Making of documentary - 'Georgian Quarter - A journey back in time'

  Although we had two complete different ideas prior starting the filming, in the last minute, we surrendered our initial thought to create a documentary about either Cavern Club or the Liverpool football team to have an informational documentary about the mesmerizing Georgian Quarter, which is renowned for its rich history, 18th-century architecture and also for the so-called haunted area inside and near the boundaries of the Georgian Quarter, location presented interactively by the Shiverpool Ghost Walk.  

   Therefore, the whole shooting took place inside and around the district, aiming for an overall view of the Georgian Quarter's luxurious 18th-century buildings, an in-and-out image of the biggest cathedral in Liverpool, 5th in world, and a detailed tour of Shiverpool about the hidden meanings and stories in the maritime city. 

   I had the main position of the director and secondly, the sound mixer and the cameraman. Being the director was a tough job, since Amy and Tom won't listen to me the times I tried to kindly tell them what would be the best to be done, but I still believe that my creativity, passion and eager eyes helped the entire footage to be facile to read through it and for the meaning behind it to be understood. In Liverpool, I've spent my time mostly staying closer to the camera operators, trying to see through the camera's lens, but also outside of them, having a clean and precise perspective of the surroundings in this way. On the the post-production session, I paid close attention to what the editors were doing and gave them guidance where needed.

   My vision was to create an observational documentary with expressive moving images, using GVs and close-ups mainly (speaking of the visual aspect of the film), along with a voiceover that could complete the story written in the imagery (interviews and narrator) and that will enrich our narrative in the documentary, simultaneously.

Photo taken by Chloe Daniels

   Wanting everything to run smoothly and above all, the sound to be clear while having the volume required, I took the position of the sound mixer as well, directing or filming concurrently. Prior beginning the shooting with Shiverpool, I set and synced up the radio microphones, plugged the receivers into the two cameras and hooked the transmitters on the two male protagonists, then recorded one of their voice, while my teammate, Dominic, was filming the Ghost Walk. 
   
   Unfortunately, because I had to hurry up a bit in order for the shooting not to start out late, I didn't have time to think of  the gaffer tape I bought previously, which would've been a life saver if we had used it to stop the friction of the mic with the clothes. However, after listening to the audio on the laptop, luckily there are only a few bits with a distorted sound, which I believe can be fixed with ProTools.

   Still speaking of sound mixing, Dominic thought that he was the most suitable to be a narrator. Therefore, we met a few times afterwards the Liverpool trip and I helped him record his voice with the usage of a lavalier, audio that is going to be examined and then used later in the post-production.
  

   Another issue we sadly encountered during the pre-production, which continued until the very end, was represented by the lack of teamwork, me and Dominic having to do almost everything, since our teammates seemed too bored or tired most of the time, in spite of the fact that we tried to communicate and induce them prior the shooting days the importance of cooperation and hardworking. However, they accompanied us and helped us by carrying the equipment required on each day, but because Tom's footage of the Georgian Quarter wasn't enough, Dominic and I decided to shoot separately and leave the post-production team with more possibilities in this way.

   When we started the editing part, I helped in both image and sound with a few ideas of how the footage can be used in the documentary in order to make them understand my vision upon it or gave guidance to Jake, the sound editor, on how to use the ProTools' settings properly. 

   Moreover, I fixed the audio from the interviews and from Tom's footage, the audio levels on the mother project, color corrected the footage, included and edited the title and the original credits that can be seen below.

 

   Amy wanted days off when she thought that the documentary was almost done and it just needed the credits and title (which could be put on the last day as well, in her opinion). However, in reality the video needed a lot of attention, because the footage wasn't color corrected or adjusted, the audio levels weren't equal and there were some bits of audio that shouldn't be on the mother project. Therefore, I decided to go on my own (after Chloe and Dom agreed that it's alright), finish the editing and check everything, after she worked so carelessly for 3 days only. 

   The actual final version, after 2 days of working on it myself, can be watched on this link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DsScLJmXgb5teQoCvTaU-MWlLfE-iS_1  I am not assuming that it's perfect, but after she saw this, she just wanted to change the things I did just for the people to know that it's her work and it solely has her touch on it.

  
   Furthermore, for a precise and correct evaluation, I wrote down the ending credits that will be included later in the post-production session.

   Sadly at that time, we were still trying to figure out a way to get copyrights of an artist, ideally from Paul McCartney. However, I decided that it will be good if we will use a copyright free song from Youtube when only the credits are displayed.

   In addition to everything that I mentioned above, in order to help the producer with the paper work, I decided to get hold of the consent forms for the interviewees myself and hand them in to Dominic before leaving to Liverpool.















