Jumpin' Jamboree!

After two weeks of intense practices, the competitive volleyball season began tonight with the annual League Jamboree. For those unfamiliar with the world of high school volleyball, allow me to explain this one. At the beginning of each season, most of the teams in the league get together for what amounts to a large scale scrimmage. Each team plays four other teams in the league, but only 1 game a piece. These games do not count in the overall league records. This is simply a way to begin playing other teams, try out different offenses and defenses, see what your players can do in game settings and take a sneak peak at what other teams in the league may have to offer this season.

So tonight we were down in Cottage Grove, watching a lot of volleyball. And as it turned out, we did pretty well. I think the girls would have loved the confidence boost of coming out of Jamboree having beaten all the teams, but that didn't happen today. We had to follow the tradition of the last several years: beat most of the teams, then lose to Pleasant Hill. Oh well, like I said, these games don't count for the season and now the girls wont go into next weeks pre-season games feeling too cocky. Next week.... 3 pre-season games... 3 very tough teams, from all over the state. Here we go!

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Production Update:

Tonight for me, was a nice return to my happy place: running around with a camera on my shoulder, watching games with one eye squinting through a viewfinder, finishing the evening feeling almost as sweaty as some of the girls. I got this very real sense of de' ja vu, almost as if last season had never really ended and I had just been doing this constantly. It certainly didn't feel like 9 months had past since filming the last game of last season.

Jamboree had also finished a busy week of production. I had spent most of the day on Monday shooting interviews.. trying to get all the team members and coaching staff in front of the camera to discuss their pre-season thoughts, goals and plan of attack for the year.

While it was a bit chaotic in the weeks leading up to the shoot, it all (somehow) seemed to come together in time. The backdrop arrived from Utah on time, the portable frame to hold the backdrop was successfully built, my lighting plan came together (after a late Sunday night of testing and trying different solutions, our living room covered in wires and looking more like a sound stage than a living area) and learning the ins and outs of the new sound gear (which works amazingly well!)

Of course, now the real challenge begins: This next week we begin to have games and travel on a regular basis meaning I'll be shooting LOTS of footage during the week, we are 2 weeks into the season and I already have over 4 hours of raw footage to sort through to compress down into just a few minutes of completed film. If I don't start editing now, this will turn into a giant monster and get away from me!!