Yesterday, I had the privilege to teach a "How to use YouTube and Best Practices" course at the Sacramento Learning Exchange.  Here are class notes and links to the many resources we discussed.  Enjoy!

https://creatoracademy.youtube.com/page/education - YouTube Creator Academy
http://www.iobit.com/en/advancedsystemcarefree.php - Iobit system care software
http://www.izzyvideo.com - Great tips on how to create videos
https://www.movophoto.com/collections/wireless-microphones - Affordable wireless microphones from MOVO
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VideoMicGo - Affordable shotgun mic 
https://wistia.com/library/down-and-dirty-lighting-kit - Great video on DYI lighting 
​https://filmora.wondershare.com - Easy to use editing software
https://theta360.com/en/ - Ricoh's 360 degree video camera
https://gopro.com/ - Gopro video cameras

As the new year begins, I'm excited to see what the coming months will bring. The dust has settled here at the lab from a very busy production schedule last November and December.  I always enjoy themed TV spots.  Have a look at some of the fun work we produced for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

...of course the craziness of the holidays may be annoying to many, but I enjoy the rush. I guess I don't mind the extra work, I know that the holidays will bring me respite soon and a new year will soon begin.

FOLLOW ARIEL ON INSTAGRAM: @arielmermaidsh

   Do you ever find yourself repurposing your old skills into newer faster ones? That’s the beauty of change, as fearful as it is, change is taking a bumpy pothole-filled path and transforming it into a newly paved road. Christensen Media saw my old skills and with a few initiation tests took me onboard. I never knew participating in video shoots, that would go on broadcast television, would created an immense impact on me. From the Subaru shoot to writing blogs, the journey was always a feeling of exhilaration. I began my path with little experience only to end this summer witnessing what could potentially be my future. It’s not the destination that counts, it’s the roller coaster journey that I'm on right now that I must hold on to. 

Besides being behind the camera, media requires some sit-down and focused work as well. At my previous job at Honolulu Coffee Company, I didn't have to worry about manipulating my words or put them on paper (although I did convince a few people to buy our amazing cookies and Pea-berry coffee, go to Honolulu to find out more). Through the summer interning with C-Media, my daily routine consisted of waking up, shower, then set-off for coffee. While at the best independently owned coffee shop I could find in Sacramento, I opened my computer and began jotting down thoughts of previous shoots. Ok, so how did I feel, what happened, what do I want to tell the world about? Not to mention, caffeine always speeds up my morning face to super-concentrated face. As much as I wanted to stay at the coffee shop and vent-out my ideas, getting to John’s place on-time was always a priority. Once I arrived, I finish my blogs and reviewed them with him. He goes over them a few more times, just to make sure that each sentence has a subject, verb, predicate, and it’s in English (mais oui?). John tells me a well-prepared Production Assistant watches for the producer and tries their best to anticipate what he or she may need. The more appreciative, trustworthy, and on-the-job experience a PA has, the more clients and producer will appreciate the production company’s professionalism.  Where do I get my ideas from for the blogs? From on-the-job experiences and the constant flow of activity that I must absorb. 

How do I prepare for a shoot? I heard this from a variety of other prospective interns, some of whom did not make the cut. Even I am guilty of thinking this question. My usual ‘shoot-routine’ consisted of a shower, make-up, dress in professional attire, and arrive with a bright smile. Never forget your smile because it’s the key to making your day bright as well as the colleagues around you. After learning my lesson being slightly late from the live doctor’s shoot (The worst day to be late when we are going LIVE), I now always leave an hour early. But if the inevitable happens, always communicate with your crew. They can tolerate you if you keep them informed but you still feel awful when you know they are counting on you. Now, I rather be too early than too late, no matter the cost. Upon arrival and in one-piece, John gives the crew a quick pep-talk of the day. In increments of time, he outlines what needs to be done by whom. As a PA, usually the slave-like jobs are left to me, lunch, food, water, maybe some grapes and palm fans for the producers. Truthfully, I only had to get lunch for some shoots, but John made it a point to keep me close to the action so I can learn. It’s the experience, not the results. During the shoot, I would stay quiet and listen attentively, very attentively. A PA must watch for possible obstacles or grumpiness in the crew. When the producer needs something, he might pull his head a little to the right and nudge the PA for assistance. It’s up to the PA to think ahead, getting the cameraman or audio tech what they need before they say it. A potential producer always watches and absorbs every molecule of information setting a pattern into their brain as quickly as possible. I learned a lot. Every time I go out on field I think, wow this is what Steve Jobs or Bill Gates must have done before making a major breakthrough; it's important to gain real-world experiences. I believe college is also important, one needs an education to understand the jargon that is happening on-set. For example, French is not something that came to me in a dream overnight. Nor understanding media. 