→All photos displayed above (except of the one specified) are taken and uploaded by me.

Sync Sound

   After today's workstation class, I came to think that sync sound is especially important when speaking about a piece of work with an interview incorporated into it, since otherwise it will be harder to sync the sound up with the footage, but also pointless when we have the option to work with the camera and the mics simultaneously, without any problem. Whether it’s a rifle microphone or a radio microphone, I believe that the sound should arrive the same, as long as the settings of both camera and the mics, the microphone's frequency and the channels are correctly established. 

   Because I have to work on a documentary soon, I consider using the sync sound regularly, since we’re going to have a few people interviewed and I see this option the most suitable so far. I intend to opt for the radio mics, because I believe that they are really practical and easy to use and moreover, there is a probability for the people to move around at that specific moment, to record the sound outside or in inconvenient places, where the booming might create discomfort or the rifle microphone could capture the side noises as well, unfortunately. However, I have in mind to book a back-up microphone in case the radio mic kit won’t perform as we expect and to have the sound recorded in two different ways if possible.

  I also watched a few tutorials and helpful videos about microphones, synchronization, monitoring the signal (visually, audibly or both), editing the sound in post-production and about the right type of equipment and how to use it correctly (e.g. headphones need to be suitable for the type of audio you record or hear), things that can be used during any type of shootings, not for documentaries only.


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Mics, Audio Recorders & How to sync video with audio, TechSmith, 13 August 2015, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZikQVA3nsmY>
7 Ways to hide a Lavalier Microphone, izzyvideo, 19 March 2014, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D85HmR825wM>
The Three Keys to great audio for video, izzyvideo, 10 December 2011 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoW_a-D6AfE>

Documentary work - Pitch and preparation

   In order to help my team in understanding better the approach we've opted for, I did some research regarding everything a conventional documentary should include:

   ▶Observational documentaries can be slightly tricky to shoot, therefore the cameraman needs to supply all the building blocks necessary to make to edit themselves.

   ▶Audio is massively important and when recording it, wear headphones (one ear left to hear what is happening around). When editing sound, should read through story notes, as the audio should always inform the shots.

   ▶For something to cut well when editing, there have to be a massive variety of shots, tights, mids, wides and plenty of different angles. Wides help both to cut the scene together and to give a sense of place. Look for reflections, silhouettes, extreme high or low angles, anything that can make the shot more attractive.

   ▶GVs (wide, broad shot, ELS) are often used to give a wider sense of what is going on: what time of year is it, is it hot or cold, what kind of weather is it, what time of day is it. The viewer isn't as aware of the location as the film-maker is, so need to think at: time of day, time of year and place.

   ▶B-roll is supplementary footage which can help to create a more engaging video and can be used to cover hard cuts also, helping creating a smooth transition to the next shot.

                                                              

    Moreover, I made a pre-list of the equipment we will need when going to Liverpool, with the presumption that we will need to include more equipment in the future.

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London based Lighting Cameraman/DoP, Daniel Haggett <http://www.danielhaggett.com/blog/182-how-to-shoot-reality-or-observational-documentary>

'Pockets' by James Lees - Analysis

‘Pockets’ is a short documentary created by James Lees, in which humans of all nationalities and ages present the items that are closest to their hearts and that also represent them in a way or another.

   One of the main themes is beauty in simplicity, since all the items shown and spoken about into the documentary can’t be seen as extravagant in our life, but as beauty bringers in the protagonists’ hearts. Another theme is the circle of life, along with the everyday life topic, some of the people telling a short story in which they explain why the certain object means so much for them or portrays them.

   The director preferred the visual approach more, using mise-en-scene shots to capture the viewer’s attention on the subject properly, vivid colors, fine cuts, straight and high angles, but he opted for an instrumental soundtrack to give enhance the emotions, as tranquility or joy, emitting from the visual. Therefore, he created an observational documentary, wanting to perceive and create meaning through simple things in people’s life in a discreet manner. 

   Nevertheless, I think that it would’ve been more comprehensive if there had been a storytelling about the subject matter, as well. However, I really do liked the short film, because of its simplicity and depth and also because of its visuals and choice in music. 

Link to the short film: https://vimeo.com/21776727


  The director Ron Fricke (2011) in 'Samsara' documentary, approached visually and audibly as well, creating a nostalgic and harmonious connection between the image and sound, by using Indonesian traditional music and dance, along with the beauty of some places and their cultural meanings. The word 'Samsara' in Buddhism is defined as the circle of life, which is the main theme of the non-narrative documentary. 



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Samsara:Intro and Myanmar, Holden Boyles, 4 January 2015, <fragment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=227&v=MRWZ7-M4gCg>