As the sun rose vibrantly over the California countryside Master Track's production crew met early with the producers of the National Dairy FARM Program educational video. Sipping coffee during their breakfast meeting at their hotel, just outside of Fresno California, the team discusses their shot list for the day, as well as reviewing the script for the project.
Contacted by CMA, a public relations and consulting firm located in Kansas City, Master Track was tasked with traveling over 1400 miles to film best practices in Dairy Farming. After a 4 hour flight and several days of planning - which included condensing a "van-load" of equipment down to "three or four bags of gear" - the team at Master Track felt well prepared for the task at hand; capture the various procedures involved in proper dairy farming. Simple right? On paper perhaps - but the team quickly realized this project would differ from previous experiences. An "outdoor-centric" shoot meant the team had little control over lighting and staging, and the constant movement meant they wouldn't have time for a typical tripod setup. "We really had to think on our feet, and move with the flow of the process", said Micah Dorner, Master Track's videographer and editor. Micah chose a non-invasive approach to filming. "We left with three or four lights and all our usual equipment, but I quickly realized I'd have to shoot a lot of it by hand." He added that the team went to great lengths not to impose on the process. "The cattle see you coming and their instinct is to respond to you. What you really want is to blend in." He added that, unlike their usual Talent, cows don't give second takes.
Originally intended for the late winter months - the shoot was postponed until march, due to heavy rainfall in the Fresno area. Master Track put that extra time to use - finding a talented narrator to read the nearly 48 page script. "It's important to stress the benefit of good pre-production." Said Don Enns, Master Track's lighting and sound engineer. "A strong shot-list and a well developed script can go a long way in ensuring a fast and efficient shoot." He added that the producers of this project were well prepared.
After 3 days of filming and over 12 hours of footage - Master Track successfully captured the best practices of Dairy Farming on video. As Micah reviewed the footage - he now focused on the editing process. The purpose of the video was training - training in self regulation - and the video was one portion of a larger product. "It was important that the graphics and 'look-and-feel' of the video match the existing content," Micah said. "The existing content includes printed brochures and a web presence." At Master Track Micah will condense over 12 hours of footage into a 45 minute training video.
With excellent planning, script writing, videography and editing - Master Track Productions' team of talented artists and producers is continuously striving to meet the challenges of today's businesses and organizations.
