Mike Cohen
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COW Coin
Forum Replies Created
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Thanks to the others for suggesting my article.
I can add a few other helpful pieces of advice:1. If it is your first time in an operating room, regardless of the invasiveness of the procedure, please don’t go in with an empty stomach. If at all hesitant about the blood or unusual smells, have something bland like white toast with jam, oatmeal or a cup of yogurt. Avoid a heavy eggs and bacon type breakfast because that will be the first to go.
“Smells, what smells?” you might ask.
While less of a concern in minimally invasive surgery, most surgeons use some form of energy to coagulate or cut tissue. Could be electrical, ultrasonic or even newer tech like cavitron or radiofrequency ablation. In any case, just like when you throw a odor. Do the math.
2. The adherence to sterile technique will be managed by the nursing staff in the room. They won’t let anything near the sterile field that is not as clean as possible and safe. A micro jib could be a problem if the tripod is not high enough to clear sterile tables, shoulders and equipment in the room. And if you do not have a brake for the crane mechanism you risk a Junior Mint incident.
3. As the others have said, a fixed sturdy camera mount is optimal. You could either use a 3 stage tripod up on a riser or make something out of grip gear as I have done (it took some trial and error to get the right mix of parts and stability and portability)
4. For monitoring, you want to place a small HD monitor preferably in a place where you and the surgeon can see it without acrobatics. This means a long cable (SDI, hdmi, composite, etc) and gaffer tape. Keep some slack at either end secured with a cable tie or ponytail elastic, but tape it down to prevent tripping.
**At the end of the procedure, depending upon the size of the procedure and the presence of body fluids hitting the floor, you want to grab a pair of non-sterile gloves before pulling up your cables from the floor to avoid touching something gross.
Just a little break in case anyone was getting queasy. Did you have your toast yet?
5. Camera choice should be whatever you can operate safely and possibly without looking at the controls. If you have to change media, you may want to pull the camera away from the sterile field. SD cards are easy to slip out of your finger tips.
6. Don’t forget audio. Generally the on-camera mic will suffice as most relevant audio will be close to you. You might want to remove any foam windscreens from a shotgun if not securely attached. Your camera will be near vertical so gravity has a way of making things move away from you. If you need to put a lav on the operator, clip to the mask and avoid touching the sterile gown. Best to attach the mic before the person scrubs, gowns and gloves.
7. Don’t touch anything blue. Blue drapes and towels are universally sterile, or at the least, something to keep away from. Technically anything below waits level is not sterile, but this rule varies from hospital to hospital.
8. Most importantly, regardless of gear and setup, BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. Don’t swing around to look behind you or move positions without looking first. You may be on a stool or ladder, so periodically look down and see where your feet are. It is easy to lose balance when standing for long periods of time on a small platform and since you have clearly not had your toast and jam yet, you might be a little wobbly!
Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask a silly question. I’ve been in hundreds of surgeries from 20 minute vagotomies to 14 hour facial reconstructions – worst thing someone does is give you a silly answer!
Is any of the above knowledge proprietary? Not likely. Surgical video is my company’s specialty and these things have become second nature to us. But if this is your first time doing it and you are in the video business, my first goal is to help you succeed.
Doctors always say “first, do no harm.” That should be a mantra for video production as well.
Best of luck.
Mike Cohen
PS – Would you have that toast and jam already?!
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go have at look at fbo.gov – you can search for any number of criteria – there are usually a dozen media related RFPs mixed in with unbelievably specific requests. It is true, the RFP’s are likely written by the intended vendor themselves. Then you look at the list of interested vendors and there are dozens or more companies on the list. It can be very expensive to bid on federal contracts, and it helps to be based inside the Beltway. That being said, it can also be very lucrative.
But what this comes down to is something that is key to all business – relationships.
MC
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As the others have said, you need to have skills that are in demand.
My story is similar – I did 4 internships in college and basically lived at the campus tv studio.I also sought out activities slightly outside my area of focus (as a Sophomore I attended an evening workshop on advertising attended by a bunch of adults from the community – I could have been hanging with my friends drinking beer but I chose to do something useful – I made a couple of contacts who were adults in positions in the industry – one woman was assistant to the news director at our local CBS station, and she helped me get an internship the following semester – on this internship I learned the ins and outs of broadcast news, went out on a bunch of live shots and met some young local reporters who are now national news figures – while I no longer work in news these were great experiences)
I left college knowing how to do online tape to tape editing, which in the mid-90’s was still an in-demand skill. Then once I was working as a PA duping tapes and going on shoots, I got an opportunity to do some paid online editing. It was thanks to my internships and my non-class work that I had the skills needed to move my career forward at this early stage.
