Videos

Having a good crew behind you can help you to not only get the shots you need, but get them on time as well. To help you find good crews, we'll first go over some things to consider about crew members, what crew size you'll need and some sources of where to find solid crews.

Keeping a crew happy results in a more efficient and stress-free production. In order to help you do just that, we'll go over some ways to hold useful production meetings with your crew, how to transport your crew, and some tips in catering food for your crew.

Though shooting, audio, and lighting gear are incredibly important, they're not the only items that make make your documentary look great. That's why we'll go over what to look for in stabilizing equipment like a tripod or a sled, arm and vest system, dollies, and lastly essential grip gear for any shoot.

Good lighting defines the difference between great looking footage and poorly made home movies. Knowing the lighting technology and gear, such as fixture designs and lamp types as well as the best equipment for blocking, diffusing and reflecting light, can help your footage look like it belongs on the big screen.

A good audio kit includes more than a microphone. The best kit will have a good field mixer, external capture device, headphones, and cables and adapters. Besides the gear, you'll learn about mic features such as pickup pattern, frequency response, wireless capabilities and design, so you can design the best audio kit that you can afford.

With thousands of camcorders to choose from, finding the one most suitable for your project can be frustrating. To help you sift through the hype, we'll look at quality optics, battery technology, inputs and outputs, recording media, and controls. Using this information, you should find a camera that will help you to make your documentary a reality.

Now that you've put together a great prospectus, it's time to pitch it. Effective pitching involves doing research on your subjects, knowing how to approach them, and putting in a bit of practice. We'll show you some great ways to pitch so that you capture your investor's attention.

A demo reel reveals a lot about you. It shows an investor that you have the skills and the experience to make a quality documentary. We'll show you how to organize, edit, and prepare your reel so that you can give the right impression to almost anyone.

When getting money from investors just isn't enough, fund-raising is the next best option. There are many people who can't fund an entire documentary but can help you with a small part of it. To help you with this, we show you how to hold banquets, auctions, online events, and more.

The most important and time consuming part of any prospectus is the budget. Budgets help investors know why your documentary costs what it does. This is why we'll show you what goes into a professional looking budget and how to lower your costs so that your documentary gets the funds it needs.

In order to get money for your documentary, a well planned prospectus is essential. It not only shows you've done your research and know your target market, it also shows that your documentary will make money. We'll give you some tips on how to make a prospectus that can impress your investors.

How To Fund a Documentary Using Grants, Investors and Donations

Though art can be made in many forms, there are some concepts that hold true in every situation. Because of this, it can be very helpful to know the principles behind aesthetically pleasing framing so that every one of your shots tells the story you want it to.

There is all sorts of fun equipment that can help you move the camera. Tools like dollies, stabilizers, and boom arms have been giving us unique perspectives for years. We show you how to use each one of these tools in a way that will make your video look spectacular.

Controlling light is essential to capturing a clean and detailed image. Because of this, knowing how to properly set aperture and shutter speed is one of the simplest steps in making great video that will impress those who watch it.

The lens is where the magic of cinematography begin. With it you can bend light into focus, achieve great depth of field, and zoom into your subjects. We will show you the benefits of interchangeable and fixed lenses as well as what filters can do to make your video look as good as those from Hollywood.

Few things in life work well without a plan. The same goes for video. Planning a shoot by completing shot sheets, storyboards, logs, and slates can help you to get the shots you need and help your video to look planned and professional.

Though a story may be fresh, driving, and compelling, if it is too linear or too long, you risk losing the interest of your audience, We will show you how to control the timing of your documentary so that it can be both entertaining and interesting.

Finding the right angle on a story can be as hard as finding a needle in a haystack. However, knowing your limitations and some factors that affect their potential can help you to find a story angle that is achievable and interesting.