I'm planning to shoot a film next year, I'm 17 and am currently gathering people for production. Would anyone be able to lend a camera that shoots RAW? I know it's a big ask but I would like the best quality and it would save me LOADS of money if I could get it for free, obviously I would be happy to accept you as camera man if you didn't want anyone handling the camera.
Camera for hire?
- Thread starter Joshua Lloyd
- Start date
Chances are, you won't get one for free. But if you have a vision, talent and a great script to get people excited with your project then there is a possibility. It's also important that you have made other films before to show people what you're capable of. One always need to start from the bottom so don't just expect someone to hand you a Red or something. You have to work for it.
So your 17, do you have other films that you could show us that would tell us that you deserve shooting with such an expensive camera?
it doesn't have anything to do with "deserving" to shoot on that camera. I am just wondering why it's such a narrow approach without mentioning the project. Also, does the age matter? He wants to make a film, he wants to shoot on a camera that shoots RAW (why, I don't know, let's ask him)..
I telling you this is a masterpiece I'm writing. I'd be happy to work with any camera capable of RAW. The reason for this is that my vision cannot be pulled off with a DSLR or camcorder. I need the look, as I'm going for something similar to Film Noir. Phil, nice to hear from you again, would you be interested in this project?
Age has a lot to do with it, there's a level of maturity some people never achieve until they hit a certain age, some gain it younger, there's a general feeling that someone older will produce and handle something much better, than someone younger, he's also asking for raw, which puts the camera price up high, so what would someone that young want to shoot in raw, how do we know he can correctly process files? What experience does he even have?
It reminds me of that moment in the film Friday, Felisha: I need to borrow your car right quick.
Smokey: What kind of shit is that? Most people want to borrow sugar or even ketchup. You wanna borrow my car? Hell no!
I know your young as well so your on the defensive edge of anyone mentioning young age, but would you really lend a raw camera to someone who hasn't mentioned any experience of shooting film?
IMO, you should focus on making everything else great, rather than shooting raw.
Learning how to make a camera like a DSLR look great through lighting, lensing and exposure will teach you so much more than just shooting on something that shoots raw, shooting what you get and trying to fix it all in post.
Learning how to make a camera like a DSLR look great through lighting, lensing and exposure will teach you so much more than just shooting on something that shoots raw, shooting what you get and trying to fix it all in post.
I'm different trust me. I totally understand your view, but if only you knew me. Most adults look at me and think I'm an arrogant teenager who wants to be a Hollywood film director just like all the other millions of teenagers, and they also think I'm only familiar with digital. But that's not true I love film, I have been processing in darkrooms for some time now. But lets not defend myself I won't change the opinion of people. The whole thing with the older you are, the better annoys me, I just need an opportunity to prove myself; like many people. When I make it, I refuse to have the stuck up attitude like most people.
You haven't said what your films about, you haven't said anything really apart from that your young, your different, you need a chance..
See I use to be like you, except in one aspect, when someone told me no, I asked what I could do to prove myself, they said go and show me something.
So I did
So I'm asking you now, show me something that shows you even have any credibility to let someone trust you with their camera?
Script? Description, previous filming experience? Do you even know how to use a camera? Give us something..
See where I'm coming from?
My film is set in a time of cultural division where the government has introduced tokens legalising murder for a select number of people. It's 60's gangsters meet 90's society with a slightly screwed up world and a gangster with a screwed up personality, with a film noir look. I'm still writing the script, but I'd be happy to share when completed. And yes I can use a camera.
I don't think 8salacious9 meant to imply anything about age not being entitled to access. But, I know in the US, a minor cannot enter into a contract, so anyone with such expensive equipment better think twice about lending it to an underage artist without some kind of contract with his(her) guardian/parent (as well as insurance, as you've suggested).
I'm all for encouraging young and promising artists, so I hope you can find a solution, Joshua. IMO, I don't think you need a high end camera. Take some time to search Indietalk and I bet you find some creative solutions to effect a film noir look with rudimentary tools. There's always a solution at every level of access. When you complete your script, many members will be happy to critique as well as offer some solutions for filming the work.
Good Luck!
Finish the script first, then show it to different people (DP's/Producers etc). If they get passionate about your project, then great. You might score yourself a free Red or any camera to shoot your film on. But with this being said, they gotta know if you have the chops to pull this off. And this is where your previous films come to play. Because they just wouldn't give all these resources to someone who doesn't know what they're doing.
If you don't have anything If you can't find anyone, move on. Shoot it on a DSLR then just manipulate the look in post.
BTW, is this film a short or a feature? What's your plans after making this film? Budget?
If you don't have anything If you can't find anyone, move on. Shoot it on a DSLR then just manipulate the look in post.
BTW, is this film a short or a feature? What's your plans after making this film? Budget?
Thanks for not being rude, and that's why I'm shooting next year when I become 18. I might just have to rob a studio (just kidding). There is always another way, it's just the searching which leads me to more lectures from veterans.
I'm acquainted with a independent broker who will distribute it to multiple film festivals for me, I still have to pay him and he's only agreed to work with me once I'm 18. But hoping I could get noticed at festivals.
I know the whole feeling of 'I'm young and therefore no-one takes me seriously' as well as the 'I'm different/better than everyone else'
I used to think the same way when I was about your age.
But, as it turns out I grew up and realised that I was no better and no different to anyone else out there. My ideas were no better (or worse) than any others out there.
