Hi all. This is my first post so thought i'd start off by saying Hey.
Anyway, im from the UK, and myself and a friend are thinking of making a film/comedy documentary for UK TV.
The problems arise that neither of us have got any experience at all.. we've got all our ideas etc, but don't want to begin filming with poor equipments... so..
firstly, is there a certain specification of equipment/video size/quality for showing a video on UK TV? is there anywhere i could find this information.
also, lastly, any tips or experiences of similar issues?
Thanks
all these views and no comments at all????
well im from the USA so i cant tell you alot about getting stuff on UK tv. But some tips would be to focus on lighting. lighting can make a crappy camera look great or a great camera look crappy. Since we are all indie filmmakers i try to build things before i go spending all sorts of money. Obviously you can't build a microphone or a solid tripod (well you could try) but you can build things like dolly's and jibs and steadycams. As for any other tips you are gonna have to be more specific becuase everybody here could probably write a novel on "newbie tips". Give us some things you would like tips on.
"Anyone who has ever been privileged to direct a film also knows that, although it can be like trying to write 'War and Peace' in a bumper car in an amusement park, when you finally get it right, there are not many joys in life that can equal the feeling." - Stanley Kubrick
"Anyone who has ever been privileged to direct a film also knows that, although it can be like trying to write 'War and Peace' in a bumper car in an amusement park, when you finally get it right, there are not many joys in life that can equal the feeling." - Stanley Kubrick
I'm with robi. I'm one of the people who looked at your thread but couldn't help you. I'm not in the UK so I know nothing about what equipment is needed to show a video on UK TV. Nor do I know where to find that info.
My suggestion would be to call the TV station you hope will air your project and ask them.
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
For national TV in the UK you'd normally shoot Digibeta, or possibly DV for documentary use: either way, if they accept the show you'd normally have to deliver a master on Digibeta. For regional TV you can often get away with DV, and some news shows even used to use Hi8.
I'm sure you can get the official requirements from the BBC or wherever if you email them, but one potential issue you're likely to run into is that they'll probably only accept shows in 16:9, and most cheaper cameras don't shoot true 16:9.
If you have no experience my guess is you'd do best to shoot part of your documentary on DV, and then use that as part of a proposal to get funding to do it properly. You'd probably have to pull in an experienced producer too.