Documentary in Africa

L

leibow

Member
Hey all,

I'm filming a doc in south africa this summer in a town called Utha with a dvx100b. I haven't decided what mode to shoot it all in though. Does anyone have some good suggestions? This is my first documentary so I haven't fully thought out what would look best. I'd love to hear what some of you guys thought. thanks!
 
It depends on the market. if it is going to be in africa shoot 4:3 if it going to be for America shoot 16:9. if you are going to shoot outside use a hood and also set your zebra for colored ppl 80%. Whatch out for sand.
 
Ya, i dont know what this town is like, but you most likely will have varying conditions. i think a sand/rain cover would be a good idea to protect the camera.
Maybe bring a polarizing filter as well. I use a polarizing filter when I film skiing, and it makes the blue sky look awesome.

I would also recommend checkin out the laws locally, or reading up on other peoples experiences. i've heard horror stories about peoples cameras being confiscated and such.
 
leibow,

Good evening. I'm not sure what part of the country Utha is in, but I lived in Jo'burg for four years. Whatever the nature of your doc, be prepared to shoot breathtaking scenery with crisp, clear azure skies. If Utha is rural, as I suspect it is, be prepared also for friendly, open people who will enjoy talking to you about their lives.

I can't recommend specific settings for your DVX, but you may want to choose those that will capture lush greens of foliage, vibrant reds in the soil, and blue, blue skies.

Have an awesome time.

Cheers,

John
 
Hi there,

Utha is a village in the area of the Kruger National Park.

So if you are shooting around "american summer", it'll be winter there, meaning very little rainfall which also translate to a lot of clear sky weather.

I assume you are going to use a PAL DVX100b? I would shoot it 16:9, because worst case there are black bars top and bottom which is standard for most movies here anyway for those who can't afford a plasma or LCD tv yet.

Shoot it in 25p. And bring a polarizer filter.

yommytacoe, confiscated, unlikely when politics aren't involved, I would be more worried about theft, I love my country, but we have a MAJOR crime problem, so make sure you can store everything safely and don't take your eyes of any equipment!

That being said the village people as John mentioned LOVE to be on camera so you will have no problems there, make sure you've got a translater around though, he he.

Also take some candy with for the kids, you'll have friends for life!

other than that I can promise that you will have plenty fun, and get some interesting footage.

- Derrick
 
Sawra said:
It depends on the market. if it is going to be in africa shoot 4:3 if it going to be for America shoot 16:9. if you are going to shoot outside use a hood and also set your zebra for colored ppl 80%. Whatch out for sand.
Click to expand...
I'm just curious, how would zebra stripes work when shooting zebras?
 
awesome thanks alot for some of the responses. Yea I'm very excited to be going, how bout recommendations for lighting or mics? I'm going to bring something along with me but I obviously don't want it to be too cumbersome. I'm thinking some sort of attachable shotgun mic but I'm not positive what to do about lights..
 
liebow,

With all due respect to Derrick SA, I would recommend that rather than taking candy to the children of the village there are alternatives. Since candy can result in dental problems and visits to a dentist are a rarity in rural South Africa, I would recommend school supplies- ball point pens, pencils, colored pencils, and such. Or, if you really want to be heroic, take up a collection amongst friends for used t-shirts or go to your local Salvation Army and buy a bunch of children's clothes. Take these with you and distribute them. You will have done something truly good.

Cheers,

John
 
Yea I'm actually going there for a program called Student Movement for Real Change which is a group that is developing a mentorship program in the village which will educate the kids in health, school etc. So when I'm not filming I'll be doing some teaching hopefully. Another quick question, I don't own a polarized filter but I'm probably going to end up buying one. Any suggestions as to which is good for the dvx?
 
Sounds like a very cool and worthwhile experience.

I can only tell you which polarizer that I have which is a B&W circular polarizer. It's sealed because I'll be moving to Burma in July so I didn't want the humidity to cause problems. You probably would need a sealed one though.

Cheers.
 
i use hoya and it does a good job, also get ND filter. As for light i use biscor with a battery pack. You need ample light to expose darkskin and people don't seem to mind so if you have 100wt or 250 you will be aiight. Hoodman is a must during the day, and take a lot of batteries.
 
You get what fits the lens threads. If you have a 72mm thread, you get a 72mm filter... unless you are using a mattebox.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top