Videographer jokes or lines for students?

[mstlaurent 0]

Hi,

I used my current set of jokes too many time and I need some new ideas!

I found some good ones from this thread but many are for TIs only.
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1090480

What questions do you ask to your student during the interview? (particularly for those who don't like to speak in front of the camera).

What are your most succesful jokes?

Thanks in advance!

Martin

[davelepka 4]

I try to avoid using jokes on camera. They're either at the students expense, or just taking the focus away from the student making the videographer the 'star' for that moment.

I stick with basic questions that can't be answered wth a 'yes' or a 'no', so it forces them to speak a few more words. If they're the more talkative sort, I just let them go, as it's their video.

Keep in mind that even though you do it several times per day, each video is new to the customer. You can come up with a 'script' that works for you, and is complimentry to the student, and use it every time. The customer will never know that you've repeated the same thing 500 times.

I'll joke around with the students and make small talk off camera, but when the camera is rolling I try to keep the focus on the student, and paint them in the best light possible.

[mstlaurent 0]

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I try to avoid using jokes on camera. They're either at the students expense, or just taking the focus away from the student making the videographer the 'star' for that moment.

I totally agree that the student is the star and the videographer should not try to put the spot on him.

There are some jokes you can make off camera, some that you can make on camera and some that you can't make at all.

You have to choose which jokes you place on camera. For example, when the student tells you that he received the certificate for his birthday, you can ask him if he was happy or not. They always laugh and it is fun to hear them saying how they felt when they received their certificate.

[BillyVance 34]

Friend of mine who was doing videos on tandem jumps used to pull out a little booklet titled something like "How to fly your parachute" and flip the pages, after getting in the saddle. Made for a humorous moment in the videos.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[peek 20]

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What questions do you ask to your student during the interview? (particularly for those who don't like to speak in front of the camera).

Perhaps I'm jaded, but nearly every "interview" I hear nowdays sounds corny. However, I understand the need to ask some questions to get a quiet student to talk so that the video has something good on it.

I'm not sure why, but I seldom see the videographer do what a Director does, and that is, to plan a "scene" and then video it. I think that can work. It should only take a few seconds more.

Doing a scene where the Instructor is teaching the student should work Ok, and the things they are both saying during the training should be interesting.

Good question.

[azureriders 0]

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I stick with basic questions that can't be answered wth a 'yes' or a 'no', so it forces them to speak a few more words. If they're the more talkative sort, I just let them go, as it's their video.

Exactly

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You have to choose which jokes you place on camera. For example, when the student tells you that he received the certificate for his birthday, you can ask him if he was happy or not. They always laugh and it is fun to hear them saying how they felt when they received their certificate

Awesome, but in my opinion that is not a joke, it is more a basic questions that can't be answered wth a 'yes' or a 'no', so it forces them to speak a few more words.


If time allows, while the student is off being trained or what not, I like to interview their friends. Bust up in a crowd with a camera and start asking them who knows Billy and what do they think about him jumping and you will get some great footage. It can be the girl friend that is scared for him, a buddy who is bettign that he will back out, or a 3 year old daughter who can't quiet pronounce skydive, but in any case it is good footage. It adds to the length of the product as I am still going to interview the jumper as well. Most of all, it gives the jumper a bit of a suprise when watching his video for the first time.

[mstlaurent 0]

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I like to interview their friends.
...
Most of all, it gives the jumper a bit of a suprise when watching his video for the first time.

Yes, very good point.

Thanks!

[skydivefj 0]

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Hi,

I used my current set of jokes too many time and I need some new ideas!

When the customer is asking questions about freefall, if you have a TM that is not too much of an asshole that has a sense of humor, you can tell the student to wait untill the instructor taps them on the shoulders to open thier arms out, then spit a big loogie and it will hover in front of them until the parachute opens.

Of course you must tell them what will actually happen before you jump so they don't do it, but it sure makes a good laugh for a few minutes...

[shermanator 3]

with camera off, start the interview, with your helmet/camera on backwards. ok, so it won't go all the way on head, but so what.. When they point out that it is backwards, make some sort of comment like, "oh, I hope I get the parachute on right .. this time"

CLICK HERE! new blog posted 9/21/08
CSA #720

[mstlaurent 0]

:-)

Sometimes I take the first picture with the head of the passenger cut-off. I show the picture on the camera and say something like 'oh, I hope it will be better in freefall'.

[JohnMitchell 14]

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:-)

Sometimes I take the first picture with the head of the passenger cut-off. I show the picture on the camera and say something like 'oh, I hope it will be better in freefall'.

I like that.