The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide, 2nd Edition

The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide, 2nd Edition

by Anthony Q. Artis
Released March 2014
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781136065897

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Book description

So you want to make a documentary, but think you don't have a lot of time, money, or experience? It's time to get down and dirty! Down and dirty is a filmmaking mindset. It's the mentality that forces you to be creative with your resources. It's about doing more with less. Get started NOW with this book and DVD set, a one-stop shop written by a guerrilla filmmaker, for guerrilla filmmakers. You will learn how to make your project better, faster, and cheaper. The pages are crammed with 500 full-color pictures, tips from the pros, resources, checklists and charts, making it easy to find what you need fast.

The DVD includes:
* Video and audio tutorials, useful forms, and interviews with leading documentary filmmakers like Albert Maysles (Grey Gardens), Sam Pollard (4 Little Girls), and others
* 50+ Crazy Phat Bonus pages with jump start charts, online resources, releases, storyboards, checklists, equipment guides, and shooting procedures

Here's just a small sampling of what's inside the book:
* Putting together a crew
* Choosing a camera
* New HDV and 24P cameras
* Shooting in rough neighborhoods
* Interview skills and techniques
* 10 ways to lower your budget
* Common production forms

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Dedication
  6. Table of Contents
  7. PRAISE
  8. CRAZY MAD THANK
  9. PREFACE
  10. INTRODUCTION
  11. CHAPTER 1—PREPRODUCTION
    1. • Learning the Filmmaking Process
      1. Film Books
      2. DVD Extras
      3. Podcasts
      4. Workshops
      5. Online Learning Sites
      6. Instructional DVDs
      7. Web Sites
      8. Magazines
      9. Crewing
      10. Doing
    2. • Been There, Done That: Why Make a Documentary?–Albert Maysles
    3. • Doc Preproduction
      1. Documentary Goal
    4. GETTING THE IDEA
      1. • Brainstorming Your Idea
      2. • The Importance of Research
      3. • Been There, Done That: Research and Fact Checking—Safiya Songhai
      4. • Interview Subjects
      5. • Types of Documentaries
      6. • Approach and Storytelling
      7. • Been There, Done That: Concept and Storytelling—Sam Pollard
      8. • The Production Plan
    5. GETTING THE MONEY
      1. • Been There, Done That: How to Raise Money–Michelle Coe
      2. • Budgeting Your Doc
        1. Budgeting Forms
        2. Budgeting Software
        3. Estimating Costs
      3. • Hot Tip: 4 Common Budgeting Mistakes
      4. • Been There, Done That: Raising the M-O-N-E-Y–Rose Rosenblatt & Marion Lipschutz
      5. • Hot Tip: 10 Ways to Lower Your Budget
      6. • Where to Find Prices
      7. • Budgeting–A Final Word
      8. • Been There, Done That: Crafting a Successful Crowd-Funding Campaign–Mike Attie & Meghan O’Hara
    6. GETTING THE GEAR
      1. • Choosing an Equipment Package
      2. • Been There, Done That: Choosing a Camera for Your Project—Cliff Charles
      3. • A Quick Lesson in Video Tech
        1. Pixels and Resolution
        2. Progressive vs. Interlaced
        3. Frame Rate
        4. HDV Image Size
        5. Resolution
      4. • What to Look for in a Camera
        1. Manual Controls
        2. XLR Audio Inputs
        3. Big Sensors
        4. Peaking
        5. Interchangeable Lenses
        6. Servo Zoom Lens
        7. Slow Motion
        8. 4K Sensor
        9. Time-lapse
      5. • The Guide to the Camera Guide
      6. • Documentary Camera Guide
      7. • Why DSLR Cameras are Lame
      8. • Why DSLR Cameras are Da Bomb
      9. • DSLR Workarounds and Fixes
      10. • Anatomy of a DSLR Franken Rig
      11. • Hot Tip: A Quick Look at Lenses
      12. • Understanding Camera Crop Factors
        1. Factoring In Crop Factors
      13. • Comparative Sensor Sizes and Crop Factors
      14. • The Problem with 4K
      15. • Buying vs. Renting
        1. A Quick Comparison
        2. How to Decide
        3. Buying a Used Video Camera
