Documentary

[MarlonT]

Hey, i'm a student right now, and i'm planning on doing a documentary using a Mini DV camera. If anybody can tell me how i should go about making a documentary i would appreciate it. What is a good camera for a documentary? I'm thinking about getting an HD camera, but i'm not sure what would be best.

[Marcel Zyskind]

Hi

 

Check ut this website. It's great.

 

http://alanbarker.com

 

He is very informative.

 

All the best

Marcel

[MarlonT]

Hi

 

Check ut this website. It's great.

 

http://alanbarker.com

 

He is very informative.

 

All the best

Marcel

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Thanks much!

[drew_town]

The Sony PD170 is a very popular choice for dv documentaries. It's small, light, easily adjusted, and can shoot some decent footage on the fly. I prefer other cameras for different shoots but the Sony's a good one for docs.

[Thomas Zettisch]

Hello.

 

I've shot a short documentary on a Panasonic DVX100a not too long ago. Being the only crew member, I had to record sound with the mic monuted on the camera. If you'll be doing the same, I suggest testing how much noise the mic picks up when you operate the camera handheld or on a tripod. Coming strickly from a camera background, I had to adapt my handling of the camera and tripod to eliminate all the "noise" I was making:

 

The mic picked up every time I adjusted my grip on the handle, footsteps near the tripod, and any physical contact with the tripod or camera, however gentle. By the end, and after long hours of meditation and chanting, I developed a somewhat successful Zen-like relationship with the camera. :blink: Use the Force, Luke!

 

- Thomas