About the Project
The Ottawa Shufflers is a community of dancers that offer shuffling dance lessons. We spoke with Jessica about her experience participating in this club and how it has impacted her life.
At its core, this project is about people — the dancers, the instructors, and the community that breathes life into The Ottawa Shufflers.
My Role
Filmmaker and video editor
Equipment and Software
Sony 6400. Adobe Premiere Pro.
Pre-production
Before the day of the shoot, the team did a research about the Ottawa Shufflers community, to understand their history, and drafting interview questions were pivotal steps.
The goal was not just to capture the dance moves but to unravel the personal stories that make The Ottawa Shufflers a vibrant community.
Production
The production phase, encountered a distinct set of challenges inherent to nighttime shooting in Lansdowne in Ottawa. Because of the group’s schedule we had to shoot the B Roll scenes under this lighting conditions.
Recognizing the need for optimal lighting conditions for the interview segment, a decision was made to shoot this portion on a separate day.
On this day, we used coloured gels as backdrop to emulate the vibrant and colourful lighting characteristic of The Ottawa Shufflers’ performances, ensuring visual consistency and enhancing the interview’s aesthetic appeal.
Post-production
The post-production process, while addressing the technicalities of each shoot day, aimed to maintain a cohesive visual narrative that authentically represented the story.
Using Adobe Premiere Pro I made a first cut of the interview portion, focusing the story on the community aspect. Then I selected the best B Roll scenes to add more visuals to the story.
Conclusion
Shooting in the heart of Lansdowne Ottawa at night was a challenge that taught me a lot. It taught me to embrace the unexpected and find beauty in the shadows, quite literally.
Navigating the intricacies of low-light conditions during production became a lesson in adaptability and meticulous planning.
Through every challenge, every decision, and every moment of creative discovery, I’ve not only documented The Ottawa Shufflers but have also written a chapter in my own creative journey.
The skills honed in low-light shooting, intentional set design, and nuanced editing helped me become a better videographer.