2. PROBLEMS AND HOW I DEALT WITHTHEM
The biggest problem that I faced by far when
developing my project was the time I had to shoot
interviews and other pieces with other people for
my documentary.The misalignments in schedules
between me and other people in the cast of my
documentary became quite a big problem when
shooting. I overcame this problem by shooting in
the college itself which ended up benefiting the
documentary in other areas too. Not only did it
allow me to shoot more efficiently and more often,
it allowed me to keep the documentary more
focused on specific people and the age group I
researched.
3. PROBLEMS AND HOW I DEALT WITHTHEM
Another problem I encountered whilst making my documentary was the software
I use to create it. Many problems has arisen when trying to get Adobe Premiere
Pro to work with the file structure that my iPhone 14 uses for video files. Most of
these problems rose due to quality in which I shot the footage. It was all shot in
4k30 HDR, HDR was a problem due to compatibility with Premiere Pro, I had to
not use HDR in order for the files to import correctly.
An additional problem due to recording in such high quality was the computer not
being able to handle such a heavy load.To solve this problem I had to use my
computer at home to edit the footage, which resolved the slow performance I was
encountering on college computers.This came with an additional benefit as it
allowed me to edit my documentary much faster.
4. HOW MY PROJECT WAS SHOT
The entire documentary was shot on an iPhone 14 in
4k which provides a very clear and sharp image. I shot
it in high resolution to give it a professional feeling, it
also improves the viewing experience when watching
the documentary.
Minimal equipment was used during shooting of the
project as I wanted it to have a homemade feeling to
it, this means that I mainly hand-held the camera
when shooting.The only time a tripod was used was
in the interview part of documentary, this is to have
the talking head angle.
5. HOW MY PROJECT
WAS SHOT
Shooting for my documentary was as
expected, tough and time constrained,
to help this I filmed in the college so that
everyone’s time was used effectively and
that there weren’t any problems in
travelling and managing a time slot for
the interviews.
Luckily there was a student made for
shooting in the college, so it was much
less of a problem and actually helped in
my shooting and helped it to appear
much more professional.
6. FILMING PRACTISES I USED
The main practise I emphasized in using was the use of
the camera in the documentary. I wanted different and
more experimental camera angles for the interviews in
the documentary.The effect this has is making the
viewer more enticed to maintain their attention on the
screen.
Additionally, I used the rule of thirds on my camera to
accurately line up each shot.This helped my
documentary to be satisfying to watch due to certain
subjects being perfectly centred in the shot. Alongside
making it look more satisfying it also benefits massively
in keeping continuity in between shots so that the
footage that I shoot on the day or even in between days
looks consistent and does not distract the viewer from
what the documentary is trying to portray.
7. FILMING PRACTISES I USED
To make the source footage look as
professional as I could, I dialled in the
exposure to make the contrast levels and
overall brightness more visually appealing to
look at.When shooting my footage I am
trying to shoot it in a way so I don’t have to
do too much in editing and colour
correction.This is because digitally altering
the footage can degrade the quality of the
footage that I have shot.
I also ensured that the microphone that was
built in to the camera was positioned close
and towards the person that I was recording,
to keep the audio quality acceptable.
8. THE SHOTS I USED
I used a medium shot in the interviews, this is so that the interview feels more
personal and relatable with the viewer.
The use of the medium shot allows for the college students’ clothing to be
seen which will be relatable to the audience that will be watching the
documentary, it also allows for the college lanyard to be seen which shows
that they are actually a college student.
I think that the medium shot is a good balance of being able to visually read
what the person in frame is seeing and having good looking footage.
Most of the medium shots were performed with a makeshift tripod using a
chair to lay the camera against.
9. COMPOSITION OF MY SHOTS
Quite a large number of the shots that I used other than
the medium shots were done while handholding the
camera. I performed my shots handheld as it allowed for
quick and easy shooting for my documentary which was
important for the tight schedule that I had with the cast in
which I interviewed.
Handholding the camera also has an appealing look to the
documentary when done correctly, it reinforces the feel of
the expository documentary that I was aiming for, as to the
audience it emphasizes the presence of the director
throughout the documentary.When the audience is aware
of the camera being held by someone, it emphasizes the
existence of a director / cast behind the camera which are
orchestrating the documentary as it goes on, which is what
I was aiming for when planning for my documentary.
10. SHOOTING MY FOOTAGE
Some excess footage of setting up or walking to
somewhere in the College was filmed, this is so that I had
some footage to put over my voice over in the editing
stage.
Shooting this excess footage will turn out to be a good
practise and worth the time as it will allow for context and
continuity in the final edit of the documentary, it will allow
for a build up to the interview segment of the
documentary, it will help the viewer to feel more
connected to the documentary; the affect this will leave is
them understanding it better.
As seen here, I shot footage of me and one of the college
students walking to the room in which we done the
interview which is shown right after this footage is shown
to the audience.
11. SHOOTING DIGITAL
FOOTAGE
For the data and analytics part of the
documentary I used screen recordings of
existing articles and websites that are
relevant to the information in the
documentary.
The software I used to record these
segments was OBS Studio.The reasoning for
using this software was because I have
significant prior experience with the
software and it is very easy to use, it also
allows for 4k recording which will match with
the resolution of the rest of the
documentary.