      16. • The Down and Dirty Camera Creed
      17. • Hot Tip: Smartphone Cameras
      18. • Hot Tip: Educational Equipment Access
      19. • Doc Equipment Packages
      20. • Before You Shoot
    7. GETTING THE CREW
      1. • The Doc Crew
      2. • Good Crew, Bad Crew
      3. • Been There, Done That: The Producer–Director Relationship—Christina Dehaven
      4. • Assembling a Crew
      5. • Been There, Done That: Before You Hire a Professional Crew–Cybel Martin
      6. • The Crew Meeting
      7. • Feeding the Crew
        1. Meals
        2. Food Strategies
        3. Craft Services
        4. Taking Care of the Vegetarians
      8. • Hot Tip: 5 Down and Dirty Food Ideas
  12. CHAPTER 2—LOCATION AND LOGISTICS
    1. MANAGING LOCATIONS
      1. • Shooting on Location
        1. Making Arrangements with Your Subjects
        2. Interview Locations
      2. • Location Management 101
      3. • Sensitive Location Overview
      4. • PR Reps and Media Liaisons
        1. Dealing with PR Reps and Other Media Liaisons
        2. Doc Location Ethics
        3. The Exception to the Rule
    2. LOCATION LOGISTICS
      1. • Been There, Done That: Travelling with Equipment Internationally–Stjepan Alaupovic
      2. • Hot Tip: How Not to Get Your Camera Jacked
      3. • Been There, Done That: Being Prepared for Remote Locations–Alrick Brown and Micah Schaffer
      4. • Transportation Considerations
      5. • Hot Tip: 5 Tips for Traveling with Equipment
      6. • Hot Tip: Stealth Shooting Tactics 101
    3. OTHER LOCATION ISSUES
      1. • Location Releases and Insurance
      2. • Insurance Issues
      3. • Hot Tip: Shooting in Da ’Hood
  13. CHAPTER 3—IMAGE CONTROL AND CAMERA WORK
    1. IMAGE BASICS
      1. • Basics of Image Control
      2. • Focus
        1. Hallmark of the Pros
        2. Overcoming Common Focus Hazards
        3. Focus Assist
        4. Peaking
        5. Sunlight and LCD Screens
        6. Low Light
      3. • Exposure
        1. Light Is Good
        2. Aperture and F-Stops
      4. • Zebra Stripes and Gain
        1. Your Friend the Zebra Stripes
        2. Histogram
        3. Using Gain to Boost Exposure
      5. • Color Temperature
      6. • White Balance
        1. When to White Balance
        2. White Balance Special Effects
        3. Mixed Sun and Indoor Lighting
      7. • Hot Tip: Working with the Sun
      8. • Shutter Speed Basics
        1. Motion and Shutter Speed
      9. • Shutter Speed and Movement
    2. BEYOND THE BASICS
      1. • Hot Tip: Creating a “Film Look”
      2. • Manual vs. Auto Functions
        1. Use Manual Controls
      3. • When to Use Auto Functions
        1. Auto Zoom vs. Manual Zoom
        2. Surprises and Panics
        3. Run-and-Gun Shooting
      4. • Been There, Done That: Capturing Truth–Albert Maysles
      5. • Using the Zoom Control
        1. Introduction: Who’s Zooming Who?
        2. Pushing in
      6. • Handheld Secrets of the Pros
        1. Forget the Tripod and Go Handheld
        2. Handheld Editing Considerations
      7. • Handheld Camera Positions
    3. OTHER CAMERA CONSIDERATIONS
      1. • Using Tripods
      2. • Set Recording Protocol
      3. • Color Bars
        1. Why You Should Use Color Bars
        2. How to Adjust NTSC Color Bars
      4. • Been There, Done That: The Technical vs. the Creative and In-camera vs. Post–Cliff Charles
      5. • The ABCs of Production Value
      6. • Hot Tip: Cleaning Your Lens
  14. CHAPTER 4—LIGHTING
    1. SAFETY AND TOOLS
      1. • Hot Tip: 10 Ways to Practice Safe Sets
      2. • Electricity and Safety
        1. Electricity Considerations
        2. Safety Considerations
      3. • Lighting Safety Tip Sheet
      4. • How Not to Blow a Circuit
      5. • Lighting Tools of the Trade
    2. 3- AND 4-POINT LIGHTING
      1. • Interview Lighting Setups
        1. Learning and Mastering the Craft
      2. • The Key Light
        1. Setting Up Your Key Light
      3. • Hair Light and Backlight
        1. Hair Light
        2. Background Light
        3. The Cookie Effect
      4. • The Fill Light
        1. Fill Light Alternatives
      5. • Controlling Light Intensity
      6. • Down and Dirty DV Gel Guide
