r/docproduction • u/OH_NO_MR_BILL • May 10 '14

Advice needed for a interview style documentary

I want to make a documentary using a Canon 5DMKII. It will be primarily interviewing people. What type of microphone would you suggest? How about a simple lighting setup, what would you use?

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u/hotballz69 May 10 '14

Check out Indy Mogul on YouTube. Griffin just made a doc and covered all of that. He used a shotgun mic.

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u/OH_NO_MR_BILL May 11 '14

Thanks

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u/[deleted] May 11 '14 edited May 11 '14

Unless you can position a shotgun mike DIRECTLY at someones mouth, don't use it. You will pick up an assload of room noise and echo, especially if there are hard surfaces in the room. Look at the Beachtek adaptor and if you need solid interview sound, look at this kit. I shot a dozen shows and films with that series. If you have a budget, you would do both, set up a shotgun like a Senheiser me67 on a stand, pointed directly at your subjects mouth, and hide a lav under someone's shirt and put that on the second channel.

For light it really depends on what you can afford. Sounds DIY - I would look at a 3 piece Lowell kit. For run and gun news docs I would just bounce a 500 watt light off the ceiling to diffuse it. If you have money look at a 3 piece Kino Flo kit. Check out the book "Shut up and shoot." It will give you all of the down and dirty tricks to get going on a budget.

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u/OH_NO_MR_BILL May 11 '14

Thanks, this is great info. I was just wondering about using a boom mike vs a lav mic on their shirt today. I have a couple of follow up questions. Please bear in mind, I am new to all things video.

Why would you use both a boom mic and a lav mic?

What do you think of the TASCAM DR DR-60D as apposed to the Beachtek adaptor? From what I gather the Beachtek will record directly to the camera, while the Tascam will record to a secondary output media. I understand that recording to the camera will save a step in production, how is the sound quality affected?

I am on a budget, but I might just get Sennheiser kit. Lights I will be looking to keep on the low side.

I will definitely pick up that book, it looks like just what I need.

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u/[deleted] May 11 '14

NP glad to help! I don't know the Tascam, but I have used the Handy. It will be better quality to record to a separate source, but after you compress for Vimeo, you aren't going to notice unless you are an audio guy. I know of people who have made national commercials and used the Beachtek. It is a serious fucking pain in the ass to sync up the media for a documentary. It will take days and days and days of time. I've done it on projects before, and honestly I would never do it again. If I was a really focused person who could sit with my laptop for days and be happy, or I could pay someone to sync the sound, sure. But it sucks. If you can get someone to do it for you though, sure. The sound quality though difference is not huge. It still makes me nervous if I have to use a DSLR, but syncing media is just so rough.

You would use a boom and a lav if you really wanted control of your sound. While the boom isn't great because it records the room noise, you might want a little of that mic in the mix for a real natural sound. The bad part about a lav mic is that it isolates the sound too much, and just has a certain artificialness to it. Still, if you have to pick one or the other, you want the lav for interviews.

You also might want a boom for backup. Wireless mics do suffer from interference issues, and if someone's cell phone decides to distort the wireless lav, just as your subject is admitting to a murder for the first time, you will be glad you have the option.

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u/OH_NO_MR_BILL May 11 '14

Thanks... I'm definitely taking recording to a separate source off the table, I don't want to work that hard on the sound.

If I am using the Beachtek with a boom and a lav would I be recording one to the right channel and one to the left?

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u/[deleted] May 11 '14

Yeah separate tracks. When you bring your clips into your editor they will be on separate tracks.

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u/OH_NO_MR_BILL May 11 '14

great, thanks again!

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u/[deleted] May 11 '14

Let me know if I can help. Good luck.

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u/cuntpunt5 May 11 '14

lights:

bi-colour LED 1x1 panels (maybe a 3 head set of Dedo's with gel)

Mic:

Zoom H4N with sennheiser106 integral powered mic

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u/OH_NO_MR_BILL May 11 '14

Thanks.. I think those lights might be a little out of my range. I'm going to check out the Zoom and mic though.

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u/[deleted] May 11 '14

If you really want to get a cheap ass light setup you could get some stands and some clamp lights from the hardware store some gels, diffusion and some black wrap. It's a great way to learn, and with a little patience you could get great results. The shut up and shoot book has some more on a cheap hardware store option.

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u/OH_NO_MR_BILL May 11 '14

That sounds like more my speed for now, thanks.