If you’re shooting family holidays, speeches at a seminar or legal cross examinations in a lawyer’s board room to be played in court later - you don’t need a script. For just about anything else you definitely need a plan of some kind. Often a full set of paperwork.
To plan a production there are several types of documents you might need and each of these can take any of several forms. A proposal outlines the project and is usually used to attract investors. A script . . . well, that’s covered below. And a shot list (or breakdown) breaks the narrative script down into individual shots or scenes.
Technically any written document that outlines your story line in the order that it will progress on the screen is a script. Many film makers adopt a format that they are comfortable with, and that is usually determined by the genre and how many other people have to look at the script.
If you are writing for the feature film or television market you need to adopt the proper format for the industry to have your script considered by those who might buy it, but for most smaller productions you can write it any way that it suits you.
While writing scripts for corporate videos (as I have done for over 25 years) I usually adopt the “commercial” format of 3 or 4 columns denoting the shot number, the action to take place in the scene, the sound track (Music cues, narration script, etc.) and perhaps, in the case of a TV commercial, the time each shot is intended to take in the finished production. These columns are just named “#”, “Visuals”, “Sound” and “Time”.
In the case of a corporate video that’s mostly narrated it really helps to put the “Man sawing planks of wood to length” visual in the “Visuals” column right next to the, “The planks are now cut to either 8 or 12 foot lengths.” narration in the “Sound” column.
Documentaries can be somewhat different in that some are fully scripted before hand - like historical documentaries or any subject where all the fact are known ahead of the production.
Conversely, shooting the behavior of bears in the woods is difficult to fully script before hand as we might not know what the bears are going to do while our cameras are rolling.
I had an opportunity to create two documentaries where I did not use a written script but because I knew ahead of time exactly what was going to happen I was able to put the “script” together in my head and follow through with shooting exactly what was needed. When you do this, of course, you must be able to visualize the whole story line and then stick to that vision right through shooting and editing to finish the project.
Each doc. was about 15 minutes long and in each case I was able to create successful products because:
1. I’m good at pre-visualization.
2. I stick to my plan once it’s fully formed in my mind.
3. On both occasions I didn’t have to answer to anyone for my decisions.
4. I was the director and editor of both projects which put me in full control (I also did all the camera work on one (a regular one man band) and had two Ba camera operators on the other.
5. They were both short docs.
6. No elaborate shooting equipment or situations were required.
If you cannot lay claim to all six of these criteria you really need to write you script out on paper (laptop, iPhone, whatever).
At the beginning of this rant I said you don’t need a script for shooting your family on holidays, but when I shoot family holidays I use an “in my head” plan to make sure I have establishing shots, cut-ins and re-establishing shots of places we go, enough scenery shots and enough shots of my family members enjoying the events and attractions. I will sometimes “stage” something with my wife or daughter to purposely add a humorous moment. It all makes the edited version more interesting to watch.
Planning is important!!!
A full chapter on pre-production planning can be had at:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Be a multi-faceted editor
So, either you’re directing, shooting and editing your own projects - or you want to work in the industry as an editor. But you are likely going to run up against projects where knowing how to use your editing software is just not enough.
Sure, Final Cut, Premier, Avid or any of the other hundred or so editing packages out there will perform many tasks over and above the straight cuts, transitional effects and multiple audio track mixing tasks. But what will you do when a client asks for something that your editing package just can’t accomplish?
You might actually have to farm out part of your job to a company or individual that specializes in what you need but haven’t the expertise or software to accomplish. That’s OK if you have it in the budget to do so.
However, the purpose of this blog is to encourage you to continue to learn and gear up with all of the potentially useful software that you can afford - outside of your main editing package.
Here’s a few examples:
Recently I had occasion to make a video that was an introduction to astrology. Because that kind of thing can be a long, boring “talking head” I really had to beef it up with graphics and animations.
I used a program called Kinemac to create and animate the sun, planets and moons of our solar system. When speaking about Jupiter, for example, an animated visual of Jupiter and its moons would appear on-screen.
Kinemac is a great program that works in real time as you design the animation. I was able to map 3D spheres with actual planet maps that I downloaded from the NASA web site. Fortunately all of their images are copyright free (you have to be careful about what you use that you’ve downloaded from the internet as much of it is, of course, under copyright).
I couldn’t figure out how to make the sun shine like the ball of burning gas that it is, so I used Pixel Toy, a small, free application from Lairware.com. I then composited the Kinemac sun with the Pixel Toy burning effect in Final Cut. It looked great.
For the astrological signs I found a font called Astro Gadget which I used with Kinemac to create some great 3D, shiny, metallic looking symbols. Sometimes they were animated and sometimes just used as part of a still illustration.
For my last video on a new type of swimming pool cover the client had supplied one very nice animation done on a CAD system of his solid tile pool cover sinking to become the bottom of the pool and rising to create a floating cover. Great idea, but that one animation could not tell the whole story - and I had to make an exciting marketing video with no actual covers yet in existence.
Photoshop and Daz3D came to my rescue in creating some stunning stills using existing pool photos, a 3D backyard pool model and my own limited modeling skills. I was even able to throw in a house, some pool-side furniture and a 4 person family using Daz models. This made the pool model look very real.
I created the tiled pool cover for this pool using primitives in Daz3D and animated it rising from the bottom of the pool to the surface with an overturned chair on it. One of the features of this cover is that you can use it to retrieve things that sink to the bottom of the pool.
This last example goes way beyond what an editor is usually asked to do, but because I work alone and hate to have to farm things out I found a way of doing it myself using software that I have purchased and “played with” enough to know how to use it.
Being an editor isn’t just about knowing how to cut and add transitions and basic titles. It’s about being creative and if you are a creative person you’ll find that there’s a universe of fun programs that you can use to expand your capabilities in the editing field.
There are more great editing tips in my video production textbook at:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
Sure, Final Cut, Premier, Avid or any of the other hundred or so editing packages out there will perform many tasks over and above the straight cuts, transitional effects and multiple audio track mixing tasks. But what will you do when a client asks for something that your editing package just can’t accomplish?
You might actually have to farm out part of your job to a company or individual that specializes in what you need but haven’t the expertise or software to accomplish. That’s OK if you have it in the budget to do so.
However, the purpose of this blog is to encourage you to continue to learn and gear up with all of the potentially useful software that you can afford - outside of your main editing package.
Here’s a few examples:
Recently I had occasion to make a video that was an introduction to astrology. Because that kind of thing can be a long, boring “talking head” I really had to beef it up with graphics and animations.
I used a program called Kinemac to create and animate the sun, planets and moons of our solar system. When speaking about Jupiter, for example, an animated visual of Jupiter and its moons would appear on-screen.
Kinemac is a great program that works in real time as you design the animation. I was able to map 3D spheres with actual planet maps that I downloaded from the NASA web site. Fortunately all of their images are copyright free (you have to be careful about what you use that you’ve downloaded from the internet as much of it is, of course, under copyright).
