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Filming a play with only 1 camera?

Hello. I have a job lined up in the coming months to shoot a play and author it to DVD.

My issue is that they have mentioned that the last guy just filmed the play. No audience cut aways or interesting shots.

I only have my one camera, the XL2. Im guessing on a more professional scale you would have a 3 camera set-up or more.

How taxing would it be to shoot with only 1 camera, say for 3 perfomances and then piece it together into a final thing?

Also I suck with pricing since I am student and dont want to ask too much. How much is fair to charge for 3 shooting nights and a crapload of editing hours?

Cheers

PS: How can I get the best sound? I have no wireless mics. I own a NTG1 shotgun mic and the XL2 onboard.
 
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Borrow at least one other cam. Set one cam on full stage, and man the second camera in which you will get two shots and closeups. Do your best to lock onto a character who will be speaking a lot of lines of dialogue but on the CU cam make sure you keep all of the characters who will be speaking in frame otherwise it will look odd having to cut from full wide to CU and back. In those situations much better to just be a little wider and get all the characters (or as many as you can). But on monologues go in for CU's. Obviously you should watch the play first to plan it out.

Remember slow careful movements, on a tripod, and very slow zoom and zoom sparingly.

Audio, if your full-width cam can tap into the sound board's output that's great, they should all be mic'd up anyway. Use your shotgun mic to capture crowd reaction with another channel on that cam or in the camera.

If this is your first time out you can ask for a very small fee. Probably $25-$50. But as soon as you've done one and its cut well you can ask $50-$100.

The recording 3 performances with the same camera thing won't cut well together because of continuity.
 
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Crapload of editing hours is right...you have to do this discreetly, so you don't interfere with the audience? I'd do one night wide from one angle, the second night wide from the other, and the third night catching whatever unique happens closer. You'll have seen the play at least twice so you can plan for what to catch in closeup on the third night. This will provide you with essentially two reels of masters and one reel of inserts. Edited together, this will be plenty more interesting than the usual style plays are filmed (single camera zooming in and zooming out ad nauseum.)

For audio, check and see if the theatre has a microphone hanging above the stage, for light/sound booth reference. Many do. If so, see if you can hook the XLR up from that into your camera. This, coupled with the shotgun mic shock mounted to the camera, should provide adequate coverage if the actors are good stage actors and ennunciate fully. It's not ideal, but everything should be heard.
 
I agree with U.C.

If you can borrow, like Wideshot says, a camera for overall shots, then on the first night, shoot from one angle.
Second night, the opposite angle, and the third night, get close ups and important shots that you couldn't get on night one and two.

Make mental note about what you shot every night and try to remember where important things happen. You might also consider shooting the dress rehearsal, its an extra show to shoot just in case.


-- spinner :cool:
 
My issue is that they have mentioned that the last guy just filmed the play. No audience cut aways or interesting shots.

...

How taxing would it be to shoot with only 1 camera, say for 3 perfomances and then piece it together into a final thing?

Well, you took this job knowing they wanted multiple angles, so you must give them that. One camera is a bad way to go into this. Sounds like the last guy was unprofessional so you should give them professional results only. Price it so you can rent cameras and hire crew. The different nights edited together may give you a Frankenstein. That is not fair to them to gamble that. It would be professional to do it right and do another night (by yourself) if there are screw ups. The extra mile. Just my opinion.
 
A lot of this depends on the play director's style...did he block with marks and demand they hit their marks every night, or is it more of an organic play where the actors have more freedom in their delivery and blocking night to night? The answer to this will help you decide one camera over three nights vs. three cameras over one or two nights. Some more points to ponder:

1. Most stage plays contain drastic lighting changes throughout, scene by scene. You may need to find some way to white balance in different light or find a solution for correcting color afterwards.

