getting started / ~ 5k budget / Need expert advice

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Snake1264

Hello indietalk forum, so after researching on my own for a while ive finally decided to ask for some help and basically try and get a couple experienced people to get me on my way. Basically I want someone to guide me through all my equipment purchasing needs, giving me advice on what to get, etc.... So Basically I am going to go through a list of things I have already put together myself, and my questions on what I need to add, change, etc... And for the record i am doing film work (fiction, short films) not documentaries or anything like that

1: canon t3i ~ $800 ( after a lot of research ive decided on this dslr camera over the 5dmk2. While i know the 5d is a better camera it doesnt seem worth it to me to spend the extra money for it. Im not saying its out of my budget but it would definitely stretch my wallet more. This being said if a more experienced person here convinces me to get the 5d over the t3i i will listen)

2 prime canon ef 35mm f 1.4l lens ~$1400 (this is basically the only thing im sure of when it comes to what i want to buy. But that doesnt mean im not open for different suggestions)

3: memory card ( i have no idea which ones the best for recording video onto for a t3i)

4: Mic/Audio ( this is also a category that im clueless on. I want an external system obviously, but other than that i dont know what to get. I dont want to spend over 500 dollars on audio stuff however, yet i want something that is pretty professional that the average person wouldnt be able to tell the difference between it and something that a real studio uses. I dont even really know if i need a boom, or a shotgun... im very clueless so when it comes to audio please explain things like im a 2 year old)


5: Stabilization ( this area im kind of confused about. People seem to always say get a tripod before anything but it seems that steadicam and glidecam systems can do everything a tripod can do and more. I want a stabilization system that pretty much can do anything I want to do within reason. Sliding shots is something i definitely want to do but it seems from what im reading that neither a tripod or a steadicam/glidecam can do these? Or do i need some type of slider to go on the tripod? OR is a slider something seperate entirely? I am willing to spend as much as i need on stablization/tools that move the camera.


6. All the miscelaneous accessories ( matte box, lcd screen, basically anything you can think of that i havent already mentioned... Please let me know everything important that I would need, and which ones are the best. There may be things I need that i dont even know about in this misc section so please be as descriptive as possible.

7. lighting (ppl say you can get by without much artifical lighting with dslrs, but im sure there are some fundamental lighting stuff i need... im pretty clueless when it comes to lighting as well)


This is everythign I can think of for now, please let me know the best stuff to get for each category while keeping budget in mind. If the budged needs to stretch a little thats fine. And if i missed anything essential please let me know.
 
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SinEater said:
You can get cheaper ones, or make one yourself for under $100. They're very nice to have, and are a lot easier to set up and use when compared to an actual dolly. Sure, great films have been made without one, but little tools like this can add immensely to the perceived production value of your project. It's certainly not something you need starting out, but it can be a nice luxury.
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I don't disagree. I'm just a firm believer that filmmakers need to focus on creating a great story first. BUYING goodies won't get you there.

However, if a filmmaker takes the time and effort to make this device for their production, then I'd say they're in the proper state of mind for creating a GREAT film. :)
 
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Snake1264 said:
It just sucks that at the beginning I have to limit what type of scenes i can do because of my limitations in equipment.
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On the other hand, the freedom of not being burdened with equipment allows you to do something not enough filmmakers take advantage of -- move the camera often!

Do a take, looks good, yell freeze, move the camera, do the second take, looks good, yell freeze again, move the camera to a truly unusual position, shoot one more time and regardless of how it comes out, yell cut and move on to the next shot. Do this throughout the film and you'll have an embarrassing wealth of options in the editing suite to make a truly GREAT film. You can shift the mood one way or another and cut around the bad acting.

Fiddling with goodies consume time and the shots HAVE to come out correctly, because you don't have many (or any) alternative takes.

Of course, this is all my opinion. Go with what you feel is needed and after your shoot you can always sell unused equipment on eBay!

Good luck! :)
 
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Thanks for all the great advice, I'm loving it. Also this Kessler company seems to have a bunch of great stuff, basically everything I want lol. Do you think their Hercules head is a good fluid head to get started with? Or is Kessler not that good of a brand at all
 
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Snake1264 said:
For example im coming up with a scene in my head right now and im picturing the scene starting out with an overhead view and coming down, which means i need a jib
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It doesn't mean that you need a jib, at all.

It means you would like to use one... and there are dozens of ways of arranging that without owning one.

I'd imagine you want awesome lighting on your shoot too, yes? Are you going to spend several grand buying some lights that you'll likely never touch? Why do that when you can rent exactly what you need for far less, and use that saved money to hire someone (like me
smiley_creepy.gif
) to creatively light your sets so you don't have to sweat it.

Owning all your own gear is not necessarily the best plan. It could be... but probably not, unless you're constantly using the gear.