I couldn’t figure out how to make the sun shine like the ball of burning gas that it is, so I used Pixel Toy, a small, free application from Lairware.com. I then composited the Kinemac sun with the Pixel Toy burning effect in Final Cut. It looked great.
For the astrological signs I found a font called Astro Gadget which I used with Kinemac to create some great 3D, shiny, metallic looking symbols. Sometimes they were animated and sometimes just used as part of a still illustration.
For my last video on a new type of swimming pool cover the client had supplied one very nice animation done on a CAD system of his solid tile pool cover sinking to become the bottom of the pool and rising to create a floating cover. Great idea, but that one animation could not tell the whole story - and I had to make an exciting marketing video with no actual covers yet in existence.
Photoshop and Daz3D came to my rescue in creating some stunning stills using existing pool photos, a 3D backyard pool model and my own limited modeling skills. I was even able to throw in a house, some pool-side furniture and a 4 person family using Daz models. This made the pool model look very real.
I created the tiled pool cover for this pool using primitives in Daz3D and animated it rising from the bottom of the pool to the surface with an overturned chair on it. One of the features of this cover is that you can use it to retrieve things that sink to the bottom of the pool.
This last example goes way beyond what an editor is usually asked to do, but because I work alone and hate to have to farm things out I found a way of doing it myself using software that I have purchased and “played with” enough to know how to use it.
Being an editor isn’t just about knowing how to cut and add transitions and basic titles. It’s about being creative and if you are a creative person you’ll find that there’s a universe of fun programs that you can use to expand your capabilities in the editing field.
There are more great editing tips in my video production textbook at:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
How to do Your Own Voice-Overs
Voice-overs (or narration tracks) are something that most aspiring film makers don’t consider until there’s a need for it. They’re also not common to all genres of video programs. However, they may be needed if you’re making a training video, a TV commercial, a documentary or even for dramatic productions if there’s a “storyteller” as part of the sound track.
I’ve done a lot of voice-over work in film and television production and I’ve taught it in the various film and television school programs with which I’ve been associated throughout my career. I’ve also done radio and promotional voice-overs for television when I worked in that industry years ago.
I don’t not have the deep, mellow James Earl Jones / Morgan Freeman type of voice. My voice is very ordinary, but I’ve learned how to use it well. Voice-over work is 50% acting.
There are people who make voice work their entire career. There’s good money in it.
So, here is my list of things you must know to do this well:
1. Imagine you are speaking to a distant audience. Don’t speak to the microphone that is only 4 inches from your mouth, but to an imaginary audience about 10 feet away. When you do this your voice will naturally become clearer and more commanding.
2. Speak clearly and distinctly. Be particularly careful to voice each word and phrase clearly and distinctly - don’t slur your words together. Make sure you speak each word separately.
3. Pronounce each word accurately. Be sure you know the proper pronunciation of each word and can say each word clearly without undue pausing.
4. Use proper microphone techniques:
6. Rehearse. Always rehearse your script as many times as it takes to be comfortable with it. Do this out loud as if you’re being recorded. It’ll help you get the rhythm and tonal qualities of your voice working properly before you record and reduce the number of takes.
7. Make sure you understand what you’re reading. Never read anything out loud that you can’t understand. The audience will be aware of your confusion. It’ll show up in your delivery.
8. Speak with emotion. If the script is about something positive and happy try smiling a bit as you talk. This will also come across to the audience. You gotta do this even if you feel sick, hung over and depressed. It’s an acting gig. The show must go on!
You don’t have to have the most mellow voice in the city to do a good voice-over. You just have to sound confident, speak clearly and don’t rattle it off too quickly.
Want to learn more about digital video production? Go to:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
Voice-overs (or narration tracks) are something that most aspiring film makers don’t consider until there’s a need for it. They’re also not common to all genres of video programs. However, they may be needed if you’re making a training video, a TV commercial, a documentary or even for dramatic productions if there’s a “storyteller” as part of the sound track.
I’ve done a lot of voice-over work in film and television production and I’ve taught it in the various film and television school programs with which I’ve been associated throughout my career. I’ve also done radio and promotional voice-overs for television when I worked in that industry years ago.
I don’t not have the deep, mellow James Earl Jones / Morgan Freeman type of voice. My voice is very ordinary, but I’ve learned how to use it well. Voice-over work is 50% acting.
There are people who make voice work their entire career. There’s good money in it.
So, here is my list of things you must know to do this well:
1. Imagine you are speaking to a distant audience. Don’t speak to the microphone that is only 4 inches from your mouth, but to an imaginary audience about 10 feet away. When you do this your voice will naturally become clearer and more commanding.
2. Speak clearly and distinctly. Be particularly careful to voice each word and phrase clearly and distinctly - don’t slur your words together. Make sure you speak each word separately.
3. Pronounce each word accurately. Be sure you know the proper pronunciation of each word and can say each word clearly without undue pausing.
4. Use proper microphone techniques:
- Don't "pop"the mic. by speaking letters that cause an explosive sound, especially the letter “p”.
- Always stay about 4 - 6 inches from the microphone. Don’t look around or rock back and forth.
- Keep your voice at an even volume and pitch (unless the script calls for a departure from your normal voice).
6. Rehearse. Always rehearse your script as many times as it takes to be comfortable with it. Do this out loud as if you’re being recorded. It’ll help you get the rhythm and tonal qualities of your voice working properly before you record and reduce the number of takes.
7. Make sure you understand what you’re reading. Never read anything out loud that you can’t understand. The audience will be aware of your confusion. It’ll show up in your delivery.
8. Speak with emotion. If the script is about something positive and happy try smiling a bit as you talk. This will also come across to the audience. You gotta do this even if you feel sick, hung over and depressed. It’s an acting gig. The show must go on!
You don’t have to have the most mellow voice in the city to do a good voice-over. You just have to sound confident, speak clearly and don’t rattle it off too quickly.
Want to learn more about digital video production? Go to:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Quick Tips for Video #5
This Quick Tip for Video concentrates on boom mic techniques
More great tips in Mike's Textbook of Digital Video Production at:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
More great tips in Mike's Textbook of Digital Video Production at:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
5 Fields of View
Over the years I’ve spent in film production, television production and teaching in filmmaking school I’ve found that many television directors, crew members and instructors have different interpretations of the concept “field of view”.
The field of view is simply how much of your subject is shown in the frame. In other words, is the shot very close and only showing a part of the subject or is your camera seemingly far away, enabling your audience to see the whole subject and then some?
When I was a television cameraman a director once told me to get a “big shot”. I had no idea what he meant. I thought a “big shot” was the owner of the television station. Turns out what the director wanted was a close up.
One of my colleagues in film and television school once left a list of shot types in my classroom. There were about 10 fields of view written out but there were no diagrams. It was difficult to determine the small differences from one from the other.
