Fimmaker in need; SOS

[andrew litvak]

Ok; so heres my situation; through good fortune and a lot of spent savings; ive recieved q new dvx100B and will have 1 month to shoot a documentary in coppenhagen on graffiti: So this is an open call for all of the first time mistakes that you wish you could have avoided: I am looking for advice; technical or general; that could help me make the movie I have in my head onto the screen: nothing is too big or small: please; I need all the help I can get

[Shane Bartlett]

Ok; so heres my situation; through good fortune and a lot of spent savings; ive recieved q new dvx100B and will have 1 month to shoot a documentary in coppenhagen on graffiti: So this is an open call for all of the first time mistakes that you wish you could have avoided: I am looking for advice; technical or general; that could help me make the movie I have in my head onto the screen: nothing is too big or small: please; I need all the help I can get

 

 

 

I am only a student, but my first real project was a short documentary shot with the dvx100a. While it turned out fairly well, I had my share of problems.

 

Sound. Get a decent sound kit (and someone to monitor and run it if possible). I've found that the mic attachment works well for interviews, but it is difficult to pay attention to framing/exposure/focus AND monitor the sound while in the field.

 

In my experience the DVX100B (which I now use) occasionally picks up signal noise from any nearby towers. You definitely want to notice sound problems before you hit the editing room.

 

My doc experience was completely live--no time to ask people to repeat things, and I often had to start recording while still adjusting white balance, exposure, focus. I had good sound for these moments, but image was less than satisfying at the beginning of these clips. If your conditions will be the same, I recommend that you shoot enough B-roll type footage to lay under your audio.

 

Last--watch the recrod button. It is very easy to unknowingly press it and start recording. If you're not careful, you'll end up pressing it again--placing the camera in standby when you think you're actually recording. Not fun.

 

 

Hope it goes well.

 

--Shane