… for Random Weirdness

Tip #422: 4 Tips to Researching Your Topic

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

All documentaries benefit from as much research as possible.

This article, written by Tanner Shinnick, first appeared in PremiumBeat. This is an excerpt.

Research is essential to any documentary. Strong research ensures a successful and captivating documentary film. Here are some resources to consider as you research your own projects.

Academic Research Papers.
Academic research papers are wonderful tools for documentarians. Chances are that there are academic research papers out there about your topic. A simple Google search or thumbing through references on Wikipedia can uncover many of them.

Larry adds: Recently, I’ve started using Bookends as a research and bibliography database. It can be very helpful in finding and organizing academic sources.

Newspapers.
I find newspapers extremely valuable documentary research resource. If the paper you’re looking for isn’t digitized, you could always visit the publication’s local library where you can view the slides or microfilm.

First-Hand Accounts.
Research interviews can uncover a lot of information about a subject or topic. By simply allotting time to chat with key subjects about a topic, you can uncover valuable information that may not be available online or in books.

Archival Footage or Photos.
AStrong research ensures a successful and captivating documentary film.rchival footage or photos can provide contextual visual information to your film.Here are some resources to consider.

… for Random Weirdness

Tip #424: 3 Tips for Lighting Different Skin tones

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Different skin tones require changes to our lighting.

This article, wriiten by Rubidium Wu, first appeared in PremiumBeat. This is an excerpt.

Lighting different skin tones in the same scene is really tough. Here are some tricks to consider.

If the talents’ skin tones are different, but not radically so, you can usually get away with placing the darker skinned person closer to the key light, keeping the light close to the talent. Because of the inverse square law, exposure falls off quickly when it’s near a source of light, then more slowly as it gets further away.

Zones of Light. By bringing in a flag or cutter close to the actor so that more of the key hits the darker skinned actor than the lighter skinned actor, you effectively create two zones of lighting — one brighter than the other. The actors will need to stay on their marks, if they’re to be correctly lit.

Negative Lighting. If you’re outdoors, or utilizing some other source of bright light, you can use exposure for the darker skin, and use scrims or negative fill to take light away from the brighter skin. This is a trick also used by corporate headshot photographers who want to stop white shirts from being overexposed. They put a double net scrim (which takes away a stop of light) on its own C-stand (or light stand), and use it to shade the bright area. If the scrim is close enough to the light, it won’t create a visible shadow in the shot.

Fill. It’s no good to light just one side of your talent’s face. You also need to light the darker side so that it doesn’t fall off into dark shadow.
The fill light doesn’t need to be as big as the key, it just needs to be more controlled. I’ve had the most success using a 1×1 or 2×1 with a 45 degree grid. This means you can aim it at just the location you want, and it should fill only the area you need lighter. You may have to pan the light away so that no light is hitting the lighter skin, and you may also need to add more negative fill off camera so that the light, once it’s lit your desired area, doesn’t bounce everywhere and bring up the levels over the whole room.

… for Random Weirdness

Tip #420: Shoot Better Vertical Video

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

This article, written by Rubidium Wu, first appeared in PremiumBeat.com. This is an excerpt.

“Vertical” and “Cinematic” are two words that don’t belong together. But, all too often, we need to convert a 16:9 masterpiece into a 9:16 deliverable. How?

You have three options:

1. The Post Method. In post-production, the video editor creates a 608 x 1080 center cut of the final production. The problem is that the framing feels claustrophobic and much of the image gets lost.
2. Flip the Camera. A better solution is to flip the camera 90° and record a second take. This provides better framing, but requires more storage and more time spent editing, since you now have two separate programs to cut. This also assumes you get the same performance from your actors for each version.
3. Stacked cameras. If you don’t have time for re-takes, you’ll need two cameras operating at the same time.

   If you don’t want to (or can’t) do additional takes, you’ll need to record horizontal and vertical versions simultaneously. This could mean having a second camera right next to your A camera that’s showing vertically, or to attach another camera to the main camera and roll on both at the same time.

   The best practice is to add another camera person to do the operating, and to sync the second camera via timecode so that the editor can edit both as one.

   Since clients are often reluctant to foot the bill for the extra manpower, attaching a camera to the side of the A camera’s cage works pretty well, if the operator doesn’t have to focus it during a shot and can keep the settings unified.

There’s no perfect solution, but at least you have options because vertical video will be with us for a long, long time.

… for Random Weirdness

Tip #368: 12 Tips for Better Locations

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Think About Your Location Before You Start Shooting

This article, written by Lewis McGregor, first appeared in PremiumBeat. This is an excerpt.

Picking the right location can make all the difference for your film. Here is a list of 12 tips to consider, from The Guerrilla Film Makers Pocketbook, when trying to find the right location on a budget.

1. Shooting on location can be a significant advantage, as you will have to do minimal set work, merely dressing.
2. Space can be a major problem, as even the biggest of rooms will become sardine-like with a full crew.
3. Shooting outdoors can be a problem, as there is no way to control the weather.
4. Always try and get permission to shoot wherever you intend to be. Sometimes, if you do foresee problems, it is best to dash in, shoot, and get out as quick as possible. If someone turns up to find out what is happening, try and get them interested and involved, and claim complete ignorance.
5. Getting to and from difficult locations can be very costly in terms of time. One-hour traveling is one hour less shooting.
6. Use movement orders. This is a piece of paper with a photocopied map (the route picked out with highlighter pen), explicit directions, and mobile phone numbers for those who get lost.
7. Facilities for the crew on location can be a problem. Your crew needs a place to eat and sit, as well as a toilet. You can’t ask your star to squat in the bushes.
8. Closing down streets is difficult. The police will be as helpful as they can, but they have crimes to stop and don’t relish the thought of holding the hand of a new producer.
9. When choosing a location, don’t forget the sound.
10. Film crews trash locations. Clean up after yourself, leave muddy boots outside, ban smoking inside, etc.. Remember, you may need to return to the location if there is a problem.
11. Think creatively. Many locations can double for several different parts of your story. This will minimize the time you waste moving between places.
12. Beware of the cool location that is impossible to either light or get cameras into. Buildings with big windows cause lighting problems, turrets with narrow stairwells are tough for carrying kits, and anywhere in big cities will cost you in simply parking alone.