Occupy Philadelphia: Starving Myself to Death. An interview on covering a hunger strike in support of ending corporate greed during the 2011 Occupy Philadelphia protests.

Occupy Philadelphia: Money Is Wrong. An interview on wealth redistribution and money during the 2011 Occupy Philadelphia protests.

Occupy Philadelphia: Bernanke China Interview. An interview on the US debt and China during the 2011 Occupy Philadelphia protests.

The iPad is a wonderful personal productivity, entertainment, and still photography too, but now for filmmaking as well. We often forget the best advice given on the subject of cameras, “The best camera is the one you have with you.” It is equally true now for videography, just as it was then for still photography. The iPad can comfortably help the social documentarian capture those moments, no matter where you go.

However, the iPad as a film tool is very different from traditional cameras. It lack any real depth of field (DOF), is very light weight (often making video shaky), fixed aperture and shutter (you must live within the given lighting conditions), and limited to 720p/30fps. So, you need to think ahead when using the iPad as a social filmmaking tool.

A Few Tips to Consider:

>> Hold the iPad with both hands and position it to the left/right of your center, just under your chin. This creates a tradition off axis interview that is fairly stable. Trying to hold the iPad at head level is very awkward, inducing lots of motion as well as making the interviewee feel uncomfortable.

>> Start recording before you start the actual interview. Electrons are pretty cheap these days, so using the extra footage is not going to cost you anything. The worst thing to happen, during that once in a lifetime interview, is to miss that great initial comment because you did not press the red start button in time.

>> Make sure you get 30-60 sec of background sound. In post, you will need to cover some of the edit with audio, so take the minute and roll some extra footage to capture the ambient sound.

>> Stabilize your footage in post. Once you comp the scene into place, stabilize it. We often don’t have the luxury, or equipment, to put the iPad on a tripod and even the sturdiest of hands will still induce some motion. Take the 5 min in post to stabilize the shots. I use the Stabilization algorithm in After Effects CS 5.5, which produces great results out of the box.

>> Use an external microphone, if practical. This is a luxury I plan for whenever possible. The iPad audio is pretty good, but piping in a shotgun or lavaliere mic will make the interview even better.

>> Clean up the audio in post. If you can’t use an external mic, then do some post audio clean up one of your favor audio tools. I use Adobe Audition since it is integrated with Premiere Pro and has excellent spectral touchup tools.

>> Field edit with iMovie. Don’t be afraid to review you dailies and create a few edits in the field with iMovie. While I would not necessarily cut my final documentary in iMovie (some have…very interesting), it is a great field tool to review footage and cut out the junk. So take advantage of the time between protests.

>> Add DOF in post. Lack of DOF is a dead giveaway with it come to creating a film look. Cameras like the Canon 7D and Red Epic have it, while iPads and iPhones do not. Not to worry, because you can create a virtual DOF in post by adding a masked lens blur. In After Effects, this is a simple as creating an adjustment layer, adding a camera lens blur, and creating an animated mask around the subject.

I recently put all these tips into play during the Occupy Philadelphia protest. With iPad in hand, armed with my three core questions (who are you, why are you here, and what do you want to change), I produce a few interviews capturing the moment. Please check out Occupy Philadelphia: Money is Wrong.

So, what is missing? Do you have any tips and experiences as it relates to smartphone (iPad/iPhone) filmmaking? Is so, please leave a comment.

Just when I though we were at the end of the discussion on Interview Techniques, along comes a whole lot of new ideas.  Please make sure you follow the details in our LinkedIn Discussion.

Previous Posts:

Interview Techniques for Documentary and Social Filmmakers

Interview Techniques – The Documentary Filmmakers Handbook

Interview Techniques for Social Filmmakers – Web Resources

Interview Techniques for Social Filmmakers – Peer Dialogue

Interviewing Techniques for Social Filmmakers – Part 2

Interview Techniques for Social Filmmakers

Links to Web Threads:

Documentarians – Over 20 contributors and 93 plus comments

Documentary Filmmakers Group – 10 contributors and 15 comments

In addition to these comments, I would ask you to think about some technical difference that might be important, depending on your production/post-production pipeline:

>> Subsampling Model (4:2:2, 4:2:0) – 4:2:0 does not do well in green/blue screen environment – too much noise. If you plan on doing a lot of post effects, then go with 4:2:2 or better.

