As some of my ideas from past research included looking at making a documentary. With this i mind i decided to go to the Coventry Conversation featuring Eamonn Mathews who is the producer of dispatches on channel 4. during his talk he mentioned that his documentaries were made with a two man team which used Z1 cameras, This surprised me as i thought that working for channel 4 the equipment would be large and more extreme as thats what i guess most people expect from high end production companies. This in a way uplifted me as i thought to myself if he can create hard hitting documentaries using the same equipment as i do than what is stopping me from creating something great aswell.
He also mentioned about how if you want to be succesful in documentary making than you need to go and find the best story you can find, this will include knocking on peoples doors and researching the area in which you wish to film. He pointed out that there are millions of people out there living in fear, suffering from poverty and many other issues and with using issues as our basis, you can create a great story.
The style he shot his documentaries was very rustic which made it more real to the viewer. As i mentioned before the team included two people and the structure was one cameraman and one reporter, which helps as you the see what the reporter sees. This is what makes it a good way to shoot documentaries as it’s on the spot information without talking about how it use to be but instead how it is now. Documentaries stick to a tough schedule as Eamonn Mathews explained that filming dispatches includes 3 weeks of research 3 weeks of filming 2 and a half weeks of editing
He also gave us some advice on safety for making such similar documentaries which i think will help me as it will make me more confident and willing to go out and film.
Safety Advice Before you go:
. Check you got a story
. Game plan ( always think what might go wrong)
. Work out exactly how you want to film it
. Get in contact with a local journalist who knows the area.
taking all this advice i think that i will be more succesful in making documentaries and i found that the talk in which Eamonn Mathews did was very interesting and informative.
one quote which stuck in my mind which i think should be said to all documentary makers which was
‘ Its not the place, but the people who go unreported ‘
