Month: December 2013

What Not to Wear (for video)

by at

You may be familiar with TLC’s reality television show “What Not to Wear” which first aired in early 2003, and stared fashion stylists Stacy London and Clinton Kelly.  In each episode Stacy and Clinton would select an unknowing candidate, guilty of extreme fashion neglect, and give them a much needed style makeover.

Don’t worry.  You’re 1980’s Led Zeppelin t-shirt collection is safe with me🙂, but did you know that a video camera actually prefers some fashion choices over others?  The next time you are examining your wardrobe for a camera ready selection, please feel free to use these suggestions:

The Don’ts:

  1. Pinstripes, herringbone, or Scottish tweed. 
    • While dapper in person, small tight patterns on camera will render the Moiré effect.
  2. Saturated red.
    • Unless you have a pro-grade camera this color will bleed in your shot. 
  3. Creating high contrast with your complexion.
    • The camera will have trouble exposing if:
      • You have a very dark complexion and wear solid white
      • or if you have a very  pale complexion and wear solid black
  4. Fabrics that make noise when they move, or are pressed against a microphone
    • Wind suits and other crinkly materials
    • Wool suits when wearing a lapel.
  5. Clothes that have no place to clip a microphone/ no pockets to hide the microphone pack.
  6. Green clothes if you will be using a green screen.

The Do’s

  1. Mid-range solids or subtle patterns
    • Navy blue always works. 
  2. A collar or neckline where you can clip a microphone
  3. A pocket for the microphone pack
  4. Soft non-textured fabrics
  5. Something that makes you feel comfortable and confident

Best of luck!  You are now camera ready. 

Media Services produces award wining video for The Young Scholars Program

by at

25 years ago, the Young Scholars Program (YSP) began its mission to prepare low income, first-generation students for success in college. Recently, the program was selected to compete for the prestigious C. Peter Margrath Award, and enlisted the expertise of Media Services to prepare their video submission for the competition. With the guidance of Dr. Curtis Austin and other key leaders of the program, we were able to distill a central narrative out of a quarter of a century’s worth of success stories.  Interviewees were then chosen to represent each of the subsets of the community population in which YSP is having an impact.

When the shooting was finished, we had over four hours of footage filled with wonderfully unique perspectives and truly touching stories. The maximum length of the video, however, was to be no more than two minutes, per the submission guidelines. After a week of painstaking editing, careful selection and placement of illustrative picture overlays, and the application of other refinements, we had our final product, which in the end helped YSP win the competition and its $20,000 award.

Looking back, what made this video stand out from the other entries was how we conveyed the truly holistic approach the program uses within the nine urban communities to which they belong. Student success was major component of our narrative, but we also showcased the tremendously positive effects this organization has had on everyone involved; students, their families, and their communities at-large are flourishing thanks to the improved skills and spirit that has been developed within the Young Scholars Program.

Given the positive impact that YSP has had on so many lives, production of this video was a highly rewarding endeavor.  It reminds us of the greater good that can be accomplished with our work at the university, and motivates us to do even more to help those around us, to share the knowledge and goodwill that is abundant within ODEE and the university as a whole.