Shooting
From 4docs
Whether filming yourself or working with a separate cameraman, it is a good idea to give forethought to the shooting style and aesthetic that you want for your film. It both gives the final product a more uniform look and also gives a clearer idea of how to set up shoots on the days you are filming.
Try to think before you record - trying to film everything isn't the cleverest approach and you'll end up taking so much material into the edit that trying to cut the film might be nearly impossible.
You'll need to decide what you want to shoot on (see Cameras). Every different format, and in the case of many digital cameras, every different camera, will give a different look and feel to your pictures. There is no ‘golden rule’ for the look of a film; it depends entirely upon the aesthetic and way of shooting which you choose.
As the big electrical manufacturers push hard for the coming of digital cinema, with true 16:9 chips and progressive scan to make it look more film-like than interlace scan, it seems ever-easier to forgo the farrago of shooting on film. But please bear in mind that using the latest in digital cameras can cause headaches; once you’ve shot your film you’ll need to edit it, and the more exotic the format the less likely post houses will have the deck ready to hand. This will mean additional costs when they have to hire them in. And if it doesn’t have a firewire output, it’s going to cost a lot more for that home editing system than you thought it would. Much of the time, it makes sense to wait for the problems involved in a new format to be ironed out before using it.
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Victor Kossakovksy's 10 Rules of filmaking
When i was at film school we were lucky enough to be visited by Victor Kossakovksy's the Russian film maker, these were his ten rules
1 Don't film if you can live without filming.
2 Don't film if you want to say something - just say it or write it. Film only if you want to show something, or you want people to see something. This concerns both the film as a whole and every single shot within the film.
3 Don't film, if you already knew your message before filming - just become a teacher. Don't try to save the world. Don't try to change the world. Better if your film will change you. Discover both the world and yourself whilst filming.
4 Don't film something you just hate. Don't film something you just love. Film when you aren't sure if you hate it or love it. Doubts are crucial for making art. Film when you hate and love at the same time.
5 You need your brain both before and after filming, but don't use your brain during filming. Just film using your instinct and intuition.
6 Try to not force people to repeat an action or words. Life is unrepeatable and unpredictable. Wait, look, feel and be ready to film using your own way of filming. Remember that the very best films are unrepeatable. Remember that the very best films were based on unrepeatable shots. Remember that the very best shots capture unrepeatable moments of life with an unrepeatable way of filming.
7 Shots are the basis of cinema. Remember that cinema was invented as one single shot - documentary, by the way - without any story. Or story was just inside that shot. Shots must first and foremost provide the viewers with new impressions that they never had before.
8 Story is important for documentary, but perception is even more important. Think, first, what the viewers will feel while seeing your shots. Then, form a dramatic structure of your film using the changes to their feelings.
9 Documentary is the only art, where every esthetical element almost always has ethical aspects and every ethical aspect can be used esthetically. Try to remain human, especially whilst editing your films. Maybe, nice people should not make documentaries.
10 Don't follow my rules. Find your own rules. There is always something that only you can film and nobody else.