Logistics of Documentary Production

E

epiktim

Member
Hey all. I'm in the planning/research phase of a documentary tentatively titled "Shepherd." "Shepherd" will be a "reality" documentary that answers the question of "what do pastors do all week?"

I will follow a local church pastor from the moment he leaves his house in the morning to the moment he arrives home for seven days in a row.

Some logistical questions:

-What is best mic to use (I imagine 99% of footage will be indoors)?
-What is best camera to use (I am strongly considering the Sony EX1)
-Would you recommend any camera support system?
-How do you create a 'storyline' that keeps the flow of the documentary interesting?

Any other tips on how to produce a professional documentary? My goal is to market it to a larger Christian distributor.

I have a budget of roughly 10k and will be handling production by myself (yes, that means no dedicated sound or light guys....)

What other areas are important NOT to skimp on?


-Tim
 
First and foremost research your subject. Is a week in his life even compelling? Is just following him at work compelling? W/o seeing his home life it will be more difficult to get to know the person. Would following multiple pastors give a more well rounded view as to what they have to do? I mean, a pastor in a poor, inner city area will probably have a different life than a paster in the suburbs or a pastor that is in an area that has recently been hit by a natural disaster. Even though documentaries are many times 'made' in the edit bay you still need to into it w/a premise. With a story that you want to tell even if that story grows and changes during the filmmaking process. Showing up and rolling camera for 7 days while hoping you'll be able to construct a narrative together during post isn't the best way to go, IMO. Some of the best advice I ever got was "It's not what they do, it's who they are."

Is the $10k just for shooting or is it for the entire project from soup to nuts?


-Andrew
 
You're absolutely right. I'm in the process of constructing possible "narratives" to give a plot and direction to the story. I plan on following him around for a week W/O a camera before I actually film, so I can get a feel for what to expect and look for.

Would a Sony EX1 give a "professional" enough look to the project where I could potentially market it to major distributors? What about audio? Should I invest in a nice onboard shotgun mic?

Unfortunately, I don't have the resources to make this a multi-cam shoot.
 
You need at least one wireless lavalier mic (one should be on your subject at all times) and a decent-quality shotgun mic to pick up audio form people that talk to him, ambient sound, etc. So your camcorder needs two audio inputs so you can record both mics in different channels and mix them in post. The Sennheiser Evolution is a popular choice for folks who are on a budget, but I'd urge you to replace the stock mic with a better one (like a Sanen COS-11X) and keep the stock lav mic as a backup. Rode makes some decent yet cheap shotgun mics.

Think about how much you will shoot each day and keep enough batteries with you. The stock battery of the Sony that you mentioned isn't gonna do it, you need a brick that can hold a large charge and need spare bricks with you at all times (IDX and Anton Bauer might be good choices).

Did you think about light? Will each locations provide enough light or do you need a small light mounted on the shoe of the camera to light your subject in dimly-lit places? If so, you will need a battery pack for that as well.

You also need to think how you keep track of your research and ongoing production. Trust me, after a while of shooting, you will forget what you filmed and where to quickly find it. You can do this either by having a little Moleskin notebook with you all the time, a small audio recorder ("note to self"), or an iPhone (for example) where you write down or record your notes. Being organized will become very crucial the more your production progresses.

Keep enough release forms with you at all times (interview releases, location releases, etc) in case your subject talks to people on film, or enters a venue where you keep rolling. Don't try to get the forms signed weeks or months later, this is not gonna happen. People have to sign right on the spot after a scene is in the can.

Shoot a LOT of b-roll footage (either while you are on location or come back right afterwards).

Will you shoot handheld all the times? Then you need to give your future audience motion sickness drugs :2vrolijk_08:

Since your project sounds like a "run & gun" kinda guerilla shoot, you better buy the smallest camcorder that will do the job -- or a quality shoulder-held camcorder. Hauling around 40 pounds of equipment all day long is no fun. I am not so sure if the Sony will be best for you since you need to hold that camcorder in your hands and that's not gonna work if you follow a guy the entire day. Shoulder-mount or maybe a stabilizer would be a better choice.

Your $10k will give you the equipment, but how will you finance post producion (fast computer, software, hard drive storage)? How about the soundtrack? You need cash (a LOT) for licensing music, etc. Rule of thumb is that post production costs at least as much as the production process (probably 2x or 3x as much). You might also need ambient sound/ Example: When you pastor is in a church and there happens to be a choir, you might want to have a few minutes of sound from that choir. What you could do is set up a small stereo recorder (like a ZOOM H4n) in front of the choir and let it tun for an hour. That'll give you a lot of editing options in combination with b-roll footage (e.g., you film your pastor driving to church, you can already hear the choir, have b-roll footage of the church form a few angles, the pastor enters the church, choir gets louder ... just to give you an idea).

I also strongly encourage you to get production insurance! It'll set you back around $2k, but often people won't let you enter a venue unless you can flash an insurance certificate. If someone trips over your tripod and breaks a leg, you will be financially ruined unless you have insurance. You will not get such an insurance unless you incorporate your production business.

Good luck and keep us posted!
 
Thanks for the input guys. This is all very helpful to me.

I think I'm going to need to either buy or construct a shoulder mount system for the camera. Steadicams will probably be out of my pricerange at this point.

I still haven't received a clearcut answer to this question:

Is the EX-1 considered high-end enough where major distributors will show interest in the project (assuming it's done well)?

Thanks again for everyone's thoughts!
 
Interesting stuff here! Love the concept.

Initial thought - Follow him/her/them around for at least a few days without the equipment - just a recorder for taking notes. This should give you an much better idea of what it's gonna take in the way of light/sound/camera/support etc.

A support system would be pretty much mandatory whenever possible. Frankly just forget handheld for distribution (Bourne aside). Giganova wasn't kidding about the motion sickness drugs and no distributor would touch it. For those run-n-gun moments a monopod type setup would be minimal - the Vari-zoom Flowpod might be a good fit for those times you can't get anything else set up...

To your question - the EX-1 is fully capable of creating distribution quality material.

Best wishes on your project - I'm looking forward to hearing & seeing more as you progress.
 
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There are a lot of manufacturers of shoulder mounting equipment. Zacuto has some great ones, Redrock has some, then there's the Spiderbrace, etc.

Here's a link to a thread where this topic was discussed.

If you only need it for a week, you can look into renting your equipment.

The EX-1 would be well suited for your project, no doubt.
 
I would consider spending some of that budget on a sound recordist...i can only imagine it being a nightmare having to think about directing, camera, lighting conditions and sound.... Sound is very important and having someone experienced who can monitor the sound and swing a boom will improve you sound 10 fold and also save you a lot of stress so you can concentrate on directing and shooting.

I would definitely recommend the EX1 as a suitable camera for this... Also maybe consider a Lite-panel on-camera light if you are moving about a lot.

Hope this helps

Tom
 
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