How do you dslr documentary filmmakers do it???

jambredz

jambredz

Veteran
ok...so i want to film a documentary type reality show on my 7d (similar to HBO "hard knocks" but a bit different) ... and the pilot will either just be me having to handle everything regarding sound and cam...or i may have an actual sound person or (someone i can recruit to do it ). My question is how do you one man or 2 man documentary guys do it? I need a good workflow for production of this.

gear:
7d, tamron 17-50vc, 28mm yashica, 50mm pentax. 70-200mm vivitar
shoulder rig, zfinder
rode ntg2, boom pole and blimp
senheisser g2 wireless
access to a zoom h4n

Interviews will be easy cuz thats more controlled
but sound for B roll...like when the guys are playing or training (soccer) or when i have to run and gun and follow them around. Its really the sound issue i'm worried about. How do you guys mark clips (for editing) properly when running and gunning?

I realize the 7d is NOT IDEAL for this situation and i use it more for commericals and music videos. I'm still considering shooting this on my dvx, but it would look so much better with the 7d :)

Ideally if i had an hmc150 i'd use that with the 7d.
 
Don't use primes at all unless you have time to change lenses. Two or (better) one zoom is better.

Try to record single system sound unless you can have a sound/boom person who can have all sound gear on their person. A simple hand clap in front of the camera as a slate is all you need to sync double system sound. Keep a decent shotgun mic on the camera even if shooting double system sound.

Review and log clips AFTER shooting footage.

Try and have a healthy aperture in play while shooting hand held or shooting anything moving so you aren't fishing too much for focus.
 
I have a shot a lot of doc stuff recently with my 60D which does have manual audio control unlike the 7D (however, Magic Lantern might be a solution). Because of the nature of the doc, I attach a shotgun to the top for mic and plug in directly. Incredibly, for 95% of the time, this works. The sound is actually pretty good. The problems lay with not being able to monitor the sound. So on a recent shoot, I had a great bite that cannot be used because the wind picked up and was loud enough to be a problem. I've been thinking about getting a beachtek accessory to address this otherwise efficient one-man crew setup.

If I use lavs, then I either plug it directly into Zoom H1 or send it back to my Marantz 661. If I'm with a sound person, they record onto their own external recorder and sync in post with instructions to record and stop as much as possible. I don't slate because of Plural Eyes.

Hope that helps.
 
I realize this may sound a bit lazy but I have been recording audio constantly on my H4n. I have enough SD card space to record 6 hours of video and, depending on setting, 8-40 hours of audio. With the aid of PluralEyes I don't even clap, although the habit is hard to break for controlled interview. For most Doc work the audio in so much more important then the video so if I get Jello or need my 24mm instead of 55mm I know I have the audio coverage.
 
There are some issues with low signal levels using the RODE NTG-2 and Zoom H4n, search this forum for heaps more information about it.
 
I shoot a lot of weddings, which is very much a "Documentary" style of shooting as you only get one take. I have found that DSLRs are not ideal for this type of environment. Are you trying to be more compact? This is a reason I can see for wanting to shoot DSLRs. But if your main goal is shallow DOF then you are in for major headaches. Just trying to follow people around and follow focus is a pain unless you are in a lighting scenario where you can stop down your iris and expand your depth of field. Which defeats the purpose if thats the look your going for. Don't get me wrong, I love the look of DSLR shots. And still use cameras like the GH2 and AF100 for a lot of my shooting. But for run and gun stuff, I almost always use my AG AC130. Great auto focus and more than enough zoom for what I use it for. This type of camera is much more suited for what you would be doing. Trust me, you can spend more time shooting rather then changing lenses and worrying about focus and sound issues. Just my two cents...

Also, when shooting anything I always tell filmmakers to look into insurance options, not only for their gear but for liability purposes as well. You can check out this site. www.FilmEmporium.com. I get my insurance from them. Very highly recommended!
 
Sound is easy to monitor on a 7D as long as you have Magic Lantern to see the audio levels and to knock out the auto gain control. The lack of headphone jack is a non issue as long as you output a Zoom H4N or mic into one end of this, stick your headphones in the other end, and then put the third end into your camera, you'll be good to go. You can skip the annoying workflow of having to sync in post. Works great every time for me.

I agree with Chris. Deffo prioritise a decent zoom with a fast, constant aperture, like a 2.8. 17-50 range is decent. I'd prefer a 24-70 personally. Depends on your shooting style. The VC on the Tamron works pretty well but it's kinda noisy so any mic you have mounted on your camera may pick it up if the sound you're capturing at the time is quiet. It's easy to get caught of guard trying to get fancy, clean shots with a prime on your camera just when something happens unexpectedly and you wish you'd stayed with your zoom; so be weary when changing to a prime. However, this really depends on the logistics of your shoot and how much control you have over the variables. Lots of 'documentary' TV shows nowadays are largely staged anyway. Make sure you plan, plan and plan and you should be fine.

DSLRs can be great tools for documentaries. Not necessarily so much for utilising narrow DOF, which is way overused anyway IMO, but perhaps more so because:
- They're small and inconspicuous which means they may be less intimidating to people you're filming, and also less likely to draw unwanted attention towards yourself.
- Their larger sensors means they'll be better in low light than traditional 1/3 or 2/3 inch video cameras, even with a 2.8 zoom.

The key thing is to be aware of your camera's strengths and limitations. Sure, traditional video cameras have auto focus, convenient fixed zoom lenses, built in ND filters, auto iso, auto everything, etc... which is great, but sometimes not having all these features available makes you more conscious of what you're shooting, forces you to be more creative and resourceful, hence making you a better filmmaker.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top