apartment. It's usually available on short notice AND at all hours of the day (or night) -- but how interesting is it to a viewer? As often as web video producers resort to their own apartments as a backdrop, yours is going to need to be particularly amazing to stand out from the crowd.

On the other hand, if you DID have recurring access to an unusual space -- a deli, a factory, an antique store -- COULD you find a way to make that a more integral part of your story? Unique is good, but well-utilized uniqueness is better.

4. What Noise Issues Are Involved?

Fans, coolers, traffic, overhead lighting, nearby humans -- all of these things (and more) can create audio nightmares. How much can you turn off / turn down / tune out?

At Affogato, we turn off the coolers, but the fridge in back cannot be shut off. Thus, we have to strip that hum out in post. The cappuccino machine also "cycles," and occasionally "clicks" during a line of dialogue. By and large, we leave that in because it sounds natural, given the location. (Plus, it's too much work to re-record dialogue to avoid "clicks," though we have done it on occasion...)

Oh, and if you turn off coolers, refrigerators, etc., PLEASE turn them back on when you're finished...

5. What Crowd Issues Are Involved?

If you're shooting while a location is open, you may have to film around employees, customers or the general public. These people will not always be quiet while you're filming. If you can't silence the masses, can you make use of their idle chatter?

If you intend to leave the public in your shots, you'll want to have them sign a release form allowing you to use their image / voice in your production. You can also hang up a sign or two (in a WELL-TRAFFICKED area) that states, "Anyone entering these premises during filming MAY appear in the finished production," which implies consent on the part of those who may wander through.

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Locations can help your production seem larger and more interesting than a simple "indoor apartment" shoot -- but only if the locations are utilized properly. Don't make more work for yourself than you ALREADY have when producing web video: be smart about your locations, and let THEM work for YOU.

Pittsburgh's Net Casts Wide

In today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Bill Toland writes of a "Pittsburgh Manifesto" co-authored by bloggers Mike Madison, Jim Russell and Jim Morris.

Their goal? To capitalize upon the emotional attachment most ex-burghers feel for the Steel City and convert that emotion into progressive change -- in effect, self-improvement from the (geographic) outside-in.

Toland seems skeptical, if not completely dismissive, of the idea. It's easy to see why: how many times in the past 20 years have we heard how Pittsburgh is "on the cusp" of becoming a major player on the national stage, only to watch it backslide into mediocrity?

But the manifesto, high-minded as it may be, addresses the issue from an untapped (to the best of my knowledge) angle -- the collective resources and knowledge of those who have ventured beyond the Golden Triangle, and who now feel the need to infuse those gifts back into their point of origin.

In a nutshell, the manifesto can be summed up in its third paragraph:

The principles are general. They are animated by a single, overarching idea. The future of Pittsburgh depends on the region’s recognition of its dependence on other cities – and regions – and countries. And it depends on their corresponding recognition of their connections with Pittsburgh. In the 21st century, connectivity is key and king, and in that connected world, Pittsburgh has a unique asset, which we call the Pittsburgh diaspora: the thousands of people who live around the world yet who still identify closely with the Steel City. They grew up in Pittsburgh, worked in Pittsburgh, or have family in Pittsburgh. By identifying with Pittsburgh they energize it emotionally. We believe that it is possible to translate that emotional energy into economic energy. Pittsburgh can, should, and must recapture and benefit from the intellectual, economic, and cultural capital associated with the Pittsburgh diaspora. That capital is distributed geographically, but it can be invested locally.

Here at STBD, we're well aware that a large number of our viewers are either current Pittsburghers or ex-Pittsburghers who need to reconnect with images of their former hometown. Something about this city creates lifelong "citizens," regardless of where they move. Perhaps it's the city's almost New York-like dissection of "neighborhoods," its history of blue collar labor, or its geographic proximity to pretty much everywhere else that helps foster that kinship.

Or, perhaps it's the notion that Pittsburgh is forever almost a first-tier city, nearly able to run with the big boys (like Philadelphia, our more successful cousin across the state). Pittsburgh has an underdog quality about it, and that sense of having to prove its worth to the country at large is a hard image to shake. It doesn't erode simply by moving away -- and that's what the manifesto is hoping to capitalize on:

No matter where you live, if you're from Pittsburgh, you still call Pittsburgh home.

So... how, exactly, do we DO that? I think I sense a PodCamp Pittsburgh session in the making...

Photo by i_r_e_n_e via Flickr.

The Trouble with Beards...

