A Series of Unfeminine Yet Very Delightful Shoots

I consider myself to be a Barbie girl, not a derby girl. So I never in a LIFETIME imagined I'd end up at a Women's Roller Derby game and a Motocross race all in one weekend! These past two days, Aaron, Brittany, and I trekked around with our two cameras in the California heat to capture these two events on film, along with an African mission trip fundraising event, "Walk to Africa". Mark had assigned each of us interns to oversee and direct one video shoot while working together with the other

two.

(To emphasize the mixture of girliness and fast athleticism, I

decided to a create a shot pulling focus from my stilettos to roller skates)

As rough and tough as it was, I was really excited that I was assigned to produce the Roller Derby video! One of the script supervisors for Entertainment Tonight is a member of the Angel City Derby Girls, so Mark made the connection. I had never been to a game before, but I heard that these women were hardcore…yet fun and semi-girly (emphasis on the semi). When I got there, I found both to be true...they were covered in tutus and tattoos, glitter and bruises. It was a pretty hilarious mixture...

Getting on the ground in a skirt and heels is sometimes necessary to produce a good shot...

Many of them proudly exclaimed how they love to "crush and kill" opponents...And, similar to WWF, they all had hokey names, like "Hitney Fears" (Britney Spears), "Viva La Trouble", and "Reno Revolver".When I got there to interview these women, I was so excited to find out that my purple and black outfit coordinated perfectly with their uniforms!!

They were great to work with and had a nice sense of humor, which was good because I was very goofy. I have never filmed sports before, so the fast-moving shots were fun to capture. One of the refs was really excited to show me his "Sex in the City" sunglasses, complete with a faux-gold inscribed case. I had to feature the sunglasses in exchange for an interview.

ET's Jamie, aka "Knocksberry Harm"

Earlier that morning, Brittany had directed the "Walk To Africa" event. Mark Steines's church put on this event to raise money to support "Miracle Medical Missions", mission trips to Africa. Mark has already been on one (with other friends, including Everybody Loves Raymond's Patricia Heaton), and he is a strong supporter.

It was really rewarding to be able to capture a nonprofit event with so many good people! All participants walked 8 miles, and the goal was that, with 1000 participants, their cumulative distance covered would equal the 8000-mile distance it is from here to Africa! Brittany was a charming interviewer, as she had built up experience from her past two semesters' participation in her college's TV course in California.

An extra plus!?? They had FREE COFFEE AND BANANAS!!!

I was able to stock up on nanners since there were extras. And some people already know how I occasionally side-step the "only take one piece of fruit out of the dining center" rule at UNI…

This morning, we woke up at 5:45 to film a motocross event. (This morning thing is totally encouraging my coffee addiction...)

My knowledge of Motocross pretty much consisted of the 2001 Disney Channel Original Movie "Motocrossed", where that tomboy girl chops off all her hair so she looks like her brother. That really used to upset me. It wasn't like that today…there were racers of all ages and sizes, from cute little boys to a stud-ette girl racer (named Gina!), to a man over 70! It was HOT OUTSIDE!!

Aaron, the boy intern, did a great job directing this shoot. Our job was to feature Andy, the son of a Key Grip at Entertainment Tonight. (Starting to see the connection?) We shot two races. Again, it was a fun challenge to capture the fast, athletic sights and sounds…revving of engines, sweat pouring off of their brows, the clouds of dust after the bikes raced out of sight. OH and the GIANT DISGUSTING SCAB Andy got after he was run over by another biker during the first race. He won first place in his class the second time around. I guzzled so much water that I felt like a rolly-polly waterballoon about to burst.

One of the best parts of the day? I finally figured out to make the perfect cup of coffee with our apartment's coffee maker! And I've almost used up this stupid can of pinto beans, too. I am really not a cook. I miss the UNI dining centers.