6 Common Documentary Filmmaking Mistakes to Avoid
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- Опубликовано: 31 июл 2024
- Six mistakes that I've made while filming documentaries.
Seb's free documentary training: www.docfilmacademy.com/a/2147...
Host and Creator - Simon Cade
Guest Host and Editor - Seb Solberg: / sebsolbergfilmmaker
WEBSITE: dslrguide.tv
TWITTER: / dslrguidance
INSTAGRAM: / cadevisuals
CONTACT: simon@dslrguide.tv 
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Thanks Simon. Really enjoyed filming this with you and sharing some of the mistakes we've made as documentary filmmakers. 📹
Really felt what you said and I experience it myself. You’re more than enough Seb.
@@Shanoa Thanks Shanoa :)
I was always wondering why do you rarely post something on Instagram, now I realize the reason and I'm more than happy to hear you're spending time with your family and friends.
So happy to see you back at it. I've followed you since 2016 and no lie your techniques helped me with my very first feature film. Never went to film school. Just watched you and a few others. These days I'm pitching to actual Hollywood studios and stuff. So thanks man! Happy Thanksgiving!
Wow 2016 that was a while ago! So glad to be able to help!
Finding people who can help you on projects is a big one. Can’t do everything on your own. Well you can but the quality will suffer.
Editing is a tough one for me to delegate cause it’s so important.
Great vid mate!
You were the first-ever filmmaking channel that I started watching and it got me excited and motivated me to become a filmmaker at the age of 15. Six years later now in a film school and working on my first short film. You have been a major part of why I persuaded Film making and just wanted to let you know that. I was thinking about your channel a few days ago and now this popped up. YOU ARE FREAKING AMAZING AND I CANT THANK YOU ENOUGH
This such a good video, thank you man
Your voice is so therapeutic. It just puts me in state of listening immediately!
Back in 2014, when I started my filmmaking journey in film school, I would watch all of your videos and they taught me so much...honestly more than my school taught me. Lol After school I was a freelancer for a couple of years and now I am a producer for PBS making documentaries about the artists, culture, and history of New Mexico(my home). And I love it! Thanks for all the help and advice over the years! :)
I’m so happy to hear this! You’re so welcome Faith
So good to see you coming up with new episodes again! Thanks for sharing your stories.
3 First mistakes are related to scriptwriting. Really important part of any story and maybe the most underestimated part of filmmaking.
Oof. I'm extremely guilty of hinging my self worth on whatever last thing I've created. I'm working on it, but it's nice to know other people struggle with this too. It can be really important (and difficult sometimes) to take a look at something you're making and ask yourself the question, am I doing this because I feel strongly about it? Or more just because I want the recognition/social validation? All very interesting and necessary questions to be thinking about, thanks for making this. Cheers
Thank you for this. I haven't finished editing my already shot documentary project because of several of these mistakes
Great to see you back, love the video!
Thank you! I love the way you (both) talk about our job, our profession... calm and deep... your POV...! Always inspiring me. Thank you!
Thank you for this invaluable sharing. Nice to see you back! Keep up the good work 💪
Really enjoying these uploads again, thank you from a long time fan!
These are great tips
You and Seb have such calming voices. Some really good advice here, thank you.
What a couple of honest, down to earth and fundamentally likeable guys. Thanks for a great video.
Great to see Simon again, hope that there will be more posts coming in the future.
Thank you so much for this video! What a wonderful example of empathy and letting go of ego.
Thanks for sharing - we all make mistakes and it's great that you share yours. I do the same in my teaching, it is often through mistakes that we have learned something. If we only look for the infallible, I don't think we will learn very much and we certainly won't come home with anything interesting if we don't dare to look outside our comfort zone where mistakes can happen.
Best documentary filming tips so far ! Simon. Thanks to make video on this topic.
This is awesome, you two! Thanks a lot, wish you all the best!
Very nice tips. Especially the last one. Its something least realized but most important.
Love your videos bro! Been watching you since 2017. You and Peter Mckinnon were the first to inspire me into filmmaking/videography!
Thanks for watching for so long Aymaan, appreciate you!
