more footage...
 

I feel like I'm getting closer on the interview set ups. I'd appreciate some feedback on the footage I'm linking to.

Thanks,

Mike Watkins

30 second teaser for dvinfo.net documentary contest

Very nice Mike! Looks like you've learned. Only two small criticisms is one of the interviewees is still a bit close to a wall with no breakup, and the last person seemed to have a bit of a hotspot on them.

But looks good!

Thanks Perrone.

I've been trying to put to practice all of the advice. Also I've been doing alot more shooting lately and I think this has been a big help, but not quite as much as the good advice given here on the forum.

I did notice the hotspot and closeness on the last interviewee, but it was in the edit bay when I really noticed It was a rushed set up for that interview.

Thanks for the comments.

Mike Watkins

Adjusting the hairlight
 

Jim makes a valuable point; it can make a significant difference.

I think the only thing I would add to what everyone else has contributed is:

1. Note the difference of the apparent brightness of the hairlight on the men and women: it appears inordinately bright and sparkly on the women's hair for the mood you're trying to create. On the men, the clothing mutes this. The cheapest and easiest solution is probably a dimmer, such as this nifty tool Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices. Note that the color temp of your lamp will warm as you dim it. If necessary, a gel will cool it down.

2. As one who many years ago had to ask for a $15 photo umbrella for Christmas for financial reasons, I join many here in empathy for your doing things on the cheap. You can clamp a $4 extendable curtain rod, the cheap white or brass kind that weigh almost nothing, to a stand and use wooden clothes pins or stronger spring clamps to hang white translucent fabric of your choice from the fabric store, and light through or bounce. If you can afford it, buy some ripstop nylon, aka sail cloth, grid cloth, etc. Check the remnants tables for extra bargains.

Again, watch your background, viewers will see bad composition before they see bad lighting. Your lighting is good, keep making small adjustments as you go along but look at those backgrounds.

The first shot of the boy, good lighting but there's something that looks like a cable TV box growing out of his face.

Second shot of the man in front a dark background, don't change a thing, that's the best of the bunch.

Third of the woman, I believe that's your wife? First avoid vertical lines splitting the image, there are two different pictures into one. Don't paste your subject against the background put as much distance as you can, unless for some reason the background is part of the story. Probably you are using a small 1/3 chip camera and with those you'll have difficulties reducing the depth of field in order to create good separation, use distance and darker background to give the illusion of depth.

Same for the last shot, too close to the background and same light value. Just like the shot above the background is competing with the subject. Also when you have something like a picture frame in the image make sure it's not crooked, in this case probably your camera wasn't leveled.

Your lighting is good, just fine tune it and don't go crazy yet it will get better with time and experience, work on the rest of the composition, that's more important.