http://vimeo.com/33163808

The assignment: Shoot and edit a two-minute video of someone doing something. (Preferably someone in the international community.) Focus on natural sound. No music. Let the person and the event tell the story.

The challenge: Getting food poisoning the day before you’re supposed to shoot.

Here we go.

This was just supposed to be a breezy assignment to get those grad students who aren’t as comfortable with shooting to feel more comfortable. Since I chose to focus on broadcast as part of my Columbia experience, I was feeling pretty comfortable (and actually kind of excited) about this small project.

First of all, I had a very clear vision going in. I wanted to shoot my boss, Berta Navarro, the very sweet, very personable co-owner of Cafe 28, the Cuban/Mexican place I have been dedicating my weekends to, lo these past three years. It struck me that she would be great on camera, and she’s a good cook, which makes for great sequential shooting.

We set up the shoot for Monday. The video was due Tuesday.

What could go wrong?

Well, what went wrong was Sunday. I don’t know if it was the diner I ate at on Saturday morning or if I just got the stomach bug of doom, but I was literally unable to move from the hours of 1pm to 7pm on Sunday. Around 6pm (still not able to keep even the smallest ice chips down) I started getting scared and called my best friend to come over and make sure I didn’t need to go to the hospital. (I might have been a bit delirious and dramatic, but when you are that dehydrated, trust me, it’s better not to take chances.)

So she comes over and, with a little TLC and a lot of Canada Dry, helps me get past the worst of it. Which is really great for Chloe the human being. Chloe the grad student, however, is not so lucky. I have just lost a whole evening of work–I usually work on my two blog posts during this time–and I have to shoot and edit an interview the next day.

The solution: Lots of sleep and lots of passion. After I got my system under control, I fell into a coma from 8pm until 9am. Almost 12 straight hours of blissful unchecked snoozing. The body’s best defense–a great sleepy offense. I woke up the next day feeling shaky but ready to shoot. My boss and I had a great time and, just as I suspected, she was a natural on camera.

I went back home and edited for about two hours and still made time to catch It’s a Wonderful Life, the radio play, over at American Theater Company. There is life after grad school! You just have to fight for it. Don’t let the germs stop you.