As an award-winning, veteran verite documentary cinematographer, I am here to share with you the art, craft and nuance of documentary cinematography.
There are no secrets in this business, only practice and experience. I believe in sharing and teaching what I've learned over the past 20+ years in this business to help you become a better documentary cinematographer.
Hey Matt, I'm curious, did you ever wear body armor during the filming of the Trade/Cartel land? I noticed a couple photos of Matthew Heineman during the filming, he appeared to be wearing some. If so, do you have any recommendations for armor that you're able to still be mobile while filming? Thanks!
The Tascam doesn’t transmit, only records. My work-around is sending the Tascam output through a Sennheiser G3/4 transmitter/receiver to camera. It works, but is a little bulky…
@@matt-porwoll yes I’ve got the same set up for the 10 L and I knew there was a mini plug out. I just didn’t didn’t know if it was enough to push out a signal to something like a G3. I thought maybe you’re using something smaller like a Rode wireless go to transmit
Solid question! And a tricky one indeed that I haven’t found myself in. But, the main concerns to tackle are contrast ratios and dappled light. So it all depends on how much gear you can get out there. Bare minimum, a 6x or 8x heavy diffusion you can fly over talent. That’ll control the dappled light falling on them. And then whatever bright daylight unit you can get in there to act as a key to come close to balancing the highlights in the forest background. Hopefully the day lands on an overcast day that’ll make your life a lot easier!
@@matt-porwoll Thanks, Matt! I successfully backlit the subject by scheduling the interview in the morning. Traveling by air and shooting solo in a public space limited my options. Next time, I'll bring a negative fill to add contrast to the face. I'll keep you updated on any future learnings. Hope you're doing well!
Hi, Matt. Outstanding description! Thank you so much. Would be interesting to explore the role of cinema verite in fictional movies, like "Faces' and "Saving Private Ryan." Would be interesting to get your thoughts on that. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for these videos, it's incredibly valuable watching. When you shoot such large amounts of content do you shoot a compressed codec at all?
Thanks so much for your comment. Yes, on nearly all of my verite films, I’ll shoot in a compressed format. On the Canons, it’s always been XF-AVC. But now with the compressed RAW flavors on the C500mkii, I’m dabbling with either 4K or 6K RAW ST, if it makes sense for the film.
Really interested in the scrim Jim frame. Am I right in thinking the 6x6 can be minimised to either a 6x4 or 4x4? Obviously you'd need the different size silks but that would be a big draw card for me. My biggest reservation is the sturdiness of the frames and how they cope in windy environments as I've seen conflicting reviews. I've also been eyeing the diffusers, bounces etc from LA rag house so I'm curious if this frame can be used with a variety of other brands or if it's limited to a few.
Hi, yes the ScrimJim frame is a great system for having a travel-friendly frame. The 6x6 is completely modular, so you can minimize it to 4x6 or 4x4 as you imagined. The Westcott fabrics have Velcro around the edges for a tight and easy setup, but you can certainly use any other fabric. The vast majority of what I use on mine is non-Westcott fabrics. The rigidity is pretty good, especially when using the fewest pipes to make the frame. I’ve used it outside, but never in heavy wind. I think by and large, it’ll hold up to most normal situations. If you’re dealing with heavy wind, you should really only use speed rail and lots of tethering / sandbags / etc. Hope that helps!
I would love to see how you pack the audio gear so it's compact and functional as a cinematographer. I upgraded my kit now and its no longer as compact and I wonder what to do.
Totally agreed. When I started some twelve years ago I was taught that autofocus was for amateurs. That is of course no longer the case but it did have the merit of forcing me and others to learn the craft of solid MF with all the mistakes and learning curve involved. Today I see so much TV shot on autofocus and it annoys me. Even the best autofocus tends to pulse between different subject very slightly and often the speed of changes in focus seem completely robotic.
I normally just stick it in their pants pocket, inside jacket pocket, clip it to their belt in the back or use the neoprene strap I mentioned to wrap it around a leg or waist. All depends on wardrobe and what you’ll see on camera.
I’m trying to get a muslin today from a material shop. I’m a little bit confused with the texture description. Is it a two layer material or one layer? I'm told one layer looks like a gauze. Kindly help me out 🙏. Thanks!
The standard Muslim materials used are dense, heavyweight muslin that resembles canvas in weight. Your best bet to locate this would be a retailer that sells film rags specifically. Hope that helps.
The AI software you used to clean up your audio sounds awful man, been editing hours of that stuff so now i can instantly pick it up anywhere i hear it ugh -.-
Matt, I am SO happy that you have put this series together. I’ve been “following” you since my first experience with DOC NYC in 2012… I loved your Behind the Lens series back then… this series is amazing and you are an amazing teacher. I hope that you get a ton more subscribers. Everyone has so much to gain from your years of experience!!! The how to pack to travel video was amazing and so was the shooting in extreme cold temperatures video. So awesome!!! I’m extremely grateful for your videos!!!! Thanks SO much!
Just discover your channel. Great job! We write you from Colombia and invite you to watch some short documentary about permaculture and wellness in our channel. Greetings!
I can tell that I have paid to learn many of this tips. Thanks for sharing your knowledge for free. It is in deed a masterclass and from now, I will consider you one lf my virtual mentors.
