"I Live on a Cruise Ship." Documentary Questions

brandonakers

brandonakers

New member
Hey guys, I am new to this board and by just reading through the posts and viewing the clips I am pumped. Before I came here I was sold on the Canon XL2 (can I say that here?):huh: haha but I am now set on these cameras.

Ok so heres the thing I am leaving next week to work for Carnival Cruise Lines on the "Carnival Paradise" I am going to be on this ship for 6 months, and I thought that I could really make a cool documentary about "Ship Life" what do you think? Going from like the actually ship life to crew parties to ports of call!!:thumbup: But I am stuck between the decision of getting the DVX100 or the HVX200....what do you guys think. I feel that the DVX will suit me just fine!

And also what setting do you think I should shoot in as far as frame rate and stuff? I heard from someone that standard documentary is like 30fps or something....but hey anything you guys could tell me would be great!

Thanks,

Brandon
 
That was the reply I was afraid of! At this point I really dont have a set budget..I was just kind of looking at the two different cameras..I dont really know that exact differences between the two ( I know I should do more of my own research) I just dont want to get the more expensive one without for sure know that I am going to use the extra features...does this make sense?

What would you recommend? What is the main diff? Thanks guys for you help I know I am a newbie..but that's why you guys are here right? so I can pick your brain. Thanks all!

Brandon
 
The main differences between the DVX and the HVX are:

DVX primarily uses standard minidv tapes that you can buy at Wal*Mart to record standard definition video. The HVX can do the same...however it is capable of recording high definition video to memory cards...which you cannot buy from Wal*Mart.

There's a lot more differences than those but if you want to get in depth, just fish around this forum.

It would be cheaper to shoot on the DVX and would make sense in your case because although I really like the idea of your documentary, since you are new to this field I'd go with the cheaper expenses of the DVX100.
 
Thanks bro

That answered my question exactly..I dont think that I need to go with the hvx because of the p2 cards. With the dvx I can just get a ton of tapes and fill them up and edit them when I get back!

Thanks guys!

brandon
 
Just a thought...you might have legal difficulties with the cruise line if you haven't gotten permission to shoot your doc.

Maybe I'm just being too cautious but those companies frown on "behind the scenes" type projects without their strict approval and oversight.

Hopefully you have those bases already covered.
 
Lensmith said:
Just a thought...you might have legal difficulties with the cruise line if you haven't gotten permission to shoot your doc.

Maybe I'm just being too cautious but those companies frown on "behind the scenes" type projects without their strict approval and oversight.

Hopefully you have those bases already covered.
Click to expand...

Lensmith,

Yeh I was thinking that might be a problem...Here's the plan whatcha think? So one of my buddies just got back from working on this particular cruise line and he showed me some of the video that he shot (he is no journalist!) of just basically him partying with the crew and stuff..So I talked to him about the idea of a documentary and he told me that since I am on the Entertainment staff I could have a camera with me at all times with no one thinking anything of it. Than at night I would set my cabin up to do interviews with the crew and stuff! I think it will be fun...Check out this video a guy shot for his cruise video ( IDK if you would call it a documentary but check it out.) Its just a teaser, warning there is brief nudity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHW-0tBURIU

Oh by the way..I am also in the works with MTV to possibly do a "TRUE LIFE" segment. So we will see how that pans out.

I really do take all of your opinions seriously, you guys rock!
 
. . .seems like a commercial for Carnival cruise line. You need a sympathetic subject to 'care' about. Is it you ? Rent 'Sherman's March' Is it someone else? Watch any of the MTV reality shows. The cruise line thing is only a backdrop to a story waiting to be told.

I had a friend who was an entertainment director on a Carnival cruise line. I found his life interesting in that it was very transitory, very lonely, even though he was around so many people every day. He was a gay man looking for love but ended up spending many hours dancing with elderly divorced women. He also loved being the center of attention but craved his time away from people. He was a complex person, ripe for a good documentary.

