Here's a step-by-step look at how we created the 2D video.
In early spring, MADT students worked with Bidwell Mansion’s staff to finalize a factual, detailed script. From there, they built a shot list to outline what they wanted to film and pick settings accordingly. They filmed the 2D virtual tour of Bidwell Mansion with a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6k over the course of five days, using Da Vinci and Premiere Pro to edit, which can take weeks.
Due to the Victorian architecture, light in Bidwell Mansion can be inconsistent. MADT students had to adjust to light changes for flawless transitions throughout different rooms in the mansion, which they accomplished through a combination of moving/still shots and fading transitions. The MADT team incorporated sound using a Zoom F8N Multitrack Field Recorder in post-production with Bidwell Mansion Park Interpretive Specialist Elijah Yager’s voiceover.
The 2D video explores every level of the Bidwell Mansion with narration from Elijah Yager. As the viewer virtually explores, Yager highlights technological feats for the time, including the flushable elephant toilets and elaborate kitchen bells. Rooms and artifacts are built upon with historical insight about the Bidwells.
Beyond architecture and artifacts, MADT set out to paint an honest portrait of the Bidwells and how they interacted with the indigenous people of Rancho Del Arroyo Chico. Through Adobe After Effects, MADT was able to recreate the map for California’s ‘Trail of Tears,’ a Native American genocide, commissioned in part by John Bidwell. The video also addresses relations with the Chinese community during a very xenophobic period in California’s history. John Bidwell was known to be a friend and foe to both communities throughout his life.
The MADT team presented a draft video to the client during finals week. Bidwell Mansion State Park staff will work with California tribal councils through the state government process to finalize the video content. The goal is to have the video published on the Bidwell Mansion State Park website and Facebook for use in its educational programming.