Lessons in life and basketball
Update: Coach Sallee passed away today, Jan. 23, 2009. I will try to think of his positive message as often as I can.
•••
East Jessamine Coach Ralph Sallee, while battling late-stage cancer, kept teaching lessons in life and faith while bringing his girls’ basketball team closer.
This is the second video I’ve shot and produced using the Canon 5D Mark II. It started with reporter Mike Fields asking the well-known and much-loved coach if he’d be willing to talk to us about his fight with cancer. I thought it might make for a nice video and I knew I could get good frame grabs for the paper.
I lit the interview and recorded it using the 70-200 2.8 IS on a tripod. The light was a single White Lightning 800 with a large softbox. The modeling light was the source, so I set the white balance to incandescent.
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Frame from video
We arranged to shoot his next practice for some b-roll and so I could interview some of his players. This all was happening right around Christmas break, so I couldn’t shoot a game for nearly three weeks. The third time I photographed coach Sallee was during his team’s rivalry game against West Jessamine.
Each time, coach let me put my Sennheiser wireless lav on him which worked out quite well for the audio. In the loud gym during the game, it peaked out a few times, though.
Production in Final Cut Pro went very smoothly this time now that I have all my settings worked out.
Overall, I think the video came out pretty well. I’m happy to be able to give Coach Sallee a voice and to document a place and time in his life that I hope they will cherish.
The full story can be read on Kentucky.com.
Many thank-yous to coach, his wife and family for letting us tell his story.
Frame from video
Frame from video
Frame from video
Frame from video
Thank you so much for making this video. It’s having an impact all over the country. You have a gift for capturing the heart. I’m certain that this is only one of the wonderful things you will do in your life. Please remember always that your work has brought smiles through the tears!
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