Do I need it?
- Thread starter Drone_ZA
- Start date
I always harp on the sound, but doing a documentary means that you don't get re-shoots, you can't do ADR, and even dialog fixes are impossible since there's no constant repetition of the dialog.
You absolutely must get the sound right the first time.
Audiences will most definitely excuse visual quality when it comes to a documentary; they never forgive bad audio, no matter what the format.
You absolutely must get the sound right the first time.
Audiences will most definitely excuse visual quality when it comes to a documentary; they never forgive bad audio, no matter what the format.
No you don't. You can shoot your first documentary on any
camera you can afford.
I agree with Alcove - excellent sound is more important than
a high end camera. Make sure your audio is "high end" in those
interviews.
What is the subject of your doc?
Alcove and Rik have the knowledge you need.
Shoot for the highest sound quality you can, shoot it on whatever camera you can afford/borrow/whatever.
Deep and Broad access to your subject material is more important than any technical consideration in a documentary. Your material and the content-related (as opposed to technical) are your bread and butter. Highest quality audio you can get is the toaster that makes it all come together.
Might be odd for people to hear me say this, but in camera terms you just want anything you can get that will give you manual exposure, white balance, and focus, and will allow you to operate it for long stretches of time without issues like overheating, being too cumbersome to operate hand-held for a full day, and so on.
If you can borrow some lighting and such from your cousin, all the better as that puts you ahead of the game for interviews - though my camera comments above are based on the assumption you'll be shooting more material to go with the interviews.
Shoot for the highest sound quality you can, shoot it on whatever camera you can afford/borrow/whatever.
Deep and Broad access to your subject material is more important than any technical consideration in a documentary. Your material and the content-related (as opposed to technical) are your bread and butter. Highest quality audio you can get is the toaster that makes it all come together.
Might be odd for people to hear me say this, but in camera terms you just want anything you can get that will give you manual exposure, white balance, and focus, and will allow you to operate it for long stretches of time without issues like overheating, being too cumbersome to operate hand-held for a full day, and so on.
If you can borrow some lighting and such from your cousin, all the better as that puts you ahead of the game for interviews - though my camera comments above are based on the assumption you'll be shooting more material to go with the interviews.