Here is a list of things that I learned while filming for our documentary. 

• Setting up filmed interviews will present new challenges every time. 
• Turkeys gobbling, construction, rain in the jungle, bugs, etc.
• Filming during a church service should never be referred to as a “mass shooting”.
• I should look into a profession in boom mic. operation. 
• Holding still despite bugs crawling on you, 100 degree weather and your arms going numb is a gift.
• When in doubt let the camera do the thinking. 
• Set everything to automatic and then fix the problem areas. (This saved me a few times.
• The tripod is your friend.
• No matter how far you have to hike with it or how annoyed you get attempting to level it on uneven ground, scenes not shot with a tripod are unlikely to be useable. 
• B roll does not mean just filming kids.
• They’re adorable but B roll should be relevant. 
• If you think taking notes in a reporters notebook makes you look more legitimate…
• It does.
• Priests are long-winded.
• These are the interviews that always went the longest.
• Bad translators can be extremely frustrating.
• Rembrant lighting is easier said than done.