Off On the Right Foot

Today marks the end of my second week at Andalusia, out of the ten weeks I’ll be working here. It’s remarkable how much I’ve already learned historically and technically. I did a video production experiment yesterday with April Moon, the operations and visitor services manager, that required me to sit in the back of her hatchback SUV and film the green canopied driveway. I call it an experiment because I didn’t know how it was going to turn out with all the pebbles and gravel crunching under the tires. It was a success, and a good thing too, because that clip will be seen at the beginning of every Andalusia Youtube video.

It was really important to study and develop a plan for how to film that intro video because it’s not just a title in the beginning of a video. It’s a representation of the entire 544 acres that is Andalusia squished into 22 seconds that will be seen by anyone who watches an Andalusia video. There’s an importance in the message. What aspects of the farm are most important? It was not an easy decision to make with all that acreage.

I ended up starting the introduction video with that hatchback drive up to the cow barn and Hill house. That’s the first thing people who visit in person see so why not have it as the first subject of the video as well. I ended up picking the O’Connor house and side yard for the second clip because I fell in love with the lush greens. The peacock, Manley Pointer, had to be in it, especially showing off his big wispy feathers. I highlighted the Hill House with a nice slow pan across the front porch and finally I ended the video with a nice gentle tilt down to the O’Connor house. I saved the biggest attraction for last as a nice summarizing representation. That way it starts as “Welcome to Andalusia” and ends at “Come on in!” And after seeing the intro and the Andalusia videos hopefully people will do just that.

Kayla Doetsch, Media Intern

The Flannery O’Connor – Andalusia Foundation