SIDE BAR: For those interested in seeing the difference between 4:2:0 and 4:2:2, at least on a Canon 7D, check out this demo by Patrick Tong.

>> Chipsets (CMOS): DSLR CMOS chipsets (e.g., Canon 5D, 7D, etc) induce more noise over time since they are not designed to run continuously. Take a look a the first frame and compare it to 30 mins of on/off/on/off operations, significant visual difference in noise in mostly the blue channels. 

>> Operations: Check to see if there are recording length limitations. For example, Canon has a 12 min (actually a 29min 59 sec bases on keeping it out of the video production class – different EU tax structure). In the 12 min case, it is based on reaching a 4GB storage limit. 

>> Bit Depth: 8bit vs. 10bit vs. 12bit – All the cameras you picked are 8 bits. 10 bit (Cineon) and 12 bit (DPX) offer a lot of recording latitude (more stops). 

>> Codecs: MPEG – not edit friendly since it does not store all the luminance/color data in a single frame (delta frame). ProRes – uses a different intra frame MPEG that is user friendly. MOV (H.264) – compression artifacts. RAW, CINERA, ARRI RAW – lots of data to work with, very edit friendly 

>> Depth of Field: DOF is our friend and adds tremendous dynamics to a scene that can be capture in camera. The Canon 7D, with a fast lens, has great dof control. Other cameras may need external adaptors (Redrock Micro, etc.) or post-production processing.

For example, in think about whether a DSLR camera is right for recording a documentary, I would go back to the nature of the documentary itself – production (where will it be filmed), post-production (how will it be made), and venue (where will it be shown). If you need to post/distribute with lots of high quality color with lots of latitude (4:2:2 and 10/12 bits), then DSLRs are not a good fit (more the realm of a Red camera). If you can live with high quality color and modest latitude (4:2:2 and 8 bits), using a DSLR with a nanoFlash type transcode storage drive is great. On the other hand, if you can get by with modest color and latitude (4:2:0 and 8 bits), then you can shoot with just an DSLR or even an iPhone.

Once the color and latitude are thought through, other cinematographic characteristics should be reviewed. DOF, being one of that is often overlooked, is a core strength of the DSLR (through a fast lens). Being able to control what is being focused on in camera through DOF is preferable over doing adjustments (lens blurs) in post (it is cheaper and better quality). So, sticking with a pretty good, like weight, mobile rig with high quality color and great latitude could be a DSLR + nanoFlash. But, there are lots of combinations you can choose, once one gets out of the one camera vs another discussion. For example, grab a Canon Vixia HF20 and add a nanoFlash recorder => 4.2.2 color (great), still 8 bits (ok), 24p (awesome), aperture priority (quasi-dof, not bad, but not great).

So, the point I am trying to make through the last few exchanges is that you need to define the production pipeline (codec, chroma, etc.) and pick the camera/storage best suited for it, rather than the other way around. In the end, as a compositor, one doesn’t care what you shot the scene in. However, they do care about the quality of the color, range of latitude, and keeping them away from non I-frame codec so that I limit making cuts natively. Make sense?

Those that know me will contest that I tend to take a lot of notes, from sourcing locations to evaluating technology. I do so because I truly believe that to remember is to record. This quote, “I’m not writing it down to remember it later. I’m writing it down to remember it now” really put this practice into perspective for me. As such, most of my field notes never see the light of day, not even for me. Field Notes is designed to change this.

I want to get more of these short relevant conversations into a larger discussion. The ones that are briefly scribbled into the pages of my journal.  Full articles are still very important, since they provide a source of thoughtful analysis based on some level of sharable research. However, pulling together a meaningful article that is actionable take time; time well spent, but time nevertheless.

A Field Note, on the other hand, is more of that “top of mind” or “white board” discussion that we often have. The content is designed to be directional right; that is, more right than wrong. All in all, field notes by there design should engender some level of “interesting” moment for the reader and ultimately become the basis for further activity.

A note on the format… While most of the initial Field Notes will be written, I do plan on doing some video field notes as well (vField Notes). It’s an experiment that I hope will add clarity and fun to otherwise dry subjects. We’ll see.

