Am I missing any equipment?

H

harmonica44

I am shooting my first short film, and once I get that done, if all goes well, I wanna use all the same equipment to shoot a feature film, to enter into as many festivals as I can, and put in sale on DVD, and perhaps even shown in theaters, depending on if it does that well at the festivals.

Here's the equipment I am currently using for the short, and wanna know if I'll need anything more for a feature, for the big leagues.

Canon T2i camera
Fostex FR2-LE recorder
Audio Technica AT4053b cardioid
Audio-Technica AT897 shotgun
Tripod
Camera Cart
Final Cut Pro
and of course Headphones and set lights, and a microphone cover.

Is there any camera, sound, or computer equipment that I am missing that I will definitely need, even on a low budget feature? And is there anything I need to do or modify with my current equipment before production? Thanks.
 
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For a short that's probably an acceptable list.

You "of course" line suggests you have much more than listed
so I'm not going to mention anything else. You'll just say that
you already have that.

I look forward to finally seeing a movie from you.
 
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I admire your enthusiasm and attention to detail,

But I have never seen so many questions and no doing.

The way you find out if you don't have enough equipment is to go out and shoot. This will tell you.

Make mistakes. This is how people learn when they start out.

What I would do is grab the T2i and the tripod and just shoot some test shots with it. Have you done that at least? Learn each piece of equipment fully and THEN go out and try to shoot a short film.
 
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Yes I have done that. I have shot and recorded stuff but I have not done any post production stuff yet, but I will. My friend knows all about post so he will help with that once he gets the chance. And I will probably hire him for the feature. I was wondering if all the stuff I had is good for a feature, since I haven't made one, and if I am missing something, since I haven't made it to post yet. I know I will have to make something and see what I did wrong, but I wanna at least get all the right equipment, and not wanna have to re-spend hundreds of dollars on buying different recorders or cameras until I get the right one. I don't mind re-shooting and re-editing till I figure it all out, but the equipment is a must to get right, before the feature, or I will be out hundreds of dollars of budget.

One guy I know of through some people in the business, made a film, submitted it to festivals, and then found out later from the them, that even though he recorded and edited everything right, it was the equipment itself he used that was the problem, and why it didn't do well. I don't wanna make the same mistake, and have it be too late.
 
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but reflectors are designed to cast more light on the subject when shooting outside.

Yet, what is the difference between, for example, a mirror (shiny) reflector and a white plastic reflector? does it have to do with the color or intensity of light they reflect?

Thanks
 
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Rob B said:
you will need the ND filter so you can shoot 1/50 and still have some depth of field if needed.
Click to expand...

Okay thanks, any kind of filter that is the best for a microbudget? I don't know if I'll need depth of field for some of my outdoor shots, depending on what I wanna convey in the scene, but we'll see.

So when the people at the film festivals told that director, that his film was not as good, because of the equipment itself he used, what exactly could they have meant? That's all I heard. Could the equipment not have been compatible with something that it needed to be?
 
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It's not a question of whether you need depth of field or not. All shots have depth of field. The question is how deep or how shallow a depth of field to use for a particular shot. Typically, shallow depth of field is used for close-ups or extreme close-ups to isolate the achor from the surrounds and bring the viewer in for a one-on-one connection to the actor or object.
 
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Okay. Thanks. Well my DP friend can tell me any additional camera things I need. What about my other equipment, or is there any additional non-camera equipment I need?
 
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Well I think I will stick to what I got but I might sell my cardioid if I can for a good price and upgrade to a better standard one. Are there any that have just as high of a standard of quality as the Schoeps cmc641 or close to that? Is there a 'poor man's' Schoeps cmc641 out there?
 
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