Production & Postproduction

Principal photography is typically the most expensive part of a film production. To give you an idea, major Hollywood movie productions can cost upwards of $1,500 per minute! This amount accounts chiefly for script rights, cast and crew salaries, production equipment rentals, studio set builds &/or location agreements and craft services. Student filmmakers may be shooting anywhere from less than $50 to upwards of $100 a day with the totality of the budget used mainly to feed an all volunteer cast and crew and maybe rent some equipment not available from their school, purchase or build unique props called for in the script, and possibly paying for production permits. The point here is to illustrate that the principal photography phase of any media project—by necessity— must be quick and as efficient as possible or your budget will drain out quickly. Therefore, the director and her/his crew must come together quickly as a well-oiled machine.

1. Who does what, when?

   Remember that schedule you put together in preproduction? Now it’s time to put it into action! Obviously, the complexity of a production will determine the size of your crew. A simple video shoot can be done with a “minimalist crew” of two or three people. However, if your production is more elaborate you are going to need a larger crew to execute your vision. Whether your crew is a small group of friends or a full-scale production “army,” each day’s schedule begins the same: “call time“, the time at which everyone from cast to crew must report to the production set. While the 1st Assistant Director (AD) immediately sets to overseeing the activities of the production crew so everyone (& everything) is ready for the first shot of the day, the DP (Director of Photography, also called the Cinematographer) will be working with the camera crew, consulting with the Gaffer (or, Chief Lighting Technician) on lighting while the Grips and Electricians go about their tasks of rigging and bringing power to the set. Likewise, the production Sound Mixer (or, Recordist) and Boom Operator are choosing the right microphones for the production, testing the recording equipment and determining appropriate microphone placement to pick up and record good quality sound while keeping the equipment out of the picture. During this chaotic bustle of activity on the set, the cast are in Wardrobe and Makeup, the Prop Master is preparing all hand props and coordinating with the Set Dressers and Production Designer in preparing the set for production while the Director will be concerned with blocking out the scene’s action, camera placement, lens selection and framing the shots as well as whether and how to move the camera to cover the action. The director’s most important duty to the Producer is to “make the day” (complete all the shots for all the scenes scheduled to be completed by the end of any given production day) and provide the editor with the images and audio necessary to cut together the final program. Obviously, there are many more individuals involved in a film or television production and everyone on a production set is part of a “department” with specific tasks¹—all essential to the smooth operation of the production.

   Who's Who on a Movie Crew from Vimeo Video School on Vimeo.

   The above video provides a quick overview of some of the key positions in a film/video crew; below is another, somewhat satirical (but certainly entertaining!) perspective that presents the life of two production assistants on a television set hoping to make a good impression and launch their careers. Among the gems of advice delivered in the film, the first comes from the AD, “half an hour early is on time… and on time is late!”

   Rolling from Justin Dec on Vimeo.

   If you are just starting out in single-camera video production, you will likely find yourself working multiple roles in your video production. Wearing multiple “hats” is a given in student and independent film and video productions and the most common “hyphenate” is the producer-director-editor. Although discouraged for most professional productions (it’s a union thing), this is actually not an uncommon occurrence with most student video projects. Although there are a number of great books and articles about directing, the director–cinematographer relationship and the role of the director in postproduction, below is a good primer on how to be an effective director leading a production crew on set (warning, the video is a little cheezy!).

   Directing 101 from Vimeo Video School on Vimeo.

2. Set Etiquette

   Film and video production sets have a workflow and jargon all their own. If you are relatively new to the film or video production environment, navigating the “ins & outs,” “dos & don’ts” of working a production set can be a bit tricky. Adam Everett Miller put together the following video of Mark Hutchins of Alexander Films who shares some helpful tips on how to behave on a film set.²

   "Setiquette:" An Introduction Class for Beginners On A Film Set.[http://blip.tv/file/get/Aetutsplus-SetEtiquettePresentation558.mp4] by Mark Hutchins.

   Although not technically part of set etiquette, knowing how to properly look after equipment while on the set is an important skill that will be noticed (hint: treat the equipment like it is your own). Another skill that is often overlooked is how you wrap cables up at the end of the day—there is a “right” way that will impress your supervisors and show everyone that you are not a newbie to the film/video production process, and a “wrong” way that will likely not get you invited back on set. The proper cable wrapping technique is call “Over–Under” coiling and it will keep your cables knotless while also preserving them so they don’t break over time—because replacing cables can get really expensive!

   How to Wrap Your Cables—New filmmakers: impress the crew! By DiCassaFilm.

