Project Guide | Lettuce Talk Steinbeck

LettuceTalkSteinbeck.org |

Project Guide
Our Lettuce Talk Steinbeck Video Project is:
About: John Steinbeck, Salinas / Monterey, and the Lettuce Curtain
Getting shots about John Steinbeck and Salinas/Monterey
Camera Operator / Shooter and Camera Assistant - working together.
Get shots of related stuff that interests you.
Keep Our Project themes in mind:
     1. Lettuce Curtain
     2. John Steinbeck
     3. Salinas & Monterey Peninsula
    Your own vision as a video shooter / director. Your point of view.
The Lettuce Talk Steinbeck Video Project seeks to provide:
Mentoring, help, and video gear resources. A video project framework ready for student participants to work on. Benefits and opportunities for the student participants to work together and learn. The Project will also promote and distribute the completed work, to be published on our Lettuce Talk Steinbeck website. Exhibition and publication of the young filmmakers' creative work at video screenings, on local television, on Blip TV and other venues.
OUR SHOOTING SCHEDULE:
Day 1: Cannery Row, Monterey

WHEN: March 30th, Sunday, 10 a.m.
WHERE: meet at Marina High School
350 Rendova Road, Marina CA 93933 | Map
Then we'll drive to our Cannery Row location

WHO:
Shooters will be Salinas Students:
Rose • Harley • Andrea • Jennifer
Camera Assistants will be Peninsula Students:
Evan • Alex • Anthony • Glenn
Behind-The-Scenes Shoot Team
• David Hernandez
• Zach Bredeson - Salinas High
Behind-The-Scenes Director: Megan Heath - LMP Class of 2008
Cannery Row Tour Guide / Coordinator: Don Livermore, Principal, Marina HS
Technical Advisor: Michael Houston, Picture America
Creative Advisor: Trish Sullivan, Artistas Unidos
Still Photographer / Audio Recording: Tamas Marius
Production Assistants: LMP Team: Jeanne, Daisy, Chris - others
Transportation: Megan Heath, others TBD

Day 2:   Steinbeck Neighborhood, Salinas
WHEN: April 6th, Sunday, 10 a.m.
WHERE: meet in front of the National Steinbeck Center |
One Main Street, Salinas CA 93101 | Map

WHO:
Shooters will be Peninsula Students:
Evan • Alex • Anthony • Glenn
Camera Assistants will be Salinas Students:
Rose • Harley • Andrea • Jennifer
Behind-The-Scenes Shoot Team
• David Hernandez
• Zach Bredeson - Salinas High
Behind-The-Scenes Director: Megan Heath - LMP Class of 2008
Tour Guide: Carol Robles (to be confirmed)
Tour Coordinator: Don Livermore, Principal, Marina HS
Technical Advisor: Michael Houston, Picture America
Creative Advisor: Trish Sullivan, Artistas Unidos
Still Photographer / Audio Recording: Tamas Marius
Production Assistants: LMP Team: Jeanne, Daisy, Chris - others
Transportation: Megan Heath, others TBD
CAMERA ASSISTANTS • MANDATORY
Two-Person Teams
1. Shooter
2. Camera Assistant
Two-Person Teams
This is a good way for the students to work together.
There must be one camera assistant for each of the 4 shooters
The camera assistant is there to assist the shooter -- they work together
A Camera Operator / Shooter:
To make shot choices - select the shots - shoot
Shoots the video with the Canon HV20 video camera
Uses a fluid head with a tripod or monopod - and may use just the hand grip
A Camera Operator focuses on selecting and getting great shots
A Camera Operator relies on his/her Camera Assistant
A Camera Operator does NOT look after the camera gear or lug it around
The Camera Operator / Shooter - works as a Director on this Project
Working with a Camera Assistant the Shooter can get more shots
A Camera Assistant:
A Camera assistant gets what's needed for the Shooter / Director
A Camera Assistant looks after and takes care of the camera gear
A Camera Assistant is responsible for lugging around the camera gear
Don't misplace stuff. Put stuff back into the HV20 kits assigned to you
Thanks!
miniDV Video Tape
Prepare video tapes before you shoot - attach the side label
Before loading video tape into a camera - mark the side label
• Date - Name of Shooter - Tape No. - that's it: 03-30-08 • Rose • 1
Keep track of each shot video tape - that's where all your work ends up
Here is a tip for Shooters
Talk over ideas and shots with your Camera Assistant. Ask for bright ideas. And on occasion invite your Camera Assistant to shoot a great shot or two. It'll keep them alert and interested. They'll enjoy it and have more fun. As a Director it'll help you get some more great shots. That's a good thing.

