Portable Gear for Documentary

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docz_gal

Member
Hi all, I'm a newbie about to shoot a no-budget documentary w/ the DVX100A, ideally in 24pa, at various locations in Latin America & Europe, and it's a 1 "woman" crew (me, myself & I!) :laugh: . I've been checking the boards but haven't seen this specific question asked/answered -- forgive me if I'm wrong! :shocked: -- but I'd like your advice on the absolute bare minimum equipment I can get away with & still have a professional-looking product that I can eventually transfer to film for festivals, etc.

I'll be shooting mostly in cities, both indoors & outdoors. (Certainly humidity & heat will be a concern when I'm shooting in Guatemala & Mexico). Mainly talking heads/interviews, intermixed with some action shots, etc.

I want to travel light, so I thought I'd get a lightweight tripod (Tommy at EVS recommended the Libec THM20), an on-camera light & an on-camera shotgun mic, and that's pretty much it (I already have a lav mic for sit-down interviews). Do you think I can get away with just that, esp. the light? What else should I take with me without being bogged down w/ excessive weight?

THANK YOU, ALL!!! :kiss:
 
Well, what I mean is, no outside funding -- so far all strictly self-funded!!! So want to spend as few $$ as possible at this point! :)
 
For sound: What is the point of a shotgun mic? Ambiance? What?
For lighting: What are you trying to achieve? Just illumination? or, something beautiful?
Would you know what to do with more lights if you had them -or- could you learn quickly?
For storage: Backpack? What?

I have been on several in-the-middle-of-nowhere-by-yourself doc shoots like yours and have
really had to think hard about this kind of thing.. Would be glad to help....

Also, DVXUser Isaac Brody did a lot of this sort of thing last year..
maybe he could chip in some kind words.
 
The shotgun mic: when I can't use the lav mic's -- shouldn't I be using the shotgun? What else are my options to make it sound ok?
The lighting: I'm still learning about lighting, but main thing at this point is to be able to do it quickly & efficiently & still make it look good on screen -- most of my "interviewees" prob. won't have too much patience to sit around & wait for the right light, right sound, etc.
Storage: yes, backpack, carry-on/duffelbag
 
I like to use a Mid/Side Stereo microphone instead of a shotgun for ambiance. You can do alot more
in sound editing when it's recorded with a M/S mic instead of a mono shotgun. They're $$, though.

You could always use lots of lights.. though power and portability are always a concern.
Perhaps a small bounce kit (like the collapsable Photoflex stuff) would be helpful.

I like the Miller solo tripod with a DS10 head.. very lightweight..
I've never seen the Libec you mention--I'm sure it's very good as well.

I'm a complete mattebox/filter freak.. I think you would definitely benefit from at least
having a Tru-Pol polarizer, a 0.6 Neutral Density graduated, and maybe a warming filter.

That's all I can think of at the moment.
 
The only problem I see with a single light mounted on a camera is that it looks like the 6 o'clock news.

I don't personally like that look. There is quite a bit you could do with that single light, though,
along with bounce boards.. though this is a discussion for the lighting forum here.
 
FWIW, a camera, tripod, and a mic or two is plenty of gear.. I'm coming from the perspective of
being a perfectionist with the suggestion of a different mic and more lights.. Ignore my comments..
 
Thank you, Wells, your suggestions are great! I'm a perfectionist too so it is hard for me to make the necessary concessions to the realities of money & portability! :(
 
For talking head lighting I would recommend one Lowell omni light and a reflector for key and fill and a Lowell pro light for a hair light. Perhaps another omni for lighting the background. Make a couple of cookies out of some foamboard for the background. Get an extra stand for the reflector. Setup= bounce the omni into the reflector for a key light and open the barn door on the omni a bit for fill. Depending on how you position the reflector you can get a soft beautiful look or a high contrast look (good person, bad person). You can make a homemade dimmer for the hairlight, which works very well. We did a number of these setups in Walter Graff's lighting class and they came out exceptionally well.

Matt
 
Thanks for your suggestions, Matt. Do you think these lights will still be portable enough for me to be able to lug them & set them up on my own?
 
docz_gal said:
Thanks for your suggestions, Matt. Do you think these lights will still be portable enough for me to be able to lug them & set them up on my own?
Click to expand...

you will not be able to lug a cam, tripod, and light kit---very far. something has to be on wheels, or you need to nix something. or you need a backpack. well, take that back, depends on what you put your camera in. that is a lot of gear to manage, lose, possibly have someone run off with a piece or two.

go for the lightest, sturdiest tripod system you can buy. if you need help on that, i can look up something.

if you really need to pare down, lose the light kit. do all your interviews in daylight, well positioned? and use reflectors, etcl. other light modifiers.
 
Thanks, Pooh. A very difficult decision about the light kit. On the one hand, I know how essential lighting is. But on the other hand, like you said, would mean a lot of pieces for me to lug around & keep track of on my own. As for the tripod: the Miller that was recommended is way beyond my budget. The Libec was recommended by EVS because it's dirt cheap, but I haven't seen anyone recommend it in any of the posts. What would be a better alternative?
 
For reflectors, check ebay for those 5-in-1 collapsible things. They can be VERY cheap if you have a few weeks to keep bididng, and are superlight/portable and can be used for lots of situations, reflection fills, blackouts, or diffusion. You can recruit someone to hold it for you, so no stand needed. But having some clothespins or a spring clamp or two MIGHT come in handy.

Don't forget a voltage converter or two and lots of batteries.
 
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