Best settings for a documentary

3

3rdwave

Active member
I've heard soo many ideas flowing around.
Just wondering what settings people use to create their documentary/journalistic pieces.

I've started doing test shoots using the following settings:
  • [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]24p Advanced Pulldown mode[/FONT]
  • [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]letter-boxed[/FONT]
I've shot a few things here and there, but have yet to see the uploaded result.

what are some settings you guys and gals suggest?
 
As always, it depends. Certainly you'd expect different answers if you were doing a talking head or two-person interview as opposed to an expansive outdoor cinema. Then there's your distribution process, customer demand, etc. If you're serious haven't done so, I recommend you invest in a couple of books on documentary filmmaking (and techie stuff is hardly the tip of the iceberg)

Good luck, Michael
 
well, I'm going across Canada, so the majority will be shot outdoors.
I'd like to be able to sell it to broadcasters, but would also like to see it hit a few film festivals.

I was looking at 'Iraq in Fragments' and loved how it was shot. (although the audio could've been recorded better, but since they used the on board mic on the DVX100, what can you really expect?!)
but, that film was blown up to 1080i and transfered to 35mm, so it's final output was changed drastically.

Are there any books you recommend on reading?
 
Alpha Cine in Seattle did the transfer for Iraq in Fragments, as well as Jesus Camp and a whole bunch of others. They are very helpful, just give them a call and someone from their technical department can walk you through the steps. Very approachable.

As for Canadian Broadcasters, all of the broadcasters have minimum tech criteria for submissions - you can find it on their websites under Producer's Guidelines. The way to get your film shot on prosumer gear, sold to a broadcaster is either: A-it is a great, i mean GREAT, story. B-There was no way to get a pro camera on site (not because of budget, but because of other reasons like safety. C- The film did well in festivals and has a market value.

Hope this helps.
 
Hi 3rdWave,

There are several good documentary filmmaker books, although for my needs I've always like Michael Rabiger's books. His book "Directing the Documentary" is excellent and also includes a great bibliography section. However, if you're focus is fundraising, check out "Trailer Mechanics: A Guide to Making Your Documentary Fundraising Trailer" (although some say author Fernanda Rossi does better in her classes than her book).

If you haven't done so, you may wish to check out some of the video trailers at the International Documentary Film festival at Amsterdam.

And here's some helpful links for submissions:

http://www.pbs.org/producers/
http://dhd.discovery.com/guidelines/guidelines.html
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/submissions_faq.html
http://www.itvs.org/producers/
http://www.beyondthebox.org/vol.19/BTBSF02_1.html


Regards, Michael
 
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Two books that I found really useful/interesting:

Writing, Directing, and Producing Documentary Films and Videos (Alan Rosenthal)
- Practical tips, process, etc.

The Art of the Documentary (Megan Cunningham)
- Ten conversations with filmmakers such as Burns, Pennebaker, Morris, etc. Not a lot in the way of practical/technical advice, but definitely worth a read if you are serious about learning the documentary craft. Especially for someone like me who wants to learn and create documentaries, but can't get the same kind of informal exchanges with professionals you'd get if I'd went to film school.
 
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I will be picking up 'Directing the Documentary' very soon.
I'm more concerned about the settings I should be using on the DVX.
I'm experimenting with frame rates, aspect ratios, etc to see what looks best, but am scared that some broadcasters will not be able to accept certain formats.
is there one format that MOST broadcasters will accept?
 
haha
wow.
Since the DVX doesn't shoot in TRUE 16:9 and is not on the list of supported cameras, does this mean they will not accept anything recorded with the DVX?
 
There is no question that the DVX is a great camera...and many excellent films have been made with it (Academy Awards in 2006 had three nominations for best Doc shot with DVX!) But...it is becoming increasingly clear that the DVX, and all other SD formats are quickly becoming extinct (most would argue that I am being generous here) If I were you, I would very seriously consider shooting your Doc in some form of HD. The same rule holds true as before ; a 1/3 chip CCD camera (or the 1/4 chip CMOS from Sony) are not the accepted norm for briadcast television...BUT if you do have a GREAT story and festival successes to back you up, the tech specs have and will contibue to be overlooked. That said, if you have a truely exceptional film shot on DVX it may too be considered...

A friend of mine at Technicolor put it well when talking about someone else in your situation...Consider this - your film may be great to you, but only OK to others. If it meets the tech requirements you will at worst get some distribution with a broadcaster looking for cheap content. But if they only find your film OK, why would they waive the tech requirements?

I'm sorry if I come across as a downer, but I feel that if documentary filmmakers want to be taken seriously by the business, they should take the business seriously. Broadcasters are first and foremost content providers. They make the rules, and honestly, most of what you see on TV fits within those guidelines. Then there is "the next big thing" and "festival favorites". THe responsibility is on the filmmaker to meet the specs OR to make something that is sure to draw in a crowd regardless of wether it is shot in HDCAM or VHS (you may laugh but there was a doc shot on HI-8 that was licensed and broadcast on CBC in 2005!)

Hope this is helpful...
 
3rdwave said:
I've heard soo many ideas flowing around.
Just wondering what settings people use to create their documentary/journalistic pieces.
...
what are some settings you guys and gals suggest?
Click to expand...

3rdwave,

I have always shot in 24 frames-per-second when I can. Some documentarians enjoy the reality-look of 60i video. Colleagues have told me its this 'look' that defines modern documentaries; that it more closely captures reality than 24p.

While I totally support their preferences, I still think of documentary as story-telling. First and foremost. So in that vein I think 24p video works better to bring an audience into the story, since audiences have been watching 24 frame cinema for 80 years or so.

At the end though, its just splitting hairs. :) I look at it as a fine artistic choice, more than a technical one.

Luck,
Andrew
 
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