Fall semester of 2013, I applied to the Academy of Creative Media department at University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Studying hard, taking notes, I worked hard in the class to get into the program. Unfortunately I didn't meet the requirements, so I took the classes again. I finally passed the introduction level cinema class but my English professor and I had a differences of opinion (which is normal for the style I write). It cost me an acceptance letter again. But that didn't stop me from interning this summer. Keeping my head high I applied for a summer internship at Christensen Media (who also required me to write a synopsis about why I want to work there, so there English Teacher, take that!). As far as I know, I still call myself a media student. When you watch interviews, movies, behind-the-scenes, nobody got to the top by sitting on their hands hoping a miracle would happen. Steve Jobs worked his butt off when his innovations didn’t break through. Iggy Azalea lived from Los Angeles to Atlanta on various visas sending demo after demo to record companies. Gabby Douglas spent morning after morning practicing for the ultimate Olympic gold medal dream. They fought for a dream, as I will. And the beginning of my fight starts here; I began as an intern for Christensen Media before setting off to Paris. I am pursuing my broadcasting Olympic dream career. Someday you are going to see me as a confident successful woman in front of the cameras giving my 10,000 hours of practice and an endless adventures to the world. You just wait and see. 

[Ariel studies French at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and will be an exchange student in Paris by the end of Summer. She chose to intern with Christensen Media in the mean time to better her skills in media production.] 

FOLLOW ARIEL ON INSTAGRAM: @arielmermaidsh


When I think about a patriotic symbol that represents American made cars, I think of Chevrolet. Not only do they have the slick smooth exotic Corvette, they also make the heavy duty ultra-country Silverado. On this commercial shoot I got to experience a long-lost lingering childhood dream by watching a special presentation of the new 2014 Corvette. Besides watching my dream car unwrapped (like a sweet salivating candy bar), I also learned more basics of photography and video. Between shooting the gorgeous trucks and unraveling a millionaire’s car, I got to observe some pretty intriguing aspects of media. 

Lighting and composition were the key elements that John emphasized on the cars, utilizing the natural light as a source of grabbing visual attention. John explained to me the intricacies of photography and the extreme importance of lighting. Now referring back to a previous blog, Plato’s Lesson, light is the core of shooting whether it’s for cinema or photography. It takes a skill to paint with light to see and capture a visual image so that you can see the picture on TV. Clients visualize where the products will capture the most attention but it’s our job to replicate it. Especially when it comes to the creating a long-term dream for a child, like me.

Commercials are one of the best ways to visually capture attention for all ages. When I was four years old, I saw my first Corvette commercial. It was a blizzard out in Colorado, I decided to watch television to wait-out the storm. As I anticipated for Barney to come-on, I saw the slickest coolest most amazing Corvette on TV ever! And I thought to myself one day I’m going to own the coolest most jaw-dropping car that was ever made in America….the Corvette. Fast-forwarding to present day, I saw my dream wrapped in white covers, my eyes became as bright as HMI lights. I watched my dream fantasy unveiled only for a few minutes, but it was enough to leave a lasting impression forever.

Even though my jaw dropped and it was a little difficult to pay-attention to the educational portion of the shoot, John had me look through the viewfinder and point out the important elements in the shot. He outlined the composition; what type of objects were in the background that could divert attention from the main subject, like a trash can. Where are your eyes drawn to first in the frame. We continued to shoot a variety of cars and people. The anatomy of cars, the surgery of cars, and the initiation into a services were just a few spots where photos evolved a simple car into a desirable luxury. I had thoughts ping-ponging in my mind, but ultimately I learned how important it is to focus on the bells and whistles. It’s what brings the ohhh and ahhs to viewers all over the world. This is what persuades people to drive miles just to see is this reality or is this just TV? The whole time I watched text-book terminology happen in real-life. 