Its best to find a documentary or movie you like and shoot it that way. ..
 
Sure, you could just have your camera with you at all times - but what are you going to do with any of that footage you get if you don't have permission to shoot, or releases from the people you shoot?

If you just want a documentary to show your friends, you'll probably be fine. But if you hope to get your doc into festivals or on MTV, you need to get everything squared away up front. Get permission from the cruise line, have release forms ready to be signed by anyone you talk to on camera. Get a lawyer. Remember, a cruise ship is not a public space, it's private property.

Provided you have all of your ducks in order, dusterdoo raises a good point about having a sympathetic subject. Would this be a character documentary, or an event documentary? Will you focus on just a few characters and follow them through six months of ship life? If you have too many characters, no one is going to be able to follow them. Or is the ship itself the character? That sounds weird, but it can work. How does the ship operate? How is it like a small town unto itself? This approach doesn't preclude the human beings working on the ship, we would learn their stories in the context of how they individually and collectively contribute to the care and feeding of our enormous main character.

Your idea has a lot of promise. Just do yourself the favor of thinking it through a bit. You really don't want to come home to 300 hours of random footage.
 
your doc

your doc

Hi man:

I worked on cruise ships fpr a year, on the celebrity cruise line, and let me tell you, there is a lot going on there...problem: they will not let you film the passengers, and second: you will be so tired that it will be difficult to shoot...what are you going to be doing?
 
Hi Brandon,

I enjoyed your entertaining video on youtube (I assume this is yours, too). DusterDoo has some nice thoughts if you're looking to transition to a serious domumentary but looking at your video I get the impression your selling to a different crowd. Never loose focus on your audience and the type of video that will be fun (vs work) as well as offer you personal growth. For instance, Warren Miller's ski documentaries sell thrills to the younger set. Once you discover your genre, do a bit of marketing of those successful and read the reviews of their customers (as the Amazon reviews on Miller)

BTW, I've enjoyed free cruise ship travel (Bridge Director, guest lecturer) and wouldn't consider bringing my XL2 aboard - too much opportunity for theft. Instead, I'd get a nice camcorder that fits in my safe and is easy to take ashore (assuming you'll continue your gun-n-run shoots). To begin, consider getting a nice lightweight tripod and more lighting gear (including reflectors, diffusion, gels). Since you won't have much power for in-cabin documentary lighting, be sure you use a lower lux camera than the XL2.

Ship Life is a cool name and if you go with it, do yourself a favor and register the domain name (I see it's still available). When you get serious about this and move off youtube, you'll be happy you got your domain name before locking in your brand. Also, a DBA (doing business as) is cheap and easy, so register whatever name you end up with - in my county you can even download the PDF form online, fill it out and mail it in cheaply with a check.

I'm sure you're aware of the no-no's for ship staff, so be extra careful never to directly or inadvertently video paying guests on ship or shore. That would be a sure way to kicked off at the next port as the ship sails in the sunset!

Bon voyage, Michael
 
I'm with Dusterdoo on this one. You need either a very interesting subject, or a very unusual subject to make a really fascinating documentary. Don't take this the wrong way, but it sounds like you are more interested in a reality T.V., or "Cruise gone wild!!!" :) sort of thing. Nothing wrong with that, it's just a little different than a documentary.

I'm working on a concept for a documentary right now and I can tell you it's the bizarre and strange that grab people, they want to see how the people on the fringes live.

Anyway, my $0.02 take it for what it's worth. . .:huh: two cents.:laugh: I wish you the best of luck whatever you decide to do.
 
This doc could definitely work.

Bring some releases with you on board.

Don't shoot anything for a few weeks, just make friends.

Find 3 or 4 interesting crewmembers who you can follow for the duration of the voyage...hopefully with interesting backgrounds and hopefully they have a crisis onboard.

Bon Voyage!
 
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