Documentary Film Ideas

I need to explain some things, because I have found that a surprising amount of people aren’t as informed about the shifts in technology going on today with regards to video/filmmaking and High Definition video.

My camera, the Canon XH-A1, shoots in High Definition (HD). My camera shoots at a resolution of 1440×1080, which is HD. In large cities like Atlanta, all of the broadcast stations and most of the cable stations are now broadcasting in HD at 1440×1080. Approx. 5-10 years ago, stations broadcast their video SD, because most people still had tube television and TV’s that couldn’t accept High Definition.

Most importantly, is the point that regular DVD’s are also 720×480 resolution. My standard wedding package includes regular SD DVD’s. If you have a blu-ray player and want a Blu-ray disc, then you have to pay more.

In order to view the video that I shot in High Definition in its full glory, you will need:

1. A “HD” TV
2. A “blu-ray player”
3. You need to tell me you want your project burned to a blu-ray disc.

I highly recommend that you order blu-ray, because the video quality is substantially better, and the quality is future-proof and up-to-date with the VERY LATEST technology.

If you have any questions about blu-ray or regular DVD’s for your wedding, please contact me and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.

Sincerely

Jeff Dinges
video@jdinges.com
678-428-6014

1. New Wedding Highlights Video, “Ric & Lucy”

2. HD and Blu-Ray discs coming soon!!
I shoot everything in HD, so I will be able to give you a blu-ray copy in approx. 4-8 months when hardware/software costs are reasonable. Then you can view your wedding or event in all of its magnificent glory in full 1080p HD on your LCD or plasma HDTV. I keep everything on my hard drive for 10+ years. You are welcome to contact me if you need any additional copies or if you have a question about getting your project on Blu-ray at

website: www.jdinges.com
email: video@jdinges.com
phone: 678-428-6014.

3. My fantastic DVD Covers
Here’s an example cover from the Arabic Engagement Party I shot.

Things got festive at last night’s engagement party. Here’s a highlight video of the event. Do you have a engagement party coming up? Contact me at video@jdinges.com to secure a date, or call 678-428-6014.

From Wikipedia:The September Issue is a documentary film about the behind the scenes drama that follows editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and Vogue Magazine. Directed by R.J. Cutler, and produced by Eliza Hindmarch, the film follows the making of the 2007 September issue. The issue ended up weighing nearly five pounds, was 840 pages, and was the single largest issue of the magazine ever published.

This is the first pure documentary I’ve seen in a while. There’s no artificial story telling here. This is the opposite of a Michael Moore production. This is pure documentary form. The director’s only influence was in capturing the right moments and showing them at his own will at the right time in order to convey the message. But when i say message, I mean reality. This film shows the inside guts of Vogue magazine. This shows you the real people behind the scenes, and not just how they act at work, but it shows you passion and wisdom.

Obviously this is related to the Hollywood production “The Devil Wears Prada”, which focused more on the drama. There is drama in this documentary thrown in obviously purposely, but It’s not nearly as cut throat as depicted in the fictional version. In contrast, this film shows the fun and passion behind the people involved in the artistic side of the fashion industry. The business side is left out, this is all about the artistic side. In one part of the film, an executive from Neiman Marcus complains about the distribution. Then the lead editor at vogue responds with a comment about the magazine. Here you get a glimse about the world at vogue magazine is purely an artistic world focused on quality control and purely focused not on the business side but on the quality and artistic side of the product.

Here’s a video I made from the photos Brian Tucker and I took during my visit to the Central State Hospital, previously known as the Georgia Lunatic Asylum.

In 1837, the Georgia State Legislature responded to a call from Governor Wilson Lumpkin, by passing a bill calling for the creation of a “State Lunatic, Idiot, and Epileptic Asylum.” Located in Milledgeville, then the state capital, the facility opened in 1842. In the 1960’s the hospital had 13,000 patients, making it the largest asylum in the world at the time. The hospital later declined because of de-institutionalization.

For me, videography is much more than the time that I spend at the location filmming.  That’s actually the easiest, most enjoyable part for me.  In reality, the real time and value that I add comes in two parts.

1. Shooting on location = approx. 20% of cost to me
2. Editing your footage and researching market trends and advancing my knowledge-base = approx. 80% of cost to me

I love shooting video.  It’s very fun to me.  But understand that you aren’t paying me for just showing up and pointing my camera.  You are mostly paying for the time It took me to increase my knowledge and keep up with the current trends artistically, and also the amount of time it takes to edit footage to make sure it is valuable both technically and artistically.

But I don’t downplay the difficulty of the actual location shooting.  Every location brings unique challenges to it, both visual and audio.  Recording professional quality video requires advanced knowledge of the latest equipment and familiarity with your equipment’s weaknesses and limitations.  Personally, I own the best equipment out there and I’m a fan of Canon, which produces the best quality cameras and lenses, but I also understand the limitations of my equipment in the real world.  Audio is another important aspect of filmaking that is not fully recognized by the general public.  I have an arsenal of several types of recording devices.  I must evaluate each shooting location independently to determine how audio will be recorded.   Professional audio for video is a profession in and of itself, most average people do not realize.  As a videographer, I have fill multiple hats of several specialties.  This requires a lot of research and education.

Although I own the latest technology, I learned videography and filmmaking from the ground up.  Some other videographers just buy the best equipment and think that they can produce quality solely through technology.  In contrast, when I started out I learned how to produce quality video using poor quality equipment, understanding the limitations and abilities of my equipment.  My personal philosophy is simple:  Make videos that bring joy to people and capture reality in a way that is positive and brings value to everybody.

My DVDs

• Not all DVD players are the same, make sure your DVD player is less than 10 years old.  Also with some DVD players, you have to adjust the screen size.

• My SD DVD’s look better when played through a Blu-ray player onto a HD TV.  Technically, it will be 720p HD.

• My DVD’s are widescreen format. They look best with widescreen TV’s.

• My DVDs have a printed label directly on them for a professional look and feel.  I use ink-jet to print directly onto DVD.  No paper labels.

• I have several types of DVD cases. Slim cases, dual disc cases, paper sleeves, etc.. Whatever best fits your application.  Also, I print full color DVD covers for all my weddings.

• I also do a custom Menu for my DVDs with background music, including chapters, extras, about section, photos, and photo slideshows and montages.

here’s some night footage of downtown Atlanta. I’d like to do a hip-hop video one day and shots like this are essential.

Canon XH-A1. 3CCD HD Camcorder. 20x zoom, lots of manual controls. Handles great in low light.