Very useful video, but I have some questions (out of ignorance, just learning): Isn't Opal a type of frost? I thought Opal was usually grouped together with some soft frost like the Hollywood frost from lee or the hampshire frost. Is it made of fabric or plastic?
Glad you found the video helpful! You are correct that Opal is a type of frost. It's much less dense than a standard frost, like the one in my test. Opal only comes off a roll (like gels), that can either be unrolled and hung in front of a light or cut and mounted to a frame. You are limited to 4' wide, but as long as you want, whereas Full Frost comes in standard rag sizes (4x4, 6x6, 8x8, etc). Hope that helps!
Thanks! When it comes to equipment insurance, it's very dependent on what you're looking for. The main thing is getting an Inland Marine policy that covers your items beyond a typical rider to your homeowner's insurance. Things to look for are international coverage, theft from cars, third-party locations (storage, production offices, set location, etc). Policies that focus on film equipment specifically can have nice add ons like issuing certificates of insurance for short-term rentals, rental coverage in the event of theft / damage, coverage for renting your gear through sites like Sharegrid (requires special insurance coverage!), General Liability, Workers Comp, etc. If you're looking for a solid, legit policy for camera equipment, I would look no further than Taylor & Taylor or TCP. They can be pricey, but you are very well taken care. Hope that helps!
Great video! Would you recommend or would you envision shooting a documentary without a shoulder mount, but instead relying on a combination of cinesaddle, neckstrap and top mount, for a medium weight camera (FX6)? Shooting my first documentary but the problem is that I'm much taller than the subject and I want to go for a more intimate style, so a shoulder mount doesn't work for that.
That’s such a tough question to ask and one that’s mainly a personal preference. Personally, I would always have a shoulder mount on the camera and then choose how to operate during a given situation. I always have my CineSaddle on, even when the camera is on my shoulder. That way, if I need to swap lower, it’s ready. But if I’m doing something where I need to be lower longer, I’ll grab a chair and shoot from my shoulder, instead of the CineSaddle. So it’s all personal preference of how to get what you need.
Hi Matt. At 68 years old, I've begun the next chapter of my life as a budding doc filmmaker after 40+ in the advertising and marketing business, where among other things, I have written, produced, shot, lit and edited hundreds of commercial and promotional videos. As I jump into this new chapter, you have become one of a select few key vicarious mentors of mine. I very much appreciate your channel and the time you've devoted to impart your experience. To help me on my path, I enrolled in the Art of Documentary (AOD) program, Luc Forsyth's DP program and Nigel Levy's DocFix story mentorship. I am avidly going through all of your RU-vid posts. I am actively developing my first passion project. Like you, I am shooting on the Canon C500 mark II and I was excited to see you are still using this tool. The textual guide you wrote on this camera is the absolute best! After using a variety of tools over the years, I have certainly found love with this thing, buddy. I also just acquired a full set of XEEN lenses (16, 24, 35, 50, 85, 135) and am totally geeked about learning and practicing the craft of manual focusing. Yes, I've got my Canon L-series zooms (16-35, 24-70, 24-105 and 70-200), but you have TOTALLY inspired me to embrace the organic nature and beauty of manual focusing. In that pursuit, I have rigged out my C500 with the Zacuto Zarn ball you've recommended. After jury rigging it to connect to my 15mm rail, I'm finding it usable though it's smaller than the Ergocine hand ball you have on your rig. Which is really the focus of what I wanted to write you about. Is there ANY WAY to find a copy of one of these beautiful David Ford hand ball grips? I would kill to be able to own and use one of these things; it would feel like owning a piece of this man's incredible passion for beauty + functionality in our business. I would pay, I would travel, I would trade my beautiful and best buddy Cavalier St Charles pooch Charlie to own one of these! I would SO APPRECIATE any lead you might be so kind to share with me, Matt! Somebody has to have one that is hidden in a drawer, no? Please let me know if you can put me on the right path! And listen, I would also very much love to meet you in person and break some bread together or share a brew. Moreover, if there is anyway I could ever help you on a shoot or any kind of project, the opportunity would be a great honor. I am from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Thanks again for your wonderful content and inspiration, brother. All the best - Howard Morris
Thanks so much for your comment! I really wish the ErgoCine accessories were still being made too… they are so great. My only advice for finding one is scouring eBay or asking around on cinematographer forums to see if anyone has one to sell.
I don’t normally run a sound-specific case, but rather pack things away as needed. Cam mic and lav in the camera bag, boom pole with the tripod, etc. I’m not taking everything out at once, but rather just what’s needed. I’m such a fan of minimal cases that basically nothing has its own case :)
I'm a new subscriber. I'm LOVING your videos and can't believe I've finally found a pro camera user who uses my C500mk2. Thanks for all of these awesome videos.
I can only imagine how much you must have learned working with experienced doc filmmakers. How did you get started as an AC? Did you work another position or just jump right in?
I jumped straight in as an AC, but worked at a camera rental house for a few years before going freelance. That gave me not only the technical understanding of the job, but also the connections to get started. The rest was learn as you go!
Matt, thank you so much for sharing your experience and your work. There aren't enough RU-vid channels that share genuinely useful information like yours. I teach screen arts to students at a university in Ukraine. In one lesson, using your video as an example, we created a lighting scheme for a Book Light. I'm a subscriber and thoroughly enjoy watching all your videos. Thanks for the high-quality content.
