Filmmaking Craft
What 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.
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We 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.
What 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.
Keep readingA dinosaur documentary guide from Walking with Dinosaurs to Prehistoric Planet and Dinosaur 13, with notes on evidence, guesswork and watching with kids.
Keep readingHow to choose an ND filter for video: why the shutter needs one, fixed versus variable ND, stops and ND numbers, thread sizes, step-up rings and polarizers.
Keep readingThe 180-degree rule in film explained: the line between two people, screen direction, honest ways to cross it, and why documentary crews cross it so often.
Keep readingBlair Witch, Night of the Living Dead, The Evil Dead, Cube and Ginger Snaps hold real lessons for documentary makers about sound, suggestion and location.
Keep readingBoom mic technique for small documentary crews: shotguns on camera or on a pole, boom stands, 32-bit float recorders, closed-back headphones and room tone.
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