During the Easter break my team and I have set out to actually get things done. So far I have learnt that contributors are rarely reliable, finding a day to film and get everyone together is almost impossible as every one seems to have lives running in all different directions, and plan A can almost always turn into plan B, C and then D very quickly over night as things don't always go according to plan.
On the bright side of things doing a documentary is a really good chance to stretch our imaginations and try to see things from different angles and perspectives. For example, my group is doing the stories behind the ink. A tattoo documentary that promises bold colours, pictures and interesting stories that will fit into a 5 minute long program. Close ups are extremely important as imagery is such a big part of the show and will have the most effect. Using high definition equipment is also important for this documentary as my group aims to provide a very visual piece.
There are other things however we all needed to consider whilst working away on this program. Forms that covered every possible complaint, legal documents and contributor signatures, logging notes and script writing. I do admit having an idea of where the story needs to go is a great way to plan the shooting days accordingly however keeping a strict timeline is key as well to actually follow through and get things done. I found my group falling drastically behind as none of us were paying attention to time lines. Days planned for shooting soon went out the window as no one was around, and seminars to learn the equipment were forgotten. I cannot stress how important it is to stay on top of things now and it has been a very big learning curve for me and has shown me how important organization and time lining is.
All in all I will be glad when this project is done. I feel the next documentary or program the group focuses on will run smoother and all this small mistakes that have made a big impact on the shows progress will not be made again.
Posts