KEEP TRACK OF EACH OF YOUR SHOT VIDEO TAPES

HV20 Camera Gear
See: http://PictureAmerica.org/HV20CameraPackage.html |

HV20 Camera Gear
See: http://PictureAmerica.org/HV20CameraPackage.html |

HV20 Camera Gear
See: http://PictureAmerica.org/HV20CameraPackage.html |
PROJECT PREPARATION
John Steinbeck Research
Locations
Shot lists
Story Points
Read Canon HV20 Camera Instruction Manual
printed copies -- and online Canon HV20 Instruction Manual |
A Shot List
The Shooter may work with the Camera Assistant on a shot list
A shot list can be useful at each location
A shot list is a list of selected camera set-ups
A shot list is not a story, treatment or script
A shot list is a list of shots you may need to shoot at a location to tell your story
Remember: Safety First while shooting!
A shot list may include on-camera interviews - quick comments by people - establishing shots of the location - wide angle shots - close ups - close shots of details - exterior shots - interior shots - signs - nearby streets - vehicles passing by - people passing by in public - moving shots while sitting in a shopping cart - tracking shots on a skate board (camera assistant to hold on for safety) - high shots looking down - low shots - telephoto shots on a tripod - all sorts of shots that will help you tell your story when you edit your video. Change the angle. Change the image size. Get lots of shots that interest you. It's helpful to get at least 3 different angles of insert shots if you can. That helps a lot in editing later. Not just one shot of a flag, window or sign. Get 3 interesting quick shots of each. Insert shots are useful for cut-aways and as transitions. You can use the audio from an interview but use lots of other shots while we hear the voice - voice over. Get interested. Pretend you've done it for years and have some confidence in your shot selection. It's your point of view. It's your vision. You make the decisions. You select the shots.
Monterey and Salinas locations are on the Steinbeck map
Many "shot list" locations are suggested on the map
See the John Steinbeck's Map Of America - at the bottom of this page |
Steinbeck Salinas & Monterey Images & Info
Images: http://LettuceTalkSteinbeck.org/images.html |
Directory: http://LettuceTalkSteinbeck.org/Directory.html |
Cannery Row Foundation
They may provide location access and audio recordings of Foundation members
site: http://www.canneryrow.org/cr_model.html |
SHOOTERS
Look for what interests you
Shooters can write up a shot list of shots they want to get
Make sure you get a lot of insert shots • B-roll shots • details • cut-away shots
Canon HV20 Video Camera Tips & Training |
Picture America can make the HV20 Video Kits
available for training in advance of the shoot days
Shooters ought to go out and shoot
whatever they want to learn about shooting with the video gear.

