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John Miller - Director / Writer / Cinematographer / Editor

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(My chronicles on making my first documentary) CHAPTER 4 - April 21, 2008 - Well, it's one of those best-laid plans kind of things! I had planned to do my documentary short subject on a film festival out West. But, the director of the festival isn't into it. I had called her, telling her what I planned to do, the interview I wanted to do, etc. When I hadn't heard back, I emailed. But, there was no response. I called and was able to get a hold of her. We talked, and she seemed interested. But, she said we would have to talk when she had more time. Well, I called when we had arranged, and nothing. Just her voice mail. I tried again after that, and nothing again. It looks like the same kind of thing I've experienced before in the film industry. People may tell you what they think you want to hear, then just leave you without ever hearing back. I guess that's just the way it is in filmmaking. People are off in their own directions, and if you fit in fine. If not, though, you're just out of luck. At this point, I will look at working on one of my other potential projects. I don't think small, though, and it might not be easy to get them made. But, I can certainly try! We will have to see what happens. In the meantime, I do have my photography, and that has been going fairly well. So, I guess you just have to go step by step, don't you? (to be continued) CHAPTER 3 - March 5, 2008 - Before I decided to make my first film a documentary short subject, I had originally thought of doing a feature-length documentary. It was going to be political and concern the state of our nation and where we should go in the future. Now, I still might do it in some form, but not right now. The complexity is too great, and I really should be starting on something less complex and easier to make. So, it's on with the short subject! I have to work at a decent pace, and I have already done extensive reading on the festival I am going to. Also, I have been reading up on the town where it takes place. I need to make contacts, make travel arrangements and decide how much time I need to allow to get there, get set up, get all of my shooting done, and come back home. Of course, I still have to assemble all of my equipment, test it, and get it ready to go. Time to get going! CHAPTER 2 - February 17, 2008 - I had made my decision to shoot on video. And, I know I want it to be high-definition. As with any film, what is on screen is most important, so I am definitely going to be demanding about the image. I have had my eyes on the Panasonic HVX-200 for a couple of years now. It could shoot in a professional format: DVCPRO HD, and do 24 frames/second, which is the frame rate at which motion pictures are shot. So, good enough, right? Well, video equipment evolves at a pretty quick rate. So, now I have found that there is a new high-definition camera available, the Sony PMW-EX1. It shoots in the professional CineAlta format and has a professional-grade Fujinon lens. Now, the objective is to read as many reviews as I can to see if this is the camera I should buy. It's critical because I will be using this camera not only for this first documentary, but for many films to come. Decisions, decisions! CHAPTER 1 - February 12, 2008 - I am working on my first documentary. It will chronicle the first year of a film festival, and document the town where the festival takes place. This will involve numerous interviews, narration, and cinematic views of the town and surrounding countryside. I hope to submit it to a major film festival after it's done. I am currently working on the script for this, as well as other documentaries I have in mind. Yes, even documentaries have scripts. Plus, those scripts can be registered, receive awards, etc. Well my script will contain the narration, the monlogues, and the interview questions. The next step has been to assemble my equipment for the shoots. In the past, film was the obvious way to go. Now, video is the way many independent filmmakers tackle their material. In documentaries, this is especially true, as shooting a hundred hours of film is cost prohibitive, as where with video it isn't. So, video it is. Now, I would like to shoot some film. If I did, I would like it to be Super 16 for the scenic panoramas, but we will see. It can get expensive! You not only have to rent the camera and buy the film, but you have to process the film and transfer it to video. An alternative to add film to the documentary would be to use Super 8mm motion picture film or incorporate still photographs into the documentary. Regardless, the main camera will be a video camera. The question is, what video camera? Of course, I want it to be high definition. But, that only narrows down the field a little. There are still many choices out there.

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