My upcoming film "Mobile Phones + Fistula: What Next?" that documents the use of mobile phone technology to help women living with obstetric fistula in Tanzania access free fistula repair treatment, was the first time I shot a film on HD using the DSLR camera. I learned A LOT - made some mistakes - and wanted to share them here.
The camera I used was the Canon EOS Rebel T2i and I used a separate audio source. I don't normally have a second person with me, but this trip I worked with an audio professional who assisted me with second camera and sound. I ended up bringing my Panasonic HVX 100 and used the p2 cards with a Seinnheiser lavalier set and/or Rode shotgun mic to capture sound. I had heard about the audio syncing software, PluralEyes, that would sync multicamera audio in post production so I could take the beautiful images from the DSLR and match them to the sound off the Panasonic. So, I left for Tanzania, hoping for the best.
The first problem I encountered was adapting to using a still camera as a video camera. I shoot in a very run and gun style, in sometimes very rugged and hot environments in the different African countries I primarily work in. With the DSLR camera, I wasn't able to manuever the camera in all sorts of directions that I'm accustomed to because I couldn't SEE what I was shooting (the LCD screen is static on the back of the camera.) I also had a hard time figuring out if I was in focus or not.
Another issue I had to get accustomed to is the fact that the camera will shut off if it gets too hot. Although some resources state that this won't happen if you use fast memory cards and use a normal work flow, this wasn't the case for me. If interviewing, I had to remember to turn the camera off and back on again regularly (and I tried to do this while I was asking a question so not to clip the interviewees voice.) It was sort of a hassle bc of letting myself get immersed in the interview, I had to constantly keep my eye on the timecode.
In addition to this, the batteries die relatively quickly. I only had three spares (the same I bring with me when using the HVX) and I couldn't go a full day without having to recharge. This was not easy considering I was working in hospitals and rural areas where access to an electrical outlet wasn't always convenient.
Then there is the data management aspect which is challenging enough to do with even two people, let alone myself. When the cards were full, I had to dump them onto my computer and hard drive. I tried to dump the p2 material at the same time so I could keep it organized. I would label folders by the dates that I would shoot. Sometimes I would go through 3-4 cards in a day so had to remember to label them Feb 21a, Feb 21b, etc. This took a considerable amount of time and organizational focus which often times would distract me and pull me out of the conversations and the content I was capturing with my subject matters.
And finally, the thing that is most stressful about shooting on these cameras - is the fact that you don't have a hard tape as a master. Once you dump your footage, that's it. You wipe the card clean and if your hard drive or something fails, you lose it. So, every night at my hotel, I would have to remember to do a second save - as the back up. Unfortunately, one of the worst of all things happened to me while shooting - I lost a 32gig card. Thankfully, it didn't have much real content on it - mostly broll - but traveing in rugged areas, in a lot of different locations, and making sure that tiny card doesn't get misplaced was challenging to say the least.
When I got back to NYC, I wasn't as pleased with my material as I usually am. Yes, the images were amazing bc of the chip in the DSLR. But I had to really go through my footage to find non-shaky, in-focused broll (the interviews were fine bc I used my tripod but the handheld wasn't the best material I shot.) And to top it all off, the PluralEyes software didn't work with DSLR material in Avid Media Composer (which is what I normally cut on) so I had to manually sync all my footage. Talk about extremely time consuming and a downer.
So, for those of you planning to use these DSLR cameras for your shoots in Africa, I would suggest the following, knowing what I know now:
- Bring extra SD cards and Canon batteries (more than you think you will need.)
- Try out different lenses - the beauty of these DSLR cameras is your ability to change the glass. I have a standard lens, a long lens and a fish eye.
- Get a steadicam to get steadier shots (there are relatively cheap ones.)
- Use a rubber eyepiece eyecup. They only cost $9 on Amazon and helps you see what your shooting better. It also can help keep your checks or nose from oiling up the screen, Also good for those wearing glasses.
- Edit in FCP unless Avid fixes the inconvenience with Plural Eyes.
- Use an image stabilizing effect to smooth out shaky shots.
I ended up shooting a few more films since this film on the same camera and with a few tweaks, had much better results. And the best part is this camera is affordable. It has similar features as the Canon 5D that are more popular but its a lot more affordable (check the ad below for both camera and standard lens - not a bad price at all!)
