Stephen Mick
Totally Usable
First, thanks to everyone who participates in these boards. I've spent the past week reading and re-reading hundreds of pages of posts about everything from 24p vs. 24pA to "which backpack is the best" to a bunch of gibberish about 35mm adapters (which I still don't quite grasp yet).
I have an upcoming shoot for a client in, of all places, the Galapagos Islands. I've worked fairly extensively with 16mm and 35mm film before, and dabbled a bit in video, but this will be my first time as "director/DP".
For 10 days, a group of eleven of us, including a professional angler, a professional surfer, and a researcher for a nature conservancy will be moving from island to island, weaving a few distinct stories together to make a 30-45 minute documentary about the difficulty of balancing conservation with the need to generate revenue.
After reading the boards, I put a call into Rush at EVS, who graciously hooked me up with a new DVX100B, an AT4073 Mic Kit (with softie, shock mount & boom pole), tripod and fluid head, Kata backpack and raincover, UV and polarizer filters and extra batteries and charger. Oh, and tapes, of course.
Most of what I'll be shooting will be outdoors: fishing, surfing, hiking, and beauty shots. There will also be a number of interviews, both indoors and out. I've watched most, if not all, of disjecta's films, and if I can capture even a hint of the beauty and emotion there, I'll be thrilled.
I'll be shooting 24p and editing in FCP for final output to DVD and web. On the shoot, I'll be using a second, less expensive camera for high-risk shots, mostly anything involving getting really close to the water. And I plan on using iMovie to quickly review footage at nights.
So, with all that said, over the next few weeks I'll be asking a load of questions once I get the camera in my hands and start playing around with it. In the meantime, I'm hoping the crew here can give some guidance about how best to set up the camera for the environments I'll be shooting in, things to think about before the trip, and how to best be ready to capture the moments and stories that make great documentaries truly compelling.
--Stephen Mick
I have an upcoming shoot for a client in, of all places, the Galapagos Islands. I've worked fairly extensively with 16mm and 35mm film before, and dabbled a bit in video, but this will be my first time as "director/DP".
For 10 days, a group of eleven of us, including a professional angler, a professional surfer, and a researcher for a nature conservancy will be moving from island to island, weaving a few distinct stories together to make a 30-45 minute documentary about the difficulty of balancing conservation with the need to generate revenue.
After reading the boards, I put a call into Rush at EVS, who graciously hooked me up with a new DVX100B, an AT4073 Mic Kit (with softie, shock mount & boom pole), tripod and fluid head, Kata backpack and raincover, UV and polarizer filters and extra batteries and charger. Oh, and tapes, of course.
Most of what I'll be shooting will be outdoors: fishing, surfing, hiking, and beauty shots. There will also be a number of interviews, both indoors and out. I've watched most, if not all, of disjecta's films, and if I can capture even a hint of the beauty and emotion there, I'll be thrilled.
I'll be shooting 24p and editing in FCP for final output to DVD and web. On the shoot, I'll be using a second, less expensive camera for high-risk shots, mostly anything involving getting really close to the water. And I plan on using iMovie to quickly review footage at nights.
So, with all that said, over the next few weeks I'll be asking a load of questions once I get the camera in my hands and start playing around with it. In the meantime, I'm hoping the crew here can give some guidance about how best to set up the camera for the environments I'll be shooting in, things to think about before the trip, and how to best be ready to capture the moments and stories that make great documentaries truly compelling.
--Stephen Mick