When I teach at film and television school, which I’ve done for over 30 years, I list and demonstrate only five fields of view:
1. Extreme Long Shot (abbreviated ELS). This shot is set up so wide that much more than the main subject is seen in the viewfinder. If it is a man standing in a park you would see the whole person, quite small in the frame, with a lot of scenery around him.
2. Long Shot (abbreviated LS). In this shot the subject comfortably fills the frame. For the man standing in a park, you would zoom in so that, while his feet are still visible, there is only a thin strip of land between his feet and the bottom of the frame. Also, head room is just adequate. Most people are not as wide as they are tall (unless they’re very oddly built), so there will be more room at the sides.
3. Medium or Mid Shot (abbreviated MS). Approximately half of the subject is seen in the frame. The bottom frame is just below or just above the waist (it’s not good to cut a person off at a natural joint like the ankles, knees, waist or neck).
4. Close Up (abbreviated CU). Approximately one quarter of the subject is seen - your basic “head and shoulders” shot.
5. Extreme Close Up (abbreviated ECU). Much less that one quarter of the subject is seen. In the example of the man in the park, an ECU might be the very dramatic shot of just his eyes.
Admittedly, although framing is rather subjective, in my professional opinion, to break this list down into more defined shot descriptions would be pointless. When you’re thinking about how to make videos, these five fields of view are all you need to convey your intentions to your audience.
My digital video production textbook is packed with this and much more information on how to make videos. Check it out at:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
The field of view is simply how much of your subject is shown in the frame. In other words, is the shot very close and only showing a part of the subject or is your camera seemingly far away, enabling your audience to see the whole subject and then some?
When I was a television cameraman a director once told me to get a “big shot”. I had no idea what he meant. I thought a “big shot” was the owner of the television station. Turns out what the director wanted was a close up.
One of my colleagues in film and television school once left a list of shot types in my classroom. There were about 10 fields of view written out but there were no diagrams. It was difficult to determine the small differences from one from the other.
When I teach at film and television school, which I’ve done for over 30 years, I list and demonstrate only five fields of view:
1. Extreme Long Shot (abbreviated ELS). This shot is set up so wide that much more than the main subject is seen in the viewfinder. If it is a man standing in a park you would see the whole person, quite small in the frame, with a lot of scenery around him.
2. Long Shot (abbreviated LS). In this shot the subject comfortably fills the frame. For the man standing in a park, you would zoom in so that, while his feet are still visible, there is only a thin strip of land between his feet and the bottom of the frame. Also, head room is just adequate. Most people are not as wide as they are tall (unless they’re very oddly built), so there will be more room at the sides.
3. Medium or Mid Shot (abbreviated MS). Approximately half of the subject is seen in the frame. The bottom frame is just below or just above the waist (it’s not good to cut a person off at a natural joint like the ankles, knees, waist or neck).
4. Close Up (abbreviated CU). Approximately one quarter of the subject is seen - your basic “head and shoulders” shot.
5. Extreme Close Up (abbreviated ECU). Much less that one quarter of the subject is seen. In the example of the man in the park, an ECU might be the very dramatic shot of just his eyes.
Admittedly, although framing is rather subjective, in my professional opinion, to break this list down into more defined shot descriptions would be pointless. When you’re thinking about how to make videos, these five fields of view are all you need to convey your intentions to your audience.
My digital video production textbook is packed with this and much more information on how to make videos. Check it out at:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
Monday, August 23, 2010
5 Rules of Composition
I don’t know about you, but when I’m watching TV or a movie, I react negatively if I see a shot with elements in the frame arranged in a way that looks odd. That’s called composition.
So I’d like to share my 5 “rules of composition” that I use in film production and television production when I set up a shot and adjust as the shot progresses. I say “rules” because you should consider the old saying, “Rules are meant to be broken”. I’d like to add, “. . . if there’s a good reason to”. When learning how to make videos, I’ve noticed that my students in filmmaking school seem to want to break the rules because it is convenient or because they want to make their mark as non-conformists. Not good enough! There has to be a reasonable technical or artistic reason for straying from the proven path or you’re likely going to make your audience uncomfortable with poorly composed shots.
Now, I’ll get off my soap box and lay out my 5 rules:
1. Position the Main Subject. Always consider putting the main subject in the middle of the frame. If there is a definite left, right, front or back to the subject it might be shifted to the right or left, but if, for example, it’s a round flower vase (no right or left) perhaps it should be in the center of the frame if it is to be the only thing in the shot. As soon as you put it to one side you draw attention away from the vase and into the empty space on the other side of the frame. If nothing will ever be introduced in that space, then your audience is left wondering what was supposed to be there when the shot ends. Admittedly, there could be many reasons for ignoring this advice, but make sure you have a definite reason.
2. Set the Headroom. The term headroom refers to the distance between the top of your subject (like a person’s head) and the top of the frame. When it is a human head, it’s disturbing if the top of the head is “cut off” by the top of the frame. As you tighten the shot from a medium shot to a close up to an extreme close, up you will eventually have to sacrifice the top of the head, but in a very close shot that’s acceptable. It’s better composition to keep the chin and loose the top of the head. A good way to think about this is to always have the person’s eyes on the (imaginary) line that defines the top third of the frame. Which leads me to …
3. Use the Rule of Thirds. In your imagination as you view your shot in the viewfinder, divide it into thirds both vertically and horizontally. The most interesting or powerful areas in the frame are where the vertical and horizontal lines intersect. So, for example, if you’re taking a shot of a small wooden church on a distant hill out in the country, you might want to place the church on one of the two intersection points in the top third of the frame. It’ll be a more interesting shot than just centering the church, especially if you see the church in profile (that gives it a sense of back and front).
4. Set the Lead Room. Lead room refers to the space you should put in front of a subject that is looking or moving left to right - or right to left. This can be a person standing still in profile speaking to someone who is off camera, or a car that’s moving as you pan or track with it. It’s common to put more lead room in front of the subject, but not so much that the subject’s back is against the frame behind it. The space in front is more important to the viewer than the space behind.
5. Check the Periphery. The periphery is the part of the shot that is right against the boundaries of the frame. After you’ve framed your shot, but before you roll, you should quickly check the frame all the way around. After your eye has traveled 360 degrees, you should search within the frame as well. It’s sometimes amazing what you find. Often it’ll be things that should not be there during your shot (electrical cords from your lighting, a shadow of the boom mic. or maybe even a person who you don’t want in the shot). A periphery check is very important.
Just as a driver should be constantly aware of other traffic, signs and pedestrians, as a camera operator you should constantly think about the nuances of composition. The results in your digital video production will be worth it!
