If you want to know how to be prepared to film a documentary, below are 5 crucial elements.
1. Be Prepared to Film a Documentary Through Zoom Interviews
The best way to ensure that production days go well is to avoid surprises on set. In the case of quick mini documentaries, budget and logistics may not allow you the luxury of site scouts of the location prior to production days. However Zoom interviews or FaceTime can help you case the location and determine the optimal filming areas and angels as well a lighting diagram. Discovery will help you uncover the critic al story elements ahead of time. You will learn how your characters naturally speak. It will assist you in deciding what aspects of the character’s story are relevant and irrelevant, saving you much time in production interviews and editing. Often, you can recruit photos of the best filming areas from your character during discovery and allow you to do some storyboarding prior to film day. This is the first step to be prepared to film a documentary.
2. Be Prepared to Film a Documentary through Art Direction
Walking into a space that you have not observed prior to filming can be a scary event. Do your best to determine the camera angels through pics sent and discovery interviews. However, bring with you several small lamps & a couple of small tables and a variety of plants. It is amazing what a few well placed lamps and greenery can do to warm up a space.
3. Be Prepared to Film a Documentary Using Smaller Cinema Cameras
Most living quarters are not set up for filming and space will be at a premium. When filming on an actual set, you want the best cinema camera available and they have larger frames, especially when fully decked out. Filming on location in a person’s home can be challenging. Be prepared to film with a smaller camera on a gimbal and squeeze into tight spaces. Also, have the cinema camera pre loaded into the gimbal, balanced, tested and ready to go. Once you enter a location to film a mini-documentary, great film worthy activities may happen authentically and you will want to be prepared to capture it. Non-actors can only be staged and couch so much before things look unnatural. Getting day in the life b-roll may look bdest when the DP captures genuine moments that happen authentically. So…be prepared
4. Be Prepared to Use Smaller Light Panels
As we have said repeatedly, spaces for filming may be tight. Therefore, using light panels may be your best bet. However, you can cast light from outside through windows to light most of a scene. You can utilized the smaller light panels inside the room to help shape the light.
5. Be Prepared to Use Wireless Monitors and a Headsets for Crew
Sometimes a director may be forced to direct the action from a separate room. This is possible if the director has a wireless monitor and the entire crew has a set of wireless headphones for communication. A wireless system is worth its weight in gold on documentary sets.
