Filmmaking Craft
SD cards for 4K video, SSDs and backups for a documentary shoot
Which SD card for 4K video, which portable SSD for editing, and how to offload, verify and back up a documentary shoot so that no footage is ever lost.
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Every review, essay and guide we have published, newest first. 31 pieces so far.
Filmmaking Craft
Shot list template and call sheet template for documentary shoots
A copyable shot list template and call sheet template for documentary days, with a worked example and why a documentary list plans coverage, not a script.
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Filmmaking Craft
Camera monitors for documentary: how to choose a small field monitor
How to choose a camera monitor for documentary work: screen size and weight, brightness in nits, focus and exposure tools, LUTs, HDMI, batteries and mounts.
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Documentary
Hurricane Katrina documentaries: the films that stayed with New Orleans
The Hurricane Katrina documentary films that matter, from Spike Lee's four-act requiem to Trouble the Water, and how to watch them with the care they ask.
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Festivals & Distribution
Your first documentary festival: a survival guide for filmmakers
What to sort out before, during and after your first documentary festival: press kit, stills, screeners, the Q&A, industry meetings, money and stamina.
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Filmmaking Craft
LED panel lights, COB lights and softboxes for interview lighting
How to light a documentary interview with an LED panel light, a COB light in a softbox, a reflector and a window, plus three point lighting, CRI and flicker.
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Filmmaking Craft
Camera angles and shot types: a field glossary for documentary
What camera angles and shot types mean on a documentary shoot: a glossary from extreme wide to overhead, what each one does, and when each one can mislead.
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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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Filmmaking Craft
Variable ND filters for video: how to choose the right ND filter
How to choose an ND filter for video: why the shutter needs one, fixed versus variable ND, stops and ND numbers, thread sizes, step-up rings and polarizers.
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Filmmaking Craft
The 180-degree rule in film, and why documentaries break it
The 180-degree rule in film explained: the line between two people, screen direction, honest ways to cross it, and why documentary crews cross it so often.
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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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