For more information, check out my digital video production textbook
So I’d like to share my 5 “rules of composition” that I use in film production and television production when I set up a shot and adjust as the shot progresses. I say “rules” because you should consider the old saying, “Rules are meant to be broken”. I’d like to add, “. . . if there’s a good reason to”. When learning how to make videos, I’ve noticed that my students in filmmaking school seem to want to break the rules because it is convenient or because they want to make their mark as non-conformists. Not good enough! There has to be a reasonable technical or artistic reason for straying from the proven path or you’re likely going to make your audience uncomfortable with poorly composed shots.
Now, I’ll get off my soap box and lay out my 5 rules:
1. Position the Main Subject. Always consider putting the main subject in the middle of the frame. If there is a definite left, right, front or back to the subject it might be shifted to the right or left, but if, for example, it’s a round flower vase (no right or left) perhaps it should be in the center of the frame if it is to be the only thing in the shot. As soon as you put it to one side you draw attention away from the vase and into the empty space on the other side of the frame. If nothing will ever be introduced in that space, then your audience is left wondering what was supposed to be there when the shot ends. Admittedly, there could be many reasons for ignoring this advice, but make sure you have a definite reason.
2. Set the Headroom. The term headroom refers to the distance between the top of your subject (like a person’s head) and the top of the frame. When it is a human head, it’s disturbing if the top of the head is “cut off” by the top of the frame. As you tighten the shot from a medium shot to a close up to an extreme close, up you will eventually have to sacrifice the top of the head, but in a very close shot that’s acceptable. It’s better composition to keep the chin and loose the top of the head. A good way to think about this is to always have the person’s eyes on the (imaginary) line that defines the top third of the frame. Which leads me to …
3. Use the Rule of Thirds. In your imagination as you view your shot in the viewfinder, divide it into thirds both vertically and horizontally. The most interesting or powerful areas in the frame are where the vertical and horizontal lines intersect. So, for example, if you’re taking a shot of a small wooden church on a distant hill out in the country, you might want to place the church on one of the two intersection points in the top third of the frame. It’ll be a more interesting shot than just centering the church, especially if you see the church in profile (that gives it a sense of back and front).
4. Set the Lead Room. Lead room refers to the space you should put in front of a subject that is looking or moving left to right - or right to left. This can be a person standing still in profile speaking to someone who is off camera, or a car that’s moving as you pan or track with it. It’s common to put more lead room in front of the subject, but not so much that the subject’s back is against the frame behind it. The space in front is more important to the viewer than the space behind.
5. Check the Periphery. The periphery is the part of the shot that is right against the boundaries of the frame. After you’ve framed your shot, but before you roll, you should quickly check the frame all the way around. After your eye has traveled 360 degrees, you should search within the frame as well. It’s sometimes amazing what you find. Often it’ll be things that should not be there during your shot (electrical cords from your lighting, a shadow of the boom mic. or maybe even a person who you don’t want in the shot). A periphery check is very important.
Just as a driver should be constantly aware of other traffic, signs and pedestrians, as a camera operator you should constantly think about the nuances of composition. The results in your digital video production will be worth it!
For more information, check out my digital video production textbook
Thursday, August 12, 2010
What's in Your Sound Kit?
If you’re shooting a digital video production or a television production that has a very tight script you’ll likely have planned your equipment needs right down to the last cable, adapter and microphone clip for every day of shooting.
If, however, you are shooting documentaries (where you often have no idea what situations you’ll be faced with) or corporate training videos (if your script is less specific) you’ll want to have a good all-around set of equipment in your sound kit. This also applies to your camera kit and your lighting gear, but let’s just concentrate on audio.
Here’s the most important things to have for most shooting situations:
1. A Selection of Microphones. A selection of microphones is nice if you can afford them. It’s a good idea to carry one wireless and two wired lavs. Also, a hand mic. for street interviews and a shotgun - which can also be used as a hand mic. Wind socks for these microphones are also good to have.
2. Shotgun Mic Equipment. If you have a shotgun, you should also pack a pistol grip shock mount for it and a boom pole (often called a fish pole).
3. A Small, Battery Operated Mixer. A small, battery operated mixer will allow you to plug several mics into one input on your camera. A good one that should be sufficient for most situations is a mixer that accepts four sound sources (either microphones or line inputs from playback devices) about the size of a standard, red construction brick (although a lot lighter).
4. A Supply Of Mic. Cables. Of course, if your microphones are not wireless you’ll need a supply of mic. cables. Always take one or two more than you’ll need. You never know when they’ll break down and fixing them is time consuming. One more tip - if all your cables are black, you can identify them by sticking a different color of electrician’s tape on the end of each cable so you’ll know which end goes to which mic.
5. Be Prepared to Fix a Cable. OK - I just suggested that you shouldn’t take time to fix a cable if you can avoid it, but sometimes you have to. Make sure your sound kit includes a small tool kit that has wire strippers, a small soldering iron, solder, electrician’s tape, pliers and a small screw driver set.
6. Bring Spare Batteries. If any of your microphones or mixers use batteries, take several spares of the proper kinds with you.
7. Tying Material. Some sash cord or velcro strips for tying up mic. cables are also good to have.
Try to think of what else you might add to this list, especially if you are going it alone and figuring out how to make videos by yourself.
You can read more about digital video production in my ebook!
If, however, you are shooting documentaries (where you often have no idea what situations you’ll be faced with) or corporate training videos (if your script is less specific) you’ll want to have a good all-around set of equipment in your sound kit. This also applies to your camera kit and your lighting gear, but let’s just concentrate on audio.
Here’s the most important things to have for most shooting situations:
1. A Selection of Microphones. A selection of microphones is nice if you can afford them. It’s a good idea to carry one wireless and two wired lavs. Also, a hand mic. for street interviews and a shotgun - which can also be used as a hand mic. Wind socks for these microphones are also good to have.
2. Shotgun Mic Equipment. If you have a shotgun, you should also pack a pistol grip shock mount for it and a boom pole (often called a fish pole).
3. A Small, Battery Operated Mixer. A small, battery operated mixer will allow you to plug several mics into one input on your camera. A good one that should be sufficient for most situations is a mixer that accepts four sound sources (either microphones or line inputs from playback devices) about the size of a standard, red construction brick (although a lot lighter).
4. A Supply Of Mic. Cables. Of course, if your microphones are not wireless you’ll need a supply of mic. cables. Always take one or two more than you’ll need. You never know when they’ll break down and fixing them is time consuming. One more tip - if all your cables are black, you can identify them by sticking a different color of electrician’s tape on the end of each cable so you’ll know which end goes to which mic.
5. Be Prepared to Fix a Cable. OK - I just suggested that you shouldn’t take time to fix a cable if you can avoid it, but sometimes you have to. Make sure your sound kit includes a small tool kit that has wire strippers, a small soldering iron, solder, electrician’s tape, pliers and a small screw driver set.
6. Bring Spare Batteries. If any of your microphones or mixers use batteries, take several spares of the proper kinds with you.
