International Human Rights Video Project seeks advice

[nbardach]

All,
I am managing an international human rights video project in collaboration with the UN.

The goal of the project is to record the Universal Declaration of Human Rights being read by a native speaker in each of its 472 translated languages.

The project will take us to every continent and likely every country in the world.

We have explored different means of capturing these videos, from self-recorded to a fully equipped team.

Now, we're looking for a middle ground. I have 2 questions for you.

Would it be technically possible to do this with a single shooter (ie. no lighting, no boom, etc.)? This single shooter would need to be able to set up a teleprompter (might just be an iPad) and get the best lighting and sound possible. It does not have to be perfect, but it has to be usable. The subject needs to stay in frame, can't be washed out or inaudible.

Secondly, if this can be done competently by a single person, how much should we budget per day of shooting?

Looking forward to hearing your input. Many thanks in advance, Noah

 

[WalterB]

Welcome to IT, Noah!

From your question (and some googling to verify) I guess that filmmaking is not what you do (a lot).
That is alright!

It is technically possible to have a 1 man crew set up lights, camera and teleprompter, use a lav mic to capture clean sound and shoot a perfectly fine video that looks more than 'usable'.

Budget per day of shooting is a tough question, because I'll need more information.
(And because rates vary from location to location.)
- How many people do you expect to be filmed on one day? (And is this possible for every location? I.e. I live in The Netherlands: we have 2 official languages (Dutch and Fryske, over 10 dialects and within a 2 hour radius several neighbouring languages. Not to mention that people from over 170 different nationalities live in the Rotterdam Area.)
- Who will cast those people? (Things need to be organized)
- What background(s) do you have in mind for the videos? (Plain color or something typecally local? The first means that people can be asked to travel to a studio location, or that a mobile background can be used. The latter means that every language needs to be recorded on the right location. If the latter is the case: who will pick the location? And: maybe a crew of 2 is better when the locations are very specific.)
- Let's say I would film 10 languages, who will verify on set that the pronounciation it good enough? (For Dutch and English I can judge whether or not people speak clearly. My knowledge of French and German are not great enough to judge the pronounciation. Why do I bring this up? Because when I would shoot as many languages as I can, a lot of it would be read by people who are living in The Netherlands for a while, so they could have picked up a Dutch influence in their pronounciation. Just like Dutch people liing in the USA for a while: Paul Verhoeven speak Dutch with some American accent.)
- How does the footage need to be transfered to you? Unedited? Or cut, graded and mixed?

As for the budget, you'll need to take in account:
- camera(wo)man's fee
- teleprompter
- lights
- camera
- sound
- (optional) travel expenses
- (optional) location rent
- (optional) fee for the person reading the text
- (optional) fee for makeup artist for a more professional look

If you need someone in Europe to film: feel free to send me a message!
(I know people who speak native Dutch, Fryske, French, Flamish (if that is a language ), German, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Italian, Greek, since they are born there. Turkish, Persian, Surinam, Papiamento, Ukranian and at least one of the Maroccan languages are also possible if it doesn't have to be recorded in the corresponding nations.)

 

[Cracker Funk]

Not only is it possible for this to be accomplished with a one-person crew, but I believe that's the best way to do it. And I don't know why you think a one-person crew can't have lighting or a boom. If you sit the interview subject down in a seat, you can very easily boom a mic exactly where it needs to be, using a mic-stand and an extension. Add a small light-kit with three-point lighting and you're good to go.

I might know someone who's done this before.

How much to budget per day of shooting?

Day-rate of the filmmaker
Travel expenses

 

[Aspiring Mogul]

Hello,

I know nothing about sound and lighting, but, if you want a native speaker to read out the Declaration, you may want to have a certified translator on hand, because an untrained native speaker may not get the subtleties and nuances of the Declaration.

You may also want to consider if you want the aboriginal languages, because the native Indians in North America and the Maoris in New Zealand may feel left out.