‘The Historic Cheshire, CT’ – Video Montage
Skills: Visual Research, Preproduction, Photography, Videography, Video Editing, Motion Graphics, Color Theory, Visual Composition
Tools: Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Lightroom
Timeline: November 2024
Overview
We’ve all seen them before. Our favorite film characters going through an epic series of events to train for the big moment. Or maybe it’s a comedic collection of funny antics that they have gone through. It can even be a nostalgic look into the past.
A montage is a sequence of moments that are compiled together to convey a specific idea. One iconic of this is when we see Rocky running around the city preparing for his big fight. These choices of clips paired with the music make the viewer feel ambitious and excited. Montages are such an effective way to show that passing of time in this way.
There are other ways that montages make an effective storytelling tool. One of those is by giving a sense of place by showing the different areas of a particular location. Inspired by the many great montages seen in iconic films, I set forth on creating one of my own.
Research
Before jumping straight into the shoot itself, I wanted to get to know Cheshire a little bit better. I started with some research online to learn about what locations have the most historical significance. I then took note of these and went to the town to take a look at them myself.
I decided to bring my camera along with me to shoot some still photos. This way, I can have a better idea of what some of the shots look like before I get into the planning phase.
Preproduction & Storyboarding
The next step in the process was to iron out all of the details of the shoot, so that I could be completely ready on the day of.
This started with a general creative brief, laying out what the project is and the parameters around it. Next, I took notes about the feel and mood of the video, making sure to include information on sound design and music.
I then wrote a brief script for the project. However, this is currently not 100% complete, as I will have to write certain parts based on what I end up shooting on the day of. Finally, I created a rough storyboard of the shots that I plan to get on the day of the shoot.
Although my specific project does not call for super specific details (like a movie would) and I plan to use a level of intuition on the shoot to capture the surroundings as they happen, this planning is still invaluable. Having all of this information ahead of the shoot helps me to feel confident going into it.
Revisions
I felt good about what I shot after going to Cheshire for production. However, when I began to put the rough cut together the next day, I realized that I did not have nearly enough footage. It really surprised me how much shooting I needed to do in order to get a long enough video.
Luckily, I was ahead of schedule. This allowed me some time to head back to Cheshire and fill in the gaps where I needed to.
Editing & Postproduction
The editing and postproduction process went fairly smooth. Thanks to the planning I did ahead of time, I knew the order that I wanted the shots to be in to tell the story I wanted. The biggest deal to me when working on this video was the audio.
The intention for the visuals was to keep it relatively simple. There were only a few camera moves and a few shots together of each location gave plenty of context. That being said, the simple visuals meant that the audio was really going to shine. Picking music and sound effects that enhances the footage and creates the vibe I was looking for was crucial. Ultimately, I came out with a video that felt cool, chill, and relaxing, which i believe fits the town well.
Conclusion
Even for a video as simple as a montage, planning is key. Doing my research and know exactly what i wanted the video to look like before shooting made the process much smoother. A few takeaways from this project include:
Planning is crucial – having a good understanding of the project and how it needs to be executed makes the process of actual creating it much smoother. Research, location scouting, and storyboarding are an absolute must for this type of video project.
Plan for mistakes – like I mentioned before, I ended up needing more footage than I initially expected. By working ahead and leaving time to fix mistakes, I had plenty of time to go back to Cheshire and capture more footage.
Audio and video must work together – neither the audio or the visuals in this video sell the town properly alone. However, by combining the two I was really able to capture the essence and vibe of Cheshire. Having a well rounded video makes a better product in the end.