7. Tying Material. Some sash cord or velcro strips for tying up mic. cables are also good to have.
Try to think of what else you might add to this list, especially if you are going it alone and figuring out how to make videos by yourself.
You can read more about digital video production in my ebook!
Friday, August 6, 2010
6 Tips for Setting Up to Shoot
Shooting is of course the main activity of the production stage of digital video production. In a large film production where you are the camera operator and you have a director, after you’ve mounted the camera on the tripod you’re ready when the director calls for you to roll. Right? Well, not really. There are a few preparations you should be making while the director is still fussing with the talent.
In fact, even if you are thinking about how to make videos by yourself, here’s a list of things you shouldn’t forget to do:
1. Level the Tripod. If your tripod has a built in spirit level, use it. If not, sight the tripod from 2 angles at 45° to each other. For example - from the back of the camera and from one side. Make sure it’s not leaning in any direction.
2. Do a Manual Color Balance. In the lighting conditions under which you’ll be shooting, do a manual color balance for the camera off of a white piece of paper or a proper white card. Automatic color balance is OK sometimes, but to get the best results, you must color balance manually.
3. Check the Sound Level. This should be done with headphones on while watching the VU meters on the camera’s display. If a subject is mic’d up and will be speaking on camera, ask the person to help you set the sound level by speaking at the volume they’ll use when the camera rolls.
4. Check Your Focus. With the camera set to manual focus, zoom in, focus the lens then zoom out. If the focal distance between camera and subject does not change during the shot, doing this will ensure that the focus will always be crisp even as you zoom in or out.
5. Do an Early Slate. When you’re shooting video you don’t have to slate the shot when it is being made. You can do it earlier. So, hold the slate in the lit area, zoom in to a tight shot of it and record for about 5 seconds. Then stop the camera.
6. Frame the Shot. If you know what field of view the director will want for the shot you will be taking, frame it now. If you don’t know what the director will call for, choose a pleasing field of view - frame it up and wait for the director to tell you what is required. Better to have some kind of shot ready rather than wasting time later. It’s more efficient.
Be prepared. You and your director will appreciate it.
Learn more about how to make videos by reading my digital video production textbook.
In fact, even if you are thinking about how to make videos by yourself, here’s a list of things you shouldn’t forget to do:
1. Level the Tripod. If your tripod has a built in spirit level, use it. If not, sight the tripod from 2 angles at 45° to each other. For example - from the back of the camera and from one side. Make sure it’s not leaning in any direction.
2. Do a Manual Color Balance. In the lighting conditions under which you’ll be shooting, do a manual color balance for the camera off of a white piece of paper or a proper white card. Automatic color balance is OK sometimes, but to get the best results, you must color balance manually.
3. Check the Sound Level. This should be done with headphones on while watching the VU meters on the camera’s display. If a subject is mic’d up and will be speaking on camera, ask the person to help you set the sound level by speaking at the volume they’ll use when the camera rolls.
4. Check Your Focus. With the camera set to manual focus, zoom in, focus the lens then zoom out. If the focal distance between camera and subject does not change during the shot, doing this will ensure that the focus will always be crisp even as you zoom in or out.
5. Do an Early Slate. When you’re shooting video you don’t have to slate the shot when it is being made. You can do it earlier. So, hold the slate in the lit area, zoom in to a tight shot of it and record for about 5 seconds. Then stop the camera.
6. Frame the Shot. If you know what field of view the director will want for the shot you will be taking, frame it now. If you don’t know what the director will call for, choose a pleasing field of view - frame it up and wait for the director to tell you what is required. Better to have some kind of shot ready rather than wasting time later. It’s more efficient.
Be prepared. You and your director will appreciate it.
Learn more about how to make videos by reading my digital video production textbook.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Quick Tips for Video #4
This Quick Tip for Video concentrates on three interview setups for documentaries or video journalism.
Learn more at:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
Learn more at:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
Quick Tips for Video #3
This Quick Tip for Video is about staging and shooting a 2 person interview with one camera to make it look like a live, three camera shoot.
Everything you NEED to know to be a professional film maker at:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
Everything you NEED to know to be a professional film maker at:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
What's In Your Lighting Kit?
During the pre-production stage of your digital video production you should consider everything you can for the production and post-production stages. It’s not just a matter of writing a script and running out to shoot. There’s lots of peripheral equipment and supplies that might be needed on a regular basis.
One very important consideration is what your lighting kit should contain on
any given shooting day. Your lighting equipment requirements will likely be
different for each setup and location.
Obviously you’ll need extension cords and lights but different situations may require more fixtures, less fixtures, different wattage ratings for intensity, etc. You’ll have to figure out these variables on your own. When thinking about how to make videos, here are 6 important lighting tips:
1. Always Take Spare Bulbs for your lights in whatever wattage rating you need. Having a bulb go during the shoot with no backup can be a real pain. If you can’t get a replacement in a hurry it could mean you’re done for the day.
2. Bring Good, Heat Resistant Gloves. If your lights have been on for a while and you have to make an adjustment to the fixture, tweak the barn doors or change a bulb, you don’t want to burn your fingers. Good heat resistant gloves will also come in handy when putting in a fresh bulb. You shouldn’t touch the glass of the new bulb because skin oils can cause the bulb to heat up unevenly and it could explode.
3. Bring Lots of Diffusion Screens & Material and Gels. As well as standard color correction gels, a selection of “rock ‘n roll” colors, gels for enhancing skin tones, and neutral density gels can be very useful.
4. Use C-47s as Barn Doors. If the barn doors on your lights don’t have built in clips or frames for gels run down to the dollar store and pick up some C-47s (that’s industry talk for clothes pins). Always use wooden ones. The plastic ones tend to melt.
5. A Tool Kit Can be a Life Saver if the electrical connections in your light fixtures go hay wire. Make sure it has needle nosed and regular pliers, a wire stripper, a small soldering iron with solder, electrical tape and a small screw driver set. The electrical connections in a light fixture are pretty simple for anyone to figure out and fix.
6. Use a Light Meter to Balance Your Lights. An incident light meter is a handy device to make sure your lighting balance is correct. We usually don’t use a reflective meter for digital video production. Regardless of what you use, be sure your meter is capable of determining the amount of light from each fixture. By reading each light separately you can balance your lights for the proper key, fill and back light ratios.
If you aren’t up to snuff on lighting for television production or digital video production you might want to check out my eBook, “Mike’s Textbook of Digital Video Production” at http://www.mikesdvp.com. There’s a large chapter on lighting that covers all the basics and then some.
One very important consideration is what your lighting kit should contain on
any given shooting day. Your lighting equipment requirements will likely be
different for each setup and location.
Obviously you’ll need extension cords and lights but different situations may require more fixtures, less fixtures, different wattage ratings for intensity, etc. You’ll have to figure out these variables on your own. When thinking about how to make videos, here are 6 important lighting tips:
1. Always Take Spare Bulbs for your lights in whatever wattage rating you need. Having a bulb go during the shoot with no backup can be a real pain. If you can’t get a replacement in a hurry it could mean you’re done for the day.
