Documentary Advice
Posted January 28th, 2007 by mommakind
in
I'd like some tips, info, advice, anything you guys can offer. I'm going to be doing some interviews that I would like to film, and I'm a total novice.
There will be likely 1-on-1 interviews, that eventually I would like to put together as a documentary.
I don't have a camera, yet, good excuse to get one. But I need some advice on lighting, what kind of camera, etc.
I would really appreciate any literature you guys could recommend, or any general tips at all.
Thanks in advance.
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"BEST OF LISTS"
A lot of the fun of the web is getting real feedback from live people. For NIFP to truly serve it's purpose as an educational social entity, we need to all throw out there what "WORKS FOR ME".
Rhett's Ultimate Tools, (Some fantasy, some practical)
HD Camera: Panasonic HVX-200 or Varicam (I just like Pannys, P2 is ready for prime time once 16 gig cards come this spring...)
DV Camera: Panasonic DVX-100b or GS-120 (great cameras for the money)
EDITING: Final Cut Pro Studio (DVDSP, iDVD, Soundtrack PRO, Garageband, After Effects, Motion2)
MACHINE: Mac Pro 2.6 Ghz Dual Xeons. 4 gig Ram. Raided 1 TB inside.
SCREENWRITING, CHARACTER, SCENE, PROPS, LOCATION MANAGEMENT: Celtx (FREE MY GOD ITS THE BEST ORGANIZER AND ITS FREE)
LIGHTING FOR CHEAP: Halogen Shop lights from Menards, THEN ADD 'diffusion', whether it's a white bounce card, a Pro Gel kit if you can borrow or buy one it's very helpful! Good luck with what color balance you get, but tweek it in post! It's always easier to get it right the first time though if you have the time and or money.
LIGHTING 101: Brush up on 3 point lighting, (Key, Fill and Backlight), but remember it's an art and as long as you have sufficent exposure to let the camera get the effect you want, DARE TO DREAM! Try something moody or side lit faces! Also, if you aim a light directly at a camera, yer gonna get a flare. Flag it off and block its direct path to the lens. Finally, unless you have access to color balanced KINO FLOW style lights, try some other new style Flourescent or LED lights as they can look crazy weird on video for a 'sterile' effect.
Post your own dream setups here,
Enjoy!
Rhett
advice
Cool, thanks for the ideas. How about sound during filming? Generally speaking, if I were to get a mid-range camera, should I still ahve a second recording source with a higher quality mike?
(I do appreciate the help guys!)
Our sound kit
Most of all, you want to listen to what's coming out of the CAMERA (instead of your mixer) with decent headphones.
Most "Consumer" cameras will only have a 1/8inch jack for microphones, but most mics have XLR style plugs. Our sound kit has a properly 'padded' adapter to go from XLR to 1/8inch stereo jack into consumer camcorders.
Get the mic as close to your subject as possible, make sure your levels on your mixer are close to but not hitting red/0 db analog.
Good luck and start reading now!
RM
advice
I don't know what kind of timetable you are on but pick up a Videomaker magazine. They always have useful tips in there. As for all the other information you may want. Please come to a NIFP meeting and I guarantee that tips and advice will come from every angle. Feb. meeting is on the 21st at the Ross.