First documentary

Ferdi Willemse

Ferdi Willemse

Well-known member
Hi guys, I'm only just getting started in the filming scene. I bought a Canon XH A1 last week and to get some practice I was thinking of making a short documentary about a local news website's photographer/editor. I want to follow him around for a couple of days when he heads out to car crashes/fires etc.

I don't have real filming experience yet, and no audio equipment besides the camera's own mic. Still I want to do this (hey, gotta start somewhere).

So, I was wondering if you guys have some tips for me, what to do and what not to do etc. Your input will be greatly appreciated :beer:
 
IMO, for documentary work, the audio is going to be pretty important since you will want to be recording conversations, interviews etc. While the onboard microphone should get the sounds, it just won't have the same close-up punch of a lavalier or a mic on the end of a boom held up close. I suppose you can still get away with just the camera mics if you don't intend to engage your subject - then maybe you can record the audio separately and VO the footage.

Having said that, it's good to just shoot stuff as a way of getting to know your equipment and make all the necessary mistakes as part of the learning curve. Better to make the mistakes early than late. If documentaries are what you intend to make, go watch some good documentaries (there's a thread on this) and see if there's a particular style that you feel especially comfortable with. Studying good examples is a great way of getting ideas.

Daniel
 
Three years ago, I used a brand new (to me) DVX100 to shoot a documentary. Much like what you are doing, except there was no possiblity of a re-shoot. I did not spend adequate time learning about the camera, camera work in general, and even movie making.

When I got back with the tapes (there were 4), I knew that I lacked the skills and gear to do justice to the material. They sat for 3 years. Over the course of that time, I spent time learning to edit, learning camera work, learning the DVX100, and learning more about filmmaking. It wasn't until this fall that I decide to tackle editing and putting that documentary together.

I say all that to say this: I'm sure you have more experience than I did when I started my project. But I would humbly suggest you go out and shoot some mundane things, note EVERYTHING including your f-stops, lens settings, camera settings, etc. Start to build a catalog of "looks", so that you understand how your camera responds in different situations. I found this invaluable. I wish I had known it before I shot the piece. I would have shot it in a completely different way had I known then what I know now.
 
Thanks for your reaction, guys!
I do have quite some experience with video/audio editing and audio recording, though I just don't have the audio equipment for this camera yet (will have to wait for my next salary ;)) I also have a lot of experience with digital photography, so I noticed that I could get used to this camera quite fast.
I know it's too bad that I don't have good audio equipment yet, but the built-in microphone will do just right if I do some post work in my audio editing programs.
 
tips from another begginer

tips from another begginer

Hi Ferdi,

I am not one of the most knowledgeable or experienced guys on the board, but that's why I decided to post. I am just getting my start too in documentary and will share with you what I've learned.

1. The onboard mic will not cut it for audio acquisition, especially for a doc, except maybe for ambient sound (and it's not especially great for that either.) Everytime you adjust the camera, touch it, move a knob or a switch, that sound is going on the audio. Even for pros, it's nearly impossible to eliminate this. Pros don't use the onboard audio, that's (one reason) why.

I have found, through my limited experience and a ton of research on this awesome board, that audio is EVERTHING, especially for docs. I had no idea when I got my DVX that I would end up spending as much if not more on quality audio equipment (I still haven't done that yet, it's a slow process for a starving student.) Audiences will forgive a few out-of-focus shots, some camera shake, etc, but bad sound will ruin your documentary.

2. Don't assume that because you're knowledgeable with a digital camera you will be able to master the DVX quickly. Unless you're going to shoot on auto setting (not reccomended) you will need a lot of time. I've had mine for a year and a half and I'm still intimidated and bewildered by the amount of manual control this baby offers. Learn the camera, and you'll put out a higher quality piece. The DVX's strength lies in manual control, allowing you to shape your shots/scenes/films with about as much power as the mini-DV format is capable of. That's why you choose it over another camera. There's really no reason to buy a DVX if you're going to shoot auto; better to buy a GL2 and put the money saved toward good mics if that's the plan.

