Appendix 4 – Documentary Camera Work140

1. The basics
Documentary filmmaking is both a craft and an art. Thus, in this
handout we will move from some very basic considerations and
exercises to the more complex questions of sequencing and style.

1.1 Choosing your equipment

Before you start to shoot, you must choose your equipment. To do
so, many informed choices have to be made. Are there any external
conditions you have to fulfil (e.g. format or aspect ratio)? What are
the internal requirements of your project? Do you, for example,
need a small set-up or are there maybe extreme temperatures
where you want to film? What are your economic possibilities and
constraints? What kind of "look" do you want? Film or video? The
platform on which you imagine your film to be presented should
also influence your equipment choice as well as your shooting style.
Is your film going to be shown in a film theatre, on TV, or a smart
phone? Think of framing, resolution, quality and so on. Also, be
sure to check the power supply system in the country you want to
shoot in, so as to be able to charge your batteries properly and to
shoot flicker free.

1.2 Basic camera settings

Read the manual for your camera and try out different settings. If
you want any kind of control over your images - and you do - turn
off ALL the automatic functions and learn how to set up the camera
manually. If you don't switch all the following settings to manual,
your camera might try to compensate with a "wrong" setting, for
instance the exposure level with the shutter speed as the Sony
PD150 does.

























































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This handout is adapted from a camera-handout (Dölling, Knopf, and Walter
2011) used for teaching visual anthropology at the Freie Universität Berlin.

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Here is a general checklist for the most important camera
settings:

Shutter: Set the shutter on: 1/50 sec. (speed) or 180° (angle)

Aperture: The easiest way is to set the aperture is to measure it

with the camera's internal exposure meter and set it accordingly.

In the majority of cases the best image quality, however, is reached

by setting the aperture on the first stop after an open gate
exposure. To reach an open gate exposure in different light
conditions you might have to use a neutral density filter.

Focus: If you work with a zoom lens, the most practicable way to
manually set the focus is to zoom in on your object, find the focus
and zoom out again to set your framing.

Zoom: Zoom manually. You can use a zoom lens either as a set of
different fixed focal length lenses, or you can actually use the zoom
as a stylistic device.

White Balance: Here, you can work with the camera-presets.

However, if you think the colour temperature on location is too far
from one of the camera-presets or if you have extremely mixed
light conditions do a WB manually. On location zoom in to a white
plate and push the WB-button. The camera will now measure the
colour temperature.

Black Balance: If your camera if it is able to, do a BB, set it at

least once a day during your filming.

1.3 Basic camera exercises:

After you have learned how to set your camera up, you need to
practice its handling in the field.

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Here are some useful exercises:

- Try to hold the camera steady while walking around filming.

- Instead of using a zoom walk up to your subject. Then use a zoom.

Notice the difference that the two ways of approaching your subject
make.

- Practice how to pan. Know ahead of time from where to where you
want to pan. Start with a well-composed image and end with one.
Use moving objects, like people walking, cars etc., to get from A to
B. At the beginning and the end of a pan, hold the image still for
some seconds (if you don't, you will have trouble editing the
images).

- Pan with a tripod at different speeds.

- Focus on different subjects manually.

- Follow a person without losing your framing. Ask that person to

walk around corners and up and down the stairs.

2. Framing and Sequencing

In Le Petit Soldat (Godard 1963), one of Jean Luc Godard's
characters famously said: "Photography is truth. And cinema is
truth 24 frames a second". In typical Godardian manner, this quote
spans from the most fundamental mechanical structures of film to
its most elusive qualities. It thus offers a nice way to think about
your camera work, namely as always operating within both realms:
mechanics and, in the broadest sense, philosophy.

To look more specifically into the way mechanics and "philosophy"

of camera work tie into each other, let us start with some basic
terms:

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A frame is the smallest entity of a film. 35mm film has 24 frames
per second, PAL video 25 frames per second (electronically coded)
and NTSC video 29.97 frames per second. The term "framing" also
refers to the composition of an image. A "shot" is a continuous
sequence of images without a cut.

2.1. Framing
The framing of an image is the process of creating the composition
with your camera. This composition will determine, to a significant
degree, how somebody will come across on screen.

Figure 80 — Headroom

Figure 81 — Noseroom

Keep in mind: The movement of your subject needs room, too!

Also, if you film somebody from above, that person will look small.
If you film him or her from underneath, the person will look huge.
Be aware of the size relation of your cameraperson and the
protagonist and make adjustments when necessary.

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2.2 Shots
Different size shots have different names:

Figure 82 — Different field sizes

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2.3. Sequencing
After the "frame" and the "shot", the next bigger entity of a film is a
"sequence". A sequence is a unit of meaning. You partly create this
unit while you shoot (and even before that, when you imagine what
to shoot) and finish it in the editing. Sometimes a sequence consists
of only one continuous long shot called, accordingly, a sequence
shot. Usually, a film sequence is created by bringing different shots
together in the edit. To practice sequencing (to see what image
sizes go together well and what the key moments of an action are),
take a series of 6 to 8 photographs of a simple activity, for example
the preparation of a dinner. What are the important moments?
What do we need to see close up, what in total? Do you want to
establish where we are right away? Or keep it a secret at first, by
starting with a close up?

When you create a sequence, try to find a good rhythm between

the shot sizes. How does it feel to move from an extreme long shot
to an extreme close up?

There are some rules for getting from one shot to the next
smoothly:

There is the so-called "30 degree rule". The rule says that if you
want to move closer to your subject from one shot to the next, you
should also change the angle by which you approach your subject
by at least 30 degrees. If you don't change the angle, it will look
like you "jumped" up to the person.

The "180 degree rule" says that if you film two people, you should
stay on one side of the axis between them. If you move across this
axis it will appear as if the two switched places.

As with all the "rules" you can, of course, break them. However,
you need to be aware of the effects.

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3. Some practical tips
Keep a list of what you have shot and what you intend to film later.

Always properly label the tapes or files you produce. Write down the
date, places you shoot at, and the content. Give each tape a serial
number. This way you can keep track of everything you shot.
Especially with bigger projects, having properly labelled everything
will be a great help in the editing.

If you work with files, be sure to double save everything, always.

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4. Setting the lights

Figure 83 - Four-point camera lighting set up

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Appendix 5 – Info-Sheet on Recording Sound
Sound is not objective, you can only tape what you listen to; you
never record what you hear.

- Sound has a perspective built in to it

- Sound provides a space orientation (also time component)
- Sound is a sonic environment (soundscape, soundwalk)

Recording Sound
- Sound is best recorded without additional disturbing noises.
- Always monitor sound with headphones.
- Listen for disturbing noises like fridges, neon tubes, wind and
camera sounds, faulty cable connections.
- Relative intensity of sound is measured in Decibels (dB) on a
logarithmic scale.
- 10dB higher is 10 times as intense, but only heard to be twice
as loud!
- A whisper on Film: 25-30 dB; regular dialogue: 75dB (twice as
loud as in real life and 10 dB higher)
- Record 16-bit - 1 stereo high quality track.
- Atmospherics (sonic environment of the location, white track)
- Record sound signs like bells, birds, etc.
- Record unavoidable background sounds like rain (you can mix it
down later in your editing suite).
- Avoid music in the background (especially if you record
interviews).
- Ambient sounds and white tracks are used for editing to put a
second audio layer in your project to cover up cutaways, cuts, et
cetera.

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