April 2020

The first script is ready and I've cobbled together what I can from a gear perspective. I don't have a teleprompter, but found an iPad app called SmartPrompt Pro that uses voice tracking technology to scroll the text automagically. I used a bunch of old 18mm rail and plates from my Canon 5D Mark III setup to mount an iPad along with a small confidence monitor. Considering all the limitations and just three weeks of work while still doing my day job at UMD, we're ready to shoot.

Our set is coming along nicely. Blair has all the tools she needs now that we've picked up some things from her still closed studios. I have a lot of great video gear at work, but my personal kit is pretty limited at this point.

After a few lockdown meetings, it has became pretty clear that almost everyone has the same IKEA shelves. I hear there's a Twitter account called Room Rater that pokes fun at awful Zoom backgrounds, so this studio needs to look unique, interesting, and inspiring. So, I grabbed some weathered wood from an old fence in our back yard to begin to cover up the IKEA look. Blair added the sculptures, finished jewelry, baskets and silver wire to dress things up.

That baskets will also give me places to eventually hide a GoPro or two.

The great thing about using a tool like Sketchup is you can move a virtual bookshelf or jeweler's bench much easier than physical ones. I also experimented with virtual camera positions in 3D space. After playing around with different configurations in 3D, I started moving the physical things into place. I also started digging around for what I had for lights and cameras that might capture the silversmithing "kitchen".

Well, it looks like we're going to be here for a while with this Covid thing.