3. One thing that happened to me on my first doc is I fell in love with my subject and shot way too much footage and put way too much of it in the finished project during editing. These are mistakes I think we all make as we learn. We can lose perspective and forget that we may be fascinated by things audiences will find boring. I did a piece about a local artist and completely lost my mind about gorgeous shots of her artwork, flowers/birds in her garden, etc- there is way too much of this in the film and people I've shown it too, except for the aged, find it too slow-paced and boring. Keep that in mind, more as you edit than as you shoot. Shorter is better, every shot should move the story along. Documentaries have a storyline too.

4. Pick up a couple of great books (and read them!) about doc production. The first is Making Documentary Films and Reality Videos by Barry Hampe. Awesome resource, great perspective. He's opinionated, but good and provides sound arguments to back up his S*^t. The second is Writing, Directing, and Producing Documentary Films and Videos by Alan Rosenthal. Also great resource with good philosophical underpinnings. If youre looking to go low-budget and fake it until you make it, you might also check out $30 Film School by Dean. Of course, if you stick with the DVX, you'll want Barry Green's DVX Book too!

5. One last thing about audio- A low budget solution that I have used to reasonable effect is somethign i picked up from wedding videographers. I bought this little mp3 player, an iriver IFP 800 from ebay (about 100.00 at the time, prob. less now), and a lavalier mic (you can get a chessy one at radio shack for 25.00 and I also got a 40.00 one from best buy) and used it as a digital audio recorder. Even a low-quality mic, placed well, will likely give you better audio than a poorly placed on-board mic, and for reasons already discussed as well as the fact that you can't be in your subjects face constantly with onboard mic, this is a better option. I am not an audio expert like mattinstl (although I've learned a ton from his posts) but good audio is all about mic placement. If you're going to be a one-man crew, you need more audio options. I wouldn't propose this as your only method, it's more of a stop-gap until you get better equipment and a sound person to really get serious. The right sound person will make your audio (the wrong one, or no one, can ruin it!)

good luck, and have fun!

Jerry
 
Thanks Jerry, this really helps me a lot.
I'm saving money to buy a good lavelier and a good shotgun mic. Maybe I should indeed wait to do this documentary until I get my better equipment. It is, however, just a practice project, all unpaid. But yeah, I'll wait.

Why do you record on an mp3 player, btw? Is it better than to record directly to your camera? Or doesn't your camera have XLR inputs?

Thanks again, mate. I really appreciate it.
 
I am making a low-budget documentary where there will be a lot of "one-time" shots, meaning I cant mess them up. I own a dvx100b, a lav mic, and a shotgun mic. I'm still worried about gettin good sound, because those things dont garauntee good audio. I really am trying to figure out if I should record to an external device or not, do you think something like that little Mp3 player could help?
 
Hi Ferdi- the mp3 player is just a backup/additional mic, and convenient to drop in the pocket of your subject and pin the mic to their lapel. It's not a perfect solution, you have to sync the audio with the video (clapping works well for this) and in my case it only records to one channel so I have to clean that up in post, but it's not a big deal. There's always the chance the battery will run out or the mic cord disconnected, etc- and since you can't monitor it you'll never know. This is why it's not a good stand alone solution. It's always better to record directly to tape if you can IMO, but the mp3 players/minidisc/whatever give you more options just in case. More audio sources, more contingencies covered.

3cities- I guess that depends on the subjects you'll be shooting. ARe you able to mic your subjects before the shoots? What kind of sound will you be recording? If you have decent funds, I'd go with a more pro solution you can sync to TC. The mp3 player was a cheesy cheapo option I went with because I couldn't afford the real gear. It's worked for me so far, but I'll still pickup the pro gear when I can.

Hope that helps guys.
Jerry
 
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