How can you balance the artistic and technical aspects of film photography for documentary production?

1 Choose your film format

One of the first decisions you need to make is what film format you want to use for your documentary. There are different types of film formats, such as 35mm, medium format, large format, or instant film, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, 35mm film is relatively cheap, versatile, and easy to process, but it has less resolution and dynamic range than larger formats. Medium format and large format film offer more detail, sharpness, and tonal range, but they are more expensive, bulky, and slow to use. Instant film can create unique and spontaneous images, but it has limited exposure control and quality. You need to weigh the pros and cons of each format and choose the one that suits your budget, style, and narrative.

2 Know your camera settings

Another important aspect of film photography for documentary production is knowing how to use your camera settings effectively. Unlike digital cameras, film cameras have limited exposure latitude, meaning they can only capture a certain range of brightness and darkness in a scene. If you overexpose or underexpose your film, you risk losing details and colors in your images. Therefore, you need to master the exposure triangle, which consists of three elements: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Aperture controls how much light enters your lens, shutter speed controls how long your film is exposed to light, and ISO controls how sensitive your film is to light. By adjusting these settings, you can achieve the correct exposure for your film and create different effects, such as depth of field, motion blur, or grain.

3 Develop your own style

Film photography for documentary production also allows you to express your own artistic style and vision. You can choose from different types of film stocks, such as color or black and white, negative or positive, or slide or print, each with its own characteristics and mood. You can also experiment with different techniques, such as cross-processing, double exposure, or light leaks, to create unique and creative images. Moreover, you can develop your own film in a darkroom or send it to a lab, where you can influence the final look of your images by choosing the chemicals, temperature, and time of the development process. By developing your own style, you can convey your perspective and message more effectively and authentically.

4 Edit your footage

Once you have your film developed, you need to edit your footage to create your documentary. Editing is a crucial step that involves selecting, arranging, and trimming your images to tell a coherent and engaging story. You need to consider the narrative structure, the continuity, the pacing, and the transitions of your documentary. You also need to add other elements, such as sound, music, voice-over, or text, to enhance the impact and meaning of your images. Editing can be done digitally or analogically, depending on your preference and resources. You can use software, such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, or DaVinci Resolve, to edit your footage on a computer, or you can use a projector, a splicer, and a tape recorder to edit your footage on film.

6 Learn from the masters

Finally, film photography for documentary production is a lifelong learning process. You need to constantly improve your skills and knowledge by studying and analyzing the works of the masters of the genre. You can learn from the pioneers, such as Robert Capa, Dorothea Lange, or Henri Cartier-Bresson, who used film photography to document the wars, the social issues, and the decisive moments of their times. You can also learn from the contemporary filmmakers, such as Errol Morris, Werner Herzog, or Agnès Varda, who used film photography to explore the themes, the characters, and the aesthetics of their documentaries. By learning from the masters, you can discover new ideas, techniques, and perspectives that can enrich your own documentary production.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?