The day has arrived and it’s time for me to make the 75 mile trip to ToolSelect.com’s studio. I arrived shortly after 8:00 a.m. to find a crew ready to unload the tools and show me to the studio. The studio was much larger than I had imagined. Tall metal stands with cameras and lights seem to fill the room. The set was brightly lit and it felt much larger than what I viewed on the computer screen.
Lights , Cameras, Woodworker?…Oh no, what have I gotten myself into? Is it too late to return the tools and sneak out the back? I didn’t even get my coat off and in marched the butterflies. You know the ones, big, fluffy and a persistent reminder that you are not in your workshop.
Jay introduced me to each of the crew members which helped quiet the fuzzy critters. Dean, Director of Video Production, introduced himself and gave me an overview of the set up. Before I knew it, I was focused on what I needed to do and feeling a bit more relaxed.
I realized the butterflies were gone after meeting Gerry Barnaby. We started talking about the tools and it quickly became evident that Gerry had done his homework. We talked about where to stand to best illustrate their use. We covered the features and how I used them to build a project. This wasn’t a rehearsal, but two guys sharing information on a new woodworking tool.
Time to start the cameras, ready to roll, as they say. Gerry starts his introduction and introduces me. This was a conversation just as before. I forgot about the cameras, microphones and lights. Gerry, doing what a pro does best, makes it look easy. After Dean said “cut”, I had a sigh of relief and thought, one down and two to go.
Dean smiled and offered a few pointers to help with the next take. Next take? You mean the next tool? I don’t know many terms used in making a video, but I do know that “next take” means “do over”.
Dean pointed out that I was talking a little fast and that it was okay to pause and collect my thoughts before answering a question. Was this a symptom of too much caffeine or could it be that I was practicing for a competition with John Moschitta of the famed FedEx commercial. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeK5ZjtpOM
After several takes, I figured out that it wasn’t a race and there was plenty of time to share my findings. We had several “takes” for each piece of equipment which from my point of view went pretty smooth.
Review of the process…
What you will see on the videos is my opinion of three woodworking machines. There were no cue cards, scripts or anyone directing me to say this, that or something to give an opinion that wasn’t my own. The only thing that I received from this group of professionals was encouragement and a couple bottles of water. Oh, yea and a tee shirt because now it’s official I am a certified tool tester.
Check out the video.
Keith