Documentary
Climbing documentaries, from Touching the Void to Free Solo
A climbing documentary guide to Touching the Void, Free Solo, Meru, The Dawn Wall and more, with notes on filming risk and how cameras get up a wall.
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Rania Saliba
Rania writes from Winnipeg about independent features, music films and the culture that grows around small cinemas and film clubs. She is happiest in a half-empty room watching something nobody has heard of yet.
Pieces by Rania
Filmmaking Craft
Camera gimbals for documentary: when one helps and what to look for
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.
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Documentary
Dinosaur documentaries for every age, and how to tell bone from guesswork
A dinosaur documentary guide from Walking with Dinosaurs to Prehistoric Planet and Dinosaur 13, with notes on evidence, guesswork and watching with kids.
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Independent Film
What low-budget horror films can teach documentary makers
Blair Witch, Night of the Living Dead, The Evil Dead, Cube and Ginger Snaps hold real lessons for documentary makers about sound, suggestion and location.
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Filmmaking Craft
What is B-roll, and how documentary editors use it
B-roll for documentary makers: where the term came from, A-roll versus B-roll, how editors cut with it, and the moment cover footage starts to mislead.
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Culture
Songs from the sidewalk: music documentaries and the street
Music documentaries about buskers and outsiders: how they record sound on the street, the ethics of filming people without homes, and three films to start.
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Culture
Rep cinemas and film societies: how small screens survive
How repertory cinemas and film societies keep going on members, volunteers, smart programming and good rooms, plus a plain guide to starting your own.
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Independent Film
Micro-budget features that made it, and the lessons they leave
What El Mariachi, Clerks, Primer, Tangerine and a Winnipeg film co-op can teach anyone trying to make a first feature film on almost no money at all.
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