First Attempt

Equipment:
Permission to stand outside of Trader Joe's
1 camera with video capabilities
1 tripod whose legs refused to extend
15+ prepared questions
1 tray of treats (homemade granola bars)
1 videographer and wingman, Alena

Methods:
Everything seemed to go wrong today. First, my friends sampled the organic brownies I had made along with the homemade granola bars. They were super hard and tasted like crap. To quote my best friend, those brownies were where chocolate went to die. So those were thrown out of the car window as we drove to Trader Joe's. Then, I showed up and was getting everything situated with Alena when I realized that I had forgotten my questions! I could remember only three of the fifteen or so that I had prepared, so I just ran with those. So already shaken, I had to start asking people to talk to me.

Easier said than done. As I said, some people went out of their way to avoid me. Others just ignored me. Some were very polite, acknowledging my presence and moving on. I talked to a handful of lovely people who agreed to be videotaped. I ended up with enough material to make a short video before my memory card was full.

So here are my revisions to my plan. Firstly, I need to bring an extra memory card or a real camcorder because right after we ran out of memory, a fantastic man who worked with the aquarium took the time to talk with me and I would have loved to have had him on the video. Secondly, I think I need to pick a different venue. Farmer's Market would be a lot more conducive to good interviews. I think people there would be less in a rush and more willing to stop and talk to me. Thirdly, I need to do a bit more research. Some people asked me questions that completely threw me off. Not that I hadn't done my research--I had--but I was so surprised I had trouble forming coherent sentences. So I looked a bit like a bumbling idiot. Finally, I need to watch my treats more carefully. A few children and one adult snatched them while I was interviewing someone.

But, all that aside, I did pretty well for my first day out. Here's the finished video. Not bad for only my second time using iMovie.



Oh, and one woman asked for my granola bar recipe. It's pretty simple:
1 c. sugar 1 c. flour
1 c. butter 1 c. granola
2 c. Quick oats 2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Grease baking pan. Mix all ingredients well, place in pan, then bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Now I'm going to get some sleep. Today was exhausting