Filmmaking Craft
A copyable shot list template and call sheet template for documentary days, with a worked example and why a documentary list plans coverage, not a script.
Read the pieceWe write about documentaries and independent films the way a good programmer talks about them in the lobby: what the film is actually doing, who made it and how, and why it might be worth your evening. Some pieces are reviews and essays, some are practical guides to festivals, funding and the craft, and a fair number come back to Canadian screens, where so much of the world’s documentary tradition was invented.
How to choose a camera monitor for documentary work: screen size and weight, brightness in nits, focus and exposure tools, LUTs, HDMI, batteries and mounts.
Keep readingThe Hurricane Katrina documentary films that matter, from Spike Lee's four-act requiem to Trouble the Water, and how to watch them with the care they ask.
Keep readingWhat to sort out before, during and after your first documentary festival: press kit, stills, screeners, the Q&A, industry meetings, money and stamina.
Keep readingHow to light a documentary interview with an LED panel light, a COB light in a softbox, a reflector and a window, plus three point lighting, CRI and flicker.
Keep readingWhat camera angles and shot types mean on a documentary shoot: a glossary from extreme wide to overhead, what each one does, and when each one can mislead.
Keep readingWhat a gimbal does, when it helps a documentary and when handheld is more honest, plus balancing basics, gimbal modes and phone gimbals for phone shooters.
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