Canon HV20 DVD
Michael Houston has a Canon HV20 DVD JumpStart Guide.
Picture America can lend the young filmmakers copies of the video tape / DVD.
The Shooters should also learn something about
the Rule of Thirds / Composition, the Camera, Lighting & useful shots |
Picture America has got some useful links and videos here:
Canon HV20
Canon HV20 Instruction Manual |
VIDEO CAMERA INFO AND TIPS here |
RULE OF THIRDS / Composition tips here • LIGHTING TIPS here |
SHOOT VIDEO: http://LettuceTalkSteinbeck.org/ShootVideo.html |

HOW IT WAS DONE
A BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO
We plan to get:
lots of still PHOTOS
lots of VIDEO shots of the shoot activities
lots of AUDIO with the Zoom H4 sound recorder
That Behind-The-Scenes Video
will help tell the story about Salinas Kids and Monterey Peninsula kids working together. It will be available and useful on our website and for the final Project report.
Since the arrival of Movie DVDs people want to see HOW IT WAS DONE.
When CRISTO sets up an Art Project - the key is HOW IT WAS DONE.
Behind-The-Scenes Video
You've got activity - action - kids making decisions - logistics - travel - working things out with folks who are interviewed on camera - getting lunch - shooters getting shots - kids working together -- that shows Salinas Kids and Monterey Peninsula kids working together. We also may get some shots of the Project Team members working with the kids. That's all interesting. That's a story.
STILL PHOTOS:
We plan to shoot a lot of Behind-The-Scenes PHOTOS.
Those photos can be part of the VIDEOS.
Those photos can be put up on our website.
Those photos can be included in our final report.

A DEPICTION RELEASE
A Depiction Release document
must be signed by each individual who is recorded on camera. Depiction Release document copies will be provided on the day of the video shoot. Parents are required to co-sign releases for anyone appearing on camera who is under the age of 18 - including our young filmmakers themselves.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright is about individual AUTHORS and their original works of authorship. Authors ought to retain and own the copyright for their original works. For this project, Authors are the persons who shoot the video, record the audio, and shoot the still images. We can agree that the Authors will grant a no-cost license for use of their works with respect to this video Project. This is one useful way to handle Copyright for this Project.
VIDEO RECORDINGS
- owned by the shooter - a no cost license for use in the video
SOUND RECORDINGS
- owned by the audio recordist - a no cost license for use in the video
STILL IMAGES - owned by the photographer - a no cost license for use in in the video
Completed Video
With respect to the anticipated 15-minute completed student video, the students who shoot and edit the video will be joint AUTHORS. They ought to own the copyright to each of the one or more versions of the completed video as joint AUTHORS.
A Work For Hire - U.S. Copyright term
The Kids DID NOT make this video as "a work for hire" and
they ARE NOT "independent contractors," rather they are the AUTHORS of the work.
For the Behind-The-Scenes Video
The AUTHORS are those persons that shoot and edit the video
-- they ought to own the copyright to their video as joint Authors.
Collaboration Agreement Documents
can be drafted with other individuals who make creative contributions -- audio - still photos - etc. -- on the Behind-The-Scenes video and the Collaboration Agreement documents can state that their work is done as "an independent contractor" and that their work is "a work for hire." That's fair. That's one way to approach copyright ownership.
Copyright Registration
Copyright Registration happens AFTER a work is completed.
On this project, the first thing to register for Copyright
is likely to be a DVD copy of the finished videos.
Authors of still images, sound recordings, and video recordings own their work, but will grant the use of their works in the videos by license at no cost.
Copyright Information - Intellectual Property
All student participants are highly encouraged to learn more about copyright and intellectual property. For more information, please visit these websites:
U.S. Copyright Office | U.S. Copyright Info |
U.S. Copyright Registration Forms
are available online from the U.S. Copyright Office.
Copyright Registration - Joint Authors
We will send a copy of the work (DVD copy) to the U.S. Copyright Office.
Student shooters will be listed as joint authors.
Copyright Registration - Copyright Claimant:
Student shooters, or an entity set-up for them like:
2008 Lettuce Talk Steinbeck Videos with one address.
The student shooters will agree in a written document that
2008 Lettuce Talk Steinbeck Videos will be the designated Copyright Claimant.
For students under 18, parents will cosign the agreement document.
U.S. Copyright Law
Inquiries on the topic of U.S. Copyright Registration:
• U.S. Copyright Office |
• JOHN LONGENECKER • 800 470-4602 • email: JL.Company@mac.com |