http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/ -- Discuss issues facing documentary production. en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:05:41 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/ http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/468125-alternative-legal-framework-documentaries.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:50:23 GMT It occurs to me that for certain types of documentary projects the standard release forms that contributors must sign are not entirely appropriate. A concrete example might help to explain what I mean. About a year ago I was shooting some material in an isolated village in the south of Mexico.... It occurs to me that for certain types of documentary projects the standard release forms that contributors must sign are not entirely appropriate. A concrete example might help to explain what I mean.

About a year ago I was shooting some material in an isolated village in the south of Mexico. The broader context of this material was a program, run by various NGO's, that was aimed at facilitating the exchange of information on sustainable agricultural practices between small scale farmers. The real star of this material, (who we'll call Juan), was a farmer who had been farming without the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides for over 15 years. He told us the reasons why he stopped using fertilisers and the difficulties that he had in making the transition to more sustainable methods.

He was able to produce enough food for is rather large family, (including his 96 year old mother) but the family was very limited in their ability to generate a cash income. His family was part of a cooperative of 4 or 5 families who were all in a similar position. These families had very concrete development goals and needs including water tanks to catch rainwater in the wet season so they wouldn't have to walk for an hour and a half to the nearest river and then cart water back to the village during the dry season.

In this context I felt that simply asking Juan to sign a standard release form was inappropriate. My feeling was there needed to be a legal structure that would allow the documentary to help this community to achieve their development goals. This is clearly not a journalistic model for documentary production and the legal model that I'm thinking about would probably be most suited to a conception of documentary film-making as a means to help groups of people achieve certain development goals. But perhaps a legal model such as the cooperative, that has a sense of collective ownership, might also be useful for Indie film-makers in other genres.

Michael Moore touches on something similar to this in an interview he did at the Commonwealth Club of California. You can see his comments via the following link (scroll down to question 7 "Sharing revenue with his crew").

FORA.tv - Filmmaker Michael Moore on Capitalism: A Love Story

I totally agree with Moore when he says that creative control shouldn't be cooperative.

My intention here IS NOT to start a political discussion and I know that such discussions are NOT TOLERATED on this forum, but rather to start a discussion about how legal alternatives might be seen as another tool for documentary production. Any ideas on legal alternatives to the standard sign-a-release set-up? ]]> Documentary Techniques Ben Denham http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/468125-alternative-legal-framework-documentaries.html http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/467603-help-out-little-confusion.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:35:04 GMT Hi, I am a newbie. I am shooting an HDV rockumentary with a Canon XHA1. It's me and a sound guy in a very third world country, meaning that I use a lot of ambient light. I am wondering if it's better to shoot observational footage at 24fps and then live footage (with adequate lighting) at 60i, capturing at 29.97fps. When I out put to DVD for film festivals and the like, will these two formats be compatible? (shooting for NTSC)

Thanks! ]]> Documentary Techniques Tracey Noelle Luz http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/467603-help-out-little-confusion.html http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/467563-photographs-documentaries.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:02:53 GMT Hi everyone, I am producing a documentary, which will briefly discuss popular figures such as Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and Martin Luther King Jr. I am planning to use pictures for that portion of the documentary and I have collected very high resolution pictures already from the internet. My... Hi everyone,

I am producing a documentary, which will briefly discuss popular figures such as Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and Martin Luther King Jr. I am planning to use pictures for that portion of the documentary and I have collected very high resolution pictures already from the internet.

My question is if it is legal for me to use these pictures or will I have to attain the rights to the photographs? This documentary will eventually be sold to a major television network once finished.

If I do have to attain rights to use the pictures, where can I find out who has the rights to the pictures I have selected? Normally I shoot everything that is needed when it comes to video footage and pictures or I make my client provide me with pictures they have shot.
However, this documentary is my own privately funded project.

Thanks ]]> Documentary Techniques Mohammad Farooqi http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/467563-photographs-documentaries.html http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/467029-slate-not-slate.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:45:01 GMT I am going to be working a documentary that will have a lot of shots of people working run and gun interviews. While it seems possible for me to slate, it could be distracting to the subject or a hassle for our small crew. We will be shooting two cameras (Canon HV-20 and HF-10) and recording... I am going to be working a documentary that will have a lot of shots of people working run and gun interviews.

While it seems possible for me to slate, it could be distracting to the subject or a hassle for our small crew. We will be shooting two cameras (Canon HV-20 and HF-10) and recording sound to a Sound Devices 744T.

Thanks for any advice! ]]> Documentary Techniques Peter Moretti http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/467029-slate-not-slate.html http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/466922-interview-angles.html Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:15:29 GMT Hello,

What do people recommend for interview angles regarding the person being interviewed for the following scenarios?

Scenario 1:
You don't see the interviewer, you just hear the questions.

Scenario 2:
You don't see the interviewer nor hear the questions; You just hear the answers.

The interviews are generally for corporate types of interviews.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!,

Simon ]]> Documentary Techniques Simon Zimmer http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/466922-interview-angles.html http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/466649-lighting-interviews-recomendations.html Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:16:52 GMT Hi all,

I need to get some lighting equipment for interviews, but not sure which ones to get.

It's for indoor use in workshops and auto garages and needs to be easily transportable

I was thinking of:

1 x 300w

2 x red heads (not sure how many watts though)

Can someone advise please?

Thanks ]]> Documentary Techniques Syeed Ali http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/466649-lighting-interviews-recomendations.html http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/466500-looking-good-source-news-footage-national-international.html Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:25:40 GMT Hello, I am working on a documentary for our non-profit. Where can I find high quality news footage of national and international events especially Latin America (Colombia). I would be willing to pay if the quality is good. Any good websites out there for news footage? thanks, Hello,

I am working on a documentary for our non-profit. Where can I find high quality news footage of national and international events especially Latin America (Colombia).

I would be willing to pay if the quality is good.

Any good websites out there for news footage?

thanks,

Simon ]]> Documentary Techniques Simon Zimmer http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/466500-looking-good-source-news-footage-national-international.html http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/466312-looking-good-online-documentary-course-book.html Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:31:04 GMT Hello,

Can any one recommend a good online course on how to make documentaries?

I don't have any time or money to go to a film school but online seems doable.

Also if there are any "must" books to have on making documentaries and video production in general I would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks,

Simon ]]> Documentary Techniques Simon Zimmer http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/documentary-techniques/466312-looking-good-online-documentary-course-book.html