up coming project may 17th hvx200

68bird

68bird

Active member
i need some pointers , just got my hvx200 and well want to make it right, we have a local guy who is going to become homeless for 160 hrs and well i would like to shadow him for these hours recording it using the hvx200 and cordless mics. what i need to know is what setting would i need for night life to get the most best picture. have any of you done something like this ? and can you give some pointers i was thinking of shooting in 720 with 24p is this a good choice??? he will have no money and nowere to go for these hours so will all be survival of the fittest for him sleeping under bridges or were ever he may be eating at local food banks... i really would like some feed back thanks guys and girls ... waiting for an answer
 
My first suggestion is make sure you have a body guard with you. Taking a camera, especially one as conspicuous as the HVX, into that world is dangerous. Take my word for it. I have spent decades doing everything from news to documentaries- and every time I have entered the world of the homeless there is always at least one confrontation with someone who doesn't like having a camera around. Many of these people have left what most consider normal society for a reason. They see a camera as an infringement on their lonely and nomadic lives. You don't want to be concentrating on shooting only to find yourself getting blind-sided by someone with a knife knocking you to the ground. I hope you will seriously think about my suggestion. You won't regret it.

As far as filming in low light situations with the HVX- there is a lot of information here on the forum about this subject. A quick search will turn up plenty of information for you. The bottom line is this camera performs poorly in night-time/natural lighting situations. Putting a light on top of your camera will help- but again this will make you a target.

You might be better suited to go with one of the smaller and cheaper hand held cameras that are out there that are equipped with psuedo-night vision. They utilize infra-red and allow you to film in the dark. These smaller cameras would also make you a little less noticeable on location.

Hope you take these suggestions in the spirit in which they are meant.

Jim
 
Absolutly agree with the cautious approach. I did several projects with homelessness and found myself in several VERY threatening situations that I was able to talk or run my way out of. One thing that worked semi well was to pay a homeless person to take me around to their hang outs. Even at that they could not control others, they just got me to areas that hung out in where others were used to seeing them around. Secondly doing it at night with folks that don't want to be part of your life adds greatly to the anxiety. If you have never seen the cattle heard mentality that these folks hang in after dark, you will be in for a surprise.
Secondly a very large part of the homeless have mental issues, usually some from of schizophrenia as well as severe drug and alcoholism. So what may seem calm and obliging in the here and now can very quickly change without any provocation.
I'm not saying don't do it, I just want to make sure you are understanding what it is you are putting yourself into.
Lastly keep your gear as small and inconspicuous as possible. I would never use something as big as HVX or anything even close to that size.
Good luck and be safe.
 
go with the smaller HD cameras. Probably better in low light, safer, and will actually give you a more raw/reality feel to your footage. I've shot a ton in Skid Row LA with the hpx and adatper. It was sketchy even during the day. I couldn't imaging shooting at night with a camera that big.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top