Summerville Shoot

Jenny:

If it weren't for having to put the date at the top, I honestly don't think I would have known just how fast this summer is flying by. We are already halfway into the internship and it feels like just yesterday we were walking in the front doors waiting to get out ID's made. Nonetheless, we are still going. Today we went to Summerville for another shoot. Our first stop was to visit a place not as foreign to me as some, Summerville High School- one of Beaufort's rival's. We went to interview Coach McKissick, the most winningest high school football coach in the nation! It was news to me that he had that title because I hadn't heard anything like that when I was in High School. But I wish I had, he was a sweet man and really down to earth. We went to the football field to shoot some B-roll and it really made me miss home. Good thing I'm going home this weekend. :) Our second stop was at the Summerville Chamber, where we learned why Summerville has become the birthplace of Sweet Tea. Their setup for us was so pretty and they had the whole spread laid out for us to get some B-roll. Our third interview was at Coastal Coffee Roasters, which is, up to date, one of my favorite shoots. The owners were so nice!! Their space reminded me of a cozy, laid back, family atmosphere, because it was. It is family ran, and they support the small entrepreneurial businesses. While we were shooting, people were in and out and I swear the owners must have known each customers life story. It was a really eye opening experience- makes you realize not every business out there is in it for the pure sake of making money. This was also a great shoot because it was the first one where Tabitha let loose of the reigns and let me and Meagan shoot all the B-roll. We loved it! We were experimenting with the focus, zooming, the slider, asking the owners to participate, and just having fun with it. 
About half way through, Tabitha came in and informed us of some uncomforting news. Our car had been taken over by ANTS!! And seeing how I was sitting shotgun- I became the designated ant killer on the way home. They were coming out of the air conditioning vents, cup holder, dashboard, and the side of the doors. But, after a good slaughtering, they went away and we were able to sit comfortably for the rest of the ride. 

Meagan:

Today is the day! I am sOoOo excited about our Summerville shoot today the uppercase and lowercase “o’s” are absolutely necessary! Why so excited? Well, the Summerville shoot is like my baby. Tabitha gave me the opportunity to contact the Chamber of Commerce and completely book all of the interviews, set up interview times, etc. by myself. I worked with Tabitha to decide which stories to do and followed through with all the contacts to make it happen… and after today, I feel like a proud mama. Our first shoot was with the all time most winningest football coach, Coach McKissick! Touch down! After coaching 60 seasons at Summerville High School and with almost 600 wins under his belt, it was an honor to interview him. Not to mention he also coached UGA’s legendary A.J. Green (GO DAWGS!). I’m just thanking my lucky stars the interview worked out because he almost couldn’t make it. But man… what an experience. Tabitha always gives us a chance to ask questions during the interview too. Naturally, I’m as curious as a cat and a “Chatty Cathy” so I usually do have something to ask. I just had to know what he considered the highlight of his 60-year coaching career (check out the ETV “short” to find out the answer!).   While we were there, Tabitha discussed the possibility of a follow up interview for a SC Hall of Fame documentary. She is trying to book the interview soon, so I just hope Jenny and I are still here so we can help with that as well. SC Hall of Fame pieces are filmed and edited on a much larger scale, so it would be awesome to be a part of the project. After we shot b-roll of all of his honors, awards, and the football field named after him, we left for our next interview.

Our second story highlights Summerville as the “Birthplace for Sweet Tea.” Sweet Tea is the staple drink of the south so what a claim to fame that is! Now all southern sweet tea lovers might want to put earmuffs on when I admit this: …I am NOT a huge fan of the notorious southern beverage… at all.  However I did enjoy learning about sweet tea’s SC history. Even though b-roll was somewhat limited, we put our thinking caps on and came up with some pretty “suh-weet” shots. (You’ll have to check out the ETV shorts page to see!) I ran audio while Jenny served as the “looking point” for the interviewee, and Tabitha asked questions while filming. It’s important for the interviewee to have a focal point to look at if the interviewer is behind the lens. Therefore Jenny’s job was pretty crucial.  After leaving the very hospitable visitor’s center, it was off to Coastal Coffee Roasters for our third story and a cup of joe!

Coastal Coffee Roasters not only sells coffee but they also roast coffee in-house! The coffee house, or shall I say coffee “warehouse” is heaven for any coffee feigns like myself. They sell all types of coffee beans, fresh brewed coffee, and tons of local treats from other sellers. Jenny and I had free reign to film ALL of the b-roll for this shoot. We must have inhaled too much caffeine because we filmed just about every angle of the roasting house we could. We varied from tight shots to wide shots and even practiced using the “slider” (a metal piece you can add to the tripod to slide the camera across). I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE filming so I can’t wait to film more b-roll in the future. After filming all the cool shots we could think of and enjoying a nice espresso, it was time to head back to ETV. Well we weren’t alone when we situated ourselves back in the van. Before we could even buckle our seatbelts we realized there were a few pesky visitors in the van with us. Few as in a few hundred, and pesky visitors as in ANTS!!! Tabitha killed most of them before we got in the car and Jenny acted as the exterminator the rest of the way home.  Luckily for me, the ants were only in the front. (Sorry guys!) Sometimes there are perks to not riding “shot-gun”.

*PS. I would like to give a shout out to Summerville’s Tourism Coordinator, Tina Zimmerman, for such great stories and working so closely with me in booking my first shoot. :)