After the shoot was done John went over the importance of maintaining a high amount of respect for your work and for your clients. One of the most prideful ways to shoot a professional car photo is the three-quarter shot, the angle of the car’s trim (the curves), front grill, and extending to the back wheel. Three-quarters of the car is shown from the front corner to the back. The frame outlines the depth and sculpture of the car where perfect points accentuate its design. He informed me on how to capture shots from different levels rather than taking 50 shots in one eye-level stance. This is important because how creative can you get from standing in one position shooting head-on? Variety is the epitome of composition, and composition is the reason why I want a Corvette. This is what makes me proud that I can work with such an amazing production company. 

The cliché is right, knowledge is power. This summer I’m lucky enough to observe and experience the process of commercials. From where it begins to where it’s broadcasted on television. Christensen Media gave me an opportunity to grow as a producer and as a person. When I see an open door for opportunity, I go for it. I am thankful and lucky to work with such an amazing group of intelligent tenacious people. Quick on their feet and ready to work, Christensen Media honed my slow delayed skills to speedy thinking during shoots. I am applying my motivation for media in Paris this semester. The extra drive, more incentive, I will find a production company who will fit more for my future careers and let me absorb more information. Rio de Janeiro Olympics get ready for this Chevrolet girl to come to town. 

[Ariel studies French at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and will be an exchange student in Paris by the end of Summer. She chose to intern with Christensen Media in the mean time to better her skills in media production.] 

Socrates lived a life through a metaphorical view-finder in ancient Greece. He asked questions to prove points while teaching some of the most profound ideas. A mere philosopher influencing lives even after he passed on. My mom told me a mind-blowing Socratic quote the other day, “Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and weak minds discuss people.” I applied his words of wisdom at the Cal Expo State Fair during the Sacramento Republic FC game last Sunday. 

What makes a movie astounding? What makes a player great? The difference between Steven Spielberg and Michael Phelps is the obvious; Spielberg doesn't swim and Phelps doesn't make movies. Yet both leave a lasting impression on people around the world. Although I have yet to become a highly renounced producer and the Sacramento Republics are still a start-up football club, both of us were able to formulate ideas to win. I was practicing photography (for the first time) while they played an amazing winning game. One of the few pointers John told me was to shadow one of the photographers. I was lucky and followed the awesome photographer for the Sacramento Republics. He told me a few rules of photography but also showed me how to bend them. One, for example, was never shoot into the sun….unless it’s not 100% direct. The loop-hole is to shoot with the sun off to the side; a little to the left could reflect light off of a white jersey or a tad to the right may enlighten the goalie’s expression. I had to know my rules before I could bend them. 

I continued my on-the-job training and first time using a still camera as the game played on. The first half I started with a nice-wide angle lens. With this guy I could get the rides in the background and the action in the center. I had ideas oozing out of my brain after a few perfect photos, until John decided I was a little pampered. He switched me for a sharp Nikon 180 2.8 telephoto lens. Unlike the wide-angle, I had to manually adjust the focus and aperture. I learned to drive manual in a car, now in a camera? Sheesh. I was able to quickly learn how to tinker with it. Then I shot wonderful pictures, absolute masterpieces of color composition and candid shoots of the players…when they stood still. Running along the sidelines with a monopod and a telephoto lens honed me to move my fingers quickly and sharpen my eyes. For someone who had no clue what an ISO, shutter speed, or aperture was (let alone the differences) I did a pretty swell job. Literally, by the end of the game my finger joints were nearly swollen. One golden quality I learned that maybe some others might not was the magic of manual manipulation. I could adjust the aperture manually and tweak the ISO so that the background was blurred but the player was sharp; demonstrating the dynamism of the blurred action behind him. Total athletic focus in still frame.

