Boats are always a challenge to shoot on; they are in constant movement with the waves, you have less space to work with to get your shot, and balancing can be difficult. But the obstacles can also add to the fun and add to the challenge.
It was a busy weekend and I was happy to shoot b roll in between my main job of taking notes while officers contacted civilians. I had the camera in hand as contact was about to be made with a nearby boat so my supervising producer let me continue shooting; at first watching over my shoulder and giving suggestions and then felt comfortable enough to let me play on my own. This was my first time shooting scenes from beginning to end and following up with wrap up interviews. It was awesome! It's so much fun working in a supportive team environment where everyone knows how to get the job done but also has fun while working. For me, it's always fun to be on set.
I really enjoyed the POV of a shooter/producer. I know many people don't like to do both but for me it was helpful because I was fully involved and aware of the everything going on, therefore making it easier to conduct wrap up interviews at the end. As an associate producer I generally type notes while operators film, which I also enjoy, but I'm often removed from the scene and work solely off an audio feed with no visual. From there I assist with interview questions, trying to make sure we have all the interviews needed to fully tell a story. It was fun swapping roles for a bit - shooting scenes while my boss took notes.
Overall the weekend on boats was awesome; a great learning experience, some new perspectives, and a lot of fun. I look forward to reviewing footage I shot. I think I held a fairly steady hand but grabbing exposure and focus more efficiently will come in time. Practice makes perfect, so lets keep it going!