The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide: A Down & Dirty DV Production

Managing Arrangements with Your Subjects Interview Locations . Location Management 101 Introduction . Sensitive Location Overview . PR Reps and Media Liaisons LOCATION LOGISTICS . Hot Tip: How Not to Get Your Camera Jacked Dealing with PR Reps and Other Media Liaisons Doc Location Ethics The Exception to the Rule . Been There, Done That: Being Prepared for Remote Locations-Alrick Brown and Micah Schaffer . Transportation Considerations . Hot Tip: Stealth Shooting Tactics 101 OTHER LOCATION ISSUES . Location Releases and Insurance Location Releases Location Insurance . Insurance Issues Do You Really Need Insurance? Shooting Without Insurance . Hot Tip: Shooting in Da 'Hood 3-IMAGE CONTROL AND CAMERA WORK IMAGE BASICS . Basics of Image Control Introduction . Focus Hallmark of the Pros Common Focus Hazards . Exposure Light Is Good Aperture and F-Stops . Zebra Stripes and Gain Your Friend the Zebra Stripes Using Gain to Boost Exposure . Color Temperature Color Temperature Basics (Very Basic) . White Balance When to White Balance White Balance Special Effects Mixed Sun and Indoor Lighting . Shutter Speed Basics Motion and Shutter Speed . Shutter Speed and Movement BEYOND THE BASICS . Hot Tip: Creating a "Film Look" . Manual vs. Auto Functions Use Manual Controls . When to Use Auto Functions Auto Zoom vs. Manual Zoom Surprises and Panics Run-and-Gun Shooting . Been There, Done That: Capturing Truth-Albert Maysles . Using the Zoom Control Adjusting Your Shot Using the "Digital Zoom" Function . Handheld Secrets of the Pros Forget the Tripod and Go Handheld Handheld Editing Considerations Motivation and Style . Handheld Camera Positions OTHER CAMERA CONSIDERATIONS . Using Tripods Introduction General Tripod Tips . Pre-Roll and End-Roll Pre-Roll and End-Roll for Each Shot . Set Recording Protocol . Color Bars Why You Should Use Color Bars How to Adjust NTSC Color Bars . Labeling Tapes Pre-Labeling Blank Tapes Record Tabs . Hot Tip: Cleaning Your Lens 4-LIGHTING SAFETY AND TOOLS . Electricity and Safety Electricity Considerations Safety Considerations . Lighting Safety Tip Sheet . How Not to Blow A Circuit . Lighting Tools of the Trade 3- AND 4-POINT LIGHTING . Interview Lighting Setups Introduction Learning and Mastering the Craft . The Key Light Light Setting Up Your Key Light . Hair Light and Backlight Hair Light Background Light The Cookie Effect . The Fill Light Fill Light Alternatives . Controlling Light Intensity . Down and Dirty DV Gel Guide . Anatomy of an Interview Kit . Hot Tip: 3 Tips for Shooting in Low Light . Miscellaneous Lighting Tips . Setting Up Lights in 5 Easy Steps . Lighting Cookbook Practical Lighting Setup 4-Point Lighting Setup Simple Lighting Setup Window Lighting Setup Anonymous Lighting Setup 2-Subject Light Setup Blacklight Setup 5-SOUND RECORDING SOUND TOOLS OF THE TRADE . Basic Sound Package . Intermediate Sound Package . Microphones-Boom Mics Introduction Boom Mics . 8 Quick Tips aor Better Booming . Good Boom, Bad Boom . Booming Technique . Microphones-Lavs and Handhelds Lavalier Mics Handheld Mics Wireless Mics . Mounting a Lav Mic Handling Subjects RECORDING TECHNIQUES . Hot Tip: 2 Subjects, but only 1 Lav Mic . The Right Mic for the Job . Recording Sound Levels Riding Levels Where Should Your Needle Peak? Beware of Prosumer Camera Audio Meters . Why Use a Mixer? . Using a Field Mixer . Other Mixer Features Limiter Lo-Cut Filter Pan Knob Monitor In Tone Generator Slate . 