Solo Filming

W

WabiSabi

New member
I'm a newbie in the steep learning curve. Some background; I just acquired a DVX100B, tripod, directional mic etc. and a haven't really shot anything yet. I also just bought a dedicated desktop for editing and Vegas Video 6. From my research, I have gathered and understand that a minimum of 2 crew members is highly desirable and better yet, 3. (director, camera, sound) What are some of your thoughts on solo shooting? Is it impractical to expect to produce something worthwhile shooting by oneself? Are there any examples to which someone could direct me to films/documentaries/videos that were done solo?

Thanks
WS
 
Solo shooting is a good way to learn how to do everything. But it's hard to concentrate on getting the best quality out of the actors, camera and etc. So, I'm thinking a crew would be nice. I recommend getting a sound person and a lighting person. Also maybe a Production assistant, those are the people who get the coffee right ? :-)
 
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actually there is a form of solo shooting known as Cinema Verite (french). it is basically a non-intrusive type of documentary. it is typical to have poor sound, lack of lighting control, etc. the subjects are shot in thier real enviroment as life happens. so you could choose a subject and shoot it as a raw documentary of some subject. i am currently taking a documentary course at school and this type of shooting (for docs anyway) was revolutionary at the time it started. there is a famous film called "dont look back" about bob dylan. this format is mostly unstaged so it should be easy for a one camera shoot. i have yet to get a camera myself so i am a bit jealous lol!
 
Cinema Verite... my friend has actually been doing this for quite some time now and didn't even realize it.

Let me explain. My friend, Sarah, is not a filmmaker, never even aspired to it, but she has a point-and-shoot digital camera that shoots video. The way she uses it is amazing. She shoots these clips of us in all of our drunken debauchery. Nobody knows she's shooting(cuz she's just standing there with her "still" camera) and she gets this footage of us being total idiots, on a regular basis. Mind you, we have no idea that the camera is rolling, but in the following days we see what she's captured.

I've always wanted to get some footage of my friends being themselves, but it's really difficult when they know the camera's rolling. Sarah has managed to do what I cannot, all with a little p&s still camera that happens to shoot video. Amazing, and totally verite.
 
While it's certainly possible to produce good, even compelling footage when working alone, delegation of responsibility to specialists in each field will usually results technically superior to those you would achieve doing it all yourself.

For example, in a documentary situation, having a sound mixer/boom operator in addition to a DP/camera operator, will not only free the shooter from worrying about recording good audio, and allow him or her to concentrate on the visuals, but will also yield superior sound to that you would record from a camera-mounted mike. A lot of documentaries shoot with just a two-person crew (usually Director/DP and sound mixer), though in many situations it's helpful to have a producer or PA who can help get releases and deal with the various production problems that inevitably crop up.

Of course, your ability to produce quality footage working solo depends on the type of project. For narrative filmmaking, the more delegation, the better, given how complicated an undertaking even a low-budget indie film shoot is. On the other hand if you're shooting a nature doc involving lots of shots of trees and clouds and wildlife, a minimal crew is probably better.

Of course, there are always exceptions to every rule... a few examples include the current indie theatrical release "Cavite" was apparently shot by one guy, who also recorded the sound. And there's "El Mariachi," that launched the career of Robert Rodriguez, which he both directed and shot (he recorded the sound afterwards). Michael Winterbottom's "In This World" was shot with a minimal crew.

Even for a verite-style shoot, however, you'd probably be better off having at least a sound mixer/boom operator in addition to yourself as the shooter. I've shot plenty of stuff as a one-man band, directing, shooting, and wrangling sound, but having even one more crew member can be invaluable.
 
It’s possible, but maybe not the best solution. I just finished a year on the road filming a doc about the Fatman Walking. The 400lb. ex-Marine, walking from San Diego to NY. I shot over 200 hours of footage and about 90% was filmed solo. As long as you have a good shotgun and wireless mic, you can cover most situations. Verite-style is the way it was shot.
 
This gives me hope, I am unsure of myself at the moment and would rather do a lot of discovering on my own before I bring on a crew :o
 
You will learn a lot more and a lot faster if you start with a professional crew. Plus you won't pick up any bad habits from the start (like letting the camera roll all the time, taking short cuts with safety when setting up lights, getting things "good enough")

There is nothing wrong with being a noob director, just make sure the crew knows that you are green and ask them for support, understanding and advice. You will advance in professionalism a lot faster that way.
 
A lot of verite was still shot by more than one person, many times just a DP and audio person, but sometimes more. The Maysles usually had a two-man crew didn't they?
 
I just got a DVX100b pretty recently, along with tripod...and I'm only 16 years old. I suppose just about everything I've shot with it was verite style, or with at most 2 other friends helping out. In my case the guy who holds the camera is the director, and without any mics to speak of(that might pass as a pun), I don't really have any use for an audio guy coz he'll be milling around doing nothing. To deviate slightly, is it possible to use karaoke mics as boom mics? Coz I spent all my cash on the camera and a manfrotto tripod, leaving none for a mic, but my dad has a karaoke mic somewhere of a pretty good make...Wondering if it is suitable for use as a boom mic. Anyone here tried?
 
try a music video, i did and it got me my first DVX paying gig

try a music video, i did and it got me my first DVX paying gig

the first real thing I did with my dvx is shot a music video (no budget) for a musician friend of mine. I picked on of his tunes I was interested in, asked another friend to assist me and be my right hand, came up with a concept, had one meeting with the musicians and then ran out and did it. Now some other guys saw it and just hired me to direct, concept, edit, etc their R&B video for 2.5k (not bad for a first paying gig)
Check it out at www.summitstudios.info on the music videos page

email me if you would like more info for this newbie
 
my first question is do you want to be a cinematographer or a director? i'm going to assume you're more interested in cinematography since it's posted in that section. do you want to do narrative or documentary? either way, you need a story. fiction or non fiction. i'd say try to find directors that need a camera guy and just do it for free or cheap to get the practice of shooting with the purpose of telling a story. if you can't find that, i'd say pick scenes from plays or short stories or comics or other movies and shoot those scenes in your own way. that would be my advice. i'm a big fan of story being king.
 
Tainted said:
A lot of verite was still shot by more than one person, many times just a DP and audio person, but sometimes more.
Click to expand...

Yes exactly, Cinéma vérité isn't at all synonymous with a one-person crew.
I guess one could argue that a large crew would interfere with capturing the TRUTH/REALITY, but then again, how REAL or TRUTHFUL is ANY production?
 
One, two or three man crew...just please have a good story/topic to tell. That alone can overcome most technical aspects. Move me.
 
From my experience, one man banding is a *****. I shoot alot, and 75% of the time I'm on my own, shooting, lighting and running audio. Having a sound guy/grip would make my job sooooo much easier, however it would seriously cut down on my profit margin so I usually just go it alone(with a producer), unless I get a decent budget. I will say this though, there is one piece of equipment that every one man bander should own , The Remin Tricart 800. This cart has made my life exponantially easier. Here's a link:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...ls&Q=&sku=43620&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

buy one, trust me. But yeah, you can one man a doc or ENG work, it's just a hassle, and your audio suffers.
 
there's really no point in DIYing it, you can get one on ebay for $120 and fabbing it, with all the folding parts (it folds down pretty small) would be expensive, and a *****.
 
Point taken, but I'm sure there are other cheaper alternatives(I'm talking 20 to 30 dollars here) for a cart...i mean its just a cart.
 
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