Honestly, I understand the 'why does no-one take me seriously' thing. I do. But, there's a reason the master Directors, the master DPs, the master filmmakers aren't 20. Filmmaking really is one of those arts where you need to put in your 10,000 practice hours. The master DPs aren't in their 50s and 60s because no-one gave them a break until they were older. They're older because it takes a long time to reach mastery in your craft. It doesn't happen overnight, and it doesn't happen while you're distracted by high school, no matter how good you think you are, and how much better at a certain thing you think you are, and potentially are, than those around you.
Assuming you really are passionate about film, this won't be the last film you make, and it probably won't be the best film you make. So get out there and make it. Shoot it on an iPhone, shoot it on a DSLR, shoot it on a handycam. Just shoot it. And then focus on the next one. And then the next one. And you'll gradually get better and better and you'll eventually start making really good films, and possibly getting paid, or at least being able to get RED cameras or the like.
A lot of people get caught up in their current film, and how it's going to be a 'masterpiece' and 'the next best thing', their 'big break' etc. and you want everything to be perfect. Yes, you need to do your pre-pro, yes you need to do as best you can. But, don't hang out because you simply cannot shoot it on anything other than a camera that shoots raw, because that's simply untrue.
I shot over the weekend on a 5DmkIII. Now, it's been a while since I've shot on a DSLR, and in my initial discussions with the Director I said that the film would really suit and look great on S16mm. He agreed, but said he didn't have the budget for it. So we compromised and shot on a mkIII. Does that mean the films any worse? Of course not. Yes, it would have looked really nice on S16, but it still looks good on a 5D. We could've spent the next year in limbo trying to raise funds to shoot on S16, or find a RED, or wait for a Blackmagic camera to arrive. But we didn't. We shot it and we got it done, and it looks great.
Work with what you have, don't put things off in the hope that you might get something better. If the story's good enough and the movie is wathcable, it really doesn't matter what you shot it on. The audience certainly doesn't care.
I used to think the same way when I was about your age.
But, as it turns out I grew up and realised that I was no better and no different to anyone else out there. My ideas were no better (or worse) than any others out there.
Honestly, I understand the 'why does no-one take me seriously' thing. I do. But, there's a reason the master Directors, the master DPs, the master filmmakers aren't 20. Filmmaking really is one of those arts where you need to put in your 10,000 practice hours. The master DPs aren't in their 50s and 60s because no-one gave them a break until they were older. They're older because it takes a long time to reach mastery in your craft. It doesn't happen overnight, and it doesn't happen while you're distracted by high school, no matter how good you think you are, and how much better at a certain thing you think you are, and potentially are, than those around you.
Assuming you really are passionate about film, this won't be the last film you make, and it probably won't be the best film you make. So get out there and make it. Shoot it on an iPhone, shoot it on a DSLR, shoot it on a handycam. Just shoot it. And then focus on the next one. And then the next one. And you'll gradually get better and better and you'll eventually start making really good films, and possibly getting paid, or at least being able to get RED cameras or the like.
A lot of people get caught up in their current film, and how it's going to be a 'masterpiece' and 'the next best thing', their 'big break' etc. and you want everything to be perfect. Yes, you need to do your pre-pro, yes you need to do as best you can. But, don't hang out because you simply cannot shoot it on anything other than a camera that shoots raw, because that's simply untrue.
I shot over the weekend on a 5DmkIII. Now, it's been a while since I've shot on a DSLR, and in my initial discussions with the Director I said that the film would really suit and look great on S16mm. He agreed, but said he didn't have the budget for it. So we compromised and shot on a mkIII. Does that mean the films any worse? Of course not. Yes, it would have looked really nice on S16, but it still looks good on a 5D. We could've spent the next year in limbo trying to raise funds to shoot on S16, or find a RED, or wait for a Blackmagic camera to arrive. But we didn't. We shot it and we got it done, and it looks great.
Work with what you have, don't put things off in the hope that you might get something better. If the story's good enough and the movie is wathcable, it really doesn't matter what you shot it on. The audience certainly doesn't care.
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Josh,
I won't be in London I think when you're shooting this film. However, do you know how to light film noir? Do you know the basics of lighting in general? Have you filmed stuff on say DSLR's before and lit the film?
I could get a better picture out of my DSLR when I light the shot, rather than you shooting on an EPIC and not lighting at all! It's not just about the camera!
I won't be in London I think when you're shooting this film. However, do you know how to light film noir? Do you know the basics of lighting in general? Have you filmed stuff on say DSLR's before and lit the film?
I could get a better picture out of my DSLR when I light the shot, rather than you shooting on an EPIC and not lighting at all! It's not just about the camera!
idk... he says he's different... but all i see is a kid who wants a good camera.
i wanted a good camera when i was your age. never got it. but i have learned that lighting and audio is basically everything that determins your film.
obviously camera quality doesn't hurt, but it can be easily achieved with DSLR and post. even if it means sky replacement to mimic high dynamic range.
oh and your title is misleading, you're not hiring a camera man.
i wanted a good camera when i was your age. never got it. but i have learned that lighting and audio is basically everything that determins your film.
obviously camera quality doesn't hurt, but it can be easily achieved with DSLR and post. even if it means sky replacement to mimic high dynamic range.
oh and your title is misleading, you're not hiring a camera man.