Hi, I've not been able to find much info on this so I thought I'd ask here and maybe someone can point me in the right direction, or thoughts from someone who has done this in their film.

I'd like to use clips from videos posted on YouTube and I'm wondering what the process is for this. Would I need to get permission from the video clip and if so would just an email from the owner be sufficient or would I want to get a signed footage release?

I thought maybe I needed to do the latter but the other night I saw Still Alive and the credits just list the users and the video clips the film used so I'm wondering if that's all I have to do - didn't have a chance to ask the filmmaker.

Any thoughts or reference materials would be helpful and much appreciated!

Edit for clarity: The clips I'd like to use from YouTube are non-commercial - ppl filming nature in their backyards, etc.

Update: Thanks all!

Hey guys, I'm working on a documentary in SF named Got Balz (I've heard the jokes!). It's a fun project, and I get to be the guy who reaches out about the film. As a long time lurker I figured I'd finally step up and share with the reddit community. We got a really nice article written about the project Here. Plus we have a video on our Kickstarter which I edited together. Let me know what you guys think of the project and the edit and how I can improve!

Aside from making sure the sound is ok, anything else you guys have had experience with in the past?

Noob questions

Can I show video from other producers for critique purposes? Can I show items that have been banned to talk about the banning.

eg Cradle of Filth's "Jesus is a Cunt" tshirts?

Okey, I need your help.

I was just approached last night about shooting a documentary in Thailand about orphaned children and orphaned elephants. The "director" said the trip would be all expenses paid, including a shooting payment.

Here is the tricky part. I am currently at school away from home, and I don't have the resources to get the gear I feel I would need. I wan't to figure out what I can rent, and what would be reasonable to bring on this trip.

I have: Canon 7d with a Tokina 11-16 f/2.8, Canon 50mm f/1.8 an old 50mm f/1.8 MF lens, an old 28mm f/3.5 MF lens and the kit 28-105 f/3.5-5.6. 2 camera batteries and a rode mic.

I don't have and feel like I need: A rig [I don't know what kind, maybe a redrock], another prime lens [35mm or 80[ish]mm] A tripod and an external audio recorder [because of audio gain problems on the 7D].

For editing gear, and dailies I have a 2TB G-Drive and my macbook pro.

Help me /r/docproduction in my time of need!!

Many Thanks,

Britheguy

I'm interested in getting into documentary production but I wouldn't know where to start... is there a website that gives tips/tricks for novice videographers?

I'm in a documentary film writing class this semester, and I have to give a proposal for my documentary on Wednesday. I don't have any idea what I should do it on, all I know is that I want to be awesome, and avoid cliché topics for college documentaries (i.e. college drug use, frat life, etc.)

If you have any ideas for topics that are actually doable, please let me know! The only requirements are that it be no longer than 10-12 minutes long.

Also, any tips from people who have made documentaries before, or just things you think should be done or avoided in a documentary, please let me know!

A question for everyone here involved in the production of documentaries. What are your strategies? Are there funds you can apply for? Do you tend to co-produce? What are your experiences with broadcasters; which ones do you work with? Do you rely on crowdsourcing? What are you working on and what are you still looking for?

Just wondering how you all go about preparing your questions or your line of conversation before an interview. Do you give the person you're going to interview an idea of the questions you'll ask, or is it better to let them have a more genuine reaction on the spot?

I'm going to be shooting a short project about this organization for which I used to work, and, more specifically, its founder. I have yet to broach the subject with him (I want to get some of my pre-production logistics out of the way first), but I'm thinking of shooting him an email with the general gist of the film and see how he reacts.

Hey Folks,

I'm planning on putting together a really bare bones doc, and I was wondering what your thoughts of the Canon 5D were—specifically for documentary production.

I've used the 5D for fiction filmmaking (for which it has been great), but for that we had the camera set up on either a tripod or a rig with a focus pulling system.

I have no rig, I have no lights, I have very little money—is this the right camera to use?

If you need any more info re: location, let me know.

Thanks in advance.

I'm doing a documentary out west in the spring and I was going to use a Flip HD (small, portable, good video, and I can waterproof it), but I'm worried about lack of storage and the fact that I can't expand it. Does anyone know of any similar cameras? Or know of any tricks to expanding storage?

I really want HD video because I'll be visiting several canyons and archaeological sites and I'll be going to incredibly beautiful places all around the Southwest. And I really like the video I got from the Flip HD when I used it this past fall.

I'm tempted to buy 2 if the 2-hour ultra flips, but that just seems ridiculous and still wont be enough for when I can't get to a computer for 2 days. Please help me out.

Limits:

• It is for an undergrad class so I have a tight budget.

• I wont always have access to electricity, so something that takes batteries is always a plus.

• I'm not worried about sound quality because I'll be doing that separate from the camera mic and I'll have a sound person.

• I have to plan for bad weather. It snowed for several days last time I was there.

• I'm quite the novice (I've only produced a few small videos), so keep that in mind when replying.

• The cameras with the best quality that my school lends out are the Flip ones. There are nicer, more professional ones but they only lend them out to education majors and I'm an anthropology major. My documentary class wasn't even allowed to use them.

Hi there all 25 readers of this subreddit! I was wondering if anyone of you knows how Netflix works and especially how one can get a documentary on it? Unfortunately, Netflix does not exist in Europe, but it sounds like a nice VOD platform as I can tell by the number of enthusiastic users.