      7. • Anatomy of an Interview Kit
      8. • Hot Tip: 3 Tips for Shooting in Low Light
      9. • Miscellaneous Lighting Tips
      10. • Setting Up Lights in 5 Easy Steps
      11. • Lighting Cookbook
        1. Practical Lighting Setup
        2. 4-Point Lighting Setup
        3. Simple Lighting Setup
        4. Window Lighting Setup
        5. Anonymous Lighting Setup
        6. 2-Subject Light Setup
        7. Night Exterior Lighting Setup
        8. TV Monitor Lighting Setup
        9. Blacklight Setup
  15. CHAPTER 5—SOUND RECORDING
    1. SOUND TOOLS OF THE TRADE
      1. • Basic Sound Package
      2. • Intermediate Sound Package
      3. • Microphones–Boom Mics
      4. • 8 Quick Tips for Better Booming
      5. • Good Boom, Bad Boom
      6. • Booming Technique
      7. • Microphones–Lavs and Handhelds
        1. Lavalier Mics
        2. Handheld Mics
        3. Wireless Mics
      8. • Mounting a Lav Mic
        1. Handling Subjects
    2. RECORDING TECHNIQUES
      1. • Hot Tip: 2 Subjects, but only 1 Lav Mic
      2. • The Right Mic for the Job
      3. • Recording Sound Levels
        1. Riding Levels
        2. Where Should Your Needle Peak?
        3. Analog vs Digital Peaking Meters
        4. Exceptions to the General Rules
        5. Why Are There Two Different Digital Standards?
      4. • Hot Tip: Two Mics are Always Better than One
      5. • Why Use a Mixer?
      6. • Using a Field Mixer
      7. • Other Mixer Features
        1. Limiter
        2. Lo-Cut Filter
        3. Pan
        4. Tone Generator
        5. Slate Mic
      8. • Hot Tip: Down and Dirty “Wireless”
      9. • 5 Sound Rules to Live By
      10. • Location Sound Recording
        1. Don’t Just Look, Listen to Your Location
      11. • Location Sound Hazards
    3. OTHER SOUND TYPE STUFF
      1. • Down and Dirty DV Cable Guide
      2. • Miscellaneous Sound Tips
        1. Breakaway Cables
        2. Coiling Cables
        3. Hiding Mics
      3. • How to Use Sound Blankets
        1. Shooting in Rooms with Echo
        2. How to Eggroll a Sound Blanket
  16. CHAPTER 6—COMPOSITION AND COVERAGE
    1. WHAT IT LOOK LIKE?
      1. • Composition Basics
        1. The Rule of Thirds
        2. Look Room
        3. Head Room
        4. Severed Body Parts
      2. • Composition Tricks
        1. Hiding Undesirable Backgrounds
        2. Cheating Backgrounds
      3. • Lens Focal Length
      4. • Telephoto and Wide-Angle Lenses
      5. • Don’t Just Tell ’Em, Show ’Em
        1. The Audience Wants to See Your Story
        2. POV Shots Put the Audience There
      6. • The Visual Language of Docs
        1. Cover Your Scene (and Your Butt)
        2. Establishing Shots
      7. • Been There, Done That: Pre-Visualizing Your Scenes–Mike Attie & Meghan O’Hara
        1. Wide Shots (WS)
        2. Medium Shots (MS)
        3. Close Ups (CU)
        4. 1-Shots
        5. 2-Shots
        6. Over the Shoulder Shots
        7. Reaction/Reverse Shots
        8. Dutch Angles
        9. Dolly Shots
        10. Dolly and Slider Moves
        11. Tilt Up
        12. Tilt Down
        13. Dramatic Zooms
        14. Cutaways
      8. • Storytelling and Cutaways
        1. How to Shoot Cutaways
    2. MORE VISUAL STORYTELLING TOOLS
      1. • Your B-Roll Is Your “A” Roll
      2. • Hot Tip: The Dark Art of Bedroom B-Roll
      3. • Been There, Done That: Doc Storytelling with Animation–John Canemaker
      4. • Depth of Field Demystified
        1. Racking Focus
      5. • Hot Tip: Shallow Depth of Field
      6. • 10 Tips for Shooting Live Events
  17. CHAPTER 7—INTERVIEW PREP
    1. BEFORE THE INTERVIEW
      1. • All About Interviews
        1. Get Yourself Together
      2. • Final Preparations
        1. Equipment Prep
        2. Travel
      3. • Arriving at Location
        1. Setup Time
        2. Warm ’Em Up
      4. • Choosing Interview Backgrounds
        1. Storytelling Through Framing
        2. Using Props and Cheating Furniture
        3. Using Depth and Busy Backgrounds
      5. • Hot Tip: Easy Do-It-Yourself Backdrops
    2. MAKING THEM LOOK GOOD
      1. • Positioning and Eyeline
        1. Subject Positioning
        2. Interviewer Positioning and Eyeline