2. Bring Good, Heat Resistant Gloves. If your lights have been on for a while and you have to make an adjustment to the fixture, tweak the barn doors or change a bulb, you don’t want to burn your fingers. Good heat resistant gloves will also come in handy when putting in a fresh bulb. You shouldn’t touch the glass of the new bulb because skin oils can cause the bulb to heat up unevenly and it could explode.
3. Bring Lots of Diffusion Screens & Material and Gels. As well as standard color correction gels, a selection of “rock ‘n roll” colors, gels for enhancing skin tones, and neutral density gels can be very useful.
4. Use C-47s as Barn Doors. If the barn doors on your lights don’t have built in clips or frames for gels run down to the dollar store and pick up some C-47s (that’s industry talk for clothes pins). Always use wooden ones. The plastic ones tend to melt.
5. A Tool Kit Can be a Life Saver if the electrical connections in your light fixtures go hay wire. Make sure it has needle nosed and regular pliers, a wire stripper, a small soldering iron with solder, electrical tape and a small screw driver set. The electrical connections in a light fixture are pretty simple for anyone to figure out and fix.
6. Use a Light Meter to Balance Your Lights. An incident light meter is a handy device to make sure your lighting balance is correct. We usually don’t use a reflective meter for digital video production. Regardless of what you use, be sure your meter is capable of determining the amount of light from each fixture. By reading each light separately you can balance your lights for the proper key, fill and back light ratios.
If you aren’t up to snuff on lighting for television production or digital video production you might want to check out my eBook, “Mike’s Textbook of Digital Video Production” at http://www.mikesdvp.com. There’s a large chapter on lighting that covers all the basics and then some.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
8 Techniques for getting great looking hand-held shots
I have used dozens of makes and models of cameras in my almost 40 years of film production, television production and digital video production. While I usually use a tripod or some other camera stabilizing equipment sometimes the hand-held shot is the best way to go - either because a tripod is unfeasible or you want the “point of view” style. OK, the hand-held look can be stylish but it still bothers me to see a dramatic television production or movie where the actors are standing still but the camera seems to be constantly moving and it looks like the camera operator is very nervous or very tired.
I’ve always encouraged my filmmaking school students to use a tripod or camera stabilizing equipment to keep it from bobbing around like flotsam on a restless ocean. However, there are times, especially during documentary shooting, when a tripod is just not efficient.
Today’s cameras have resulted in the loss of two of the best parts of the camera that can be used to steady the hand-held shot: the side mounted viewfinder pressing against your eye so your head helps steady the camera; and the extra support of the camera on your shoulder. Today’s lighter, smaller cameras and the fact that the diopter (eye piece) viewfinder is often on the rear of the camera have forced us to figure out other ways of keeping our shots from looking like they were shot by Mr. Jack In The Box. When thinking about how to make videos involving hand-held shots, here are eight methods:
1. Use the Diopter Viewfinder. Even if it’s mounted at the back of the camera, pressing it
against your eye will help to steady it.
2. Hold the Camera With Two Hands. One hand will do most of the movement while the other hand (usually holding the camera flat on your palm, just near the lens) will help to keep the camera steady and properly horizontal.
3. When Standing Still Keep Your Feet About 6 - 8 Inches Apart, Legs Straight. If you have to pan further than a few degrees, you can swivel at the waist then carefully use your feet to walk the rotation around.
4. Stand Against any Solid Structure. Interior support pillars, door frames, tall heavy furniture such as a filing cabinet or, when outside, a solid tree, building wall or sign post will help. Sometimes you can even press the camera itself against a solid object.
5. Stand With the Camera Held Under Your Arm Against Your Body. You can do this if the focal distance to the subject is far enough away that lowering your camera won’t be a problem. You’ll be able to see what’s going on in frame by rotating the LCD screen up.
6. Control Your Breath. If you’re breathing hard the motion will cause the camera to move. The opposite is true if you keep your breathing shallow. Often, if I must zoom in, I hold my breath, but only if I know that I’ll be able to zoom out before I’m gasping for air which will show up in the shot.
7. DO NOT ZOOM IN UNLESS NECESSARY. This is most important! As the lens becomes
more and more telephoto the shot will get shakier and shakier. Instead of standing 8 feet from your subject and zooming in for that nice head and shoulders shot, try standing 3 feet away using a wide lens. You’ll still get the shot with less chance of causing motion sickness.
8. Always be Aware of Horizontal and Vertical Lines. When shooting indoors and you can see where the wall meets the floor in your frame - and you’re standing perpendicular to the wall - the horizontal line where wall meets floor should cut across your frame without any discernible slope. If you can’t see the floor maybe you could use the vertical line where two walls meet. If it appears slanted you should correct your shot. Try to get in the habit of constantly checking this during the shot.
Hope this helps make your hand-held shots more professional looking. If you want to learn more, check out my eBook, “Mike’sTextbook of Digital Video Production” at http://www.mikesdvp.com.
I’ve always encouraged my filmmaking school students to use a tripod or camera stabilizing equipment to keep it from bobbing around like flotsam on a restless ocean. However, there are times, especially during documentary shooting, when a tripod is just not efficient.
Today’s cameras have resulted in the loss of two of the best parts of the camera that can be used to steady the hand-held shot: the side mounted viewfinder pressing against your eye so your head helps steady the camera; and the extra support of the camera on your shoulder. Today’s lighter, smaller cameras and the fact that the diopter (eye piece) viewfinder is often on the rear of the camera have forced us to figure out other ways of keeping our shots from looking like they were shot by Mr. Jack In The Box. When thinking about how to make videos involving hand-held shots, here are eight methods:
1. Use the Diopter Viewfinder. Even if it’s mounted at the back of the camera, pressing it
against your eye will help to steady it.
2. Hold the Camera With Two Hands. One hand will do most of the movement while the other hand (usually holding the camera flat on your palm, just near the lens) will help to keep the camera steady and properly horizontal.
3. When Standing Still Keep Your Feet About 6 - 8 Inches Apart, Legs Straight. If you have to pan further than a few degrees, you can swivel at the waist then carefully use your feet to walk the rotation around.
4. Stand Against any Solid Structure. Interior support pillars, door frames, tall heavy furniture such as a filing cabinet or, when outside, a solid tree, building wall or sign post will help. Sometimes you can even press the camera itself against a solid object.
5. Stand With the Camera Held Under Your Arm Against Your Body. You can do this if the focal distance to the subject is far enough away that lowering your camera won’t be a problem. You’ll be able to see what’s going on in frame by rotating the LCD screen up.
6. Control Your Breath. If you’re breathing hard the motion will cause the camera to move. The opposite is true if you keep your breathing shallow. Often, if I must zoom in, I hold my breath, but only if I know that I’ll be able to zoom out before I’m gasping for air which will show up in the shot.
