Hi, this is my first post so firstly let me say hello. Secondly, I hope no one is put out with by my questions as a first timer, but I my reasons: I've been making shorts in my spare time [on my DVX100a] for a while now, but never with any excessive professionalism. However my sister, who lives in Egypt where she runs a Scuba Diving centre in a small town called Nuweiba, wants me to go out there and make a film about her Dive Centre and all the things to do in her area of Egypt.
I've been researching filming in Egypt, travel programs in general, hot climates etc, I've also been reading this forum over the last few days and now have a notebook of helpful hints etc. However I have limited equipment - I have my DVX100a, a Manfrotto tripod, two batteries, and tapes. For sound I've been using a Shure SM57 microphone with which I record my band. As far as I've read, this won't be good enough for sound in Egypt, especially without a wind cover, because it'll pick up too much background noise.
Certainly I don't have any of the extra stuff you pro's have - the cases, the lense adaptors, the matte boxes, the filters, gels or even any lights of my own. Now I'm not totally inept, I have taken filmmaking/directing courses so I know how to set up and use lights etc, so if I can get hold of some I can use them. However, what I haven't done is film a travel program, so I'm totally inexperienced in doing this kinda filming, especially the process of making scenery look beautiful. What's more, I've little experience with such an extreme climate - the sky will be vicously blue, the landscape desert and beach.
Now, my sister wants me to fly to Egypt in a month or so to make this for her so if anyone has anything they can offer I would appreciate it greatly. As it is, a few main questions stick out:
1 - How do I shoot in such brilliant sunshine. From putting the camera in the tape to having great shots what should I do? I am especially concerned as this is for my sister's business, so I want to make sure I can capture the beauty of the Egyptian land, to do it justice and look professional even if I'm not.
2 - For all the extras I've been reading people mentioned are needed - e.g. the polarising lenses, the uv lenses, a decent shotgun mic etc - are these what you would call necessary additions. I.E. Can I make a high quality video without them, or is it a case of I'll just have to bite the bullet and buy them? I am gonna be shooting scenery so is some kinda wide adapter lense a must for example. Should I get at least a small light to put on the camera for inside shots, especially b/c the outside will be very bright and so could make a big contrast. Also, is there any way to shoot at night without artifiscial lights - aka is the natural light of a fire just too tricky to film around?
3 - Are there any camera tips and trick that you would all recommend to make my travel piece look as professional as possible - both in the pitfalls that amateurs do to give the game away or specific things a pro would do to improve the footage. One thing I've been reading you all mention is to underexpose the footage to correctly capture the backgrounds, increasing the contrast in post, rather than shooting as-is and risk having a dour skyline. Also, by underexposing it somewhat, do you literally just mean to whack the iris down a stop or two from 'normal' until the sky is pictured better, and then just whack it back up again in post - or is there something more to it than that?
4 - Should I film on the progressive scan mode? I have done for shorts but what is the best format for his kind of thing. My inclination is no because a lot of programs are filmed on HD these days and that's largely the opposite.
5 - Do I need to worry about permits and releases considering this film isn't gonna be made for financial gain, it's to advertise the local area and a local business? Of course, I'll be respectful to the people, but are there any official things I need to take care of? I've somewhat reluctant to involve the authorities because they could cause trouble - apparantly they have demanded backhanders in the past.
6 - Are there any travel program tips anyone can recommend, i.e. get double the amount of b-roll shots as you do interviews, should I keep on a tripod, go shaky handheld gonzo style, build a cheap stabiliser etc? What's the best way to show the energy of a place without being dull. I know the town my sister lives in is called Nuweiba and its quite small and remote, which means its not a bustling place but is by contrast relatively unspoilt.
7 - Lastly, should I not really worry and accept that, although I can't film something perfectly, I can still trust the DVX to film well regardless.
Thank you for any replies anyone choses to give. I hope it wasn't a huge imposition, my reasons for asking are genuine - I just wanna make a great film for my sister. If there is anything else to add please feel to do so.
Andrew.
I've been researching filming in Egypt, travel programs in general, hot climates etc, I've also been reading this forum over the last few days and now have a notebook of helpful hints etc. However I have limited equipment - I have my DVX100a, a Manfrotto tripod, two batteries, and tapes. For sound I've been using a Shure SM57 microphone with which I record my band. As far as I've read, this won't be good enough for sound in Egypt, especially without a wind cover, because it'll pick up too much background noise.
Certainly I don't have any of the extra stuff you pro's have - the cases, the lense adaptors, the matte boxes, the filters, gels or even any lights of my own. Now I'm not totally inept, I have taken filmmaking/directing courses so I know how to set up and use lights etc, so if I can get hold of some I can use them. However, what I haven't done is film a travel program, so I'm totally inexperienced in doing this kinda filming, especially the process of making scenery look beautiful. What's more, I've little experience with such an extreme climate - the sky will be vicously blue, the landscape desert and beach.
Now, my sister wants me to fly to Egypt in a month or so to make this for her so if anyone has anything they can offer I would appreciate it greatly. As it is, a few main questions stick out:
1 - How do I shoot in such brilliant sunshine. From putting the camera in the tape to having great shots what should I do? I am especially concerned as this is for my sister's business, so I want to make sure I can capture the beauty of the Egyptian land, to do it justice and look professional even if I'm not.
2 - For all the extras I've been reading people mentioned are needed - e.g. the polarising lenses, the uv lenses, a decent shotgun mic etc - are these what you would call necessary additions. I.E. Can I make a high quality video without them, or is it a case of I'll just have to bite the bullet and buy them? I am gonna be shooting scenery so is some kinda wide adapter lense a must for example. Should I get at least a small light to put on the camera for inside shots, especially b/c the outside will be very bright and so could make a big contrast. Also, is there any way to shoot at night without artifiscial lights - aka is the natural light of a fire just too tricky to film around?
3 - Are there any camera tips and trick that you would all recommend to make my travel piece look as professional as possible - both in the pitfalls that amateurs do to give the game away or specific things a pro would do to improve the footage. One thing I've been reading you all mention is to underexpose the footage to correctly capture the backgrounds, increasing the contrast in post, rather than shooting as-is and risk having a dour skyline. Also, by underexposing it somewhat, do you literally just mean to whack the iris down a stop or two from 'normal' until the sky is pictured better, and then just whack it back up again in post - or is there something more to it than that?
4 - Should I film on the progressive scan mode? I have done for shorts but what is the best format for his kind of thing. My inclination is no because a lot of programs are filmed on HD these days and that's largely the opposite.
5 - Do I need to worry about permits and releases considering this film isn't gonna be made for financial gain, it's to advertise the local area and a local business? Of course, I'll be respectful to the people, but are there any official things I need to take care of? I've somewhat reluctant to involve the authorities because they could cause trouble - apparantly they have demanded backhanders in the past.
6 - Are there any travel program tips anyone can recommend, i.e. get double the amount of b-roll shots as you do interviews, should I keep on a tripod, go shaky handheld gonzo style, build a cheap stabiliser etc? What's the best way to show the energy of a place without being dull. I know the town my sister lives in is called Nuweiba and its quite small and remote, which means its not a bustling place but is by contrast relatively unspoilt.
7 - Lastly, should I not really worry and accept that, although I can't film something perfectly, I can still trust the DVX to film well regardless.
Thank you for any replies anyone choses to give. I hope it wasn't a huge imposition, my reasons for asking are genuine - I just wanna make a great film for my sister. If there is anything else to add please feel to do so.
Andrew.
