Help with filming ah gong's memoirs

[plasmacow]

Hi everyone, would like some advice from the experts that lurk this forum.

Mods please move the thread if I am posting in the wrong forum, thought this was the most relevant forum.

I'm thinking of doing some memoirs with my grandfather of his life. At first I was thinking of just an audio setup and interview style but lately I've been toying with the idea of a video setup as well. I'll list my current plan, setup, and experience. Do let me know what you think of it.

Experience:

Mainly photography. Dabble in video but never too serious. Most serious is in time lapse work.Quite happy working with Photoshop, Lightroom and Premiere pro.

Setup:

• Audio- Blue Yeti microphone to be positioned in between us for interview/conversational style memoir. USB mic to laptop recording audio. Audio to be sync'd with video after editing.
• Video- I have a d600 and a d5000 which I plan to use as primary and secondary cameras, one which he is facing into, the other for a profile shot. focal lengths to use I'm thinking of a 50mm on the 5000 and a 85-100 on the d600, recommendations would be appreciated.
• Lighting- lighting in the room is not the best so I was thinking of some sort of lightbox, but unsure what is recommended after looking about. Also not too sure what is best positioning for the lightbox

Overall it's a very rough idea and would like feedback from anyone for tips for improvement.
Currently have the mentioned gear except lightbox. My budget is approximately $300 but can be flexible.

Not meant to be a super serious project but something I thought woul be great as he's 90+ and has seen a lot.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[catchlights]

the most important part is doing the interview, my advice will be keep your set up as simple as possible.
spend the time writing out the script, the topics and questions you want him share. other fancy stuffs can think about it later after the interview.

mic is very important for doing the interview, if the audio is sucks, everything is sucks.
you can place your subject beside a large window, let him sitting on a couch, the window light coming from the side, and keep your background clean, not clutter with distracting elements. If possible, place subject is far away from the background.
if you want to do two cameras set up, one should be in mid shot, the other one is in close up shot. look out for "camera set up for interview" from the web and youtube.

I would spend the money to rent a set of good lavalier microphone and audio recorder, an extra tripod (if you don't have two tripods), and buy a piece of Styrofoam board as DIY reflector. It should cost around $100.00.


hope this help.

 

[JacePhoto]

I think you are there with your set up. Maybe a SGD 25 lav microphone will help.

Have fun!

 

[Bamboopictures]

Try using a 4K camera or have 2 cameras for the interview. This will make your editing much easier. By having a 4K image, you can crop in to a close up from a medium shot to mask any jumpcuts. Or have 2 HD cameras each on a different shot size.
Vary the angle by about 30 degrees.
Now you can cut and join any portion of the interview without worrying about jumpcuts or cutaways. Light as you would a portraiture. Study set ups like rembrandt or butterfly that best bring out the gravitas of your interviewee. Use a lav mic if it is a quiet room. Use a hypercardiod if there is pesky background noise.

 

[kandinsky]

I really enjoyed the one Philip Bloom did with his Dad, and it got me inspired/thinking about doing something with my parents. Sad to say, I've not gotten around to doing it yet, but it's still there on my 'want to do' list.

Check out his blog post to see how he approached it - http://philipbloom.net/blog/dad/

[video=vimeo;122599046]https://vimeo.com/122599046[/video]

 

[plasmacow]

Hi guys, thank you so much for the advice, very much appreciated! Couple of questions if you don't mind.

From what you guys have mentioned the lavalier microphone and dedicated recorder seem to be the biggest thing I should get especially for sound. I've been reading guides, and do you guys think the Audio-Technica ATR-3350 would be decent enough, or can I get by with a cheap Neewer mic? I unfortunately have very little experience with audio recording equipment. I presume the key equipment would be the mic and a decent sound recorder would suffice for it to connect to.

Catchlights,

Good advice regarding the flow of the interview,I've been trying to figure out what to focus on in his life. Also think I will keep the setup simple as I think he would be rather put off if the setup gets too complicated. At the moment I don't even know if he'd be keen with the video aspect of the interview.

Regarding lighting and sound, when you mentioned styrofoam board as a DIY reflector is that for sound dampening preventing echoes or a light reflector for softening? If sound is it required with a lavalier?

Bamboopictures,

Thanks for the tips and setup recommendations, I got very good reading on it! I don't want to spend too much but at the same time I don't want to comprimise quality too much. If you think a 4k camera is good what would you recommend? Would rental work?

If not I think I will stick with the D5000 for the side shot and a d600 not too wide from the front.

Kandinsky,

Great blog! Thanks for that, I don't think my setup will be that professional but definitely learnt a lot from that

 

[Bamboopictures]

A good 4K camera for your purpose is the GH4. It does not have a recording time limit so your interview can go on and on in one single take.
If you want to rent, get a C300 with dual pixel AF. You can relax and stay engaged with your subject without worrying about the focusing. It's that good!

 

[Sgdevilzz]

I suggest having better audio equipment over cameras. Your D600 is good enough for a daylight interview. As the pros suggested earlier, taking advantage of natural lights is the way to go. Costs literally nothing. Only disadvantage is the change of lighting which might affect your editing later on.

Focus more on your main camera as a wide shot. Got to look out for body posture, eye movements, body gestures, slurs in their answers, weird pauses in between. But since it's your grandpa, keep it casual. Just keep your camera rolling in case you accidentally capture good b roll!

If you are renting, best options are zoom recorders, Sennheiser ew112 lavalier set and probably a set of LED panels while you're at it. If you want to invest, check out Rode's SmartLav+. it's a lav microphone that connects to your smartphone and uses it's recorder.


In my opinion, keeping your subject in focus is most important. Especially with the elderly as they get distracted more easily. Sit beside the camera and talk to your subject like a normal conversation. Peek at your camera a few times to check and carry on.