Are you even a camera-person? :hmm:

If you buy a T3i, you are not "investing" in that camera. You are locking yourself into a commitment to use it, regardless of what experience your DP has with it, or even if the camera is the right one for the job. It's what you'll use because it's all you have. Additionally, you can bet your bottom dollar that by the time you get that camera in the mail the upgraded version or model is right around the corner... you'll always be behind in the great tech race.


canon ef 35mm f 1.4l lens ~$1400 (this is basically the only thing im sure of when it comes to what i want to buy
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Why? Why is this something you are absolutely certain of?

I want an external system obviously, but other than that i dont know what to get. I dont want to spend over 500 dollars on audio stuff however, yet i want something that is pretty professional that the average person wouldnt be able to tell the difference between it and something that a real studio uses. I dont even really know if i need a boom, or a shotgun
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Instead of wasting $500 on audio gear of dubious quality, how about using that money to hire an upcoming sound-guy/gal... who not only has experience in what they are doing, but can bring their own pro-gear?

That's my opposing viewpoint, at any rate. I'm just a contrarian. :abduct:
 
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Maybe I'm wrong but wouldn't hiring all these people for who knows how many hours/days/weeks make me spend more money than if I just bought some gear and had some of my buddies help me out?
 
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Snake1264 said:
Thanks for all the great advice, I'm loving it. Also this Kessler company seems to have a bunch of great stuff, basically everything I want lol. Do you think their Hercules head is a good fluid head to get started with? Or is Kessler not that good of a brand at all
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I've never used it, but it seems a bit pricey. Something like this would be fine starting out. If you do decide to go the slider route you'd probably want something that can hold more weight, though.
 
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The Kessler stuff looks really promising because if I got their tripod, standard pocket dolly, and 8ft crane I basically can make almost any shot I can think of. also I won't hve to spend money on any type of stabilizer. If I can find something cheaper that does the same thing as these Kessler things I would be down for that as well, or even get it used should be fine. I dunno maybe it's just me, but I think spending roughly 1500 dollars is worth it if it means that I can basically shoot any scene I want.
 
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Snake1264 said:
Maybe I'm wrong but wouldn't hiring all these people for who knows how many hours/days/weeks make me spend more money than if I just bought some gear and had some of my buddies help me out?
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You're buddies might help you out for free a couple days, but getting them to show up on time and work full days consecutively can be tough. Furthermore, they won't know what they're doing. It takes more than just handing a boom pole to an untrained friend to get quality audio. The same goes for other positions.
 
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Snake1264 said:
The Kessler stuff looks really promising because if I got their tripod, standard pocket dolly, and 8ft crane I basically can make almost any shot I can think of. also I won't hve to spend money on any type of stabilizer. If I can find something cheaper that does the same thing as these Kessler things I would be down for that as well, or even get it used should be fine. I dunno maybe it's just me, but I think spending roughly 1500 dollars is worth it if it means that I can basically shoot any scene I want.
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I am soo saving my money for one of these.
 
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Rather than splurging on equipment, buy a '69 Dodge Charger and get it in your film. Now that's REAL production value -- when was the last time you've seen a Dodge Charger in a bad film (or a film that didn't make $$$)? :)
 
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Just consider this, and I'm outta here.

You started out settling for a T3i 'cos you couldn't afford the 5D. You want to blow $1500 on a jib, and $1500 for a lens... out of a $5k budget.

You can rent a 5D (with a variety of decent primes) for about $200 - $250 a week.

You can rent a jib for even less, and when your shoot is over you don't even need a place to store it.

1-ton Grip for less than $150 a week. For $400 a week, you can rent a bucketload of lighting.

That's about 1K for a week's worth of gear.

Staff it with your buddies or hired goons - either way, you've got a lot of change left over.

Good luck! :)
 
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Addressed above but no way in hell I'd spend over $400 on a single lens. A good audio setup, a follow focus, a good tripod, so many things way more important than a lens that (for video) you'll never get take advantage of it's capabilities.
 
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My $0.02
It seems that youve never shot anything this involved. The gear wont make it any better if you dont have the talent/experience to pull it off. I really wouldnt recommend buying all that gear you think you might need. Gear is only about 25% of the equation. You have a tremendous learning curve ahead of you.

Get a camera ($1100)(I second the vote for the GH2, awesome camera), a tripod (<$200), a canon 50mm lens ($50), a cheap light kit ($250), and a decent mic ($300)(or get your engineer friend to bring some of his gear). After the odds and ends to make it all work, youre less than $2k in.

There have been a lot of nice shorts made with less than this amount of gear that look great, and some made with a multitude of "pro level" tools that look less than great. There are examples of each on this forum.

Go shoot four or five test scenes and put together a nice edit then post the results here.
 
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