How to document a dance with video
David Millstone
If I am not for myself, who will be for me?If I am
only for myself, what am I?If not now, when?
–Hillel
Who should document a dance?
You should.
You wouldn’t be reading this unless you were already
an eager dancer or musician.You’re known by people at your local dances, and
respected by them for your leadership,whether formal or informal. You set an
example. You’re less likely to meet resistance—“What’s that camera doing
here?”—than a less-familiar person might encounter.
As
a dance leader, you’re aware of the ins and outs of your local dance scene. You
aremore familiar with the history of the local dance series and the ritual
dance groups. Youknow the old-timers, the folks who were instrumental in
building the dance community. (Insome cases, that just means looking in the
mirror.) You know the local characters who cantell a story with verve and flair.
Most of all, you know what’s special about your dancecommunity and what story
needs telling.
That said, there
are many others who can assist with your project. Start by investigatingyour
local community access television station; they will offer training and will
let peopleuse their equipment, both for shooting and editing. You may also find
volunteers there whowill be happy to assist on a project. Look at film
departments at local universities, too.Students in such programs may enjoy the
opportunity to help produce a documentary.
What equipment is needed?Camcorder: Any footage you get is better than no footage. Don’t
let the absence of theultimate equipment keep you from getting started. Use a
digital camcorder; digital videocan be easily imported into computers for
editing. Models that record to miniDV tapeproduce high quality images that are
often better than those that record to a small DVDdisk or flash memory. High definition
(HD) video is the current rage, but standard digitalvideo will do just fine and will save you a lot of money.You need a tripod. Some models are better than others—a fluid head allows you tomake smooth movements of the
camera—but any tripod will let you take steady shots.There are times when you
hand hold the camera but for most shots, use a tripod.External microphone: Any digital camcorder, whether a $300 or a $2,000
model, willgive you far better pictures than sound; to get good audio, you need
to purchase additionalequipment. If you’re interviewing someone, use a tiny
lavalier microphone that clips ontothe subject’s clothing, or a shotgun microphone
that screens out distracting sounds fromthe sides. Your camcorder has to accept
an external microphone for this to work.Additional audio gizmos: Consider a small mixer that will let you record
audio fromtwo sources. (I use an XLR Pro from SignVideo; Beachtek is another
brand.) One sourcecould be a signal coming directly from the band’s mixing
board, or even plugged into aspeaker. (The hall speaker will have the caller in
the mix; the band’s monitor speakersusually do not have the caller.) Another audio source might be an external
shotgun mic. Headphones: Use a good pair of headphones to monitor the quality
of your recordedsound. Make sure your camcorder has an input for headphones;
some cheap camcorders
omit
this feature to cut costs. Without headphones, you cannot be sure what you’re
getting.
Audio is very important! Your audience can tolerate a poor picture
if there’s good sound.
Lights:
Camcorders work best in bright light. Do a test in your hall, and add more
ifneeded. Halogen shop lights produce 500 watts (bounce the light off the
ceiling rather thandirectly at your dancers), enough to make a marked
difference in a small hall. Caution—these lights are HOT and need to be placed
carefully to avoid a fire.
What kinds of shots are useful? Let’s say that you want a record of your regular
monthly dance, a sort of video snapshot. Post a large sign at the entrance to
the hall so folks will know why you’re shooting,and word it so that by entering
they are giving permission to be filmed.
Keep the camerarolling as much as possible to provide audio continuity.
•
If you want to
provide a simple recording of the event, you can avoid lots of work. Setyour
tripod in a good location, press "record" and let the camera roll.
Even that simplefootage record will be of use for future dancers and
historians. Staying by your camera topan slowly from side to side or to zoom in
on occasion will provide a more interestingpicture. If you’re filming squares, include all the dancers in a square,
head to foot.
•
If you’re
planning to edit, then include many different kinds of shots of the
dancers:scenes of the whole hall from different angles (from the stage, from a
balcony or ladder onthe side, from the dancers’ eye level), closeups (faces,
hands, feet, swings, stars andallemande grips, smiles, different styles of
balance steps). Follow one good dancer througha complete sequence of moves in a
dance. Pan (side to side) very slowly. Avoid zooming inand out; don’t jump
quickly from one shot to another.
•
Musicians: looking
straight at them, musicians seen through a frame of dancers,dancers framed by
musicians filmed from behind, the whole ensemble, faces
watchingdancers and each other, fingers
on instruments, grins and grimaces, concentration….
•
Caller: Include
complete teaching sequence for a few dances, as well as the calls givenduring a
particular dance. We know what callers sound like, but this is for
posterity.Wouldn’t it be fun to see a dance caller from the late 1800s?
•
Interviews: Talk
to people. (Have a friend hand the subject a release to sign so thatyou can use
the footage, or have them state at the beginning of the taped interview that
youare recording with their permission.) Who are you? What do you do for work?
Why areyou here? How did you start? What’s special about this particular dance?
How doesdancing fit into your life? What’s your dancing history? For a
more relaxed interview, setup a time away from a dance, and avoid the
distracting sounds. Ask broad, open-endedquestions, and give the subject time
to answer. Wait. Don’t rush into the next question.
What records should I
keep?Document everything. Write down the names of the musicians and
caller, the programof the dances, the names of the tunes, the date, the folks
involved in the project…
Where do I send my finished footage so that it’s
available to others?Share it with
others and donate footage to an archive. For contras, I’d suggest theLibrary of
Traditional Music and Dance, Special Collections at the University of
NewHampshire in Durham.
Questions? Please get in touch! [email protected]