Robert Penn - Digital Content Production

(Video) Shooter for Hire

A colleague raised seed money to shoot footage for a proof of concept reel.  He took me as DP/cinematographer on the location shoot.  Only problem, no production assistant or sound recordist.  One stop production here!  Get your one man production crew!

I planned as much as I could and got smacked with airline overweight charges for my thoroughness.  However, I am happy to report that I used almost each microphone and every bit of lighting gear with the exception of the light reflecting panel and clamps.

Did I suggest there was only one problem?  In a manner of speaking.  The shoot took place over several days in remote locations in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Electricity is rare.  When a business or residence has electricity, it is supplied by gasoline- or diesel-powered generator.  Each generator sounds like a tractor and smells like an idling motorbike - not good when you are recording audio.  We found inventive solutions.  Some night scenes were shot in the afternoon.  A very long extension cord to a portable generator re-located far, far away from the set made documenting a critical night event possible.

The highways were more tracks than roads.  However, the drivers were well-seasoned.  One had to navigate deep, water-filled ruts and drive up - climb - slick rock faced hills.  He really had to use "the force."  Hydroplaning does not fully describe the situation.  He got us through with only a little rocking, careening and swerving.  Each time he got us over what seemed to be the impossible stretch of road, we cheered him from the bottom of our hearts!

If you are thinking of visiting Sierra Leone, by all means go!  The war ended five years ago - Blood Diamond depicts history not news.  Everyone I met was friendly and accommodating of my American ways while gently educating me about local customs and realities.  The Freetown beach I visited is great.

If you dislike rain - do NOT go between June and August.  On July 2, 2007, the day I returned to NYC, the rain in Freetown fell at the rate of one inch per hour - over the entire city!  That's like standing under a million garden hoses bundled together - with unlimited water pressure!

Shooter for Hire II

I completed a very exciting assignment night before last, but I cannot talk about it. That's right. The footage belongs to the client. Furthermore, the content has not been edited so there isn't much to say? I followed some people around and documented four days of their lives. Interesting lives. Interesting footage.

One afternoon, I had to change white balance about 5 times because we went from store to outdoors to the next store and back into the sunlight again. What do you do when there isn't enough time to take a white card out and reset white balance? Use a wall or someone's white t-shirt. It worked. One time, no one had on white clothing and the walls were covered with merchandise. So I set the camera to the white balance from a previous location that had similar lighting. I guess I'll get a call from the client if my light-mix memory (flourescent, natural, incandescent) did not work on that occasion. LOL

I love what I do.