Documentary Cinematography | How I film my projects (Tips on composition, gear, lighting & movement)

Hey everyone, Flo from Afterlens here. For the past 10 years I have been filming short documentaries, and in this video I want to talk about one aspect of documentary work, the cinematography. I will discuss how I approach my documentary projects in terms of composition, movement, lighting and gear, but I also want to talk about the limits and how it differs from commercial and narrative work. Before I start, don't forget to subscribe to see more videos like this one, and let's get into it. This video is sponsored by Artlist. As a freelance filmmaker, I am of course involved in a wide variety of shoots and environments. But short documentaries are some of my favourite projects to work on, as I can mix real storytelling and visuals. Some are done for clients of course, but some are also passion projects. And they are usually about crafts or interesting life stories. I often film by myself, but I also do collaborate with other people on bigger shoots as a director or camera operator, and most of the time I have control over the creative and visual side of things. All of this shapes the way that I film my documentaries, which in turn has an impact on the final product. Now, let's look into the main elements of documentary cinematography, and how they differ from other genres. Composition is one of the most important aspects of cinematography for all genres of filmmaking. However, whilst the principles and general idea are similar, composition for documentaries is very different than for narrative or commercial work. The main reason behind that is that in general, in documentary work, you have to react and adapt. What I mean by that is that you are limited in terms of what you can do, as you are working in a real life situation, or places that are linked to the story and cannot be altered in a significant way. You might also not have control over the location, and you probably also don't have all the time in the world to set up a shot. I've said this before on this channel and in my ebooks, but I suggest to work on instinct. If you have an idea and you think it looks good at first glance, it probably does. Documentary work is also about coverage. You need to make sure that you capture enough footage to be able to create the story you were hired to tell. Although capturing a high volume of content can help, it is more about diversity rather than quantity, especially if you're not editing the final piece. This is why I always try to shoot wide, medium and tight shots of the same place or action. And if you ever run out of footage when editing a documentary, you can always turn to archival footage and stills. To make an image interesting, you want to create depth, but it might not be possible every single time and you have to be okay with that. Dirty shots for example can create a deeper and layered image, and sometimes can be achieved even with a little time or preparation. Interviews are probably where you want to spend time and create maximum depth, as you will most likely end up using the footage. They are quite often the part in a documentary where you have the most control. Adding a few pockets of light in the background or some items in the foreground can go a long way. If you find yourself outdoors, like I do a lot, look for lines, or place a subject off center to split the frames for example, or dead center to have a symmetrical look. When it comes to composition, I like to use the rule of thirds, especially when I'm monitoring. I find it very useful when moving quickly, as it helps making decisions on the go. And remember, when you are working on a documentary, story is always first, visuals after. The cinematography should always come after the story, and sometimes as hard as it is for us filmmakers, if the cinematography has to suffer in order to get the shot, then so be it. Now I want to discuss lighting, movement and gear, but before that, here's a quick word about today's sponsor, Artlist. I've been working with Artlist for several years now, and if you don't know what Artlist is, it's a platform that I use for all my music and SFX, whether it is for my documentary work or for my travel and YouTube content. All you're about to hear in this short example was created using music and SFX from Artlist. Artlist has also been a part of my documentary journey, by of course being the main source for the music and sound effects that I use, but also by helping me bring some of my projects to life, like the 90 year old cyclist. As a freelance filmmaker, knowing that I can use music and SFX for all kinds of projects without having to worry about licenses is a huge plus. For example, I submitted my documentaries to different festivals over the years, and that would cost quite a bit of money if I had to license all of the individual tracks that I use in my projects. I find Artlist also super easy to use, no matter the kind of music or SFX you're looking for. Over the years I've created dozens of collections, and I regularly put tracks aside for projects that might suit later on. They offer different plans, depending on if you need music or SFX, or footage or templates, or if you need all of it. They also recently added a voiceover feature that can be extremely useful for solo and freelance filmmakers when it comes to documentary work. High amongst the peaks of the French Alps, the summer has started to show its first signs. The snow is slowly melting, and the pastures are turning green. If you're interested, be sure to check out the link in the description to get an extra 2 months when you subscribe to Artlist for the yearly plan. Another big difference in my experience between documentary and other genres of filmmaking is lighting. Whilst lighting is an essential part of narrative and commercial work that can be heavily controlled, in documentaries it is a completely different approach most of the time. This is again linked to the fact that you are working with something real. Whilst you might want to enhance or improve on a location or subject, you are still bound to the story, location and a time frame allocated. In my experience when it comes to documentary shoots, you can't always bring lights, and so natural light plays a much bigger part in a visual style. For example, you can't have everything backlit. A documentary needs to feel real and grounded, so the amount and quality of artificial lighting has to be motivated and in sync with the story more than ever. Most of the time you will find yourself in a situation when you cannot bring lights in, either because you don't have the room or the budget, and so making a choice between exposing for the brightest part of the image or for the subject for example, or having to use practicals, will become very common. Available light will then become your best friend, or something to control and shape. Some locations will be easier or harder than others, and