concerns and such

September 12, 2008 at 3:59 pm · Filed under Documentary, Technology and tagged: Documentary, Filmmaking, interviews, technical issues

So I’ve just come home from filming two interviews for my blog-based documentary and have breifly reviewed the footage. As usual I am not one-hundred-percent satisfied. I am not entirely happy with the framing. Or with the lighting. Or with the sound.

The interviewees were wonderful, so I will be fine with content. Technically, I feel a little disappointed but I start to wonder how this will affect the editing process and the delivery of this documentary story online. Is my bad framing going to be extremely noticable? Is over-exposure going to let me down? There is only so much one can do in post-production and it worries me that I might need to re-shoot some parts. Mainly because I don’t want to have to be a greater bother to the participants who so willingly allowed me into their homes and shared their stories. I don’t want to have to go over everything again just because I didn’t achieve the expected standard I set for myself. I truly am my own harshest critic.

The cause of these problems during the shoot? Me and my decisions. I went out alone- no cinematographer, no sound recordist, no lighting crew. Just me, the interviewer and the lot. I’ve justified my choices by the fact that what I am making is a documentary. One which is a part of my own personal journey and that I believe I can do by myself.

I find security in the fact that being a blog-based documentary, I have more ways to work around imperfect footage. Bad visuals, just use audio, smaller resolution video for less noticeable bad framing. Something like that.

Perhaps I did the best I could at that given time. I annoy myself by thinking I really could have done better. Maybe I simply couldn’t have done so at that moment and should just accept it.

One more interview to go and then I can fully immerse myself into some blog-based doco-making.

Wow.

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