| Like many amateur filmmakers much of the filming I do is
when I am on holiday with my family. Rather than make an endless stream of
holiday films I always try to produce something a little different from the
traditional holiday film or travelogue. My favourite genre is the documentary
and I am always looking for a theme or story to turn the footage that I have
shot on holiday into an interesting documentary.
I usually do a considerable amount of research before going away to look
for ideas and inspiration. Once I have a concept in my mind I always produce
a list of the things I need to film that I take with me to ensure I have
suitable footage of everything I need to make the film. There is nothing
worse when editing to find you are missing a vital shot to fit the story
or narration. |
And so it was, when my wife and I decided to take a long weekend break
to Rome, that I began my research looking for a story to tell. It just so
happens at the time that I had just finished reading the novel Angels
& Demons by Dan Brown and was intrigued by the locations described
in the book. My research revealed a massive amount of material on the more
sinister side of Rome and to my surprise found that there was even an Angels
and Demons Tour. I now had the concept for my documentary and so armed
with my Canon XM2 we headed off to Rome.
The end result being an 11 minute documentary called Rome - City of
Angels and Demons and originally I had no intention of making what
would turn out to be the more successful documentary Rome - Blood,
Politics and Religion. |
| Fast forward almost two years and I was struggling to find an idea for
our club documentary competition. In desperation I was looking back through
old footage and found the tape from Rome. Looking through the footage I realised
there was a great deal of footage that I was unable to use in, particularly
the Coliseum and Forum, as these locations were not relevant in Angels
and Demons. Back to Google to research Rome for a second time and
I eventually hit upon the idea of taking the audience on a journey through
the history of Rome using their architecture. Rome is an extraordinary and
unique city and its position as the world's bloodiest empire, a major political
force and the symbolic centre of the Catholic Church gave me my story and
so the concept for Rome - Blood, Politics and Religion was
born. With the footage already shot it was straight to the editing suite
... well the spare bedroom actually.
I always try to focus on the narration at an early stage and normally have
the script ready before I start editing. The story is key to a successful
documentary and I usually go through 4 or 5 drafts before I am satisfied
that I have it right. I do not consider myself very good at doing voice overs
and when I intend to enter a film into competitions outside the club I normally
get the assistance of my wife or on the occasion my very good friend Harry
Page, who does excellent voice overs. I let the narrator have a copy of the
script and give them an opportunity to make small changes to illuminate any
areas that may trip them up when recording the narration. Again, I record
the narration early in the process, which allows me to drop it onto the timeline
and cut the visuals to the narration so the pictures match what is being
spoken. |
I also like to drop in a few photograph and illustrations when dealing
with historical subject to vary the visuals and create added interest.
The other thing I am passionate about when editing is the music and I am
always looking for something that will match the mood of the story and create
drama. I believe the music can make or break the film and I normally spend
hours try to find the right piece. I do use royalty free music but normally
struggle to find something that works or inspires me so I normally take full
advantage of the IAC's Copyright Scheme*.
After much searching I finally decided on some music from the
Gladiator soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard, which
has some very powerful and moody music
I entered Rome - Blood, Politics and Religion into a number
of competitions including the Sussex Film Festival, SERIAC Film Festival
and BIAFF* with reasonably success. I came across the American International
Film and Video Festival on the IAC Website and thought I would branch out
and have a crack at that competition.
I have to say I was extremely surprised but highly delighted to win 'Best
Documentary' and second overall in the competition and it just goes to show
that it is worth having a go.
Not bad for a film I never intended to make!
- Clive Hand |