2. Are they expecting a document of a performance or more of a film? If a document of a performance, you could get away with mainly wider shots and fewer inserts. Maybe even two cameras would cover it, one mostly wide and the other catching the few unique closeup inserts you deem necessary. If they want a film, then start heading to rehearsals! Take copious notes. I'd suggest you do your principal photography at a couple of dress rehearsals without the audience where you could work on proper camera setups, do scenes over until you've captured them, adjust for proper recording of audio, etc.

3. You mentioned authoring to DVD, and here you have to be very careful...there are strict rules and regulations regarding the videorecording of plays whose rights have been secured solely for live performance. My college theatre professor used to videotape a singe performance of each play he produced with a single camera in a fixed location. He did this just for his reference, not to show it or distribute it in any way. By the time I graduated, however, he'd stopped this practice. It seems the attorneys for the late Arthur Miller had started cracking down on this sort of practice and it was enough of a threat to his career to make him stop. If this is a new play, you may be fine, but if not, be careful. In the U.S, the Actors Equity Association strictly forbids videotaping its members. British Equity may have similar rules. Check this link out for further information: http://enc.slider.com/Enc/Intellectual_Property_in_the_Performing_Arts
 
I’m not sure why some think this won’t work well. I do it often.

Three performances isn’t the optimum but it can be done - I prefer
four or five. Editing is a challenge but it can be done - and
done well. For audio if you can find someone with an audio
recorder it’s better to record the entire performance from one
mic position. But I’ve done it with just the onboard mic. In a
way I kind of like that. You get the “feel” of the room and the
audience reaction.
 
Well I have emailed my local rental house in regards to hiring another XL2 for 2 or 3 days but I think the cost will be a bit silly.

My only options are to find a mate to shoot it with me but I do not know anyone who owns a decent prosumer camera nor would I trust them with this task since it is a lot larger than I initally thought and it will involve working with someone rather famous and influential to where I live. Nobody I know is really good enough.

My other option is to film with just my setup over a few different nights. The play will run for 8 days I think. I'm woried it may come out looking like a Frankenstein as someone mentioned and the editing would be pretty sick. :no:

Still not sure whether I am up to doing it. I will try and organise a chat with the director. I will do it for free even though its heavy work. Although he will have to realise I will be limited in my equipment unless he forks out for some rental.

PS: My University still says they are 'not setup for hire or rental' so borrowing a camera from them is out of the question. Sucks doesn't it.
 
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Rik is right, you can accomplish this with just your single setup. Concert videos are edited from several performances and made to look like one all the time. Shoot, if they play is well rehearsed, continuity will probably be the least of your worries.
 
It's beyond me why you would want to over complicate it by having to work 3 or 4 times as much acquiring the footage and then trying to synch the footage assuming that there is no problems with continuity which would prevent you from using one or more angles when you can just as easily set up a second camera as an iso and film a closer angle from another location, in real time. 1 night, 1 recording, 2 tapes, 1 operator. Leave both cameras recording until intermission and you have perfectly synched time code.

BTW that footage is as shaky as it gets. If all you want is shaky-cam that looks amateurish just hand 4 or 5 people cheapo camcorders and let them record it. Wheeee... zoom in, zoom out, SHAKE!, zoom in, zoom out, SHAKE!, zoom in, zoom out... AUTOFOCUS! Autoexpose for that flash bulb... zoom in, zoom out, SHAKE!...
 
Some people don’t have the resources to do a fully professional
shoot. Sometimes those of us without those resources make do with
what we have.

There is often a middle ground between a two or three camera shoot
with time code interlocked cameras and the “zoom in, zoom out,
SHAKE!” method you mention.

It may beyond you but if I have to choose between not doing it
because I don’t have everything required and doing it with what I
have, I always choose doing it. So it’s not beyond me why Analog
might want to give the one camera, several performance method.

Sometimes when one tries something it actually works out.

I’ve shot a lot of plays using the one camera method. The cast has
always been thrilled having a nicely edited video of their play
and I learn a lot about organizing shots, capturing a live moment
and editing.
 
