Comments on: Email: budget camera for a documentary

By: jane lockhart

jane lockhart — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:50:43 +0000

Hi,

Can anyone recommend to me the smallest handycam for broadcast quality…it has to be small as i am going to a potentially dangerous place to film and have to pose as a tourist,

so grateful for a reply!

life, being in it

jane

By: Leah

Leah — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:54:24 +0000

I stumbled on your site searching for more information on digital cameras for a documentary. Thank you so much for putting together such a comprehensive and well researched list. You saved me several hours of research which I can now spend watching television

By: Jordan Segal

Jordan Segal — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:45:30 +0000

I am writing you today to ask for your help with my senior project. My name is Jordan Segal and I attend North Kingstown Highschool in North Kingstown, RI. Every senior who graduates from North Kingstown has to complete a senior project of their choice, and for mine i am exploring the world of documentaries. My thesis for my project is that a strong documentary not only captures the attention of it’s viewers, but also alters the oppinion of the audience to reflect that of the director by employing strong narration, imagery, and interviews. For this project we must interview a professional in this field. If it would not be any trouble, i would like to ask a few questions. The questions are:

1. Do you believe that a strong documentary can change the oppion of the viewers to reflect the oppinion of the film maker.

2. What is the strongest element of a documentary that can contribute to this change in oppinion.

3.Have you seen a documentary recently that has had an impact of the way you feel about soemthing.

If you could answer these questiosn it would be much appreciated. Also, if you have any insight on this area of documentaries and my thesis, that would be great.

Thank You In Advance,

Jordan Segal

By: Administrator

Administrator — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 08:14:22 +0000

Hi Henrik, thanks for your comment. I think most script writers (professional or not) choose to register their scripts and even treatments with the Writer’s Guild of America. I believe that if you’re member, it’s free. If you’re NOT (like me), I think it costs about $20 to register a script.

Visit this website: http://www.wga.org/

There’s a “register your script” link on the right-hand side menu. Good luck!

By: henrik

henrik — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 09:59:12 +0000

Dear Kraz
iam not a professional script writer (in australia) but i have managed to put together 3 scripts (docos) …i was wondering if there is any site or organization i can register my scripts….for copyright reasons before i send them out to potential producers….
i will appriciate ur help

regards
henrik
ps:i love ur blog…..way to go.

By: Anil

Anil — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 12:09:44 +0000

Please guide me which is the best camera to make professional digital movies on a budget. (Value for money type). I look for a camera that can record excellent audio too.

By: Administrator

Administrator — Thu, 18 May 2006 06:06:22 +0000

Hi Steve,

Let me go through your questions:

1) XLR inputs are required for professional recording of audio. The
key word obviously is professional. If all aspects of the production
are at the professional level, XLR is a must. Good production sound
however can be achieved with regular means. You could always rent a
more professional audio recorder to go with the FX1.

2) From a more radical perspective, progressive mode is way for
manufacturers to sell the “dream”: Grab a cam and you’re an instant
filmmaker. The vast majority of documentaries are shot on video (i.e.
non-progressive mode), so I don’t see a reason for you to choose
otherwise. The viewers’ expectations are video.

3) You’re right about HD being more difficult to distribute than SD.
Editing it, however, is almost identical to SD. Most editing software
now supports HDV. You’ll need a pretty powerful computer anyway. This
decision depends to the expected shelf-life of your documentary. If
you think it will stick around for more than a year, go for HD. It’s
the format of the future. To give you an example, if you shoot your
photos at 8 megapixels, they’ll print on 6×4″ but they will also print
on 12×8″. If you get a 3 megapixel camera though, you can’t go to
12×8″. The same thing with HD/SD.

4) The AG-DVC60 is a SD cam. A shoulder-mount camera could be of use
if you’re running around, reporter style. If you shoot talking heads
though, I think the best solution is to get a tripod and put your
camera on it. That’s the only stabilization you need. I don’t see how
you gonna hold your camera for hours during an interview.

To sum it up, get an HD cam that fits your budget.Do a few test
interviews and see where you fall short. If it’s audio - get a
recorder. If it’s camera shake - get a tripod. If your sibject are too
dark (i.e. you shoot at night), get some lights.

Good luck!

By: Steven

Steven — Thu, 18 May 2006 06:05:42 +0000

Thanks so much for answering my e-mail and putting it on your blog! It
was very helpful, and I was wondering if I could ask a few follow up
questions. (Please remember I know very little about film!)

1) It sounds like you prefer the FX1. It provides good low light filming
(And I do not have or intend to use lights). But you said the Sony HVR-A1U
is great for shooting dialogue because of the mic. Which do you think is
more important for a bare bones production? I keep reading that the FX1
does not have XLR inputs which people find horrifying. Is this a really
important feature which will affect me? Do I have to spend more for
attachments in order to get good sound with the FX1?

2) The other complaint about the FZ1 I read is that it has no progressive
modes. I don’t know what this means, but is that an important consideration
for making a documentary?

3) I’ve read that High Def is much more difficult to edit (or at least
needs totally different software/equipment) and that there’s no way to show
the end result in high def except for attaching the camera to a high def TV
or getting it distributed commercially (hopefully). Is HD the way to go for
someone like me trying to make a documentary and getting it seen by someone
in the biz who hopefully will like it? If HD is too sophisticated for an
amateur like me or too in it’s infancy to reproduce the final product,
should I again look at something like the Panasonic DVX-100?

4) Lastly, I forgot to ask what you think about the Panasonic AG-DVC60 for
shooting my documentary? Do you like this camera and does a shoulder
mounted camera have its advantages?

Thanks so much for your time!