      2. • How Do I Look?
        1. Clothing
      3. • Video Clothing Issues
      4. • Fixing Faces
      5. • Hot Tip: Easy Powder Makeup
    3. WORKING WITH SUBJECTS
      1. • Talent Releases
        1. Get a Signed Talent Release Form
        2. Getting Releases from Major Figures
        3. Verbal Releases
      2. • Been There, Done That: Fair Subject Portrayal and Releases–Albert Maysles
      3. • Briefing Your Subject
      4. • Instructing Subjects
      5. • Hot Tip: Keepin’ It “Real”
      6. • Been There, Done That: When Subjects Want to Walk–Rose Rosenblatt & Marion Lipschutz
  18. CHAPTER 8—CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS
    1. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
      1. • Asking Questions and Responding
      2. • Form of Questions
      3. • Logical Order of Questions
    2. INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES
      1. • Been There, Done That: Interviewing Resistant Subjects–Safiya Songhai
      2. • Hot Tip: How to Work a Press Conference
      3. • Interview Preparation and Warm Up
        1. Brainstorm and Write Out Your Questions
        2. Warm ’Em Up
      4. • Listening Skills
      5. • Responding to Your Subject
      6. • Been There, Done That: The Thin Line of Exploitation–Sam Pollard
      7. • The Soapbox Question
        1. The Double Bonus Soapbox Question
      8. • Hot Tip: Interviewing Celebrities
      9. • Monitoring Technical Issues
        1. Interrupting Your Interview to Solve Problems
        2. Using a Monitor and Headphones
        3. Other Things to Look Out For
      10. • Interview Hazards
      11. • Hot Tip: 5 Ways to Do a Remote Interview
      12. • The Wrap Out
        1. Before You Call a “Wrap”
        2. Thank Everyone & Profusely
        3. Packing Up
  19. CHAPTER 9—POST-PRODUCTION
    1. PREPARING TO EDIT
      1. • The Post-Production Process
        1. It’s All About Post
      2. • Viewing & Taking Notes
        1. Viewing All Your Footage
        2. Taking Notes
      3. • Logging Footage
        1. Why We Log
        2. Organizing Your Shots
        3. Logging Directly in Your NLE
        4. Scene Detect
        5. Learning to “Log In Camera”
        6. The Log Sheet
      4. • Transcripts
        1. Getting a Grip on Your Doc
        2. Getting Transcripts Made
        3. Anatomy of a Documentary Transcript
        4. What Transcripts Do and Don’t Tell You
      5. • Making a Paper Edit
        1. Decision-making in Editing
    2. EDITING ISSUES
      1. • Putting Together an Editing System
        1. Computer
        2. Hard Drives
        3. Monitor
        4. Keyboard Overlays
      2. • Been There, Done That: Working with Editors–Sam Pollard
      3. • Who Should Edit Your Film?
      4. • Been There, Done That: Working with Editors & Remotely–Mike Attie & Meghan O’Hara
      5. • Stock Footage and Photos
      6. • Been There, Done That: 7 Commandments of Archival Footage–Rick Prelinger
      7. • How to Fix It in Post: Covering Up Common Mistakes–Greg Payton
        1. 1. Fixing Soft-Focused Shots
        2. 2. Extending Shots That Aren’t Long Enough
        3. 3. Fixing a Boom Mic in the Frame
        4. 4. Faking Camera Coverage by Reframing a Shot
        5. 5. Fixing Bad White Balance
        6. 6. Fixing Low Resolution Video and Stills
        7. 7. What do I do if my Audio is Out of Sync?
        8. 8. Fixing Coughs, “Ums”, and “Ahs”
        9. 9. Reducing Wind Noise
        10. 10. Fixing Over and Underexposed Shots
    3. GETTING IT OUT THERE
      1. • Film Festival Strategy
      2. • Been There, Done That: Passion, Business & Filmmaking–Adrian Belic
      3. • 7 Ways to Work a Film Festival
      4. • Been There, Done That: How to Hustle at Sundance–Rebekah Sindoris and Christie Pesicka
      5. • Been There, Done That: Words of Wisdom for Young Filmmakers–Cliff Charles
  20. ANTHONY’S RECOMMENDED READS
  21. GLOSSARY
  22. INDEX
    1. About the Author
    2. Book and Bonus Website Credits

Product information

  • Title: The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Anthony Q. Artis
  • Release date: March 2014
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136065897