Made my first documentary on my channel!! All of these I absolutely understand and feel. It’s hard work and you really have to get out of your comfort zone. Cheers!
The consistency is real 🙏🏽
i really appreciate your vulnerbility fellas and your sincerity. this video helped me out alot, thank you
Insightful and helpful. Thank you for putting this together.
Thank you for the tips Simon!!!
Great video. Thank you
Thanks for the honesty
Hoping to make a documentary next year, so this video is quite helpful!
On b-roll, my film teacher in high school always told us that too much b-roll is better than not enough. The only thing you struggle with when having an overwhelming amount of b-roll is having to sift through all the clips and determine which ones you should edit down and find a place for, and which ones you should just throw out altogether. When there's not enough b-roll, especially if you were shooting a one-time event, you're out of luck unless you can find the time and the resources to go out into the field and shoot more scenes (if shooting more scenes is even possible at this point).
I tend to film as much as possible. For one of my final projects in my high school film class, which happened to be a mini-documentary, I filmed as much of the semester-long program I was representing that I could. I got a lot of footage, and I didn't even use a lot of the clips I took. But without the option to choose from so many scenes, I probably would have struggled to find clips that fit my story, the topic that was being discussed at the time, and the vibe my film was going for, and I might not have even captured enough footage to fill a 5-minute documentary, at least in an interesting way. Personally, I'll be sticking to filming more than enough b-roll than absolutely necessary.
I'd have to disagree on the 1st and 2nd points. I believe a good documentary film doesn't need a big stake or conflict. It's about how we, as the filmmaker, address the subject's life in context of the film. There are many documentary films that has no 'conflict' or big enough stakes. Check out Guillame Brac's documentary film, "Treasure Island". A minimalistic documentary on the director's childhood waterpark. One of my favorite documentaries of all time.
great video. Agree with everything, especially the last one.
Thank you guys for sharing your stories and giving advice. The big one for me is Mistake #4, not collaborating.
So many valid points 🙏🏽
That was really helpful. Thank you 😊
I'd love to have someone to work with, what you listed as collaboration in your video. I taught myself filmmaking a few years ago, never having made a film before, and have been working by myself since then. I write, film, edit, all of that on my own. I personally dislike actually filming things as I feel my strength is in scripting and editing, but don't have anyone to work with. I have zero budget because it's a hobby for me, but I do like to create the best quality films that I can. I'm not quite sure how to overcome this, except by getting myself better behind the camera.
Thanks for everything learning a lot from your videos. Keep posting. All the very best. Love from India 🇮🇳
Great! There's nothing to add. Wrote this comment so the algorithms would do something about the views! 👀
Haha I do appreciate that thank you
That's a good idea!
Haha, love it!
Perfect timing, just about to embark upon a documentary... Cheers Simon
Best of luck!
I get the urge to infuse conflict into storytelling but I also believe that not everything we consume needs to have conflict. A great example for this are some of the Meg Ryan rom-coms from the eighties and nineties. They don't have very much conflict but they work much better than modern rom-coms because we just get to hang out with those people without any fabricated conflict. Doesn't really apply to the video here of course.
I can understand your reluctance to sharing things you have done wrong (I don't think I would call them failures), especially publically. I don't share those things, sometimes not even to my wife. But, I can tell you that it is VERY empowering for me to learn that someone else, someone more successful at filmmaking than I am, has made the same mistakes. It certainly helps inspire me to keep at it. :^) So, thanks for being willing to share.
I'd love to see a video of you rewatching/reacting to "two wrongs" would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the film now.
Good reminder thanks :)
Very useful, thanks
Just found your channel! Amazing information
Planning on making my first documentary and it seems really helpful!! Thank you From Pakistan!!
Good luck!
@@documentaryfilmacademy Thank you!!
Very helpful tips to keep in mind for my Next interview project.
Any other suggestions on subtle ways to put your subjects at ease with being recorded, especially when you're only just meeting them for 30 mins to an hour?
I too was hesitant to bring out the quality sound of lighting equipment because I was worried it might effect the casual authenticity of my conversation with my subjects;
religious missionaries who keep coming back in pairs, two by two, to visit me.
