Documentary Cameras

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djkoz

Well-known member
OK, I have to admit that I am confused. I have an couple of ideas for a documentary film/video. And, like many, I have high hopes that MAYBE one day it will be shown on TV. Who knows? stranger things have happened.

However, on reading many of the posts on this and other forums I am left wondering what people actually do with their documentaries. It is my understanding that most TV stations will require "broadcast quality" video. I realize that's a nebulous term and can mean different things to differnt people but, as I understand it, it is something aound 1920 x 1080, 100mbps with high quality sound. (The BBC has certified the Panasonic HPX250 for their broadcasts and it shoots with these settings.)

However, it appears that many people are using cameras that are only capable of standards that are far less than these, e.g., perhaps only 24mbps or only 720. If that is the case then what happens to these documentaries? Where can they be shown? TV? theaters? Film festivals? Or are they destined only for DVD or the web?

Thanks,

Dan
 
I don't think there are hard-and-fast rules... as you mentioned, most BBC and Discovery work requires that most of the footage be shot 1080 with a minimum 50mbps, 4:2:2 color space; that said, there are many, many, many successful documentaries that don't hit those specs (ie, Hell and Back Again); the rough rule is that if the nature of the material makes a larger camera difficult to use (for instance, running around dodging RPG's), distributors may be more likely to make exceptions. For the most part, you're "safe" for most distribution if you hit the above specs... and if you use lower specs, you can still make a perfectly watchable and marketable film, but it had better be very compelling material.
 
Yes, thanks.

This makes sense. I don't have any immediate plans to go around dodging RPGs at anytime in the near future, so I think I'll stay with the better camera.

Dan
 
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