Site Archive
FiLMiC Pro transforms iPhone into sweet and respectable video cameraWritten by David Tames on February 23, 2013
Filed Under Camera, Documentary, Featured, Filmmaking, Mobile devices, Tools, Video on the Web, Video Production
The iPhone is capable of producing surprising good video and as a result, quite a few documentary makers are using their iPhones as their go-to B camera and in some cases even as their primary camera. In order to get the best video... Continue Reading...
Basic Documentary Video Starter Kit (consumer level gear)Written by David Tames on February 23, 2013
Filed Under Camera, Documentary, Featured, Tools, Video
You do not need fancy gear to start making documentaries, you can start out with almost any basic consumer HD camcorder as long as it has both a microphone input and headphone output. Working with external microphones and being able... Continue Reading...
Summer Documentary Film School at MassArtWritten by David Tames on April 26, 2011
Filed Under Camera, Courses, Documentary, Editing, Producing
This summer MassArt is once again offering its popular four-week summer documentary mini-film school. Session runs June 6, 2011 through July 1, 2011. This is an excellent opportunity to learn in a hands-on, intensive, focused environment... Continue Reading...
Cinema will eventually become a flexible means of writingWritten by David Tames on November 22, 2010
Filed Under Art, Camera, Critical Theory, Filmmaking, Music Video, New Media, Sticky, Writing
In 1948 Alexandre Astruc, a filmmaker and theorist, suggested the notion of caméra-stylo (camera pen) in his essay, “The Birth of a New Avant-Garde: La Caméra-Stylo,” which appears in the book, The French... Continue Reading...
Digital imaging throws documentary into ontological crisisWritten by David Tames on August 20, 2010
Filed Under Art, Camera, Critical Theory, Documentary, Photography
Scholars have long discussed the ambiguity and subjectivity inherent in photographic representation with its seductive verisimilitude. Bill Mitchell’s The Reconfigured Eye: Visual Truth in the Post-Photographic Era (The MIT Press,... Continue Reading...
MassArt’s Summer Film School, 2010Written by David Tames on June 10, 2010
Filed Under Art, Camera, Documentary, Editing, Events & Screenings, Filmmaking
Summer is upon us and I would like to remind you there is still time to register for most of the Summer Film School classes at MassArt. If you don’t live in the Boston area, MassArt is offering an affordable residential option... Continue Reading...
20th Annual Pro Video ShowWritten by David Tames on February 7, 2010
Filed Under Camera, Events & Screenings, Filmmaking
If you live in or around the Boston area, it’s time to make plans to attend the 20th Annual Pro Video Show, brought to you by The Camera Company, which will take place March 12-13, 2010 at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in... Continue Reading...
Using both channels (an audio channel is a terrible thing to waste)Written by David Tames on August 13, 2009
Filed Under Camera, Documentary, Filmmaking, Sound, Video
Practically every camcorder records two channels of audio, which allows you to record in stereo (Left/Right) or two discrete channels (1/2). Lately I’ve been using the Sennheiser Evolution G2 wireless a lot and it started to... Continue Reading...
Comparison of four professional LED lighting instruments under $1KWritten by David Tames on July 19, 2009
Filed Under Camera, Documentary, Filmmaking, Gadgets and Devices, Lighting, Reviews
Over the past couple of years I’ve had a chance to use or take a close look at various LED lighting instruments available in the marketplace. Today you will find lots of inexpensive lights suitable for on-camera use available... Continue Reading...
Canon HG20 camcorder provides stunning price/performanceWritten by David Tames on February 13, 2009
Filed Under Camera, Final Cut Pro, High Definition
Canon HG20 I recently taught a class at MassArt, Documentary Video Boot Camp, and one of my students, Adam Weiss, used his new Canon VIXIA HG20 camcorder in the class. As a result of seeing the video Adam shot for his assignments,... Continue Reading...
