My first documentary with my DVX 100b

[BLee]

Hello all,
My name is Brian Lee from Conway, Ar. I purchased my DVX in Feb. and I love it. The fella that I purchased the camera from recommend this site to me. So I've been lurking for a while to feel the place out. But anyway I wanted to post a link to my first documentary shot on my DVX.

http://www.vimeo.com/3695798

Let me know what you think.

I look forward to adding to the dvxuser community.

Later,
BLee

 

[Bus No. 8]

Hey, Brian - welcome to DVX. I'm sorry you haven't had more replies. I've found that docs don't get as much response as fiction films.

I really liked your documentary. I wonder if you are finished with it, or if it is just the beginning of a larger piece? To me it feels like the rough cut of a piece that will be fleshed out, and I would really like to see you do more with it. I think the subject matter warrants it, and you have access to such wonderful and generous characters.

For a short documentary, I don't think it needs too much more. I would really like to see the town itself, and see people walking down the sidewalk, talking to their neighbors, working, playing, etc. I would love to see the choir whose singing we hear. I want to see the life of the town.

I said earlier that it felt like a rough cut because it is mostly an assemblage of static interviews. But if we could see those people you interviewed going about their business, and if we could see the town that they are talking about, then the whole thing would be much richer and engaging. Your interview subjects are already engaging, but I want to see more than just them talking.

We had the same problem with the documentary we are working on. After our first round of shooting, we had a lot of static sit-down interviews. So when we returned for another round, we made a promise that no one would be sitting down when we interviewed them. We now have a combination of the two styles, plus a lot of cover footage that illustrates what the people are talking about and I think it is a lot more engaging. you can see a clip here; http://vimeo.com/2929548 (not to bogart your thread)

I think there is a key to bringing the story into the present, rather than being only about the past. When the man said, "by the time children realize that they want to stay here, it's too late" I was immediately drawn in. This seems like the central conflict in the story - gentrification is always a hot topic (see Flag Wars), but it's the first time I've heard someone say that the young people of the town couldn't stay if they wanted to - that the town will slowly, but surely, be reclaimed by attrition. I think this is pretty fascinating (and, amazingly, a key plot point in our own documentary). I would like to hear from some of the young people of the town about what they think the future of the town is, and what roles they see themselves being able to play in its future.

If I haven't overwhelmed you yet, I do have a few technical notes;

- Inconsistent letterboxing - sometimes there, sometimes not. A pretty easy fix.

- I wish the interviews had been lit. I didn't have any trouble actually seeing anyone, but I really would have liked to have seen them better.

- Your "looking space" was inconsistent - the open space towards which the interviewee is looking as she or he speaks. Often times your subjects were turned and speaking towards a little strip of space on the left, with vast open space on their right just sitting there.

- Best example of good lighting and framing was Theodore Brown, the current mayor. He looked great.

- I would like to be told a bit more about the people in their lower thirds. What do they do? Or what did they do before retirement? I'd like to get a sense of the diversity of occupations and standing of the people in the town.

- Would be good to bring the lower thirds back at least twice for each person. I don't remember who they are by the second time I see them.

But having said all of that, I really did enjoy your work and am hoping to see more.

Best regards,

Robert