Women's Basketball Photo Shoots
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Oct. 12, 2012
Oct. 12, 2012
With the 2012-13 season opening four weeks from today, the team has been busy preparing for the Nov. 9 opener against JMU. These preparations go further than just practices, film sessions, lifts, and conditioning. In addition to getting ready to play, the girls have also been busy with photo shoots and video sessions to finish up all of the multi-media presentations for the season.
The photo and video shoots began this summer when Mollie McClure and her team from McClure Images came to JPJ in July for the first of two weekend photo and video sessions. The players posed for casual portraits, action photos, and filmed a variety of video pieces that will be debuting soon on ExperienceUVaWomensBasketball.com.
In addition to the summer sessions, the team just finished photo sessions with Matt Riley, Virginia media relations publications coordinator, and the in-house video services and marketing staffs. Riley, and his student-intern Thomas Wilson, have been busy shooting headshots, posed portraits, and staged action for this year’s poster, magnet, and a variety of publications. The sessions included creative uses of a sparkler and some spectacular portraits that you can get a sneak peek of here.
The video services department rented a special RED Epic camera to shoot staged court action. The device is a high-speed camera that can shoot slow-motion shots 10 times slower than full speed. It also has a resolution 2.6 times that of regular HD as well as color depth not usually available on a video camera.
The marketing staff conducted interviews for use during the games on the video screens including getting-to-know segments and trivia questions for in-game contests.
It was the first photo shoot and video session for incoming first year guard Raeshaun Gaffney.
“I nailed my lines in one take,” Gaffney proudly said after her green screen video session. “I have enjoyed these sessions a lot. I’m not used to it, but it was nice. I’m not shy. I’d like to think that I am a natural out there.”
For others, it was the second year of doing the more extensive photo and video shoots. Junior guard Ataira Franklin, who at one point was asking her teammates to think about what America’s Next Top Model would do, was prepared for the long days of constant smiling. But she enjoys doing it.”
“The last shoot with Mollie was the most fun,” Franklin said. “We had cue cards that we got decide what to put on them. It was something we got to do as a team, tell a story. Everything had to be cohesive. It was team bonding. Long days, but it was fun.”
The various projects will be debuting in the coming weeks. Check VirginiaSports.com, the Experience site, and the video boards at John Paul Jones Arena this season to see the finished product.