the more you shoot, the more you will react and adapt quickly. There are things that you can do to control natural light of course, for example you can use an egg to shape the light and add contrast, or you can bounce light using a reflector. In order to get the best light, shooting at sunrise or sunset will usually give you the best results. That being said, you cannot be everywhere at golden hour, so you just have to be ok with it and find ways to make it work. Sometimes you will work on a project, whether it is your own or not, where you can take the time to bring in some lights, either to help and push the levels like we did on this blacksmith's documentary, or to create interesting frames like this one from the 90 year old cyclist. We are also lucky these days, as we do get lights that can be easily transportable and I for example always carry a small portable light with me on doco shoots, even outdoors, in case I need to light the subject's face or any detail shots. Next is movement. With composition and lighting, movement is the other main element that make up cinematography. As you know, I shoot handheld 90% of the time, whether it is for my documentary work, or for any other type of content. One of the main reasons for me to shoot handheld is speed. For documentary work, speed is essential. Shooting handheld allows me to be quick and to go from one spot to another, or to quickly adjust composition. It also allows me to follow the action and to react to what is happening in front of me. Being able to just frame a shot, then move on to the next in a matter of seconds is extremely helpful to get maximum coverage. Some locations are also harder, with lots of gear. I also love to have an organic and realistic feel to my work, and handheld helps a lot in achieving this. To me it makes the footage more immersive. I like to be able to follow the subject, and to be able to change my mind when it comes to movement whilst recording. It allows me to work on instinct, as I've just mentioned before. Slow motion is also something that I use a lot, either to maximize coverage and time, but also to break up pacing, and so to me I consider this a choice of movement, as it really helps to focus the eyes of the viewer on the action. Of course, tripods have their place in documentary work, especially for interviews, or to cover an event or action that spends a long period of time. I use sticks for establishing scenes as well, both indoors and outdoors. They can often create a control and still image that can be useful for pacing, or simply to introduce a character or location. Gimbals also have a place in documentary work, I like to use them for follow shots for example. Gear is always a tricky topic, I really think that it depends on your style of shooting, and the type of work that you do. When it comes to documentary work, the gear also needs to match the subject. For example, I always prefer to use traditional zooms for outdoor work, for their speed and weight. And I keep cine lenses and primes for interviews, or for projects where I have the time to swap lenses, or where range isn't as important, or if I need a specific look. The same goes for cameras, as you know I love Blackmagic ones for their image quality and ease of use. But that doesn't mean that they'll work for you, I have stuck with Blackmagic over the years because they suit my type of work and the way that I like to shoot. I love to film handheld and being able to just get the camera pretty much as is, and still get amazing image and features is extremely valuable to me. The BMPCC 6K Pro is still my favourite documentary camera today, because of its size and weight, but also because it has a bright tiltable screen and internal 90s. When a new Blackmagic Pixis arrives, it will also be a camera that I use for documentary shoots, especially when I need to rig things up, as the pocket shape isn't the greatest when you start adding loads of equipment. Of course, everyone is different and has different needs and projects. Never pick a camera for the camera or the brand, it needs to fit the project and your line of work. For example, if you need autofocus or IBIS for your documentary work, then it is not the brand for you, and Canon, Panasonic or Sony might be better suited. Drones are also a very useful tool for documentary work, as they allow you to get unique angles, movements and framing, but they also help you in the edit, by being a good way to create establishing scenes or simply to help transition between locations. As a tip, for documentary work, I will always recommend some items that I think are essentials. One zoom lens, for range and speed. One prime, cine or not, around 35mm would be a good choice, this is for interviews or low light. An easy rig, for long shoots. A solid tripod. A small travel light. Small batteries. And a comfortable bag. If you're interested, my doco kit will be linked in the description below. Now I also want to talk briefly about the look or the visuals. This is again an aspect that is quite important in filmmaking and more than ever these days with social media and the way content is approached, liked and consumed. Look is subjective, but once again when it comes to documentary work, it still needs to be in line with the tone and subject. Some intense looks are better suited to narrative or music videos for example. I personally like to use a bit of grain in post, as well as film stocks, but it needs to feel motivated and cannot take the viewer away from the story. The same goes for editing in my opinion. I think if you can find a way to create a piece that is both visually stunning and with a strong and interesting story, it can make for a very powerful documentary. Working on a documentary project is very rewarding and something I love doing and I hope to keep doing for a long time. It means sharing a person's story, a personal history and to me it is the perfect mix between reality and creativity. A documentary also doesn't always have to be about something extraordinary and a piece doesn't have to be super long either. But always remember that story comes first, before visuals, style and gear. That's it for me for today guys, hope you've enjoyed this video and that you found it useful. Feel free to check out my freelance documentary ebook if you want to know more about my doco work. And also let me know what was your favourite documentary project that you've worked on. And as always, thanks for watching, don't forget to subscribe and I'll see you in the next one. Bye! Also, feel free to check out my two ebooks, Freelance Documentary Filmmaking and Travel Cinematography, where you can find a streamlined but comprehensive overview from pre-production all the way to marketing, build on years of my own experience shooting short documentaries and travel videos around the world. And if you are interested, I'm also doing filmmaking mentoring sessions where you can ask me anything about a wide variety of topics.