We were supposed to resume filming this week for STBD, but there's a hiccup -- Ryan Ben (aka Tim) -- informed me that he's been instructed to keep a "poorly assembled beard" for his role in a stage play that runs through August.

Neither of us likes the idea of Tim with facial hair -- especially because I hate seeing characters change appearances for one episode, seemingly for no reason -- but we can't NOT film with Ryan until September, since we're due to have 3 episodes under our belt in the next month.

What to do?

I mentioned this to Rick Hertzig, who plays Glenn, via email when I explained we would NOT be filming tonight. His response?

Tim could be...

- preparing for his role as the apostle Paul in the church choir's upcoming cantata.

- trying to impress a girl who belittled his suspected inability to grow facial hair.
- preparing for an upcoming family camping trip: he has a list of things he's going to do to prove to his family that he is a manly man after an embarrassing episode last year (wet his sleeping bag, got lost in the woods and was found crying, screamed and ran from a chipmunk, etc.)

- trying to disguise himself, hiding from someone... someone from his past, a creepy guy on the bus who keeps coming on to him, an ex-girlfriend from vacation bible school who is now stalking him?

Leave it to the cast to solve my problems...

The Fear of Going Down

When we're "in season," we usually receive daily feedback on STBD. When we're not, there's an obvious lull in feedback. We also don't have a reason to check our stats on a regular basis, since we're not expecting any traffic bumps.

So, essentially, we could let the site coast on autopilot for weeks at a time.

Thus, my daily obsession with checking to ensure that the site is still up. Because God forbid we actually get distracted by production (or relaxation), only to find out that we've been offline for days at a time...

Something tells me we need a daily component to the site / blog, so I can be productive in my paranoia...

Wim Wenders and 50 Rules of Filmmaking

Wim Wenders is a German filmmaker, perhaps best known for the angels-on-earth drama Wings of Desire. He wrote a list of his 50 Things I've Learned as a Filmmaker for MovieMaker Magazine.

Among them:

2. If you have nothing to say, don’t feel obliged to pretend you do.

10. Before you say “cut,” wait five more seconds.

15. Mistakes never get fixed in post.

18. The more money you have the more you can do with it, sure. But the less you can say with it.

25. Having a tight schedule can be difficult. But having too much time is worse.

Thanks to Jeff Stoll for the link!

Keeping Notes Only Works If You Read Them

Like most writers, I keep a notebook -- or forty. Most of them are filled with ideas for STBD -- character notes, story ideas, slivers of scenes and dialogue.

A lot of what I write down is what I've overheard while writing in public. Very often, a passing car or an overheard conversation in a cafe will prompt a (seemingly) good idea that I'll jot down with the intention of returning to later...

... except I rarely do.

For some reason, I have REAMS of notebooks filled with ideas, and I hardly ever return to them. It's almost as if, by committing them to paper once, I expect to remember them forever.

And, oddly, I usually do. In fact, most of the primary ideas for STBD have been around for years, and new concepts that seem hot will usually stick in my mind for months afterwards, waiting for a chance to be manifested in the show.

But, as I learned yesterday, there are exceptions to this pattern.

Ideas Are Like Wine... or Cheese...

I was staying at a hotel without my standard (current) notebook, so I went to the car for my Emergency Travel Notebook instead. Upon opening it, I realize I haven't written in it since April of 2006 -- well over a year. More surprising was the quality of the ideas that were trapped in its pages, many of which had never been transferred elsewhere -- including into the show.

Among these ideas:

- If I were to restart STBD from scratch -- what would I do differently?

- Dozens of notes written from the character Glenn's POV -- none of which have been used on the show.

- Dozens more ideas meant to add depth and a sense of place to both the radio station and the cafe -- none of which have been used on the show.

Part of the reason these ideas might seem more worthwhile now is that they've had time to age. It's often hard to gauge the quality of a new idea upon inception, because you have nothing to compare it to except the endless possibilities of the future. Instead, deciding on one course -- and then looking back to see how other paths might have fared -- affords me the proper perspective to say, "This would have worked much better," or, "We should DEFINITELY do this next."

So now I'm thinking: I have several dozen notebooks in this apartment. I wonder how much gold is waiting to be mined within their pages...

Do Us a Favor? STBD Is on PCNC...

(More acronyms than you can shake a stick at, we know, but...)

Erik Schark (aka Rich) and Ann Turiano (Caroline) were interviewed last night on "Night Talk," a news show on Pittsburgh's PCNC cable channel. The show will be repeated today from 5-6 PM, and Erik and Ann were wondering if someone in the area with Comcast cable (it's channel 35 here) could tape the show, since we don't have a copy of it.

Any takers?