I’ll be recording a live action course with LinkedIn Learning from November 29 to December 3.

In non-pandemic times, this would mean flying to Carpinteria, CA, then working with a film crew for a week on a stage in a controlled environment. It’s quiet, the lighting is always perfect, the passing of time is not obvious as the stage always looks the same.

In pandemic times, I’m at my home in Watertown, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston. LinkedIn sends me boxes of gear, which I set up. As they say, “Jen, you’re the grip and the talent.”

A grip is the film crew member that is tasked with moving things, assembling them, taking them down, and so forth. They don’t run the camera, nor do they run the sound, but they may put the tripod in the right location.

Who runs the camera? The film crew is in California, 3000 miles away. They run the camera over the internet. It is an amazing setup.

I’ll document the process over the next few days.

First, you must prepare a space for the filming to happen. My dining room is relatively easy to rearrange and prepare. I’ve brought in a small, glass desk for the set. My dining room table is moved out of the way, and there are chairs all over.