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Eye Contact in Documentaries

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Eye contact filming (where the interview subject speaks directly into the lens) is now more common in documentaries. But it hasn’t always been possible or acceptable for filmmakers to do. When I studied Screen Documentary in 1998, I was taught that the subject should look to the left or right of the screen. As an interviewer, I sat close to the cam...

Submitted by Sybil Ah-Mane

Published 27 January 2020

The Dressing Room - shooting steamy scenes

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i W\'s latest factual entertainment series relies completely on the ability of fixed rig filming setups to make cast members forget their inhibitions. Described as a fly-on-the-wall documentary, "The Dressing Room\" gives TV audiences unprecedented access to team-sport dynamics off the field of play by inviting them into the hidden world of dressin...

Submitted by Josh Portwine

Published 07 September 2017

Making multi-camera shooting faster & more affordable

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by Datsa Gaile Issue 105 - September 2015 Multi-camera filming has been known for years. There was a time when shooting any production involving multiple-camera positions would require a very large studio budget. Today we have many solutions for live vision mixing and great editing platforms what offer multi-camera editing. As there are so many gre...

Submitted by Datsa Gaile

Published 01 October 2015

Wireless and satellite

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by John Wastcoat Issue 105 - September 2015 Each day, clips and other promotional materials needed to be transferred from the shooting location in South Africa to Network Tens editors in Sydney, Australia. However, the shows distant and isolated filming location in the South African jungle posed some major challenges for the broadcaster. Editors we...

Submitted by John Wastcoat

Published 01 October 2015

How to charge premium prices

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by Den Lennie Issue 98 - February 2015 How much should I charge? Is probably the most commonly asked question I receive here at F-Stop Academy. And the answer? As much as you can and your client is willing to pay. In business it is your duty to maximise your profit. If you are offering a premier boutique video production service then charge accordi...

Submitted by Den Lennie

Published 01 March 2015

Sealife - Shooting 4k

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by Kieron Seth Issue 98 - February 2015 Since the days of Jacques Cousteau and his Undersea World, marine habitats have fascinated television audiences. From 1972 to 1975 the French explorer and filmmaker brought his excitement and passion for sea life to our screens and have inspired documentary makers since. The films lay bare the lengths the cre...

Submitted by Kieron Seth#

Published 01 March 2015

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by Alister Chapman Issue 96 - December 2014 First and foremost you need weather protection. Both for you and your equipment. If you are cold and uncomfortable you are not going to be happy and your work may suffer. So item number 1 on my list is a good quality thermal base layer. This should be made of a high quality wicking fabric that draws moist...

Submitted by Alister Champman

Published 01 January 2015

Making an advert with the Blackmagic Cinema Camera

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by Brandon KahnIssue 80 - August 2013 When Mothers Basement came to us with an advert to put on UK cinema screens, I knew my trusty, but basic, XF 305 wasnt going to cut it. Sure, most ads you see in cinema are projected in regular HD and are often shot no higher than 1080, but I felt we needed some extra size. Some extra dynamic range and colour i...

Submitted by Brandon Kahn

Published 01 September 2013

A cinematic makeover with Blackmagic Design

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With the announcement of Blackmagic Cinema Camera at NAB 2012, Mark Linnhoff, a France based cinematographer, began to see the future of filmmaking in a new light. “Finally, an affordable acquisition tool that doesn’t compromise on image quality,” he recalled. “When I got the camera, I carried out some tests with a series of Carl Zeiss ZF.2 and Nik...

Submitted by Mark Linnhoff

Published 01 July 2013

Finance - the shooting season with Peter Savage

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Peter Savage goes biking and rediscovers that new isn’t always best for creating real impact, and that flexibility is the new game. The shooting season has started and, with it, the weather looks (well, this week at least) as if we could at last see some summer. The light is better, the days are longer, and the summer sports programme has kicked of...

Submitted by Dave Martland

Published 01 July 2013

3D Diaries Part 2 Cameras and rigs

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The idea of S-3D is not hard to grasp: one image for each eyeball. But making it work well enough to maintain the 3D illusion for the viewer is far from simple or straightforward. The fun starts with acquisition that breaks into two types of operation; live (no post production) and not live (with post). Shooting 3D requires acquiring two streams of...

Submitted by Bob Pank#

Published 01 July 2010

Polecam on Safari

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Safaricam"No, you can’t get out of the car", the voice replied. "Why not?’ I asked. "Because you might get eaten by a lion."I put the phone down and contemplated what it was I had just agreed to do. The Kenya project started with a call from a French production company expressing an interest in hiring my Polecam system for three weeks. The series,...

Submitted by Dennis Lennie

Published 01 August 2009