Ed says:
Motion Post specializes in affordable customized remote mobile television editorial. It’s a mouthful to say, but it’s what we do. Like our slogan says, we provide HD and SD broadcast quality video editing “where you want it, when you need it”. Most often this work is extremely time-sensitive, so the contingency planning we do is just as important as the editing talent we bring to the remote site.
As with any production, realistic contingency planning for a time-sensitive on-site edit can make or break a deadline. Plan “B” is never more vital than when you are off-site, away from your comfy edit suite.
The highlights packages I did for Privileged Access TV and KRT Productions at the 2008 Home and Housewares Show at McCormick Place in Chicago was a great example.
We were tasked with capturing the excitement in daily highlights videos, edited overnight, that would tease the next day’s activities and provide a sense of the show floor. The videos were then looped for guests in-room at over a dozen local hotels and available on the internet to help people keep up with the show, which is one of the nations largest.
For 3 days we edited in a conference room at McCormick Place using Motion Post’s MOBILE 1 editing package (plus a system provided by KRT), working with KRT staff editor Nick Borgione under the expert production talents of KRT Senior Producer Jane Serbus and Owner Kathy Rivera. Jane had mapped out each show ahead of time and wisely generated pre-set elements the week before, so everyone knew what needed to be done (and did it). It went like clockwork.
Then early on the second day Nick’s editing computer gave up the ghost (it happens). It had been a solid system and it had worked well — until it didn’t; suddenly it went stone cold dead. This seriously threatened our ability to get the show out on time, Nick had already been working for hours.
Fortunately, I always bring a backup computer system — in this case a fully loaded laptop, ready to go with everything we need. The temptation in a situation like that is to try to trouble-shoot the broken system, Nick had lost a couple of hours worth of work and really wanted to get it back. I’ve learned from long (hard) experience however, that the best thing to do in a situation like this is to just move on — don’t spend another moment worrying over a dead system, it’s never worth the time in the field.
I had prepared for the contingency and I had him up and running immediately. As a result, the impact was merely annoying and not project-threatening. It was a good lesson in forethought.
Here’s a snippet of the fruit of our labor – which was delivered just in time.