3. Cinematography & Lighting

   Cinematography ranks among the most complex and demanding areas of filmmaking. Cinematographers—or DPs—head the Camera Department, which also includes those crewmembers who work lighting and grip. DPs are problem solvers working at the vortex of principle photography and typically have the largest crew on any film set. Cinematographer Dean Cundey, ASC, long time collaborator with director John Carpenter and the DP for such films as Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), the beloved Back to the Future trilogy and Ron Howard’s Apollo 13 (1995), stated that, "cinematography is the science behind the technology and art of visual storytelling." Figuring out the precise effect intended for a shot can be time consuming and exhausting. To determine exposure, the camera alone imposes three variables: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Location or set production environments—controllable or not—will also dictate other variables and challenges. A good cinematographer does more than merely light a scene. S/he studies the script and creates an elaborate lighting setup that provokes emotions and strengthens the plot. Lighting is never easy. Every time you strike a light, you cast a shadow somewhere else. For the beginning film or video maker, mastering the science and art of cinematography begins with understanding the basics: Lighting, lenses, framing and angles, selective focus (Bokeh), background awareness³ and camera movement.

   Cinematography: Learn From A Master. By Hugh Fenton.

   Basic lighting setups begin with an understanding of the principle of three-point lighting.

   Filmmaking 101: Three Point Lighting Tutorial. By DiCassaFilm.

   Lens selection is an important part of the cinematographer’s job and knowing exactly what lens will work best for a specific lighting environment, shot type and will serve the emotional intent of the story takes a thorough knowledge of the script, lens types and how they influence an audience’s connection with the images and performance.

   Carl Zeiss Lenses - Angle of Views (Theatinerkirche) from Carl Zeiss Lenses on Vimeo.

   Every compositional decision in cinematography is first defined by the dimensions of the frame; i.e., the aspect ratio. DSLRs and most video cameras can shoot in either 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios, but unless you have a compelling aesthetic reason to do otherwise, shoot everything in 16:9. You must place every visual aspect of the story's world within the dimensions of the frame as well as reflect the central power, point of view, and ownership of the scene. However, without a thorough knowledge of the script and the director’s artistic vision of the story, this process can become pedantic or confusing. All compositional choices revolve around who owns the scene and the director’s blocking of action, nothing should be left to chance, everything must be motivated by the story—including the camera. Some of the conventions of creative visual composition have been around for a long time; two of the most important are actually quite similar, the Rule of Thirds and the Golden Mean (or golden ratio, golden section, divine proportions), the other being the Fibonacci ratio.⁴ for the Rule of Thirds and the Golden Mean, the lines that divide the screen horizontally are often used as guides for placement of the horizon or eye-line while the intersection points with corresponding vertical lines provide guides for dynamic placement of the primary subjects. Such compositional conventions as these also apply to subject placement as they move across the frame suggesting the need for “space” in front to balance the composition. Another simple yet amazingly effective principle of composition has been credited to Alfred Hitchcock. This principle, called the Hitchcock Rule, states that the size of an object in the frame should be directly related to its importance in the story at that moment.

   

   Reverie (2008) by Vincent Laforet, was the first “cinematic” video shot with a DSLR camera.⁵ The above screen shot from Laforet's film illustrates the Rule of Thirds (red) and Golden Mean (yellow) while the spiral overlay represents the Fibonacci Ratio (gray)—three aesthetic guides for framing dynamic composition. Notice how lights on the Brooklyn Bridge in the background lead viewer attention to the subjects while lighting and selective focus fixes the audience’s gaze on the couple that is proportionally larger in the frame, demonstrating the “Hitchcock Rule.”

   Selective focus is a means of directing the audience’s attention to that part of the visual image the director desires and serves the story. To do this without distracting influences from either the foreground or background, the cinematographer employs the Bokeh effect. Bokeh is as much lighting as it is lens selection and the purposeful manipulation of the image’s depth of field.

   Creating Bokeh: A Lighting Tutorial. By The Slanted Lens.

   Camera movement is an essential defining characteristic of cinematic style, it's one of the most powerful tools you can use to create the film look; pans, tilts, rising or falling crane shots, tracking shots, push-ins, pull-outs and “zolly” (dolly-zoom) are the "stock in trade" shots that move the viewer smoothly through the space of the cinematic world created by the cinematographer.

   Camera Movement. By Videomaker.

   Once you have all the above planned out and you are ready to shoot the first take on set, consider doing a quick recheck of the camera and its settings prior to recording your first images!

