Doing a 10 min shortfilm: discussion

Hey guys!

I joined this site a month ago or so, and i have been following the boards every day. I have red many, many good threads and learned a lot from the members. I also made a premiere account to see what in the premiere section. Awesome stuff there too, but a bit of a dead area, and that's why I'm posting this here.

I am 3d Senior Artist at EA Games Romania, and although i do art for a living i feel it's something else that i love, and would love to do for a living. I always liked the way a game could tell a story, i always loved the ingame cinematics done by studios like Blur, Digic Picture or Blizzard Entertainment.

I felt like i could tell something interesting, but only need to start doing it to prove it, so that's how i decided to get into film making.




I searched the Internet and gathered so much information in such a short time that i can't even sort it out and remember it. Since that was the case i made some huge list with useful links and i read them and reread them with much ease now.

Now the 1st part of this thread i want to dedicate it only to gear. How much, what type?
I have done some research, but to a new guy all this types of gear are hallucinating. So i could really use your help to make the right decisions.

FILM EQUIPMENT:


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VIDEO:
Some time later we could talk the screenplay, but for this part of the discussion i can only tell you that I'm planning on shooting: landscapes (mountains, forests, etc), fight sequence, indoors with low light, and some night scenes. With these in mind I searched and listed these equipment components and products:


Camera:............................Canon T2i/550D
Price: US $749.95 + 50$ Shipping
http://cgi.ebay.com/Canon-EOS-Rebel...586171?pt=Digital_Cameras&hash=item2c5706373b
This is a very popular camera around indie film makers and i've seen some outstanding results made with it. This is a definite.

Lens:.................................. EF 50mm f1.4 USM
Price: US $344.00 + 6$ Shipping
http://cgi.ebay.com/Canon-EF-50mm-F...70672045?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item43a166b6ad
This looks like the standard must have.

Kit:......................................Canon Starter Kit for EOS Digital Rebel T2i SLR Camera, with Gadget Bag, Battery & Mini-HDMI Cable
Need bag and the other stuff there.

Monitor:.............................Marshall V-LCD50-HDMI/ Asus MS246H 23.6" HDMI Monitor
Damn, these Marshals are soo expensive. I just picked the smaller one. Even though i like the Marshal products i think I'll have to go with a normal monitor.

Matte box:....................................Universal MATTE BOX French Flag
This one seemed good.



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SOUND:
This is such an important step, and i have to do it right. But to be honest i am also scared about what to get, because i have no experience with sound.

Shotgun Kit:.......................Location Sound Package 3 Rode NTG-3
Price: US $899.00 + 40$ Shipping
http://cgi.ebay.com/Location-Sound-...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e33695f9#shId
So you guys suggested to go all the way with the mic, so OK. But the NTG-3 is really expensive and i know I'll need some more mic other than this one. Hope to get the budget.

Windscreen:.......................Windscreen Fur for RODE NTG-3
Price: US $24.94 + 7$ Shipping
http://cgi.ebay.com/Shotgun-Mic-Win...875?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4838292513
Since I'll be shooting most likely with wind I'll need this.

Recorder:...........................TASCAM DR-100
Price: US $299.95 + 54$ Shipping
http://cgi.ebay.com/TASCAM-DR-100-P...950?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item483c1f9896
After searching and searching I've found that this one is better than the Zoom-H4N. Since it's the same price I'll go with this one

Headphones:.....................Sennheiser Pro 150
You can tell me other product here. Headphones are quite pricey.

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LIGHTS:
Most of the shots will be outside, so probably the sun will help a lot. However i want to be prepared for everything, and also do interior shots good.

Light System:......................Arri 650/3 Compact Fresnel Kit
Don't know if i should go for a complete kit or buy each light,stand,etc individually and assemble them myself.

Rifa:....................................eX 88
Guess i cold DIY this, but still, it's on the list.

Stand:.................................combo
Don't know what types i need, besides the ones from the kit.

Reflector:............................JTL 24"
Same with the Rifa Light, could DIY, but i want to have a complete list.

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GRIP:
Besides the fact that i really don't know what i need here, i see that most of the stuff is very, very expensive. Luckily i have some friends really good at making things out of wood. Maybe i can DIY some of these important products. Still i have to add products to the list.

Handheld Rig:..................................CINE SUPORT 16140
I'll try make one of these.

Shoulder Mount:........................................CINE SUPER SUPORT 16145
Found this oune very,very cheap.


Tripod:..................................E Image EI-717X
It has a goot maximum height but a bit expensive. Still it's semiprofessional

Steadycam:...........................Not Decided
Don't know.

Jib:........................................DVC 200 ProAm
Boy these are expensive. I think i will be forced to DIY. But if i will have to buy one, i think this one's good.

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OTHER:

Clapboard:.......................................CLAPPER BOARD CAVISION SSN2819
Clapboard Pen:................................Wet Erase Pen


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I don't expect a full review on what i listed, but if you can give one small advice it's very much appreciated.

Also could you tell me what this list can cost were you live? Because in Romania these products are more expensive than America for example even though it's a poorer country.

I think i can manage to buy all the gear i need, since i estimate that i will start filming in about 10 months ( constraint of the beauty of the nature in that period of the year, and also to assure a full preproduction ) so i can get some good grands.

I really could use some advice guys. If you need more info, just ask!
 
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Hey guys, I'm new here. Been reading the forums for a while before I finally signed up. Just bought a bunch of gear including the T2i in the past few days. Now I'm stuck on sound. I have a Rode K2 mic which is mainly for studio use. I would like to use it on a boom but my dilemma is that its power supply is an AC powered unit. Are there mobile power supplies I can buy? I don't want to have to find a plug everywhere I shoot. That would just be a hassle. It's a pricy quality mic and I'd really hope to be able to use it for film recording on a boom if I can just figure out this power supply issue. If not, I'm there is no hope, then I am open to buying the NTG1 since the 2 is more noise based on what I read.

Thanks so much!

BTW I wasn't sure if i posted this in the right thread. Please guide me if I placed it wrong. Thanks :)
 
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