Whether it be philosophers, athletes, or even producers the one goal they all have in mind is achievement. If it’s in photography, writing blogs, or simply applying for courses in France, I strive for the same achievement. During the Sacramento Republic’s game I quickly learned the beginning of achievement by picking up a camera and letting my imagination unfold. Although I didn’t take photos worthy of Sports Illustrated publication, my goal was the inner drive of taking at least one sufficient photo out of 1,033. And I did! Thank you highly regarded positive figures for guiding me to the beginning path of achievement. 

[Ariel studies French at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and will be an exchange student in Paris by the end of Summer. She chose to intern with Christensen Media in the mean time to better her skills in media production.] 

Life is full of surprises. One day I’m sitting in a nice quiet coffee shop trading stories with men from abroad and the next day I’m on top of my toes for an elaborate full-night TV commercial shoot. But I enjoy it, every second. The scouting, planning, and recreating a fantasy into reality is what I live for. Participating in television production gives me an insight into what I will work with in the future. 

Scouting; when one goes out and formulates realistic ideas in their head that will make a shoot spectacular by finding the right location. Going out to the Old Sugar Mill was my first scouting job ever. In fact, before I was sent out I had no idea what scouting was. I thought it was an initiation into boy scouts. So when John sent me out on a scouting mission I presumed I wasn't going into the wilderness to meet-up with Russell from the movie Up. I drove out to middle-of-nowhere, where I only made two U-turns (a new minimal record) and arrived at a magnificent vintage sugar palace. Literally, it was an old sugar mill. 

The place where John planned to reenact the Dos Equis Man commercial was beautiful, it was the real image of Princess Tiana’s restaurant from The Princess and the Frog. Besides being side-tracked from the immense beauty, it was time to work. I was sent to take measurements, photos, and inquire about alternative locations in case of possible problems. Some other guidelines to take into consideration was also safety, bathrooms, and wildlife inhabitants. One problem I noticed was that the doors to the main building were too small for a Chrysler 200 so I explored other rooms. The Barrel Room was a perfect alternative. It had gargantuan doors and looked as if the “most interesting man” decorated it himself. As much as I wanted to use the Barrel Room it turned out to be unpractical and we decided to stick with the previous building instead.

The arrival of the big day dawned upon us and we were ready to invade and conquer. I arrived on time at John’s house which lead to packing the truck with endless equipment as well as all the possible back-ups and extra lights in case something might happen. Once we got to the magnificent palace of endless ideas it was my job to set-up the food from Nugget Market and blow-up the oversized crochet balls. One of our other crew members had a delay which pushed us back forty-five minutes. Restlessness was apparent with everybody plus the bats began reclaiming their territory for the night.  We were able to alter these little hang-ups into newer, better, more fantastic ideas for the commercial. Sometimes little glitches spark ingenuity that results in a better outcome than originally planned. John tells me that this happens all the time, you just have to roll with the hiccups and make good use of it when you can. 

Everything had to move in double-hammer-quick-time; setting up the lights and cameras then take as many shots as quickly as possible only to move on to the next location and finally—hakuna-matata—start the whole thing over again three or four more times. Lighting was the biggest detail. We paid major attention to the HMI lights; these lights had about the power of the sun and the heat of the Mohave Desert. One little bump could cause too harsh of lighting on the talent or too soft. It was extremely imperative to tweak and pinch the lights so that the camera catches the full Hollywood-glow from the talent. 

As I was running around I learned the different mindsets of the client, talent, and the camera crew. We, the camera crew, were sprinting from place to place and stationing the lights for the Director and Director of Photography (John and Phil Mohr) so that the client pleased with the outcome. The client, overlooked the Creative Director who looked over the camera crew so that the talent is in the right position as they imagined. When the camera rolls, and the client is pleased, its show-time for the talent. I thought about what it takes to impress the viewer, to get the slightest amount of attention, or even a second glance. It requires more extraneous work than a casual YouTube online-video. We had to stand on c-stands, swat the mosquitos, and gently push the talent to hurry up. A full-day of shooting at night was a learning experience but worth every second.  