5 Sound Rules to Live By . Location Sound Recording Don't Just Look, Listen to Your Location . Location Sound Hazards OTHER SOUND TYPE STUFF . Down and Dirty DV Cable Guide . Miscellaneous Sound Tips Breakaway Cables Coiling Cables Hiding Mics . How to Use Sound Blankets Shooting in Rooms with Echo How to Eggroll a Sound Blanket 6-COMPOSITION AND COVERAGE WHAT IT LOOK LIKE? . Aspect Ratios Which Aspect Ration Should You Shoot? Widescreen Options . Shooting Widescreen DV . Hot Tip: Down and Dirty Widescreen . Composition Basics Introduction . Composition Tricks Hiding Undesirable Backgrounds Cheating Backgrounds . Lens Focal Length . Telephoto and Wide-Angle Lenses . Don't Just Tell 'Em, Show 'Em The Audience Wants to See Your Story POV Shots Put the Audience There . The Visual Language of Docs Cover Your Scene (and Your Butt) Establishing Shots The Establishing Sequence Wide Shots (WS) Medium Shots (MS) Close Ups (CU) 1-Shots 2-Shots Over the Shoulder Shots Reaction/Reverse Shots Dutch Angles Dolly Shots The Full Tilt Boogey Dramatic Zooms Executing the Move Cutaways . Storytelling and Cutaways How to Shoot Cutaways MORE VISUAL STORYTELLING TOOLS . Your B-Roll Is Your "A" Roll . Been There, Done That: Doc Storytelling with Animation-John Canemaker . Depth-of-Field Demystified Racking Focus . Hot Tip: Shallow Depth-of-Field . 10 Tips for Shooting Live Events 7-INTERVIEW PREP BEFORE THE INTERVIEW . All About Interviews Introduction Get Yourself Together . Final Preparations Equipment Prep Travel . Arriving at Location Setup Time Warm 'Em Up . Choosing Interview Backgrounds Storytelling Through Framing Using Props and Cheating Background Using Depth and Busy Backgrounds . Hot Tip: Easy Do-It-Yourself Backdrops MAKING THEM LOOK GOOD . Positioning and Eyeline Subject Positioning Interviewer Positioning and Eyeline . How Do I Look? Clothing . Video Clothing Issues . Fixing Faces . Hot Tip: Easy Powder Makeup WORKING WITH SUBJECTS . Talent Releases Get a Signed Talent Release Form Getting Release from Major Figures Verbal Releases . Been There, Done That: Fair Subject Portrayal and Releases-Albert Maysles . Briefing Your Subject . Instructing Subjects . Hot Tip: Keepin' It "Real" . Been There, Done That: When Subjects Want to Walk-Rose Rosenblatt & Marion Lipschutz 8-CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS . Asking Questions and Responding Introduction . Form of Questions . Logical Order of Questions INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES . Been There, Done That: Interviewing Resistant Subjects-Safi ya McClinton . Hot Tip: How to Work a Press Conference . Interview Preparation and Warm Up Brainstorm and Write Out Your Questions Warm 'Em Up . Listening Skills . Responding to Your Subject . Been There, Done That: The Thin Line of Exploitation-Sam Pollard . The Soapbox Question . Hot Tip: Interviewing Celebrities . Monitoring Technical Issues Interrupting Your Interview to Solve Problems Using a Monitor and Headphones Other Things to Look Out For . Interview Hazards . The Wrap Out Before You Call a "Wrap" Thank Everyone.Profusely Packing Up 9-POST-PRODUCTION PREPARING TO EDIT . The Post-Production Process It's All About Post . Viewing & Taking Notes Viewing All Your Footage . Logging Footage Why We Log Organizing Your Shots The Log Sheet Technological Advances in Logging . Hot Tip: "Automatic" Tape Logging . Transcribing Interviews EDITING ISSUES . Who Should Edit Your Film? . Been There, Done That: Working with Editors-Sam Pollard . Time Code and DV Tapes A Quick Lesson on DV Tape Time Code Problems . Stock Footage and Music . Been There, Done That: 7 Commandments of Archival Footage-Rick Prelinger GETTING IT OUT THERE . Hot Tip: 5 Reasons to Get Down with Podcasting and Video Sharing . Been There, Done That: Finding an Audience Online-Susan Buice and Arin Crumley . Film Festival Strategy . Been There, Done That: Passion, Business & Filmmaking-Adrian Belic . 7 Ways to Work a Film Festival . Been There, Done That: How to Hustle at Sundance-Rebekah Sindoris and Christie Pesicka ANTHONY'S RECOMMENDED READS GLOSSARY INDEX About the Author Book and DVD Credits