   7 Things To Check Before Hitting Record. By ReelSEO.

4. Audio⁶

   It has been said that an audience seldom notices good audio, but they will almost certainly notice if the audio is bad. George Lucas himself has been credited with saying that sound is 50 percent of the movie-going experience. This is also certainly the case with video productions. The consumer-grade camcorders you can purchase from your local big-box electronics store can generate decent-enough video if the final destination of your video is YouTube. If you take the extra step and mount your camera on a tripod and plan the camera moves carefully, the video images will likely be comparable to that produced by more expensive, “prosumer” cameras. But the big difference will be heard rather than seen. The onboard microphones on most consumer cameras often leave something to be desired. Most of these mics are fine when shooting in close proximity to your subject, but it's their placement on the camera, not with the sound source, that is the issue—for these mics to provide optimal audio quality, you have to be physically much, much closer to your subject. You are far better off if you forego the onboard microphone as your primary audio source (it’s “okay” for reference audio, though) and plug in an external microphone (e.g., a wireless lavaliere or shotgun mic on a boom pole) directly into the audio jack on your camera (XLR being the professional standard, but some cameras require “mini” or 8mm plugs), or to a portable field mixer connected to your camera (both are examples of synchronized audio/video recording—or, “sync” audio). If your camera lacks external audio jacks or does not allow for monitoring the audio during recording (i.e., no headphones jack), go with an external mixer/recorder that records the audio independent of the video images (aka, dual-system audio).

   Three Keys to Great Audio for Video. By izzievideo.

   Recording sound for DSLRs from Vimeo Video School on Vimeo.

   Whether you capture your audio on camera (sync) or on a separate, external recording device (dual-system), here are a few important tips to keep in mind if you find yourself running the sound department on your next student or independent video project.

   • Learn the equipment and skills necessary to be a good sound recordist &/or boom operator and practice, practice, practice!
   • Use good quality studio headphones and listen carefully to the incoming audio. Trust your ears, if it sounds bad, it is bad. Don’t be afraid to ask for another take.
   • Make sure the director and crew know not to shout “cut” or anything else immediately after the last line. Have them wait a “beat” (short moment of time—3 to 5 seconds) before calling “cut,” you need that little gap after the last line to make the edit easier.
   • Make sure everyone on the set turns off their mobile phones or that they are placed in “airplane mode”—no exceptions!
   • Check the set for squeaky chairs, doors and floorboards, or humming refrigerators and air conditioners, or anything else making a distracting noise—deal with these problems before you start shooting.
   • Capture at least one minute of room tone before or after you’ve finished the scene. Room tone (also called “ambient sound” or “buzz track”) is the noise of the set without any dialogue. It comes in really handy during the edit for patching takes together.
   • Do a site visit to any outdoor sets. Traffic noise, airplanes, building sites, playgrounds, barking dogs, lawn mowers and other odd noises can make a set unusable.
5. About Documentary & Corporate Video Productions

   A generic definition of a documentary that has been around for almost as long as film has is, “the creative treatment of actuality.” Beyond this, any further attempt at definition results in protracted arguments and lines drawn in the sand! For most people, any non-fiction film or video that informs viewers about a real-life subject—be that a person, an event or an issue (historical, social, political, cultural or scientific) that is of public or personal interest—counts as a documentary. Many documentaries are educational &/or informational, others detail stories about important people &/or events while still others may attempt to persuade an audience to agree with a specific point of view.

   Documentary Filmmaking—Tips From The Trenches for Film & TV. By filmsaboutfilms.

   Corporate and promotional videos are produced to provide internal training, distribute information or promote workforce morale, or are used to promote or advertise a business, product, event, concept or organization with targeted external publics. Also, as part of an integrated marketing communication strategy, video can provide businesses with a chance to display their personality, virtues and products and—through YouTube and social marketing—make such information available to anyone with a screen and even the slightest interest in what they have to offer.⁷

   Top Ten Tips for a GREAT Corporate Video. By Bailey Cooper Photography and Video.

   Whereas documentary attempts to present unscripted “actuality” as unfiltered as possible, and corporate videos are carefully crafted messages featuring “real people as they really are,” very little left to chance. What these two seemingly disparate genres of production have in common is that both are often based around interviews with key individuals knowledgeable about the subject matter or who are the subject of the documentary or corporate video.⁸ Obviously, the more organized and meticulous you are in planning your documentary or corporate video production, the more time you will have to be free to enjoy the spontaneity of discovery in the process. When doing interviews, keep your questions short and simple and don’t be afraid of silence… sometimes, this will lead to the interviewee revealing more information than you might have thought to ask! Also, when editing dialogue for documentary or corporate video, it is a good idea to edit the audio portions first, then pictures. Finally, if you find yourself debating whether or not to keep/include a scene in your video, 99 percent of the time you should probably leave it out—documentaries and corporate videos are less about collecting and putting together than they are about omitting and throwing away.⁹

   Shooting a Documentary Style Interview. By The Slanted Lens.

   Likewise, both documentary and corporate videos endeavor to engage with their respective audiences in an “authentic” way¹⁰—in other words, to communicate with “verisimilitude.” Production equipment and techniques between documentary and corporate differ little from those of cinematic shorts or feature films except in terms of scale &/or scope. The same principles of lighting, composition and audio still apply. So, what gear should you bring on your documentary or documentary-style corporate video production? It depends, of course!

   Filming a Doc: What’s in my camera bag? By IndieMogul.

   What’s in my camera bag? By TooRealForTV.