I had fun and was able to build-up a good rapport amongst the clientele. I also expressed my future desires with everyone in case they had a foot in the door with sports broadcasting or the Olympics. If I pursue my dream I have to learn how to deal with negative energy yet create a positive cover in the process. This was one of my favorite shoots and I hope in my future dream career I can quadruple the amount of fun. Not all interns are able to experience a production from start to finish. A lot can be learned from being a fly-on-the-wall.

[Ariel studies French at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and will be an exchange student in Paris by the end of Summer. She chose to intern with Christensen Media in the mean time to better her skills in media production.] 

  How does it begin? The book, movies, commercials? It all starts with an idea and a table. John and I attended a production meeting at one of our favorite ad agencies. In this scenario, there were five people; all with different skills to contribute. There was a color wheel of minds configuring and concocting ideas onto one piece of paper and the goal was to make a fun and interesting TV spot. There was the existentialist; who came in with preconceived imagination. He laid out his ideas in front of the opportunist, the head man (and owner) of the agency. The opportunist has to make sure that the “magnificent idea” is sorta within budget but still doable. He agrees because what opportunist turns down a good idea?  Then the realist comes walking in. She comes in with realistic questions, she may be the party pooper but she also brings up good points; she makes sure we stay within the confines of the budget. What is the most efficient way to execute the “magnificent idea”? And obviously she asks the most important question of all “can we really do this?” Now I, the observer, absorbs all of the dramatic process. I don’t say or contribute anything, I just watch. The best part of spit-balling is when the surrealist enters, John the video producer, the man who walks into a hi-powered meeting then declares rhinoceros. What does a rhinoceros have to do with anything? Well it sparks the ears of the existentialist “…well a rhinoceros could fit with our idea” in which convinces the opportunist “Yea! Everyone loves a rhinoceros!” and finally leaves the burden of sea change to the realist “well a rhino doesn't make sense but if everyone says it’s ok, then it’s ok”. A rhinoceros with a magnificent idea. There you go with the madness in the methods. 

Now what daunted upon us was making these left-field ideas come to fruition. Mainly running errands to retrieve props used for recreating a fantasy. Oversized crochet balls and boxing gloves were just the few props purchased while we were conceptualizing more ideas for the commercial. When the production day approached it was the duty of the surrealist to transform an exhilarating idea into a compelling television car commercial. He morphed his focus into a pragmatic fashion. It’s the symbiotic trust from each other that gives the direction on how the production performs. Endless preparation of possible ideas and tangible objects was just the beginning of producing entertainment for all, but only few will fit with the time and financial constraints. 

This is the beginning of my aerial view from start to finish. Join me on my adventurous encounters in the next blog. 


Ariel studies French at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and will be an exchange student in Paris by the end of Summer. She chose to intern with Christensen Media in the mean time to better her skills in media production.] 

I never know what is going to get thrown my way. Whether it be a live-broadcast shoot or a car commercial, I always learn to anticipate the unexpected. This time it was a real-estate and construction promotion shoot. We went out in the blistering hot heat to take photos of workers picking weeds or spraying a special chemical to enforce lawn growth, along with an on-camera interview. The main concern for me was the camera portion and listening for instructions. 

irst we began in a nice air-conditioned building, filming a wonderful interview of the manager, Chuck. The set-up was quick and simple; a light-stand in the back and front then the camera was positioned directly in front of the talent. It was odd to see the overhead lights turned off and observe what remained. There was key and fill lighting made by the artificial light then the background  was illuminated by natural lighting. A typical three-point lighting set-up. The talent was a little on edge although he was able to pull through and demonstrate how professional yet suitable his company is. I was impressed with his incognito enthusiasm to John’s questions. If I wanted to promote my company, this guy was definitely the one to put in front of the cameras. 

Now the easy part of the day was done. Little did I know that we would go out into a sauna for photos. The positive outlook was I got to exfoliate my face for free plus get a pretty swell workout. The landscape workers did a tremendous job shoveling, sweeping, and mowing front lawns so that a double-take would turn into a stop-and-stare. They had great work ethic not to mention maintaining a bright smile in the oven-hot blazing sun. And when we told them to mow about ten or fifteen times, they did it without wincing one bit. One of the landscapers, Gill, was cool. He let out some jokes towards the end of the day to crack a smile on our exhausted faces. He also respected the professionalism of women, in which I found pleasant about his character. 

