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That’s sort of the story of the day for me. I had, what should have been, simple shoot scheduled. . . but it never really is, is it?

I was trying to figure out exactly how I wanted the lighting and my light started to smoke. Generally that’s a bad thing. So I unplugged it and pulled out another light. Turned it on and the lamp (aka light bulb) blew out. Replaced it. Finally got the lighting figured out.

We’re shooting, things seem to be going well. We’re almost done when there’s a problem with the camera. No picture in the view finder. Started going through the check list and found a loose cable. Not the worst thing that could happen.

Get back to my desk to start capturing the video. Only it seems the deck for playback doesn’t like the tape. I’m getting video and audio hits all over the place. Now, I had that same problem a few weeks ago, but I was using an old tape and didn’t think too much of it. This time I used a brand new tape, and the further I went into the recording the worse it got. Needless to say I started to feel a little sick!

So, I start through a different check list. I got as far as try it in what it’s been  recorded on. I hook the camera up to the computer…only the computer and the camera apparently don’t see eye-to-eye. The computer won’t recognize the camera. So I pull out the 8-year-old laptop I have tucked away for just such emergencies. I fire it up, and forgot the password because I haven’t been on there for months and months. I had to call an admin to help me get that straightened out.

Perfect I’m now in the laptop that will talk to the camera . . . only the editing software isn’t on that laptop. . .

The theme for today is taking a step back and then coming up with a new plan. As frustrating as it’s been, and trust me it has been, I’m actually kind of happy in a strange way. Sometimes it’s nice to have a day that challenges you in a different way. One where you have to be creative in a way you wouldn’t normally.

I’m still working through no software on the old laptop issue. And the video I shot today may still be unusable. If it is, I guess I’ll take a deep breath and then drop back 10 and punt.