GoPro

Note: Text in square brackets describes the soundscape as well as certain specific or occasional sounds.

[Ambience of an indoor hockey arena. The narrator is skating on the ice. She is playing hockey, alone. She takes a slapshot]

Narrator:  She shoots, she scooooooores!

[She continues skating. Suddenly, something falls on the ice. The narrator stops abruptly. Moment of silence]

Narrator: No! My phone!

[She skates and then stops to pick up her phone]

Screen is cracked, but… it survived… [she sighs]

[Theme music begins: soft piano melody]

Narrator: Well… maybe it wasn’t the best idea to tape my phone to my helmet! But with my YouTube channel, I can’t always wait for my sister to film me! Plus, my footage is way cooler when I film from my body’s point of view…

I was inspired by other YouTubers. Whether it’s professional hockey players with a camera on the end of their sticks or cyclists pedaling at the speed of light with a camera strapped to their chests, I love watching athletes in action!

Many athletes on YouTube have something in common: they use a very small but very sturdy camera that they attach to their bodies and sports equipment using handy accessories. Since the early days of cinema, filmmakers dreamed of a camera of this sort. This miniature invention can become one with the camera operator’s body: it allows the spectators to feel the body in movement and to be completely immersed in a stranger’s adventure.

I decided it was time for me to also get my hands on this little camera named the GoPro.

[End of theme music. Sound effect of a digital camera taking a picture]

Narrator: In the 1990s, photographers and filmmakers were influenced by the development of digital technology. A new phase in the phenomenon of making technological devices smaller and smaller inspired the creation of more lightweight and portable cameras. Unlike analogue cameras, digital cameras have built-in software that processes the recorded image. For example, digital cameras now have the ability to automatically stabilize videos while filming.

[Sound atmosphere of a beach in California: seagulls, ocean waves]

Narrator: In California in 2002, an amateur surfer named Nick Woodman launches a company to develop a camera that he can wear while surfing. During his first attempts, the surfer develops a still camera that uses 35mm film – but this camera doesn’t meet his expectations. Woodman therefore decides to turn to digital technology. 

In 2004, the surfer’s efforts are successful: the GoPro Hero is born. This digital camera made of plastic is about twice the size of a small matchbox and about the same weight as a deck of cards. But don’t underestimate it by its size. Thanks to its plastic housing, the GoPro is water and shock resistant.

[Sound effect of the camera going in and out of the water, followed by cries of joy: Woohoo!]

Narrator: The GoPro shoots high quality images: with the ability to shoot in 4K resolution, this camera is used by amateur and professional filmmakers alike. The GoPro is completely unique: maybe that explains why since its release in 2005, more than 26 million GoPro cameras have been sold – yes, 26 million! That’s pretty impressive, don’t you think? In comparison, following its release in 1897, fewer than 500 Cinématographe cameras were produced and sold.

[Sound transition: back to the hockey arena. The narrator is skating]

Narrator: GoPro, start recording! [a sound indicates that the camera has started recording]

[The narrator speaks directly to her audience as she shoots a YouTube video]

Hi everyone! Today I brought you to the rink with me! I don’t know if you noticed but… [Sound effect of a harp. Singing:] I have a new camera! [Sound effect of applause.]

So today’s video isn’t just a typical hockey video… It’s also a GoPro Hero demo! Come on, let’s do this! [Pop intro jingle from the YouTube channel]

Inside this tiny GoPro is a fisheye wide-angle lens, a digital sensor, a memory card, a battery, a touch screen and microphones. All of this fits into a camera you can hold in the palm of your hand!

[Sound effect of a shot on goal, followed by the sound of the horn that announces a goal in a hockey game]

Right now, the GoPro is attached to my helmet. I can also attach it to my stick, to my chest, or even to my skate! The GoPro allows me to record in fast motion [fast motion sound effect] and slow motion [slow motion sound effect]. Then, I can watch my footage on the mini touch screen on the back of the camera.

Since the memory card can record 4 hours of footage, I can leave the camera in recording mode while I play hockey, without having to cut! I even have time to finish a hockey practice of more than an hour without having to change the GoPro’s battery.

Ok, back to my usual content! Oh, and if you liked this video, don’t forget to subscribe to my channel. See you soon, bye!

[Sound of the camera turning off. Theme music plays again]

Narrator: To discover more cameras, listen to the other podcasts.