NCI Video Production | July 2023 Update

What an exciting summer the summer of 2023 is turning out to be. Plenty of shoots for online (and hybrid) courses are in full swing, and all the editing that goes with is right alongside as well. Read on to learn about the action from NCI’s second-round of the Pasta Course for 2023, an update on online course video production, and the finale video from NCI’s Summer Ag Academy last month.

Livestream Update:

Did anyone catch last month’s teaser for a livestream opportunity? In case you missed it, NCI has some more video tricks up its sleeves. Since Covid, there has been an exponential increase in the need for video work, primarily for online courses. In addition, the hybrid model appears that it is here to stay.

NCI adapted well to the pandemic by offering online and then hybrid courses. During those, however, only lectures were able to be filmed for the online audience. NCI decided to take the online experience one step further and attempt the first-ever livestream of a lab demonstration.

Pasta lab practice filming before the first-ever livestreamed lab demonstrations on June 30, 2023.

The test subject was NCI’s Fresh, Frozen, and Refrigerated Pasta course held on June 30, 2023. With participants both online and in-person, all lectures AND lab demos were executed for both the audience in the room and the audience on the screen.

The livestream setup in the labs utilized three of the NCI communications team members working together. Person A manned the moveable camera, capturing close-ups of the action of working the machinery. Person B managed the second camera angle to focus on establishing shots and in-person interaction, as well as monitored audio. Audio included a feed from a manually-adjusted overhead microphone to pick up audience questions as well as separate feeds from two individually mic’d up presenters. Person C controlled the tech-side of the production with responsibilities of switching between the two camera angles, sending hand signals to direct the two camerapersons, and monitoring the Zoom chat.

While there’s always room for improvement, the very first attempt of a lab demo stream was extremely successful. There will be a few changes for next time to ensure that the process runs as smoothly as possible, but the overall concept was spot-on. The biggest takeaway was that livestreaming for a hybrid audience is here to stay, and NCI is committed to making it a top-notch experience.

The lab demos streamed for the pasta course included ravioli-making and pasta cooking in NCI’s Pasta Lab.

NCI Course Video Work:

The NCI video production team is FINALLY pleased to announce that the longest-running video project in NCI history to date has been completed. If you’ve been following the blogs, you’ll know that video production for NCI’s online Sourdough Baking course has been up for discussion for nearly an entire year.

To recap, last summer into fall, ideas and shot sheets were being created. Various sourdough bakeries were being contacted and shooting sessions planned. The work was planned then the plan was worked. By late 2022 into early 2023 filming commenced. Since then the editing process has ebbed and flowed.

The total number of videos produced rounded out at 11. These included 3 bakery videos, 1 lab video, 4 lecture videos, and 3 Q&A videos. The very last video to be completed was the SEYLOU Bakery video shot in Washington D.C. With other video commitments popping up, this was a slow and steady process, but the end has finally come.

Now that the hard drives have been closed for Sourdough Baking, the next big online course for video work will be NCI’s Stone Milling course. A few shoots have already taken place with NCI’s Stone Milling Specialist, Dr. Amrita Ray and Business Development Manager, Neil Doty. Editing on these videos will take place over the next month.

NCI Summer Ag Academy:

VIDEO PREVIEW: NCI’s first annual Summer Ag Academy kicked off last month. Check out the video produced by NCI to tell the 2023 Academy story.

Last month, the video update blog entailed a section on NCI’s first annual Summer Ag Academy. This event provides high school students the opportunity to explore careers in the ag industry for free thanks to generous sponsorship donations. The event exceeded expectations and was a huge success.

All of the video recorded last month by two of the NCI communications team was compiled this month for editing. NCI staff interviews and Academy participant interviews were woven together to tell the story of the 2023 Summer Ag Academy. The six-minute version was recently released. Shortened versions and alternate clips are still in production to be utilized as promotion for next year’s event.

Check out the recap video in the Video Preview.