T

Located nearby the University of Virginia and tucked in behind a number of bars, the assortment of overeducated attendants who work at The Corner Parking Lot have to deal with throngs of drunken frat boys, vandals, and SUV-driving jerks who either take off without paying or fight them over sums as low as $0.40. Fortunately in this establishment the normally agreed upon rules of customer service don’t exist. Disrespect the staff and face the consequences. 

In what becomes a discourse on American life, these overeducated parking attendants wax profoundly about car culture and capitalism, seek vengeance against entitled patrons and thieves, and make fun of drunken jerks.

If the intersection between the status quo and the quest for freedom is their ultimate challenge, could a slab of asphalt be an emotional way station for The American Dream?

Make sure to check out Live The Dream Films for other documentaries and Social Filmmaking activities.

There is a wealth of information contained in the thread discussions (below), I certainly have learned a lot and hope you did as well. I am working on distilling everyone thoughts into a summary document that will be post soon. Until then.

Previous Posts:

Interview Techniques – The Documentary Filmmakers Handbook

Interview Techniques for Social Filmmakers – Web Resources

Interview Techniques for Social Filmmakers – Peer Dialogue

Interviewing Techniques for Social Filmmakers – Part 2

Interview Techniques for Social Filmmakers

Links to Web Threads:

Documentarians – Over 15 contributors and 83 plus comments

Documentary Filmmakers Group – 5 contributors and 15 comments

Act I:0 -25% duration) The Problem – The protagonist’s (subject’s) life before some significant event, with the introduction of the antagonist;

Plot Point 1) Some significant event occurs that challenges the subject, typically introduced by the antagonist;

Act II: 25-75% duration ) The Journey – How the subject deals with the event, the ups and downs, the ins and outs, lots of tension, lots of failures – the battle between the protagonist and antagonist;

Plot Point 2) The subject sees the resolution to the problem;

Act III: 75-95% duration) How the subject finally overcame and conquered the problem, betting the antagonist;

Finale:95-100%) The subjects new life after overcoming everything.

You can see this approach used in numerous documentaries, The King of Kong – Fistful of Quarters being just one great example. The first quarter of the documentary is mostly about Steve Wiebe’s life prior to his scoring a Donkey Kong recorder (act 1), which was disallowed (plot point 1). Act II, the middle, follows the battle between Steve and Billy Mitchell (record holder) through their ups and down. Finally, Steve decided to take on Billy in public (plot point 2). The final battle (act III) is all about this big Donkey Kong event. No spoiler, you need to watch it to see how it turns out.

So, this Aristotelian approach works. But are there other formats that work just as well?

The King of Kong – Fistful of Quarters: A middle-school science teacher and a hot sauce mogul vie for the Guinness World Record on the arcade classic, Donkey Kong. Steve and Billy engaged in a cross-country duel to see who could set the high score and become The King of Kong. Along the way, both men learned valuable lessons about what it means to be a father, a husband, and a true champion discovering that you don’t always need to win to be a winner.

Make sure to check out Live The Dream Films for other documentaries and Social Filmmaking activities.

As part of an ongoing discussion investigating best practices in documentary filmmaking; for this thread, I would like to explore planning. When making a documentary that is not driven by a script, what are the necessary pre-production and production activities (without which you would fail)? Here are a few that I have initially found:

1. Develop a general description of the project – log line, concept (title, length, format, etc.), narrative (where significance is discussed), external approvals (support), activities, and needs. Here is a key example: Redemption:Transforming Lives through the Humane Society of Knox County (http://tinyurl.com/28ob495)

2. Identify who should be interviewed – major and minor players, direct and indirect, inside the industry and out. Brainstorm list (wish list), essential list (without which there is not a documentary), and b-roll list (supporting).

3. Resource locations for potential shoots – Identify places, locations, and landmarks that are essential in supporting the main theme of the documentary.  Again, there should be brainstorm list (wish list), essential list (without which there is not a documentary), and b-roll list (supporting).

4. Describes situations or events that should be documented – describe the kinds of activities and the stages the documentary will go through. In Restrepo, pre-deployment training ride, deploying in helicopters, inside village homes, etc.

5. Have a schedule that is flexible enough to let the story evolve – If the documentary is unscripted, the plan and schedule need to be flexible enough to allow for the documentary objectives given unforeseen circumstances. Unfortunately, increased flexibility usually means costs, so add extra in the budget (20-25%).

This is just a few items that many have identify. What do use see is missing?