We arrived on-location, slathered on sunscreen and put on big hats that we had forbid ourselves in the past to wear in public. The on-location shoot would position us on the edge of a sprawling swimming pool, where a coach would provide training and instruction with the assistance of a swimmer in the water.
Into The Light
For weeks prior, we discussed how to ensure we would properly light the outdoor scene. Early on, we decided to shoot shortly before sunset to take advantage of the sky’s early evening glow. But would the light still strike our subjects too sharply? How would we properly light both a coach standing on the edge of the pool and a swimmer listening a few feet away in the water? Would we need to diffuse the light or add light?
Fortunately, Mother Nature diffused the sunlight on the first of the two-day shoot. The skies evenly lit the coach and swimmer without harsh shadows. The sunlight still reflected off portions of the water, so we positioned the swimmer in a section of the pool without glare.
For the second day of the video shoot, the cloud cover had moved on and the sunlight blasted the location, creating unflattering shadows with hard edges. We begin the day’s shoot in a small corner with shade until the sun sunk below the trees, shading the entire pool.
When the evening relinquished the day to darkness, we considered how to make the most of the underwater pool lights, which shined in different colors.
Avoiding Distractions
To create a clean backdrop, we moved patio furniture, swept leaves, took down backstroke flags and repositioned a pace clock with green digital numbers reflecting off a window in the background. When we composed our shots, we carefully considered the position of the large, orange umbrellas, which added color to the scene. At the last moment, the pool’s owner even called a pool cleaning company, which dispatched an employee from about 30 minutes away to tidy up our scene and vacuum up the dust on the bottom of the water.
Noise-Cancelling Moves
Noises provide one the biggest challenges of shooting outdoors. We didn’t start shooting video until one of the neighbors stopped landscaping. We also turned off the pool pump. We asked people talking loudly in a nearby hot tub to tone it down and they moved their impromptu party indoors.
The Right Angle
To avoid a swimming training video that might sink someone to sleep, we shot video from the edge of the pool, from above the pool and from in the pool itself. We set up the tripod at different heights. We shot the same scene over and over again, recomposing the shot different ways each time.
With video, preparation is often just as important as the production itself.
