This is a Public Topic geared towards first-time filmmakers. Professional members of The D-Word will come by and answer your questions about documentary filmmaking.
Yes, Skyler, you still need rights. Send them a release form to sign. Examples can be found through a Google search, I'm sure.
Sarah Goldsmith
In order to get grants for my project I partnered with our local community foundation that is 501C3. At first they didn’t think they could accept money and give it to me, a for-profit. It took the help from Robert Richter D-worder http://www.richtervideos.com/
and Karen Shatzkin (Shatzkin & Mayer, P.C.) www.shatzkinmayer.com to convince our local foundation.
I could of used Robert’s generous offer to provide the 501C3 but I wanted to educate our local community that this can and should be done. (I am on a mission to get our area hip to the production of films.) It also took the help and legal opinion from Karen Shatzkin.
The information from Karen and the offer from Robert helped convince the foundation to look into it. The foundation got their legal people and they then agreed that my project was with-in the foundations mission statement and have now partnered with me. Since I have received over 40,000 in grants.
The hidden section is the opinion I gave the foundation.
I'm producing a documentary about this particular family, and they have a lot of home movies and pictures that I'm going to use as B-roll. I have consent forms for the interviews and images, but I need a form specifically to handle the rights for the B-roll. Does anybody have a form like that, or know where I could get one?
Hi,
I am using a HV 20 with DOF adaptor to make films. The quality of video is really good, but sound is very tinny. Is there anyway I can improve the quality of sound without spending a fortune? I'm still learning film-making, so want to get some experience before investing in higher-end equipment
Appreciate any suggestions please!
Hi,
For those of you who have ever done pure editing jobs, what did you use to determine your hourly or daily rate? An old editor of mine from my journalism days hired me to edit some footage that I didn't shoot into a short doc for the web. While he didn't end up using the piece, which i actually never got to finish b/c of he killed the project, and we didn't agree to a set price upfront, I spent about 20 hours all told putting it together. NOTE: I took this work outside my day job (I'm a financial writer to pay the bills). How much do I work the cost of my Final Cut Studio 2 software and new iMac and storage into charging him for the HD edit if at all? Do I base my rate on my current salaried writing job? What's the going editing rate for New York City? It's tricky pricing because I don't want to price myself out of future jobs (shooting and editing) for him in 2009. He asked me to send him an invoice. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Craig
Craig, it varies widely. Top editors working on feature docs get $500-600/day. On the other hand, the guy who edited my last work-in-progress sample, who was an experienced ass't editor, and a talented but only somewhat experienced editor, charged $20/hr. Because you're tossing in your own equipment, I'd say a minimum of $25/hr is fair. Anything above that you feel like charging is up to your comfort level.
And your in NYC where the rates are higher... so you can factor that in as well.
In reply to Prabha Nag's post on Thu 25 Dec 2008 :
what kind of microphone are you using? a lapel mic? boom mic? condenser mic?
In reply to James Longley's post on Thu 18 Dec 2008 :
Yes, IDA has a "fiscal sponsorship" program. There is a detailed application process, but it can happen for you. Nots sure how hard it is to get approved for their program however. If your doc is of a massive budget – over $50,000 (last time i checked) – they start taking a percentage. I paid a lawyer to read over their legal documents regarding fiscal sponsorship and nothing seemed amiss to him.
Membership is required to apply for fiscal sponsorship.
In reply to Doug Block's post on Sun 28 Dec 2008 :
I'm shocked, given that all of the contractors employing illegal aliens wanted $25/hr to mud my drywalls.
Mudding is an art though, you have to make sure the room is at the right temperature between coats otherwise the seams will pop up right after the contractor cashes the check.
$25 is a good price, three coats if you own your house, two if you don't.
I searched through the d-word archives for info on subtitles and found suggestions for Belle Nuit subtitler. For some strange reason I can't read the font on the company's website. Would appreciate any explanations of what this software does and why it's preferable to doing subtitles in FCP.
In reply to Aaron B. Smith's post on Mon 29 Dec 2008 :
I'm looking at using a boom mike...Any suggestions?
In reply to Lucia Duncan's post on Fri 2 Jan 2009 :
In FCP you can hard code subtitles, that is, when rendered they become part of the image. There is no changing between one subtitle stream and another. Nor can you see the image without any subtitles.
Belle Nuit allows you to generate a separate subtitle file which can be added as a subtitle track when you burn a DVD, allowing the viewer to remove them or change languages.
If you're not concerned with seeing the image "clean", then you can subtitle in FCP without a problem.
In reply to Prabha Nag's post on Fri 2 Jan 2009 :
Sennheiser 416.
Lucia, you'll find more info if you do a search for "belle nuit" on The D-Word.
Also, as a member, feel free to post these kind of questions in the Editing topic.
Lucia – Belle Nuit is the way to go if you're subtitling a feature-length film, you can get pretty fast and it has all the advantages that Ethan mentions. If budget is a problem, there's a cheap subtitling plug-in from Digital Heaven that might do the trick for you.
PS if the Belle Nuit website is not displaying properly, you might try a different browser.
Hi everyone...:)New year!!! It's so cool being here and meeting you all. I'm in the legal stage, looking for samples of release forms, current budget samples in USD amounts, simple and documented ways to prepare myself before standing in front of a potential financial partner. How far can I go legally before joining a production studio? I'm my own everything right now. ~J~
Hoping I can get some good advice here. I'm a film blogger, and I'm looking for a reputable film studies program that offers courses online. I'm looking for a general grounding in critical theory and film history more than a practical program in filmmaking, but am hopeful that this very wise and connected community can help me out.
Exactly, Doug. To pull myself up from the ranks of the "hobbyist" and to get a little respect from the rest of the film world (including documentary filmmakers), I'm feeling the need to get a little edumacation. Your comment confirms exactly what I'm feeling.
By the way, Doug. No posts since September? Bad blogger! :)
Hi I'm beginning work on a documentary that involves animals, birds specifically. Does anyone know if I need the owners to sign some kind of release form to use the birds images? Thanks!
if the images are under copyright, then yes, assuming you plan to sell the film or show it in public.
What if it's clearly communicated to the animals that they're being filmed?
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