Logistics: JVC, Lapelles & 95fps Slow Mo

This is image crafter, William Fielding coming to you live from Belgrade. My blog will lend itelf more to the visual aspect of Portrait Srbija as Dan Cordeaux and myself attempt to capture the scope of this documentary. Since landing in Belgrade on the 11th June, we have spent our time acquainting, or in Dan and Tash’s case, re-acquainting ourselves with Serbia. On the morning of the 13th, we picked up our final team member, Maja Bogojevic, from Belgrade airport. For the more personal, ‘Behind the Lens' moments such as this, I will be filming on the JVC-GRDV3. To be honest, this Camcorder gives out a terrible image but aids in separating the documentary footage from our own, personal accounts of the trip. And it was £30.

After collecting Maja, we set about driving through the entirety of Belgrade, searching for a new Lapelle microphone. The hunt for this illusive device stole many hours from both this day and the next but once found we would be able to wirelessly capture crisp audio from our subject whether they were moving or still.

In the afternoon we headed to our first interview with Milos. For this interview, as will be done with most, me and Dan set up one wide/master shot and another close up to give options in editing. I’m sure this standard interview format will vary exponentially as we continue through the country. However, for the first week of filming, I feel we should simply get to grips with standard techniques and build from there to develop a specific style for Portrait Srbija.

We interviewed Milos Petrovic of the ‘Meet the Serbs’ Facebook page. A number of happy accidents occurred during our time with Milos. Firstly he brought his wife, Anastasia, whom not only comforted Milos before his talk with us, but also provided a greater depth to his character. The stained glass windows next to Milos bridged the interview with the following walk around the St Sava Church. Me and Dan followed Milos and Anastasia around the church, capturing the majority of their walk in 95fps slow motion. Here we learnt that when following our subject, we must make effort to explore the location slowly and pragmatically. This will ensure me and Dan can fully record any given area and give a better idea of the atmosphere.

Until next time,

Will