7. DO NOT ZOOM IN UNLESS NECESSARY. This is most important! As the lens becomes
more and more telephoto the shot will get shakier and shakier. Instead of standing 8 feet from your subject and zooming in for that nice head and shoulders shot, try standing 3 feet away using a wide lens. You’ll still get the shot with less chance of causing motion sickness.
8. Always be Aware of Horizontal and Vertical Lines. When shooting indoors and you can see where the wall meets the floor in your frame - and you’re standing perpendicular to the wall - the horizontal line where wall meets floor should cut across your frame without any discernible slope. If you can’t see the floor maybe you could use the vertical line where two walls meet. If it appears slanted you should correct your shot. Try to get in the habit of constantly checking this during the shot.
Hope this helps make your hand-held shots more professional looking. If you want to learn more, check out my eBook, “Mike’sTextbook of Digital Video Production” at http://www.mikesdvp.com.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Quick Tips for Video #2
In this Quick Tip I list 6 steps you should take AFTER mounting the camera on the tripod to prepare for your shoot.
Want more great tips? Check out:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
Want more great tips? Check out:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Quick Tips for Video #1
A quick instructional video on how to make your hand held video shots steadier.
Learn more at:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
Learn more at:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
Thursday, July 15, 2010
5 Important Tips for Shooting Your Video
In digital video production, there are 5 key things you should consider while packing your camera gear and shooting your video. There are actually several hundred things I could cite, but I’ve chosen five that many people forget when thinking about how to make videos.
1. Pack a Separate Bag (usually called a “ditty bag”) of camera-related materials including:
2. Go Over the Shots you’re going to make to be sure you pack all the equipment you need, but not a bunch of gack you won’t require. It’s amazing how much equipment can be left in the truck all day because it isn’t needed. Conversely, you don’t want to leave the doorway dolly at home-base if you’re going to need it on location.
3. Identify a Staging Area. When you arrive at your location choose a “staging area” – a place where all your equipment can be safely stored. You take equipment from here when you use it and put it back when you don’t need it.
This area should be:
4. If you’re using only a small light kit (or two) at a location that only has standard power outlets you should be aware of some basic electrical theory. For example, if your kit includes two 1000 Watt lamps and one 600 Watt lamp, how many can you plug into the same circuit without blowing a breaker? Here’s an excerpt from my digital production textbook: North American power is 110 to 120 Volts and most outlets are 15 Amps. Since you already know the wattage of your lamps the formula is:
Total Wattage of Lamps / Voltage of Power Supply = Amperage Required
If the answer exceeds 20 amps then you cannot do it. For instance, two 1000 Watt lamps equals 2000 Watts. So, 2000/120 = 16.66 Amps. If you divide by 110 the answer is even worse (18.18 Amps). In short . . . you can’t plug two 1000 Watt lamps into the same receptacle without tripping a breaker. You’d be better off plugging one 1000 Watt and one 600 Watt into each receptacle (1600/110 = 14.54 Amps).
5. Pack Extra Light Bulbs. Always pack extra light bulbs for your fixtures. They seem to last forever, but are bound to blow when you need them most.
This is all basic filmmaking school stuff, but it’s amazing how easy it is for even seasoned professionals to forget these important things. I often do myself.
There are many more tips about how to make videos.
Check out my book of digital video production
In the meantime, I hope these tips help make your shoot easier.
1. Pack a Separate Bag (usually called a “ditty bag”) of camera-related materials including:
- A slate. I make mine out of a piece of stiff cardboard with a slate face printed on paper and glued to one side. I cover this with celluloid material and use a dry-erase marker to mark the slate and a paper towel to erase it. If the celluloid gets worn I can easily replace it. The slate doesn’t need a clapper stick on top if you’re recording audio only to your camera.
- A lens cleaning kit - lens cleaning fluid, lens cleaning tissue and a squeeze bulb with a soft brush attached to it to dust off the lens.
- A pen to write on the tape label. Hey, it’s easy to forget!
- rain jacket for your camera (not often needed in an indoor location unless the sprinkler system triggers).
- Perhaps some lens filters or a close-up attachment.
- Anything else you decide are camera-related necessities that won’t fit in the camera case itself.
2. Go Over the Shots you’re going to make to be sure you pack all the equipment you need, but not a bunch of gack you won’t require. It’s amazing how much equipment can be left in the truck all day because it isn’t needed. Conversely, you don’t want to leave the doorway dolly at home-base if you’re going to need it on location.
3. Identify a Staging Area. When you arrive at your location choose a “staging area” – a place where all your equipment can be safely stored. You take equipment from here when you use it and put it back when you don’t need it.
This area should be:
- On the floor. If you put things on tables, chairs or shelves eventually something will be knocked off and it’ll end up on the floor anyway . . . likely broken.
- Out of the way of general traffic. You don’t want people tripping over your stuff.
- Guarded in some way. If you can’t afford to leave a crew member with the equipment to guard it then your staging area should be as close to your shooting area as possible yet still on the floor and out of the way.
4. If you’re using only a small light kit (or two) at a location that only has standard power outlets you should be aware of some basic electrical theory. For example, if your kit includes two 1000 Watt lamps and one 600 Watt lamp, how many can you plug into the same circuit without blowing a breaker? Here’s an excerpt from my digital production textbook: North American power is 110 to 120 Volts and most outlets are 15 Amps. Since you already know the wattage of your lamps the formula is:
Total Wattage of Lamps / Voltage of Power Supply = Amperage Required
If the answer exceeds 20 amps then you cannot do it. For instance, two 1000 Watt lamps equals 2000 Watts. So, 2000/120 = 16.66 Amps. If you divide by 110 the answer is even worse (18.18 Amps). In short . . . you can’t plug two 1000 Watt lamps into the same receptacle without tripping a breaker. You’d be better off plugging one 1000 Watt and one 600 Watt into each receptacle (1600/110 = 14.54 Amps).
5. Pack Extra Light Bulbs. Always pack extra light bulbs for your fixtures. They seem to last forever, but are bound to blow when you need them most.
This is all basic filmmaking school stuff, but it’s amazing how easy it is for even seasoned professionals to forget these important things. I often do myself.
There are many more tips about how to make videos.
Check out my book of digital video production
In the meantime, I hope these tips help make your shoot easier.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Be a “Jack-Of-All-Trades” and master them all!
When I began my film production career I was only about 10 years old.
• Second, I think of my projects as artistic endeavors and myself as the artist. That just makes it darn fun!
• Third, I’m a cheap son-of-a-gun! Why pay someone else to do something I can do quite well?
Recently I produced a freebie documentary for the Richmond Artists Guild, documenting
their efforts to create large paintings of speed skaters to become part of a display at
Richmond City Hall during the 2010 Winter Olympics. It was my contribution to the Guild, the City of Richmond who hosted the display at City Hall, Speed Skating Canada and the Olympics themselves. Also - not bad for the old portfolio.
