Practical DV FilmMaking
Production tools
A condensed guide to shooting
This chapter is going to help to get you filming quickly, taking you through the basics of filming so that you can start working on the projects detailed in this book. Refer to this chapter before you start each project so that you go shooting with more confidence, aware of the various obstacles that could arise.
Preparing yourself
As we saw in Chapter 4, much of the filmmaking process is about how to deal with problems - minor and potentially larger ones. Every day you may encounter some obstacle to your plans, some person or rule that puts everything on hold. The sorts of skills you need to overcome these problems are the kind that you use every day to deal with many situations: those transferable skills that have enabled you to negotiate a pay rise, calm a distraught friend, sort out a problem with your bank - or all three at the same time. All these hurdles are the kind that have been secretly preparing you for the process of shooting. You already have the most important skills needed to accomplish the task of making a movie, and when you put these to work with your technical knowledge of cameras and your ideas about what you want to express on video, you are on your way.
Equipment
You need:
• Video camera.
• Power supplies. Batteries or mains connection cables.
• Videotapes. Take four or five for a day's work, although it is unlikely that you will accomplish this much shooting.
• Camera support. Take a tripod.
• Microphones. A boom or shotgun mic should cover most situations, but take a unidirectional car-dioid mic as well if you have one. A lavalier or clip-on mic will help with close-ups, or if you want to exclude other noises when recording dialogue.
• Lights. If you only have one lamp, make sure it's a strong key light such as a Redhead (a brand name, but people will know what you mean if you refer to it). But you don't always need high-powered lamps - DV copes with less light than previous formats, so a 300 W should cover you for all eventualities. But you can make great-looking films using just one strong, purpose-built lamp. Avoid using lamps that clip on to the camera. If you have the budget to use a good range, see the list in Chapter 5:2 (the ideal kit-bag), but also refer to this list for the extras you will need, such as gaffer tape.
• Monitor. If you want to be sure that the film you are shooting maintains the highest technical standards throughout, consider using a monitor, a small television hooked up to show you what you are recording.
