Documentary Trailer

B

Bezakor

Well-known member
I'm a 22yrd old indie film maker, this is m first documentary aimed at TV. I put this trailer together quick to show to some local bands in hopes that they can offer me royalty free songs. Its basically just various shots from the documentary im doing sliced up into about 1min46sec clip with a hard rock tune ( I am aiming at getting the Hard-rock bands). wanted the documentry to come across as professional. There is a local Music TV channel showing serious intrest but i need free music other than my own band. The treatment is quite dark and grungy. I shot this using my DVX100B(e) guerrilla style.

I would really like some suggestions on making this trailer a convincing piece of footage. So your help and advice is really really welcome! ! ! !
Thanks guys!


UPDATED LINK: http://www.youare.tv/watch.php?id=1477http://www.youare.tv/watch.php?id=1468
 
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Hmmm... the graphics and shots look really good, but the color grading is a little extreme in my opinion. I can't hardly see what's going on. It could also be the compression, though, as I'm sure it would look A LOT better in a higher res clip. Looks proffesional, except the audio of that guy talking sucks.

Shouldn't be hard to find a band willing to cooperate; they're everywhere. Hell, go to myspace and narrow the music search section down to a radius of 50 from you and you'll find PLENTY of hard rock bands. Send them a link to your clip, and ask them if they'd like to contribute. Done.

good luck

-brown
 
thanks brown.

dude the audio friken sucks. thats where i come down bad.
used a boom mic on the camera. but really not sure how to tweak the audio myself (obviously)
I may have to ask a sound engineer for a favour. as for the grading. there are a hand full of shots that are still dark even on th tele, (ill fix those definitely) but otherwise the clarity is sharp for the rest. so im definitely going to blame compression..... really looking for a grungy/dirty feel.. something underground or as we say here, a 'dirty urban' look
 
The footage itself was really impressive. Looked professional with lots of good editing, like the slow motions, etc. However, I didn't really understand what the documentary was about, also I thought having that guy say a few things near the end was sort of anti-climatic for the trailer. If this is just something to get the bands interested it would probably work because it looks cool, but in my opinion it doesn't say a lot about the documentary's story.
 
ye good point ernesto, mmm.... along with the clip I have explained to the bands the basics of the sport im documenting called 'parkour'. but your point of the interview is interesting. yes......... anyone else feel that way too?
 
Dude,

What setting were you using to degrade the image quality like that? It looks cool. Was it in your editing software, or in camera?

Thanks.
 
What setting were you using to degrade the image quality like that?
Click to expand...

If u talking about the cc? then i used 'colour correction' in PremPro1.5 ... is that what you were asking.....¿

I feel that way about the interview as well. Nice footage and graphics though
Click to expand...

o.k so u think it may be better in the middle of the clip, I thought thru it and was thinking that it does add a sense of conlcusion to the clip, then the music comes back up for the ending...

Im not going to change anything here because as Brown said above, i think it suites its objective o.k. But thses are things to keep in mind when I start editing the final piece together. thanks
 
Bezakor said:
used a boom mic on the camera. but really not sure how to tweak the audio myself (obviously)
Click to expand...

Are you using a Mac? I correct my audio in (believe it or not) Garageband. It works great for me since I usually only do slight post compression and EQ tweaks. You can do the same stuff in Final Cut, but Garageband is much easier to work with.
 
nope not using MAC, there are option for audio in premiere, denoiser, reverb, left right channels, EQ, band, and so on...but im not so sure i know what to tweak.

any tips?
 
Your situations will always vary, but I would definitely play around with your EQ on the interiors. I almost always boost the mid-range frequence of the vocals because they will "cut" through better, especially against refridgerator hums and other background noises. You can play around with the highs and lows as well to fit your liking, just watch a few scenes from your favorite movies with your eyes closed and pay close attention.

I tend to avoid the denoiser filters associate with most editors, mainly because they are usually severe. A simple EQ can work wonders, especially if combined with some sort of a compression. Compressors will help keep your dialogue punchy and even... you will be able to hear a whisper (almost) as clear as a yell. It all depends on mic placement and how it was recorded, but you can almost always beef up your sound.
 
thanks for the motivation korimickster,
I'll start with mid-range as u said, and follow the course as i go along. I'll spend a day on the vocal track and see what i learn. all of my interviews were in offices or in my makeshift studio
 
I think you will be surprised at what you can do with your audio.

It can get frustrating, but once you figure out what you are doing you will be even happier with the final product.
 
did some adjustments on some other interviews, and I got a better audio than previously. except I now know I must have the mic A LOT closer to the subject than i did in this clip. the camera is too far and i'm having to compress the reverb of the room quite alot.
 
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