My job was to concoct a documentary showing the process from sketching through painting in the studio to the judging and final selection of paintings that would be part of the display, which also included antique and modern skates, skating suits and historical information.
To get back to the “Jack of All Trades” theme, here are all the hats I had to wear to
complete this project:
1. Production Coordinator - consulting with Speed Skating Canada and members of the
life drawing group, lining up shooting dates in artist’s studios, determining who needed to be interviewed on camera, getting
all those pesky release forms signed, etc.
2. Script Writer - because I was alone with this project and I’m experienced enough to do so, the script was never written down. I
designed the flow and kept that in mind while shooting.
3. Camera Operator - mostly hand-held at which I’m fortunately skilled. I did, however, use a tripod to interview artists in their
studios.
4. Interviewer - from behind the camera.
5. Lighting Technician - only one light was used in the artist’s studios - the rest was shot under available light, so this wasn’t
much of a challenge.
6. Sound Technician - not much of a challenge as most sound was recorded with the on-camera mic. and only a few interviews were
done with a single wireless lapel mic..
7. General Editing - including standard transitions, titles, lower thirds, etc. I don’t want to make this sound easy as this was
the lion’s share of the work and is where all the creative decisions are made.
8. Animation - key frame animations of still images and titles.
9. Music Composition and Production - OK, my mother was a musician and music teacher. With that advantage I often compose, arrange
and perform my own music (remember, I’m a cheap turkey who doesn’t like to pay anyone for things I can do myself.
10. Voice-Over Narrator - my father was a radio personality before he got into TV. He had a great voice and he taught me to use
mine when I entered radio as a young man. I’ve narrated literally thousands of programs and been MC for live events.
11. Designing Graphics for the DVD label.
12. Authoring the DVD - this one was fairly easy, but this often involves chapters, multiple programs and lots of menu links.
Boy, did my head get hot under all those hats. As this was a freebie I had no choice . . .
I had to do it all myself. But it was the most fun I’ve had in years!
I’m currently learning all I can about 3D illustration and animation, the creation of motion
backgrounds and other special effects and expanding my knowledge of the documentary genre. If you really want to become a consummate filmmaker you must learn all you can about every aspect of the art of film production.
To that end, I’ve spent a year and a half writing a textbook that contains all of the course
material I’ve used teaching at filmmaking school over the last 30+ years. If you’re interested in learning to be a true indy filmmaker check out my book on digital video production at:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
My father saw to it that I had an 8mm movie camera, a film splicer/viewer and access to his projector. He made film commercials for the television station he worked for and taught me a lot about the film production and television production processes. But I had to learn a lot of it on my own since I never had the opportunity to go to a filmmaking school or film and television school. That’s why I call myself a “Jack Of All Trades” in the audio visual and film production business. I’ve also mastered a great many of the associated skills.
A lot of things changed over the years. The technologies changed - Power Point presentations instead of slide shows and overheads, for example. The main difference today is we now do digital video production instead of film and video editing production on a computer with non-linear editing software. Client’s needs have changed too so I decided to specialize in my first love – film production.
While I do hire crew as needed from time to time, over the years I honed some very specific skills that allow me to take on all or most of the roles involved in digital video production. I usually try to do as much of the technical work myself as I can. The reason for this is three-fold.
• First, it allows me creative control of the whole project (within my client’s guidelines of course).
A lot of things changed over the years. The technologies changed - Power Point presentations instead of slide shows and overheads, for example. The main difference today is we now do digital video production instead of film and video editing production on a computer with non-linear editing software. Client’s needs have changed too so I decided to specialize in my first love – film production.
While I do hire crew as needed from time to time, over the years I honed some very specific skills that allow me to take on all or most of the roles involved in digital video production. I usually try to do as much of the technical work myself as I can. The reason for this is three-fold.
• First, it allows me creative control of the whole project (within my client’s guidelines of course).
• Second, I think of my projects as artistic endeavors and myself as the artist. That just makes it darn fun!
• Third, I’m a cheap son-of-a-gun! Why pay someone else to do something I can do quite well?
Recently I produced a freebie documentary for the Richmond Artists Guild, documenting
their efforts to create large paintings of speed skaters to become part of a display at
Richmond City Hall during the 2010 Winter Olympics. It was my contribution to the Guild, the City of Richmond who hosted the display at City Hall, Speed Skating Canada and the Olympics themselves. Also - not bad for the old portfolio.
My job was to concoct a documentary showing the process from sketching through painting in the studio to the judging and final selection of paintings that would be part of the display, which also included antique and modern skates, skating suits and historical information.
To get back to the “Jack of All Trades” theme, here are all the hats I had to wear to
complete this project:
1. Production Coordinator - consulting with Speed Skating Canada and members of the
life drawing group, lining up shooting dates in artist’s studios, determining who needed to be interviewed on camera, getting
all those pesky release forms signed, etc.
2. Script Writer - because I was alone with this project and I’m experienced enough to do so, the script was never written down. I
designed the flow and kept that in mind while shooting.
3. Camera Operator - mostly hand-held at which I’m fortunately skilled. I did, however, use a tripod to interview artists in their
studios.
4. Interviewer - from behind the camera.
5. Lighting Technician - only one light was used in the artist’s studios - the rest was shot under available light, so this wasn’t
much of a challenge.
6. Sound Technician - not much of a challenge as most sound was recorded with the on-camera mic. and only a few interviews were
done with a single wireless lapel mic..
7. General Editing - including standard transitions, titles, lower thirds, etc. I don’t want to make this sound easy as this was
the lion’s share of the work and is where all the creative decisions are made.
8. Animation - key frame animations of still images and titles.
9. Music Composition and Production - OK, my mother was a musician and music teacher. With that advantage I often compose, arrange
and perform my own music (remember, I’m a cheap turkey who doesn’t like to pay anyone for things I can do myself.
10. Voice-Over Narrator - my father was a radio personality before he got into TV. He had a great voice and he taught me to use
mine when I entered radio as a young man. I’ve narrated literally thousands of programs and been MC for live events.
11. Designing Graphics for the DVD label.
12. Authoring the DVD - this one was fairly easy, but this often involves chapters, multiple programs and lots of menu links.
Boy, did my head get hot under all those hats. As this was a freebie I had no choice . . .
I had to do it all myself. But it was the most fun I’ve had in years!
I’m currently learning all I can about 3D illustration and animation, the creation of motion
backgrounds and other special effects and expanding my knowledge of the documentary genre. If you really want to become a consummate filmmaker you must learn all you can about every aspect of the art of film production.
To that end, I’ve spent a year and a half writing a textbook that contains all of the course
material I’ve used teaching at filmmaking school over the last 30+ years. If you’re interested in learning to be a true indy filmmaker check out my book on digital video production at:
http://www.mikesdvp.com
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