(MP3002) individual Project Log 19 29/12/08

I spent some time going through the rushes and reflecting on the project so far. I have been shooting for a month now and I'm still not getting it right! I may be being a little hard on myself and it feels like really hard work but i guess thats because it is. I have had lots of challenges so far, from my own indecision on the form the film should take to locations falling through, illness and technical problems with both equipment and technique. I guess a steep learning curve is to be expected as I have had no training of such in how to make a documentary. I have learnt things that sound like common sense when you think about it but when your shooting you don't realize, for example making sure I'm stood next to the camera man when I ask a question so that the contributor looks toward the camera when he replies and testing all the equipment before I leave for the shoot. These things although small or mundane can make all the difference. Had I have done these things yesterday maybe more of the footage would be usable! In an effort to eradicate these kind of mistakes i decided that i needed to get to know the equipment I'm using better. I downloaded manuals for the Z1 and the Sennheiser Evolution Wireless Mic, which had caused me problems yesterday. I quickly discovered the problem with the lapel mic, the frequency or the transmitter was different to that on the receiver! I'm not sure how that happened as Danny set it up for me when I hired it, perhaps it just drifted out over time. Anyhow I calibrated the devices to the same frequency and tested them. They work fine now. As for the boom mic I have decided only to use this in situations where my subjects will be some distance from the camera because I have found it inhibits spontaneity as far as filming is concerned. Also using a shotgun mic attached to the Z1 spatially, gives the audio a natural sound. It seems that not only have we become more comfortable with Brian and his friends but they have also become more comfortable with us. I have noticed Brian becoming more open as the weeks pass. He shows off in front of his friends at times and when i ask him certain questions he can look quite vulnerable and sad.My feeling is without the boom mic, which is cumbersome and quite intrusive that he will open up more and more as time goes on. the rushes from yesterday arent as bad as i first thought. There is some footage that is unusable but a lot can actually be saved with some clever manipulation of audio and a three way colour corrector.