I understand what you are saying but I do not believe anyone is limited to one camcorder. If you are you just haven't met enough people. Camcorders to purchase are in the low hundreds, and nearly every family has one that can be borrowed. Pro models are tougher to find but usually the school itself or someone in the faculty will have a decent camera that can be used. If not, look up a local production company. Call a college video program. I've always found what I needed to borrow if I tell them its going to a good cause, especially if its used to record a school play. At some point, someone will feel sympathetic and help out. A good way to barter would be to get whoever would lend you a camera free tickets to the play or something.
 
It seems we have two different ideas being bantered around:

Can Analog find another camera and is it impossible to do this
with one camera.

Where we agree is it is very possible for Analog to find another
camera and even another camera operator. I only took issue with
your statements that there were only two possibilities - multiple
cameras or an amateurish end product.

As I have proven, it’s entirely possible to have a great looking
end product with one camera. Lots of work, I agree, but I’ve
never had an issue with working hard.

So what are you going to do, Analog?
 
So what are you going to do, Analog?

Thanks for all the advice guys. Well I have said that I will work for free but I basically will need the cash to cover the rental of a similar camera to my XL2.

So far it seems like that is what will happen but the guy is a notorious cheap skate, paying as little as 200 pounds for 3 months work!

But it would be silly of me to pass up the chance of a decent referance and the experiance.

Even if I cannot secure a 2nd camera then I will still do it. Since I am working for free I have been advised to make sure that I personally own the final DVD and its contents. Although my employer may use it to an extrent they will never have ownership of it unless they pay a wage in the first place. Is this what is usually done when working unpaid for a decent amount of work?

Cheers.
 
Some people don’t have the resources to do a fully professional
shoot. Sometimes those of us without those resources make do with
what we have.

This is how I work. Most of the....check that....ALL of my productions have been done with the resources I have at the time. But just because you aren't doing a fully professional job in terms of equipment or personnel doesn't mean you can't turn in some good work anyway.


It's beyond me why you would want to over complicate it by having to work 3 or 4 times as much acquiring the footage and then trying to synch the footage assuming that there is no problems with continuity which would prevent you from using one or more angles when you can just as easily set up a second camera as an iso and film a closer angle from another location, in real time. 1 night, 1 recording, 2 tapes, 1 operator. Leave both cameras recording until intermission and you have perfectly synched time code.

Well, one thing I have found to be true of 'guerilla filmmakers': considering you have fewer resources for equipment and personnel, you have to be willing to put the extra work in to get the best possible final result. Yeah, with more money, things might be easier or faster, but the reality is that this is not the situation you have before you.

Also, about the second camera:
I do this alot, but I cringe everytime. The first rule for someone who has a camera that they cannot afford to lose is: never leave your camera unattended. Its the kiss of death almost every time. Plus, its one thing to leave a camcorder unattended -- its another to leave a $3,000 prosumer camera unattended.

Long story short: I taped a band in a big venue where there were only 5, count 'em, 5 people in the audience. My camera was no where near the stage, but was getting an overall shot. Wouldn't you know some headbanger, one of the 5, made his way out of the audience/stage area and hit my camera 3 freakin' times!!!:grumpy: Good thing it was my small camera (camcorder). The point is it was nicely set up on my tripod, I had my DVX in hand. And that guy ruined my secondary shot on an important song. GRRRRR!

This doesn't always happen. The point is: make sure your overall camera is in a safe position if you intend to leave it unattended. You'll have to tell us what you decided to do, Analog.

....by the way,the guy thinks I don't know who he was, the bonehead! The camera was running and he's on tape hitting it...:rolleyes: geez....


-- spinner :cool:
 
Right. Even if you don't get paid for it, what you gain in knowledge and experience does add up to a little something. Everything counts.

Yup. I think I have been quite lucky really. By the end of the Summer holidays I will have done the following projects.

Documentry [paid]
Narrative [paid] Festival Entry also
Stage Play [unpaid]

Anyway, I will probably update this thread in a little while. The play is set to start in Sept. I have found out now though that it is at one of the biggest theatre stages in my City :( Now I am a bit worried :lol:
 
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