All in all the shoot ran perfectly, the lighting was spectacular, the talent cooperated well with the crew, and it turned out to be a fun day! I would say this was a well-furbished green lawn shoot for Christensen Media. Stay tuned for more adventures. 






[Ariel studies French at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and will be an exchange student in Paris by the end of Summer. She chose to intern with Christensen Media in the mean time to better her skills in media production.] 

Live-streaming takes more work than what appears to the eye. For our next assignment, we couldn't hang by a pendulum of indecisiveness in hopes that all-goes-well for a doctor’s conference going live to hundreds of fellow doctors around the nation. It took time in advance and deep-thinking prepping for one of our most intensive shoots this summer. In the end, it was worth every painstaking second rehearsing then re-rehearsing to prevent the smallest mishaps, failure was not an option. 

As an obsessive sports fanatic, I plan to pursue a live-broadcasting career. The doctor’s shoot gave me insight on how efficient I must be. The day before the live-broadcast, we (April, John, John, Henri, and I) met together to receive instructions and get a quick pep-talk.  Then we loaded the cars, trucks, and SUVs with C-stands, sandbags, lights, etc. The process was daunting as we began crossing uncharted territory to a location that was new to all of us. If it was our own studio, then no problem, but we had to do this off-site because of internet bandwidth requirements. The client had the option to use other companies, but choose us overall. Being the chosen ones, we took extra care and it was important to consider all possible obstacles before the shoot. Once we got there, we set-up the connectors to the cameras and stationed them in the correct position, adjusted the lights and tweaked the mics for the perfect volume.  Some precautions we took were testing out cables, or practice reading the teleprompter so that it maintained a comfortable speed for the host. The gaffer tape became the producer’s best friend; wires taped to the floor, to the wall, and sometimes to ourselves. All the necessary equipment was carefully positioned and placed in its correct spot before the big day. The whole set-up took Michael Phelp’s arms and Usain Bolt’s legs to rapidly meet the deadline. Wednesday is now over and it went well; it was Thursday that was game day. 

Thursday morning I woke-up early, showered and was ready-to-go. Unfortunately, I encountered a mishap, I personally cannot accept, I was late. Yes, that is correct, I got lost in the pit of stop-lights and wrong way streets and even perhaps blew a red-light. I was fifteen minutes late and very concerned. Funny thing however, there was a fire drill in the whole sky scraper ten minutes before I arrived. Technically, I was only five minutes late but still not a good start for the day. Despite the minor run-ins, the shoot ran flawlessly without a problem. After the conference, the doctors were gracious enough to share with Henri and I their research and I was happily intrigued with all the abundant information. Thirty days of preparation and hard-work paid off for a spectacular shoot.

I took an advanced-level Tetris gamer to carefully place all the equipment back into the trucks. While it took a full day to set-up it miraculously only took two hours to dismantle everything. Everything was successfully loaded and packed and it was time for “a beer!” The set-back was I’m not twenty-one. Yet.    

The shoot ran great not only because we had a spectacular crew, but we also worked well as a team. Sometimes orders were flung at me in full force. Left and right the crew tells me, “Put the microphone in the correct position, and tilt the T.V thirty degrees toward the ceiling, go check on the monitor…wait! Don’t forget to take off your microphone!” A single brain cell error could lead to a pile of rubbish in seconds. Next time you go to the movies think about the team and process it took to make you entertained. Those live sports broadcasting shoots took only a few patches of hair from the production assistants and maybe the sanity from the producer, cameraman, and sound-man. Each person has a role and when one is in need, others can chip-in and help. Similar to how a defense player blocks a few shots when the goalie isn't at his post. Our team had everything at the tip of our feet. We all shared the same goal and worked together to achieve the goal of success.  Funny thing though… when asked if we would want to do another live shoot again soon, the reply from our producer John Christensen was “Not in a million years!”  

Let’s give him some time.

[Ariel studies French at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and will be an exchange student in Paris by the end of Summer. She chose to intern with Christensen Media in the mean time to better her skills in media production.]