Research
Equipment
Steadicam:
For more then 40 years, Steadicams have been used within films. The add a lot of steadiness to camera movements without so much it feels robotic.
beststeadicam.com. (n.d.). Best Steadicam Stabilizer | Gimbals Reviews and (EXPERT ADVICE)
Overall I really want to use Steadicam for a lot of the scenes as it adds a smooth feel to the footage but still has a slight camera shake so it feels natural, for the majority of the shoot i want to use handheld as it adds to the exposé style we are trying to portray.
Lighting:
As lighting is a crucial part of documentary film making, especially within interviews, I had to do thorough research into how to light a shot. One extremely useful resource when researching lighting is a video analysis I watched on YouTube about how to light an interview.
In the video they break down the lighting they used on a Netflix Style interview they did using a mixture of both natural and artificial light to create a dramatic look with the shadow across the face which is a common code and convention.
Another thing that is crucial to a Netflix documentary is lighting. Netflix documentaries are always shot shadow side of the subject, casting a Rembrandt triangle across their face.
To do this they use a singular light through a silk/diffuser source with some fill below to cast a dramatic shadow across the face.
Camera:
Another code and convention of Netflix interviews is the use of multi camera set-ups so in post you can cut between the two camera angles to sustain the viewers attention. Typically this consists of an A and B cam setup with two different lenses.
A CAM
B CAM
If we were to recreate this we would have to use a Sony A6000 and a Canon 1300D
The Sony Alpha A6000 Digital Camera is packed with excellent features considering its size. The impressive 24 megapixels ensures you can always capture with clarity. With great low light performance and 1080p video. It uses a mirrorless APS-C sensor which gives a nice clean image consistent with netflix style documentaries.
The Canon EOS, which we will use as a B cam, isn't as good as the Sony A6000 with a smaller senor size and only up to 24fps 1920x1080p however we can combat this by shooting 24fps on both cameras and adjusting the aperture to match how much light is hitting the lens. Although the image isn't as clean, it will be used as a B-cam the footage wont be used as much.
Audio:
Another thing I researched was the use of audio as it is a crucial part of Netflix documentaries with the dialogue in interviews. For this used a rode blimp and boom pole to test out how to record dialogue.
matrix render
Here are some things my focus group said I should take into consideration whilst filming:
