Shooting a documentary on DSLR

Reader Dheeraj Jindal shares his learnings from shooting a documentary on Canon 7D.

[T]he time has changed for filmmakers. Now the quality of video is not relative to the size of camera; you are not required to be loaded with money. All you need is a good idea, passion and dedication.
With the range of DSLR cameras in market it is not difficult to make a good quality film in unimaginable low budget. Canon 5D and 7D provides beyond belief results in video mode. Now globally known filmmakers are using these cameras for shooting documentaries, TVCs and films; undoubtedly they all have a good reason to do so.
We are into documentaries and corporate films, and before some time we were shooting most of our documentaries on Sony PD 170, the reason was its small size and light weight with fair quality on SD format. Then once we used 7D on someone’s recommendation and were shocked by its result. From that day PD 170 became history for us.
5D and 7D gives you video in full high definition, that is 1920×1080 with incredible colors and depth like the footage was shot on a film camera.
They are small in size and high on quality.
Canon 7D gives you the option of variable frame rates from 24 to 60 fps, and gives the real magic of slow motion to your shots. 5D allows you to have control over gain while sound recording. As of now 7D doesn’t have any control on gain so it sets the audio level automatically, that leads to increase on the ambience sound whenever the person who’s speaking takes a pause or break. So to record a byte or sound you have to be at a place where there is no noise or else use some other equipment to record audio and sync it later. 5D doesn’t have the option of variable frame rates, so shooting in slow speed is not possible with this model.
Both the models require good amount of light, though shooting in natural light can give you the best results. But if you are shooting in low light then without increasing the ISO, camera will give you sharp results without any noise on your video, unlike few models of Sony PMW EX series.
Censor size is different in both the cameras, and 5D takes the lead in this. But it doesn’t mean 7D is deprived in video quality.
The question is to decide on whether 5D or 7D?
For the film “The Musalman”, we opted for 7D as slow speed shots are important to give the right feel to the film, and we knew that bytes we can shoot in a controlled environment so that automatic control over gain won’t become a problem for us.
The film is mostly shot indoors at The Musalman premises with only one source of natural light, so we used couple of extra lights to support natural light.
Then we used a Camera Stabilizer to have some dynamic movements in the shots, as the place was too compact for even an eight feet jib or track. For smooth movement with camera stabilizer, we have to shoot in slow speed, so again 7D was the choice to make.
Choosing the right lens is also important for a shoot. There are a variety of lenses available in the market, so you have to decide according to the requirement of the shoot.
These models are not very difficult to use. It’s just a few key settings that make all the difference:

• Shooting Mode – Don’t forget to turn it on manual, and at times while shooting the mode gets changed accidently, so do keep a check if it’s on the right mode or not.
• ISO range – It works like gain in video camera. You will get the best result when ISO is on 100, if you increase it then your video will have grains. The more you will increase, the noisier your footage will be. (Remember while increasing ISO never go by camera LCD, it won’t show any noise in the video as the size is too small.)
• Choosing the right frame size for the film – If you have lots of slow speed shots in your film then it’s good to choose 1280×720 as your resolution, the reason is 60fps is supported only at the above frame size.
• Color temperature – You can set the color temperature manually to give the right tone to your film, or can set the white balance on auto.
• Shutter Speed – It should always be double of your frame rate, so in case you are shooting at 60fps, then your shutter speed should be at 120.

Limitations

• It has a limit of maximum file size as the memory card is in Fat 32 format, so the duration of the clip is limited to around 12 minute for one continuous clip, thus it is advisable to change the clip after around 10 minutes while taking interviews.
• The camera gets heated up if you shoot continuously, so whenever possible turn it off.
• You can’t use a monitor and a camera LCD together.
• No support to monitor audio through headphones.
• The fixed LCD becomes a problem while taking low and high angle shots.

Canon has recently launched another model called 60D. This camera has a flip LCD to make shooting easier while taking low and high angle shots, has variable frame rate option with manual controls over sound recording. Personally I have not tried it yet, but for the price it comes it can never be a wrong purchase.