Planning storyboards are an important initial stage in production to outline the framework of what it is you are to be producing - we have found the use of them extremely useful in that we have been able to note down our ideas and form a jagged and basic plot which we can later refine during the filming process and through our use of editing to result in a smooth flow of clips.
Below is a video from a channel I am enjoying the videos of which illustrates the importance of storyboards and a shooting schedule, and I have taken into account the helpful ideas presented.
The shooting schedule, displayed below, is also a very important piece of direction in that we can arrange meet-up times outside of Sixth Form time in order to gather more footage through our course to completion, putting more time into our documentary to refine edges through coherent discussion and agreement.
Important Aspects
In the process of filming a documentary there are a few things that we must take into account for a quality result.
1. Sound
In my opinion the monitoring of diegetic and creation and manipulation of non-diegetic sound is one of the most important aspects of gaining a good and more realistic recording result. When filming we must be cautious of diegetic sound: this includes both any unnecessary sound made by someone we are filming such as unwanted footsteps, coughing and moving objects; and, more importantly, any external sound and background noise such as other people's voices and cars. There is also the danger of post filming noises such as humming and fuzzes which will, if they occur, most likely be noticeable in our interviewing scene. Below is a video that may help us eliminate such noises if we are to encounter that problem:
The result of the maintenance of diegetic sound can be effective in our documentary: silence can add great effect to scenes, and pure diegetic voice that we may use in the interview scene will provide a much more eerie element. Non-diegetic sound can result in an effectively conveyed scene such as relevant music or sounds. The use of this can be particularly effective in our zombie documentary e.g. eerie noises and/or music to create a dark tone.
2. Editing
Another important aspect of a successfully conveyed documentary is the detailed use of editing, a post production phase. The use of editing enables shots to flow together smoothly in telling the story. Our shots will be combined together in accordance with our script (voice overs) to convey a higher sense of reality.
3. Camera
Depending on what camera shots are used the scene will be conveyed very differently. We have taken into account the kinds of camera shots and angles we wish to use in filming our documentary; for example, during the interviewing scene the camera, shot at different angles, is static, while the scene shot in photograph 4 below is handheld to portray more of a disturbed and uneasy representation of a victim.
4. Mise-en-scene
The mise-en-scene is what creates the visual environment. The composition of the lighting, location, movement of the camera and characters etc. are all important influences in the filming process as they are the core element in telling our story; mise-en-scene is something visible, while editing is not.
Photographs
These are some photographs we took as group to present our process of filming scenes, displaying the types of camera shots and angles we captured, trying out different techniques aiming to portray different results.
