Field Etiquette

Field shoots are always hectic.  A lot has to go on at the same time in order capture the best footage to make the best show possible.  The audio, visuals, crew, talent, paperwork, set pieces, wardrobes, scripts, equipment and any number of other things all need attention.  It is easy to forget to do something small that could have a big impact on the production. 

I asked some of my production buddies for their most important dos and don’ts while in the field.  Here is what we came up with:

• Use a checklist to help keep track of what needs to get done.
• Label the tapes (with the date) as soon as you are done with each tape.
• Pay equal attention to the audio as you do the video.
• Turn off your cell phone while the cameras are on. You don’t want to be the one person whose phone rings or vibrates during the shoot.  Even phones on silent mode and affect audio quality.
• Always record “one more” for safety.  It is sometimes hard to tell if a take is good during the intensity of a shoot. An extra take will increase your changes for getting just what you need.
• Don’t forget bars and tone.  Yes, your editor really does use these things to help ensure that the color and sound of your footage is legal.
• Don’t forget room tone.  Your editor will love you.
• Bring water and healthy snacks.
• Put a lunch break in the schedule. Crews like to see that. Yes, schedules are tight but if your crew sees that you are considering their food and hydration needs, they will work that much harder for you.
• Be on time. Promptness is the first thing to consider if you want to be hired back again.
• Bring extra copies of every document.  Scripts, schedules, releases and log sheets often get lost in the shuffle.
• Bring pens.  You can never have enough.
• Come with more tapes or hard drive space than needed.
• Be prepared. The most important field work starts before you hit the field.
• Relax and have fun! This is TV not brain surgery.

Should I Buy A Hard Drive?

I asked my friends and colleagues at the Washington, DC area Women in Film and Video (WIFV) if it was time for me, as an independent and freelance producer, to buy my own hard drive.  The resounding answer was “yes.”

Some people, like Stephanie Foerster Owner of StepFilms, says the question takes some consideration.  “If you are responsible for the footage upon conclusion of the shoot, then yes, a hard drive is a great investment. That said, if you are simply handing over the footage for post, I think it’s fair to request the client to provide their own drive before the shoot.”

There are a lot of hard drives out there and not all of them will work for every situation.  For instance, are you looking for a hard drive to simply store and transport footage?  If so, a small drive will work.  The most popular compact drive suggestion I got was for the 350gb LaCie.  I’m using this drive now (in fact it is packed up ready for my shoot today) and it seems both rugged and easy to use.  It doesn’t need a power cord because it runs off of the firewire cable. It costs about $100.  For Mac users, My Passport Studio has been recommended because it is small and very affordable.  Another recommendation is the $90 Smartdisk FireLite which holds about 80GB and fits in the palm of your hand.

But as Roland Hudson of Flipbook Productions points out, you will need something bigger and faster if you plan to edit from the drive.  Anything less than 1TB can make moving media on and off of the drive painstakingly slow.  The G-Raid mini, another highly recommended drive based on responses, runs about $300.

Bonnie Green, a Digital Assets Manager, warns not to store too much on one drive.  “I usually advocate digitizing your assets into a searchable database, then archiving physical assets in off-site storage. Never keep the two in the same location. Use the “what if” scenario in laying out your plan.  Also, using one hard drive for multiple clients may not be wise, as it only takes one corrupted file to ruin to the soup. Then, you’ve just screwed up your other clients’ stuff and made yourself look like a novice.”

The crowd was split on how “consumer” to go with these drives. Some felt that standard drives found at Best Buy to provide storage for a home computer wouldn’t suffice.  Others were excited about cheap and cheerful drives that could be bought for under 100-bucks.  Personally, I feel that is it worth a little extra to safeguard a client’s footage.

And last but not least, back up your footage!  Some producers use their drives as backups. Others store the footage on their computer.  It doesn’t really matter where you keep it just as long as you can get to that backed-up footage if needed.

Navigating the HD Revolution

High Definition has arrived in full force.  Most major American networks and distributors (and many in countries around the world) require that projects be shot and delivered in HD.  Many production companies, crews and editors are racing to figure out what is the best way to make the change over to HD.  Amateur documentarians are facing the realities of up converting or adjusting their budgets.

It is a bold and exciting new world out there… but also confusing.  As an established television producer, I often have a hard time sorting through the maze of HD options.  Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when deciding what type of HD format to shoot on.

1. What type of editing intake system will you be using?  There are many types of HD record options (HDCam, HDV-HD, XDcam, etc.) and there are decks to go with each.  It is important to know how your edit system will acquire the footage.  You don’t want to show up to your edit session with tapes that don’t match the tape deck in use. This is a waste of time and money.  If you don’t know where you will edit or what type of system you are using, you can consider using a camera that records onto a disk.  Later, you can then transfer the footage onto a hard drive or straight into the appropriate editing program.  Or, you can choose one type of tape format and rent the appropriate type of deck when the time comes to digitize.  This will cost a little more but it happens a lot.
2. Super important – what type of footage does your network, client or distributor accept?  Some networks won’t accept some formats or minimal footage must come from it.  For example, they may allow a given HD project to have up to 15% standard definition footage.
3. Will you be required to deliver all of the raw footage and if so, in what format?  With many cable projects, producers are must hand over the raw footage… often in duplicate.  If the client wants that footage in a certain format like HDCam, it makes sense to go ahead and shoot with that format.  If you don’t have to turn over your raw footage, consider how you will archive the footage once your project is complete.
4. What are resolution and frame rate requirements.  Most of the projects that I work on are shot at  1080i or 720p.  Will your final project been show full screen?  Do you have to down convert to standard definition and if so, will it be center cut, anamorphic or letter boxed?  You’ll want to make sure that the camera being used has the proper settings available and that the tapes and edit system can accommodate your needs.
5. Will you buy or rent a camera?  This is a big question because a lot of money will be spent either way.  It will be helpful to have an idea of what types of HD needs you may have in the future.  If you rent a camera, or hire a cameraman with his own gear, ask to see a footage test to get clear understanding of what your footage will look like.

You’ll notice that I have not listed specific types of cameras or tapes.  I don’t want to make detailed suggestions when every situation is so different and there are so many options.  It is important to talk to as many people as possible about your project until you feel comfortable making choice.  Talk to shooters, editors and distributers/networks/clients.  Sometimes there may be more than one solution to your HD needs.  But armed with the right information, you can make the best decision for your project.  Good luck and let me know if you have any other helpful hints.