Fire at cabinet shop

Ah, spot news! It always happens.....just never when you expect it. So, if you want to get news video, or still photos from those events, you'll need to carry your equipment with you wherever you go. I do and ended up being able to piece together a quick video segment a few hours after returning from the fire. A few things to keep in mind. Even though shooting from a tripod would have yielded steadier shots, sometimes it's impractical to carry one. Just steady the camera as best as possible, using a fence post, car hood, whatever...and shoot away. Shoot several takes of the same scene, holding for 10-20 seconds on each one, and you should get something useable. DV tape is cheap, so don't be bashful. Just remember that the pause button is your best friend. Either that,or you'll have lots of tape to edit through.....in real time. Finally, I had problems getting decent sound. So, I defaulted to using a voice over( the voice is co-worker Robin Trimarchi). It's a relatively quick and painless way to add informative audio. You'll just need to play with the clip lengths to match the total running time of the audio. So, don't do any final trimming until you FIRST get the audio completed to your satisfaction. I also ordered a better external shotgun mic that attaches to the hot shoe on the camcorder. I'll keep you posted on how it does after it arrives.