First responders are busy people. Whenever I have the opportunity to shoot a case study video featuring first responders, I’m meticulously focused on the efficiency of their time investment. Our subjects are always generous with their time, when they are available, but I don’t want to take too much advantage of that.
People outside of creative professions are often surprised how much time, effort, equipment, camera-time, and reshoots are required to supply a video project with quality content, appropriate for a professional result. My job as writer/director in a case study shoot is to ensure we capture more than what’s needed, while managing the subjects. This often means I coach them through the on-camera interview, which is frequently uncomfortable for people not accustomed to the camera. Folks rarely like being stared at by the camera’s eye while being put on the spot to answer. We stick to the things they know best. We don’t feed them lines, we just have a conversation, hopefully engaging enough that the camera and lights disappear and they can relax.
Sometimes, in order to respect the subjects’ time and our shooting schedule, we need to interview off-camera, or simply record a conversation. Flexibility is key to fitting a shoot into the regular day of a high-stress environment.