David Schlecht '18 shooting a video for Milwaukee Tool The Department of Communication is taking a look at recent graduates to see what they're doing. David Schlecht ‘18 currently works for Milwaukee Tool as a Product Videographer.
David Schlecht bounced around jobs after graduating in May 2018 with a degree from the Department of Mass Communication. He was hoping for a job in video and got his start with the help of a surprising connection.
“I finally found a very interesting and random connection with my uncle’s former roommate’s client, Milwaukee Tool. It was the weirdest connection, but it got my foot in the door for an interview,” he says.
Milwaukee Tool offered David a temporary position and then hired him full time 60 days after he started.
David’s position includes completing all aspects of video: pre-production, production and post-production.
“Pre-production includes meeting with the Brand Lead and Project Manager to hear their thoughts on what the video should look like and the main selling points. Then we use that information to write scripts or testimonial questions, put together a storyboard,” he says.
The production stages involves the actual “shooting” of the video, which can be more complicated than it sounds.
“The shots we capture are based on what we had discussed during pre-production process, but plans can change very quickly when we are on the site based on site availability, weather, or time. If the video is voiceover-based, shooting is the only responsibility. If it’s testimonial-based, we need to interview on camera different users who have experienced the tool to get clips of their general impressions, particularly what they liked about the tool,” he says.
Finally, post-production involves putting it all together for a finalized video product. David enjoys this stage of video production the most.
My Senior Seminar project really helped me with my current position. My partner Josh Karolus and I had to plan out what the video was going to look like, execute this plan with available resources, and then put it together using software
“My favorite part of this position is the post-production process. I have found that I really like working within Adobe After Effects, adding graphics and animations, ‘sticking’ words to the footage to make it look like it’s within the environment, and making things look ‘cool,’” he says.
Many courses of his Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Communication provided the skills needed for David’s current job. One course stands out for its hands-on requirement.
“My Senior Seminar project really helped me with my current position. My partner Josh Karolus and I had to plan out what the video was going to look like, execute this plan with available resources, and then put it together using software,” he says.
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