Making Of:
Build HER Dreams
Bed Build, in collaboration with New River Valley Homebuilders Association and Sleep in Heavenly Peace
These are the kind of stories we want to tell.
We’ve worked with the New River Valley Homebuilders Association on a number of projects over the years. Since many of our clients are in the trades and construction industries, it’s a natural fit for us. The NRVHBA does important, impactful work and is exactly the type of organization we want to support. At Aspire, we want to help those who help already. Kelsey, Emily, and the whole association exemplify that duty.
This event, dedicated to helping girls learn about the trades and see for themselves the women who work in construction daily, was incredible to see. Collaborating with Sleep in Heavenly Peace to build beds for those who need them in our community, this was a truly an event we wanted to promote and share.
Location
Choosing a single location is efficient of time and therefore budget.
We’ve worked with executive director, Kelsey Grow, on other projects and she’s well-aware of how to best manage a video project.
Filming at ABC Supply in Christiansburg, Virginia was an excellent choice, both for filming and for the event itself. We kept each interview’s backdrop standard to pay homage to the location and maintain cohesiveness throughout.
Speakers and Collaborators
Thank you to everyone who spoke with us for event. It’s tough to be on camera and we’re always grateful for those that are willing:
Emily Cochran, Builders FirstSource
Gretchen Merix, Balzer & Associates
Cassidy Jones, Slate Creek Builders
Nancy Phillips, Legacy Builders
Tori Zimbardi, Baseline Solar Solutions
Team Members
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Devon Arnold
Lead Videography, Drone Operator
Devon operated camera equipment at this location and took on the bulk of the b-roll and drone duties.
Devon did all the video editing for this project, including custom graphics.
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Jonathan Roberts
Lead Photographer, Behind-the-Scenes
Jonathan produced the still photography for this project. Capturing content at each event as well as filming behind-the-scenes content, he produced media throughout this project.
Special Considerations
Audio, audio, audio! Good sound is crucial to any video and an absolute necessity when on-camera interviews are the focus.
We were filming only a few dozen feet from power tools, generators, and dozens of voices. During filming, we were very concerned with maintaining good audio and monitoring levels as we went. We even took a momentary pause to pull the audio files off our recorders and listen in a quiet environment to make sure things would work well.
This strategy paid off: some noise reduction and sound design was necessary but we were very impressed with the audio quality here.
Equipment
Main Camera: Panasonic EVA-1
Our workhorse cinema camera, the EVA-1 absolutely shines when it comes to work like this. Skin tones are incredible and this camera works well within our production workflow.
B-Cam: Panasonic Lumix S5
The first camera we purchased when we switched from Sony to Panasonic, the Lumix continues to performs well for us in a variety of situations. From second camera setups in interviews to b-roll capture, the Lumix is a versatile camera!
Stills: Panasonic Lumix S5
Another Lumix here, the full frame sensor and dual-native ISO really extends our ability to capture stills in many environments. Low light really isn’t much of an issue with this camera in our quiver!
Audio: Tascam DR-10L for on-Camera Interviews
Our go-to lavalier mic and recorder, this is what we use for most of our audio capture. Small, always hidden, and reliable! We use a backup shotgun mic as well, a Rode NTG3.
Lighting: Daylight and a little Diffusion!
While we love to light a scene, nothing was needed here! Nice morning light and some clouds just needed a little diffusion from a cheap handheld diffuser.
Delivery and Distribution
In addition to the video deliverables, our team captured stills during the event as well as drone photography. Unless our clients insist, we always want to provide a basic level of photography for any video project. Although video is powerful, photography adds depth and many options for marketing: think social media posts, email newsletters, and more. Quality photos also ensure great thumbnail images for each video.
Delivering quality assets throughout the whole process is crucial to success!
Lessons Learned
Any filming day will require us to pivot in some way.
We came in with a plan and preparation to set up lighting, set design, and a rather controlled interview environment. Once things got rolling and everyone was moving fast, it was clear we needed to pivot and pull people for interviews in very rapid succession.
When we knew we would be filming and recording so close to so much construction noise, we were timid at first. After the first interview, we reviewed the audio tracks and decided they were more than adequate. That gave us the confidence we needed to finish out the rest.
Want to talk with our team?
We’re happy to chat if you’re interested in this work, answer questions about our process, or get started on a new project for you or your organization!