As videographers, we are led to follow reality and have to create a logic and a feeling from fractions of reality that present themselves in front of the camera lens.
For the AG2R project and their amateur cycling team this was the case. Each year the company chooses some of its employees for a unique experience: participating in a stage of the Tour de France, side by side with professional athletes.
We had, then, to transcribe several places, characters, emotions, into an orderly speech which transmits the values of the company, as well as the stories of the participants.
But how do you make such a video when you’re just armed with a camera and a reality that passes in front of us ? How to create logic without having a “script” written previously such as a fiction film could do ?
At the shooting
So we have to start from what we know. Even if we do not have a precise and descriptive script of the video, we know the personality of the company, the energy of the event and the circumstances that we will film. This is already tightening up the possibilities for action that we are going to look for on camera. A sketch of the end product begins to be set in motion.
Then, we use the interviews of the participants to create a common thread. You have to be aware that the questions we are going to ask and even the way we ask them will influence the person’s response and therefore the tone of the speech.
During filming, you have to be proactive. The beautiful images and the unusual moments can come from luck or chance, however we increase the probabilities of capturing them if we choose carefully the places and the moments of filming. For this, location scouting and preparation are essential.
Once we have collected all this raw material, the construction of speech and feelings will take place in the next step: editing. This is where meaning is created, where emotions are transcribed.
At the editing room
As in a good film, this video must be structured with dramaturgical parts. Each with a specific purpose and atmosphere that will advance the narrative and serve the general purpose.
For AG2R we decided to divide the video into four sub-parts; the wait, the reunion, the race and the pride. Each with images, a chromatic palette, music and dialogues that will work together to build their own sense and emotion.
For the first moment, the wait, the video claims to be introspective. Dark decor, bluish colors and close-up shots of the faces of our participants create an intimate and calm effect.
For the second part, the reunion, we use flashbacks to strengthen the spirit of the group. Showing that they have a story together allows us to get to know the characters better and to build empathy.
For the third part, the race, the expectation contained in the story is energized. The music changes and the colors become more vivid. The pace of assembly accelerates and we show the moments of the race that highlight our protagonists. The natural development of the race leads the story to the resolution of the plot, the conclusion. This fourth step shows satisfaction, relief and pride.
In real life there is dramaturgy. All the emotions that the team felt before, during and after the race are real. All the circumstances shown have happened. They created a bond of friendship and camaraderie, they prepared themselves physically and mentally to give everything in this stage and they succeeded in achieving their goal. Our job as videographers is to transcribe these emotions and circumstances. It is to make you feel what they have felt, to make you live with them what they have experienced, to make you dream and travel from the comfort of your home.
Alejandro Téllez