advice for new documentary filmmaker

R

rschwartz33

I am planning on doing sort of a cross country tour by myself, centered on the recent protest movement. I'm looking for a light, mobile set up that will allow me to record picture and sound as easily and economically as possible.

Here's what I am planning on getting.

Panasonic GH2 w/stock lens- $1000
Audio-Technica AT8022 microphone- $400
cheap shoulder rig http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-Shoulder-Support-Camcorder-Camera/dp/B0036NMQ7S ?
tripod
plenty of memory cards


am I missing anything (extra lens, viewfinder) or are there alternatives i should consider? I like the look of dslr and the gh2 apparently minimizes a lot of problems like moire and rolling shutter. I tend to be pretty economical, so I'm trying to buy only stuff that I REALLY need.

any other tips for a long term project like this, logistical or otherwise? Are there any non obvious problemsI might run into, being that the trip will be so long? For anyone who has done this kind of stuff, how much do you usually shoot for a minute of actual footage?


Thanks
 
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- Extra batteries for camera and anything else.
- Are you taking a laptop to dump footage to?
- Big yes on the viewfinder. You've got to be in focus - period.
I got one of these for my Canon T2i. Works great. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004KCAQ9O

- A good led light could save a few shots. I bought the z96 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UCGDSS

I don't know what the stock lens is but hopefully it's a zoom that would allow a wide enough shot to take in the scope of things. Then zoom in enough for an interview.

Here's a great little shoulder rig. Found it on cheeseycam.com The two pieces work well together. Great feel.
-http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009X3RW
-http://www.amazon.com/BARSKA-Accu-Handheld-Tripod-System/dp/B001JJCI5Q/ref=pd_cp_p_3

Hope that helps.
 
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The bigger question is "what is the subject".

Is this about protesting in general? Is is about the specifics of what's being protested? Right now, there seems to be many messages and issues being raised by the protestors. In fact, a recent quote from an organizer was "it doesn't matter what you're protesting, just protest."

The key to creating an interesting documentary is to do your homework and research. Make sure you have data to backup any statements.

The easiest way to get in trouble with making a documentary, especially about a socially charged subject, is to have a vested interest or position in the content. The result will come across more like a propaganda film than a documentary. Now, if you're trying to create propaganda, then having a solid opinion and attempting to reinforce that opinion with content is fine.

IMHO, good documentaries simply ask questions, and the best documentaries ask these questions in a non-leading way.
 
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@gpforet
I'm pretty into a non narrative approach (think Sans Soleil by Chris Marker, Lessons of Darkness by Herzog, Phantom India by Louis Malle). The images and sound present themselves, and are tied together by editing rather than clear narrative structure. I don't want to address the protests so much as the sentiment behind them, a depiction of life in the modern state, individuals struggling against or embracing cultural, societal, economical forces that are simply immense and global in size. The protest sites are sort of a platform, a friendly base, in every city I visit, where I can befriend, learn about, and eventually document the people who live there.

So I don't really have any sort of an agenda with this. Obviously I am sympathetic to the movement, but I'm more interested in using it as a springboard for bigger ideas than trying to explain or speak for it. What do you think about that? Thanks for your question.

@laughingcrow
No laptop. I'm too paranoid about losing it and don't really want to be thinking about editing while I'm shooting. The stock lens is 14-42mm, so I guess that doesnt give me much of a zoom, though this is not a big deal. I was thinkin about getting the pancake, I really like the look of it. Maybe I could just get that instead of the stock?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHmS9lJI3aY
 
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Keeping good habits when logging, slating and marking your cards, harddrives etc. is especially important when your dealing with lot of material. Its better to keep organized when shooting, than spending hours in the edit room trying to find the clips your looking for. Also taking backups of the material can be a good advice for any type of productions in general ;)

I have heard that one hour of documentary footage is one minute actual running time. 30 min of film is 30 hours of tape, but im not sure if this is the case for all projects, cant remember who told me this, so maby im totaly wrong on this one :)
 
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rschwartz33 said:
@gpforet
No laptop. I'm too paranoid about losing it and don't really want to be thinking about editing while I'm shooting.
Click to expand...

I think at least having something to save footage to isn't a bad idea. Not so much for editing, but more for storage/redundancy. Netbooks - which are apparently being phased out in favor of touchpads - are small and can be had for around $200+. And if you didn't want to store the footage on the computer itself, it can act as an interface between your cam and an external USB drive.

Hope it goes well!
 
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I echo the above advice about logging and keeping good records. Simply going through and naming the files descriptively, after each day's shoot, will be something you appreciate when it comes time to edit. :)
 
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SinEater said:
You need a separate audio recorder. The audio capabilities of DSLRs (and EVILs) cannot be trusted.
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Concur. I also doubt the quality of that mic. I assume it's better than the Rode Stereo Mic, but why spend so much money on a mic that lacks XLR output?

Note that recording dialogue in stereo is generally a bad idea.
 
