Interrotron Mark IV
On the Road With The New Interrotron Mark IV
I’ll will take you on an exclusive behind the scenes look at the celebration of the Jordan Brand’s 30th Anniversary for NBA All Star Weekend 2015.
What an honor it was to be the Interrotron operator for the 30th Anniversary of the Jordan Brand.
Under the auspices of The American Movie Company, TeleprompterRental.com is now the number one Interrotron rental house in North America.
I was hired as the operator for the exclusive BTS (Behind The Scenes) interviews for the NBA All Star Weekend 2015. It was an unparalleled celebration of the big anniversary of the iconic brand.
The Interrotron mark II EyeDirect is the portable baby sister to the Mark IV
Interrotron Mark II EyeDirect
The interviews took place at the Pearl Pavilion located across the street from Madison Square Garden. It is an amazing space that offers fans of all ages a once in a lifetime All-Star experience.
On the ground level is a retail store dedicated exclusively to Jordan Footwear Apparel. We were then led to the Jordan themed Elephant-print escalators where we were stationed for the interviews.
Among the museum-like display of Air Jordans, the history of each shoe unfolded all around us. A visitor has the opportunity to recreate memorable on-court moments by throwing on a pair of new Jordan sneakers and play part of a basketball game from Michael Jordan’s memorable career. I had the distinct privilege to explore the pavilion at leisure and got permission to take a few shots (no pun intended) to share with you on this blog.
I thought I might take a moment to shed a little light on what the Interrotron does. By shooting through a simple two-way mirror with a video monitor mounted under the camera lens, I can film a subject and make eye contact from the exact same angle.
The typical Interrotron rental is the standard Mark III
Interroton Mark III
It’s essentially a two-teleprompter setup but instead of words scrolling from a teleprompter we see faces. The genius of the Interrotron is that it’s a “two-way street” as Errol Morris, its inventor, has explained. This setup gives the interviewee continuous eye contact with the director. “
It’s the real outcome of an intensely human process.” He has further explained that the Interrotron’s subtle design ingeniously humanizes the filmmaking process or interview process enough to break down the subject’s emotional barriers by speaking to a warm face instead of looking into a dead cold lens.
The interview subjects with whom I worked were stars from the NBA, MLB and NFL. All very talented but had little on-camera experience. This is why the Interrotron was the perfect device for the compilation of interviews.
I used the Panasonic HMC150 camera to create an extreme close up of the director’s face. That is to say,that the director’s teleprompter unit would then project the talent’s face. I then installed the teleprompter on the camera that the DP provided. It projected the face of the director doing the interviews. Now both director and interviewee would literally be talking face to face.
This setup worked perfectly for MLB New York Yankee Hall of Famer Derek Jeter, and NBA superstars Carmelo Anthony, Andre Drummond, Chris Paul, Cody Zeller, CC Sabathia and the rest of Team Jordan.
The director and I talked about the importance of the setup of the Interrotron. It works best when you have intimate and complete focus, when talent speaks directly to the camera and nowhere else. The whole purpose of the Interrotron setup is to have complete engagement with your interview subject. I went further to explain that while receiving answers from your talent, it’s essential to nod your head, agree or disagree with your face, and have a physical and emotional reaction to the answers you are getting to evoke the best responses. The director took my advice and the interviews were a huge success, thanks in large part to the use of the Interrotron.
This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of such an event, and I’m so glad to get to share it with you.
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The Interrotron can me rented at TeleprompterRental.com