Gently challenging their most guarded beliefs and doctrine, and getting their consent to record, is enough of a delicate thing to orchestrate, even without the additional distraction of "official" looking gear to keep them extra self-conscious that every opinion or doubt they express is being recorded to probably be viewed by their cult leaders.
But no one else is gonna feel like listening to their thought process if the audio is crap. And it got dark before the most compelling part of our last interview, since we set up outside due to COVID. So now I'm thinking I'd do better to just pull out that big softbox for next time.
thank you!
love your content, Greatings from brazil
Greetings!
Ay your back
WOW 😲 the social validation part 💯
This is so underrated
Hi Simon, we missed you. But the less we see you here it means the more successful and busy you are with the filmmaking, I guess. So it's all good news!
Please help with this question: What lenses can I use to have a good cinematic look like hoq yours look in this video?
Great!
I make mini family event movies, I love it, it brings me great joy.
My number 1 lesson is to remember to keep my mouth shut, and let things happen. I might have the perfect moment, and there is my voice (which I hate) clutering up the shots audio.
In the same vein, stay away from the loud mouths in the group unless that is what you need
Need some help here. When someone orders you a video, what is your creative process, to go from scratch to the finished video?
Tysm dear friend 👍😘💜🍰💕💕
From Seoul korea
I have a question Simon. Which is better for video editing? Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro.
I think it’s a personal preference thing. Neither is “better” but one might be better for YOU, and only you can decide that. Also I’d say it’s not about the video editing program, but the person editing. Pick which one is right for you based on your budget and needs. Know the principles for being a good editor, and that will take you farther than which software you use.
Thank you for your vulnerability 🔥
You’re welcome Louis
Last one hit the spot for me.
What's the best lens for your t3i is it the 18-35mm 💯
Yeah I think so!
Long time no see
What Seb said about being burned out at 24 is exactly what i'm going trough right now sadly.
Ahhh I see you honing your quiet demeanour schtick, kinda Louis Theroux’esque..
It can be a handy tool in documentary making, be as non threatening as possible without appearing too timid nor intimidated. It can really help to get people to open up. Louis is the master!
Is that what you were going for?
Hi DSLR
What's are your favorite documentaries?
Anyone feel free to hope in
“Searching for Sugar man” is up there, plus “last chance U” and “Making a murderer”
woah this is the first time that I saw you with a beard
So to be a better story teller you just have to do it more?
Practice certainly helps!
Hope one day to work in a music video with u
Man i wish i have a camera i badly wanted one😢
Working on my first doc. film. Already got that first mistake :’))) Help.
Working alone in nz? Yup that’s relatable
I appreciate the honesty fellas. I been creating for a long time and life has taught me the journey is the goal. Selectively not giving a %:*@ helps. Cause peers, clients and the world audience aren't going to all pat us on the back at once. #creatingdespite
have u seen naruto
Hi. Simon. Love from india 😍😍🇮🇳
Hi! Mohave! I visited Rajasthan a few years ago and had an amazing time, India is a great place :) thanks for watching!
@@DSLRguide but next time. You can call me.. definitely I'll join. I'm from andhrapradesh . One of the. Great state in india.
there is no such thing as mistake. every mind is conditioned so every judgement is conditioned. what is right and what is wrong? is there any absolute criteria for that?
useful 10mins.
Your voices are soooocalming, almost asmr
Not enough content is right 😭
Honestly I dislike the way people feel the need to push a conflict in certain documentaries, not everything needs to be a novel.
I beleive there is a russian full lenth movie about the mistake#2, pretty boring but interesting.
What the hell is wrong with youtube, I was subscribed to your channel, and now i am not… what gives?
First
I'm sorry love the vid but did anybody said you that you look like Ludwig Ahgren
RUclips chennal
Ambey Bhakti sagar
New song cheking
You're the worst example for filmmaking. Who the hell deletes all footages and keeps only the final cuts and who would wanna refuse to upgrade their camera when 10 bit is becoming a requirement for Film contests.
Did you ever actually make a full movie, or are you still just making videos after all these years "telling people" how to make movies, without ever having made one yourself? LOL