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So people have experience with the GH2 having audio problems when going straight into it? Its a fairly high end piece of equipment so I'm surprised this is the case. I'd rather not have the recordings be separate, I'm not into the idea of syncing hundreds of scenes.
 
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rschwartz33 said:
So people have experience with the GH2 having audio problems when going straight into it? Its a fairly high end piece of equipment so I'm surprised this is the case. I'd rather not have the recordings be separate, I'm not into the idea of syncing hundreds of scenes.
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It's a high end photo camera, it just happens to have amazing video capabilities. The video capabilities are an afterthought, so the audio capabilities are an afterthought of an afterthought. Even if there were enough control, and the capability to monitor via headphones(which you can't), you'd still be stuck with a mini jack input. To get reliable audio XLR input is a must.

For the record, I am a GH2 enthusiast, so I'm not trying to badmouth the camera. I'm just trying to explain why you can't trust its audio implementation. What I've said is true of all DSLR and EVIL cameras.
 
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SinEater said:
It's a high end photo camera, it just happens to have amazing video capabilities. The video capabilities are an afterthought, so the audio capabilities are an afterthought of an afterthought. Even if there were enough control, and the capability to monitor via headphones(which you can't), you'd still be stuck with a mini jack input. To get reliable audio XLR input is a must.

For the record, I am a GH2 enthusiast, so I'm not trying to badmouth the camera. I'm just trying to explain why you can't trust its audio implementation. What I've said is true of all DSLR and EVIL cameras.
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To be fair, the GH2 has much better audio than other DSLRs. No forced AGC and moderate manual controls is nice.

It's less of a pain to sync in post than you might think. Simply match up the peaks and valleys of the separate recording to the audio recorded on the camera, do some mild tweaking, and you're good as gold. If you want your movie to have a solid chance at making backs its budget (or, more importantly for you I'm guessing, widely seen) you'll need to have solid audio, which you just won't get from the GH2.
 
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SinEater said:
It's a high end photo camera, it just happens to have amazing video capabilities. The video capabilities are an afterthought, so the audio capabilities are an afterthought of an afterthought. Even if there were enough control, and the capability to monitor via headphones(which you can't), you'd still be stuck with a mini jack input. To get reliable audio XLR input is a must.

For the record, I am a GH2 enthusiast, so I'm not trying to badmouth the camera. I'm just trying to explain why you can't trust its audio implementation. What I've said is true of all DSLR and EVIL cameras.
Click to expand...

do you mean if i'm recording into the gh2 the audio is going to come out funny, glitches, pops, etc? or is this a case of me not being able to monitor* or adjust internal levels?

*since the mic im getting is going to be powered wouldnt it be possible for me to split the stereo signal coming in and plug the headphones into there?
 
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A separate audio recorder and a solid mic would be my recommendation. The Marantz PMD-661 and Rode NTG-3 would be very nice choices.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...MD661_PMD661_Professional_Portable_Flash.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/563798-REG/Rode_NTG_3_NTG_3_Precision_RF_Biased_Shotgun.html

You haven't mentioned if you will have any help, i.e. a sound guy/gal. Camera mounted sound will be very substandard, and camera mounted DSLR sound would be a disaster.

If you are not going to be capturing any dialog or interviews at all you should also consider an Audio-Technica
AT2022 or a Rode NT4 as alternatives to the AT8020.

The most important thing to remember is that you will never, ever get a second chance at the audio; you absolutely MUST get it right the first time. Fixing bad audio is, at best, time consuming and expensive and, at worst, impossible.
 
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rschwartz33 said:
do you mean if i'm recording into the gh2 the audio is going to come out funny, glitches, pops, etc? or is this a case of me not being able to monitor* or adjust internal levels?

*since the mic im getting is going to be powered wouldnt it be possible for me to split the stereo signal coming in and plug the headphones into there?
Click to expand...

Mini jacks are unreliable. They can introduce interference and other unwanted issues. You have to monitor where the audio is being recorded, or you won't actually be monitoring what you're recording.
 
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yeah I'm doing this solo so it appears like camera mounted sound is my only option? I already have an akg 414 and phantom power box i was gonna use for interviews but I will probably want to do sound on the field as well. are there really no options here?
 
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Alcove Audio said:
A

You haven't mentioned if you will have any help, i.e. a sound guy/gal. Camera mounted sound will be very substandard, and camera mounted DSLR sound would be a disaster.
Click to expand...

yeah I'm doing this solo so it appears like camera mounted sound is my only option? I already have an akg 414 and phantom power box i was gonna use for interviews but I will probably want to do sound on the field as well. are there really no options here?
 
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rayw said:
Since you guys are reccomending mics w/ XLR jacks would Schwartz be better off on his solo project with a Canon XA10 with the shotgun mounted?
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It would make things simpler. In straight video quality I think the GH2 would win out. That being said, using an actual video camera is easier, especially in "run and gun" live documentary situations.
 
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