So go to art school, but don’t only take art classes. Get some internships and learn skills you currently don’t have. Just because you are good at something as a high school senior does not mean you have everything you need to move to Hollywood, unless you also have experience working at the Olive Garden.
Good luck.
Mike Cohen
mmm, Olive Garden breadsticks…
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Totally agree. No names mentioned, but I see videos supposedly demonstrating a product but you don’t see much of the product – you see plenty of the person talking. There is a company that does these in-service sessions, like interview lighting or whatever, shot with a few cameras, but the cuts are at odd times and the angles make it hard to see the action, and they seem to be using the built-in mic – this is a company that sells video and audio gear.
Just because they sell donuts doesn’t mean they can show you how to make donuts.
Mike Cohen
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If I get one more e-mail talking about “the cloud”…
Someone figured out that “cloud” sounds much hipper than “servers in multiple geographic locations” and now it’s all you hear.
If it works, who cares what they call it.
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Whenever I hire a local video crew, which is often, I get either a contract on invoice from the vendor ahead of time, listing the terms, the date/s of hire and what they will be providing.
It is your obligation to provide this. If you don’t then you have no recourse when you get into a situation like you are describing.
End of story. Don’t like the answer, don’t ask the question.
Mike Cohen
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Tim and others mention restaurants. In my hundreds of trips for work and two to Vegas I make sure to find some tasty food. Here are my suggestions:
Bellagio – go through the flower room and walk almost to the end of the hotel to Sensi – the kitchen is in the center of the restaurant surrounded by plexiglass. Good food with a free show.
Paris has a great breakfast buffet, but get there early and only if you are staying there or nearby.
Aria has a nice Tapas restaurant right off the lobby – though be warned, those $6 plates can add up!
NAB would be fun but perhaps another year for me.
Have fun and hydrate I tell you, HYDRATE!
Mike Cohen
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I agree that pre-9/11 you could get away with a lot. Oh, I work for the news – discount! I’m shooting a documentary – discount. What’s in this long plastic tube? A bazooka – laughter all around. Nowadays you would go to jail.
Recently I asked about media discount and was told I would need a laminated press pass. Not sure who makes these rules. Delta is the worst. I paid $580 for 5 pieces of luggage in EACH DIRECTION. They actually charge you for bags from #1. Highway robbery as my grandpa would say. It is almost as if they don’t want you to fly, or they only want business travelers with 1 small carry-on.
JetBlue and Southwest appreciate their customers and give you the first two bags free then modest fees thereafter. Only problem is they don’t fly everywhere. On a recent trip I took Southwest to the first location, then switched to Delta for the other legs – saved about $400 in baggage fees.
Another fee is the Southwest Business Select – adds $20 per leg and allows you to be the first or second person on the plane. Well worth it to not have to do the cattle call at the gate.
I could go on…but I’ll reserve the rest for a blog post.
Mike Cohen
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A good alternate use for gaffer tape is to remove lint from sweaters, jackets and other articles of clothing (works for dandruff too), and for concealing lavaliere mic wires. Always ask permission before moving your finger tips beyond the collar of someone’s shirt or blouse!
Mike Cohen
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We just finished a studio shoot today. Knowing how modern HD studio cameras show every detail, we hired a makeup artist with some local tv and film credits. It can be a crapshoot without word of mouth references, but she did a good job especially with some shiny foreheads.
When on a run and gun shoot by myself I take my emergency kit containing a few shades of pressed powder, a hair brush and foam applicator wedges. You want to make sure you use a fresh sponge every time you need another hit on the makeup, so you don’t spread germs. You’d rather have some shine on the CEO’s head than give him an infection.
You can simply say to the talent, “hey we’re getting some shine from these lights. You know I’m sweating a little too” and apply a little dab on other talent just so nobody feels singled out, especially males unaccustomed to makeup or television or both. But often a “dab will do ya” as you don’t want a big shmear of powder. And zoom in and check the result on an external monitor. And don’t let the talent see the monitor or that you are zooming into their face on ECU.
Years ago we were doing a shoot with some doctors in a hotel suite. One of the docs was married to an actress who had most recently appeared in Groundhog Day, and she brought some professional makeup for her husband’s very shiny head and helped with the other doctor-actors.
So if you can get someone who knows what they are doing. My friend the tv sports reporter claims that he just slaps on makeup in 30 seconds before air, but he’s been at it for 15 years.
Mike Cohen