Quick Summary
Main focus: continuing weekly media coverage, becoming more comfortable documenting the organization, and recording an early promotional video for the upcoming Gliding Stars spring show.
Shifting More Toward Video
As I continued attending Monday night practices, I noticed myself naturally focusing more on video content than still photography.
I was still capturing photos throughout the night, but because modern 4K video is such high quality, I realized I could often pull usable still frames directly from the footage later if needed. That made it feel more efficient to prioritize video coverage whenever possible, especially since short-form video content is currently one of the biggest opportunities for Gliding Stars online.
A lot of my time during practices was spent moving throughout the rink looking for small moments and interactions that could work well in future content:
- Volunteers helping skaters
- Reactions and smiles on the ice
- Coaches teaching skills
- Group choreography practice
- Details around the rink environment
The more time I spent filming, the more comfortable I became anticipating moments before they happened and positioning myself to capture them naturally.
Becoming Part of the Environment
By this point, people around the rink had also become much more comfortable with my presence.
During the first couple weeks, I think some people were unsure what exactly I was doing running around with a camera every Monday night. But after consistently showing up each week, talking with people, and genuinely enjoying being there, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.
One funny thing several people commented on was my smile and energy level while filming.
Even on nights when I was tired from classes or other responsibilities, I still showed up excited to be there. I was constantly moving around the rink, talking to people, saying hello, and looking for opportunities to capture moments throughout the night.
That made me realize how important attitude is when working in environments like this. If people can tell you genuinely enjoy what you are doing, they respond much more positively to both you and the camera.
Especially in a setting involving kids and families, bringing positive energy into the space matters just as much as the technical side of filming.
Recording a Promotional Video for the Spring Show
This week I also recorded a short promotional video for the upcoming Gliding Stars spring show.
The goal of the video was to create a quick announcement-style promo covering the basic information for the event:
- Date
- Time
- Location
- Why people should attend
Before recording, I asked a few volunteers whether they would want to appear on camera and help promote the show. Most of them jokingly declined and immediately started joking that Linda Althof should be the one to do it instead.
That eventually led to me approaching Linda about recording the promo herself.
Despite the fact that Linda has done many television interviews over the years, she still insists that she is not good on camera and does not enjoy being filmed. I tried reassuring her that she is actually very well spoken, especially when talking about something she genuinely cares about.
More importantly, it is obvious how much she loves the skaters, the families, and the organization itself, and that authenticity naturally comes through whenever she talks about Gliding Stars.
Because of the joking atmosphere surrounding the situation, the recording process ended up being very relaxed and lighthearted rather than stressful.
The final promo concept was intentionally simple:
- Linda inviting people to attend the show
- Excitement about the annual performance
- Encouragement for the community to come support the skaters
- A final pan over to the ice showing practice taking place
Although I did not end up editing the video for another couple of weeks, it was still valuable to record the footage early and experiment with what this type of short promotional content could look like for the organization.
Reflection
One thing I’m starting to realize during this internship is that relationship-building matters just as much as the actual media work.
The more time I spend around the organization, the more people relax around the camera and trust what I’m trying to do. That trust makes it much easier to capture authentic moments and create content that actually reflects the atmosphere of Gliding Stars.
I’m also learning that enthusiasm is contagious. Simply showing up consistently with a good attitude and genuine interest in the organization has helped open conversations and connections that probably would not have happened otherwise.
Next Steps
- Continue capturing video and photo content during Monday night practices
- Edit and refine promotional content for the spring show
- Keep experimenting with short-form storytelling ideas
- Continue building relationships with volunteers, skaters, and families
- Explore additional opportunities for behind-the-scenes and documentary-style content