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RossS

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I am going to get an opportunity to shoot inside a maximum security prison, but there are some challenging limitations which I would like to get every experienced DP to comment on. I will be shooting with an HVX200.
The rooms I will be shooting in, for the most part, have flourescent lights, and I will NOT be allowed to bring in additional lighting (the cells themselves have even worse lighting conditions!). There will be a number of prisoners in the room at each shoot, although I will be shooting some one-on-one interviews. I cannot bring a sound man in for these shoots, so I will need to go with an on-camera shotgun. I will be able to use a tripod.
My questions are, what setting would you shoot at? I am planning on potentially making this Black & White in post (FCP), but the final output will be HD for both festivals and television. Also, any advice on shooting this group of prisoners (they will mostly be talking in discussion groups sitting in circles). Obviously I'm asking a lot of questions, but in this situation I don't get to ask for second takes! Thanks for any input/advice.
 
I would certainly push for using a lavalier for the one on one interviews- don't shotgun those. The audio environment in prisons is typically horrible, concrete floors, walls and very little acoustic deadening.

Shoot it relatively flat and watch your highlights, you'll have more leeway in post to counteract the low/fluro light environment.

What in particular are your concerns regarding shooting the discussion circles ?

In lieu of that information, just make sure you get plenty of wide shots, cu's and reaction shots to cover your edits with. Shooting a round table discussion without a soundman is brutal, I would be inclined to shoot it handheld. It will be very tough to follow the dialogue (with a shotgun particularly) on sticks. Of course the situation may dictate otherwise.

Do whatever it takes to get them comfortable with you. Inform the inmates of what your doing and answer any questions they may have. Establish your presence with them independent of what the warden or handler may facilitate.

My two cents.
 
Thanks Hotchkiss. My main concerns with the roundtable discussion is audio. Obviously I cannot mike everyone (and I'm not certain they are going to allow any lavs, especially wireless). Sound is a major concern. The inmates are very comfortable with me...I've already spent a few days with them. It's the guards that might be a pain in the ass. Good advice on watching the highlights...would you shoot pretty much with all the settings at 0?
 
RossS said:
Thanks Hotchkiss. My main concerns with the roundtable discussion is audio. Obviously I cannot mike everyone (and I'm not certain they are going to allow any lavs, especially wireless). Sound is a major concern. The inmates are very comfortable with me...I've already spent a few days with them. It's the guards that might be a pain in the ass. Good advice on watching the highlights...would you shoot pretty much with all the settings at 0?
Click to expand...

I suggested the lav for the one on one interview rather than the round table stuff. Good to hear about their comfort level of the inmates, that's a big head start. Yes, the guards... they have their reasons.

I don't know if you need to go to zero on your settings, but certainly more conservatively than if going straight out to tape for conventional viewing . I would go very easy on the master pedestal and your chroma settings. You'll have an easier time pulling up the shadow and mid tones, which I imagine will be a bit of a challenge with the overhead fluros. Using one of the flatter gamma curves, go with -2 master ped, and maybe + 1 on chroma.

I concede the floor to those with more experience on this kind of final output.
 
As hotchkiss said - PLENTY of cutaway shots, you're going to need them when you try to stitch together the dialog. The stock scene setting #1 would be fine. The bounce of those concrete walls is just a killer for audio so get in close. A shotgun mic may not be the best choice for that environment.
 
I'm just trying to get used to the fact that I have to be careful inside the prison using terms like shoot and shotgun! I'm wondering if, in their round table discussion (there is no table!), should I consider setting my Oktava MK-012 on the floor in the middle of the circle? I think I can keep it out of the shot. What do you think the pick-up would be in that situation (probably 8-12 prisoners). Thanks for the master ped settings..I'm one of those guys who always seems to be set at -8 to -12. Just wondering if the Exec. Prod. decides during post he wants to keep the film in color, how "pliable" are those settings in scene file #1 in post?
 
If you are using a shot gun for the group shot, instead of putting the mic on the ground and pointing upwards at the conversation, put a sound blanket on the ground and point the shotgun down from above. This way the mic will terminate into the sound blanket.

my .02$
 
RossS said:
I'm just trying to get used to the fact that I have to be careful inside the prison using terms like shoot and shotgun!
Click to expand...

he he he... ;-)

RossS said:
I'm wondering if, in their round table discussion (there is no table!), should I consider setting my Oktava MK-012 on the floor in the middle of the circle? I think I can keep it out of the shot. What do you think the pick-up would be in that situation (probably 8-12 prisoners).
Click to expand...

Given your situation, it's probably the best solution. What pattern tip do you have on the Oktava ? An omni pattern stick mic would be a more ideal mic for the application- wirelessly fed into the camera if possible. If you could lay a sound blanket down under the mic, that would be better yet. As for the Oktava, it's reach is pretty short, certainly better than nothing.

RossS said:
Thanks for the master ped settings..I'm one of those guys who always seems to be set at -8 to -12. Just wondering if the Exec. Prod. decides during post he wants to keep the film in color, how "pliable" are those settings in scene file #1 in post?
Click to expand...

I'll have to get my camera out and see what exactly the settings are for scene file #1, but the more neutral the settings the better, generally. Burying the master ped would certainly not the best way to start out.
 
4 wireless + mod

4 wireless + mod

Best of luck, it sounds difficult but great. If you have the time you may ask vidled or other users with experience in hacking the hvx to make 2 extra inputs into the inbuilt mics. (Do a search on hacking the onboard audio). I am about to do that myself, but haven't had the time. I bought a separate microphone housing and hvx microphone board to be able to do a neat job and also to put it back to normal if need be. You'll void the warranty but get 4 channels of external audio with the two hacked ones at slighter poorer preamp performance. No problem with the prison style doc, in my opinion.
Then use 4 wireless mics that you can move about or clip on people. The key is not necessarily the most expensive gear but very close placement of mics. Audio limit with Sanken lavaliers or countryman. Or sennheiser G2's with their best lavalier. Or a DPA lav.

Or carry a separate 4 track audio unit in a backpack and record 24 bit 48 khz to that, and split the signal to send it further to the hvx. Either the two most important mics or a mix of those. Make a difference in the padding level of the stand alone unit and the hvx, so that one unit always has a safer audio level at the expense of a higher noise floor.

my 1 cent
 
Very wide shots that don't show individual mouths moving. A few master shots
from a high angle will provide wonderful protection for transitiioning to all the
MCU an CU prisoner interviews. You can cover your inevitable whip pans with
a few seconds of wide coverage shot...Just all close up interview stuff the
rest of the day...audio channel 1 can be shotgun mike--almost in their face with
a VERY WIDE ANGLE focal length. (almost guaranteed good focus at about 3-6 feet) So...mic and camera up very close. Audio channel 2 could be a omni-direct. wireless mic that's hanging from ceiling-- if you can't get a boom and 2nd person. Audio isn't gonna be perfect. But your film's powerful subject matter overwhelms the audio difficulty.
More audience acceptance in this brutal / murderous environment...
 
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If you can't setup any lights in the location, rent an on camera light such as the LitePanels Mini.

If you need to squeeze additional exposure out of the HVX, use a 200 deg. shutter as apposed to 180 (you set this in "sincro scan" in the scene file).

Be safe and don't get shived. ;)
 
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