Leesa Dean: Adventures of a Web Series Newbie

Chapter 43 – The Shoot, Part 1
by Leesa Dean

So did the first shoot on the TOP SECRET PROJECT and it turned out really well. This was not the one featuring the celeb (that one’s this Sunday!!) and I specifically wanted to use this one kinda like a test run, to get the feel of the place, the mix of the crew, etc. It all worked.

I arrived the same time as the talent and second shooter, about ten minutes before our allotted time. I’m one of those people that’s always on time, early even (yes, not so chic), so having them arrive promptly just instantly de-stressed me. Aside from lateness kinda driving me nuts, I’m footing the bill for studio time so it was a relief to not have to worry about that. And believe me, until you’re in it, you really don’t know how people will act.

For the talent, I ended up casting a guy I met at a YouTube event who’s a rapper/producer and just happened to have the look I wanted. At the YouTube event, we worked together on a sketch and really hit it off. He really looks good on film, I thought he was naturally funny and decided to give him a shot. It paid off. He killed it.

The second shooter is one of his best friends (no names since this is the TOP SECRET PROJECT) and we met/worked together at that same YouTube event. He’s is a real tech head and has been doing videos for a while. He was planning on coming to the shoot in any case and I asked if he wanted to be second camera. He agreed. They’re both bigChilltown fans and really wanted to be involved, so it all worked out. It was great to have a another person there–not only to shoot a different angle, but for the feedback.

My producing partner was also the main shooter and he brought a friend who provided a really cool extra zoom lens and manned the audio. They were already there when we arrived.

We were able to not only do a tech run-through, but do tons of takes in different outfits and including ad-libs. Before people shot on digital, the rule of thumb was shoot 6 times the amount of film you actually need. With digital, it’s really limitless. I booked two hours and we easily could have finished within one, but used the extra time to mess around, which is frequently where a lot of the magic really happens. All in all, a great vibe and really productive day.

Oh, and yes, the pipes did clang. Lasted about 10 minutes. I spoke with the owner about it and he’s going to through in the extra time this Sunday.

Can’t wait.

Author: ChilltownTV

I'm primarily a writer. Sold a few series to tv networks and production companies but never had anything get on the air. So I taught myself how to animate and completed 3 digital series, launching two. The first, Chilltown has been named one of "Five Web Series That Should Be on Your Radar" by ABCNews/Univision and a "Show to Watch" by Tubefilter. The second, Lele's Ratchet Advice Show, garnered a fanatic cult following. As a result, I now do Lele's 60 Second Wrap Up, a weekly comedic entertainment report (which I write & perform) that airs on urban radio stations Rhythm 105.9fm and the Just Wake Up Morning Show on WWRNfm. View all posts by ChilltownTV