Newbie camera question...

A

Azmyth

I'm brand new to the indie filmmaking scene. I am a former professional wrestler, current musician and formerly signed to a record label, and I have have been an extra in 2 upcoming big budget movies.. "The Crazies" and "The Blind Side". Unfortunately, I am not in a position to up and move to a location where I can get more work, and being an extra is fun.. but also seems like a "brick wall" where you'll never move past that point unless you do something about it.

So, I've decided to start making my own films.. horror in particular.. as thats my favorite genre. I'm looking at the low budget direct to dvd aspect. I've got some folks who are already interested in helping and being apart of what I am doing. Stuff like this around here is rare.. so its alot easier to get people interested because its not something everyone and there mother is doing in my neck of the woods. Its a spectacle I guess you could say.

The other cool thing is, where I live is probably a haven for shooting locations for horror. I can think of literally hundreds of different locations that would be great for horror movies, most of which I can get access to for free just by asking.

I am working on a script, and I am looking into buying my own camera. I have researched it quite a bit.. and I know what features I "need"... (mic input, etc.) but the choices are still staggering. A few years ago, All I heard was DVX100A and B and Canon GL1 and 2...

But what now? What are the indie horror film makers shooting with now.. or at least whats "common"...

and if I had 1-2k$ to spend on one, what could I get? and what would be a smart purchase?

Renting is not really an option, because of where I live. This stuff just isn't prevalent here. Which is why I'm trying to make it prevalent.
 
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Sound is half of the experience

Don't forget about sound gear! A decent shotgun mic, cardioid mic, boompole, etc. will set you back $500 to $1k when purchased new. You can save a few bucks buying used gear.

The biggest mistake of most beginning filmmakers is neglecting the sound of their projects until it is much too late. Rule of thumb; crappy sound = crappy film, no matter how pretty the visuals.

You can check out my blogs on production sound here on IndieTalk as a primer, and check out filmsound.org.

You should write your script with sound in mind, especially horror. You can really build up the tension with a carefully thought out sound design, but you have to plan for it from the very beginning.
 
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I'm a musician, and I know sound equipment far better than I know video gear.

I have several very high end condensor microphones, and a shotgun microphone already.

As long as the camera has XLR or a mic inputs.. I'm good on that front. Thats the one aspect of it I do know something about lol.
 
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pardon my dumbness....

but do many indie films get made in HD on blu ray discs?

I know its eventually going to be that way, but I haven't seen too many as of yet. Most are still on DVD.. unless I am looking in the wrong places.

I've seen alot of people recommend HD cameras.

I've also seen alot of people recommend the HV20/30/40 but those aren't really HD are they? Whats the difference?
 
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Yes most indie films at the moment are probably still produced on DVD. Blu ray is becomming more available.
I could have included a blu ray re-writer drive when I had my new PC built, but I decided against it. They still cost a bit and the price will drop. I think blu ray discs are still a bit expensive too.
 
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I wonder how many years it will be though before the majority of indie films are done in HD..

1500.00 for a camera is still a pretty penny to pay, for something that won't be used in a year. If I could get at least 5 years or so use out of it before it needs to be upgraded.. I'd consider that a good deal still.
 
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Azmyth said:
I'm a musician, and I know sound equipment far better than I know video gear.
I have several very high end condensor microphones, and a shotgun microphone already.
Click to expand...
I started out as a touring musician and then a recording engineer before getting into audio post work. Trust me, sound for picture is very different from music. It takes a while to adjust your thinking.
 
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I'd agree with DVX100b as best in that price range, and it would probably leave a little money for extra batteries, etc...

Agree on sound as well. We say it every day. People will watch a movie with good sound and bad video, but a movie with bad sound can look like the best thing ever shot and people will turn it off.
 
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