Newbie in need

[Curty]

Hi, I'm new here. My name is Curtis and I'm 17, currently attending college in the UK. For as long as I can remember all I've ever wanted to be is a film director, and so now in trying to make it happen. I haven't done anything of any 'proper' value so I'm practically a level 1 director who barely knows anything. But I have written a script for a mini series which I fully intend on filming this September, I'm currently putting my feelers out for actors and actresses as we speak. But the one thing I lack which is the main thing is a proper HD camera. All I have at the moment is just a flip and a 10 year old video camera which is practically unusable and for that reason I'm asking you what camera you would recommend I use ? My budget is around £300-£500, also will I need external mics to get the best sound quality for my mini series or would a Cameras mic be enough to film a budget mini series ?

Thank you

 

[GeorgiaHilton]

If you are shooting for a student film or a basic film that you'll use to hone your directorial skills. you can shoot on just about anything. Heck use a flip phone camera, use a 7D, use a ALEXA, use anything.. Realistically, shooting a mini series is laudable, but not very smart. Shoot a few 5 min short subject projects that will teach you what you know and what you don't know. shoot, edit and COMPLETE each of the small short subject projects... Shoot on whatever you have for now. Don't sweat the camera, work on your skills of directing cast, dealing with crew, working in budget (or lack of budget), learn what can and can't be done. Play with lighting, play with blocking and shot selections, experiment...

Sound in film is critical. My opinion is that it is 51% of the project. You can destroy a great image with bad audio, and you can fix a borderline image with good audio. You can sell shots that otherwise won't work with audio. If you can't understand the dialogue and you have to strain to hear it, your audience is going to shut down, and you lose "suspended disbelief", and lose the audience. It's not only location audio that you need to be careful with, it's post sound design and music. These things will make or break your film. Lots of newbie film makers will spend hours getting the perfect shot only to completely blow it by not spending time on audio. No matter how much its banged into them, they just never get it until they mature in their film making. Get a good shotgun mic and a boom. Get a recording system. There are inexpensive systems that match the rest of the quality of what you are doing. Check your locations in advance with the sound recordist before the shoot day. MAk sure you visit at the time of day you will be shooting. It might be nice and quiet on Sunday morning, but insane Tuesday at rush hour. Take the time to deal with sound issues with the same energy you would with lighting, camera or cast direction. You'll be happier, save money, and have a better product in the end.

Edit each piece 3 different ways, re shoot one and see how better the second one is from the first try. Get you chops together first... THEN... when you have a basic understanding of what it takes and what you level of ability is, shoot your mini series.

Again, if you are going to go ahead and shoot a mini series, have realistic goals. you'll not only need a camera, but lenses, lights, props, locations, crew, cast, food, permits, insurance, post services, and more. So make sure you balance your budget to cover more than your camera. If you want a good cheap camera, you won't find it. You can get a camera that works for your budget. Heck, a used Cannon 7D body can be had for your budget. But you'll need to rent or purchase a couple lenses. I'd recommend a 35mm, 50mm, 24mm, and maybe one more. You want Prime lenses, but you probably don't have a budget to purchase primes... so look on line to rent.

You'll get much more production value for your dollar if you find a good crew, cast, good lighting, good locations... You'll also get happier crew and cast if you feed, and treat them well, since you are probably not paying them.

best of luck in your new adventure!

Cheers
geo

 

[directorik]

But the one thing I lack which is the main thing is a proper HD camera. All I have at the moment is just a flip and a 10 year old video camera which is practically unusable

I agree with Georgia. At this stage you do not need a proper HD
camera, you need to be making movies. That's how you learn the
skill as a director. Use the cameras you have, get a nice shotgun
mic and some lights and make five (or better yet 10) short movies
over the next six to eight months. Then consider a better camera.
Too many people use the "I don't have a proper camera" line as
an excuse to not make movies. Don't be that wannabe director. Get
out there with what you have and make movies.

The harsh truth is with your budget you cannot afford a proper HD
camera. Perhaps you can find someone who has always wanted to
be a DP just as you have always wanted to be a director and team
up.

Check out these two threads:
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=161647
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=28434

The Canon EOS 550D is at the very top of your price range. With
a DSLR you will need a good mic and an audio recorder so that
pushes you out of your range.

Look at the Panasonic V700 and Sony HDRCX115EB - still missing
the audio side, but closer to your range.

 

[Curty]

Thanks for the feedback it has helped a lot, what if I were to raise the budget to about £1000-£1500 would I be able to get something then? I don't want to be that wannabe director who says "oh I don't have the right camera bla bla bla..." but the fact of the matter is, I'm trying to shoot something as top quality as I can and I don't just want a tiny flip screwed onto a tripod outside my college filming actors which at this point wouldn't take it seriously...

 

[Alcove Audio]

Just because you have a Stradavirius violin or a Bosendorfer piano doesn't mean you'll play pieces brilliantly the first time you attempt them. You first need to learn how to read music, you need to learn proper techniques, you need to learn interpretation... It's like the old joke:

How do you get to Carnagie Hall?

Practice, practice, practice!!!

My first piano was a no-name piece of junk, at least to look at. But the action was acceptable and it would hold a tuning. I learned to read music, I learned fingering and other correct techniques, and I was eventually allowed to attempt my own interpretations. When I finally had the opportunity to play fine instruments (Bosendofer, Steinway, etc.) I could truly appreciate the what they were all about and how they let me express myself. BTW, I eventually did play Carnagie Hall.

Equipment will never replace talent. You can put together an acceptable rudimentary sound kit for about £500. But instead of buying a sound kit work find an up-and-coming sound guy/gal who has their own gear.

One more BTW; a lot of folks here on IndieTalk seem to listen to and appreciate my advice. You should especially listen to what Georgia has to say, because she is one of the people that I look up to and admire.

 

[Steve_in_MD]

I agree with all the above comments; you've gotten great advice.

Learn the fundamentals and don't worry so much about the gear. Yes, having good gear is important, but not as important as a good story, or the techniques you're using to manipulate your gear. A good DP could make the footage shot on an iPhone look better than a newbie using a 5D.

With that said, choices in your price range will include entry-level DSLR's like the Canon t3i, or most cameras in the Canon Vixia line such as the Canon HV40. I own both of these. They're both good cameras (although using tape becomes a hassle eventually, which the HV40 uses). The Canon Vixia line makes a bunch of cameras in your range that shoot to memory cards and provide a decent image. However, don't even think about spending your entire budget on a camera. If you don't have good audio gear, lights, tripod, lenses (if you get a DSLR), those are just as important as a camera (and can be used with most any camera you will ever buy), so spend a good deal of your budget on those.

 

[Curty]

After reading all the comments I know now to not spend my entire budget on just a camera, but what constitutes an audio kit? Just a shotgun mic or are there a bunch of items needed? And lenses, why do I need lenses could somebody please explain(I know it's probably a silly question but as I said I'm new).. If you could point me in the right direction I would appreciate it greatly

 

[GeorgiaHilton]

cheap audio kit would include a couple wireless lavs and a shotgun mic, a boom pole and some kind of recorder.
Digital recorders can range from from: $150 bucks to $500 on Amazon. You can spend over $5000 for serious professional digital recorders... For your buget i'd go with a Fostex, or Zoom, or tascam digital recorder like the DR680. It's about $575, but it will last you a while and will work for almost any indie film situation, or just get something like it but only 4 or 2 tracks. You can get a Boom Pole, and "Dead cat" fuzzy blimp for a couple hundered, and a shotgun mic that works for another $150 to $250. Again, you could also drop $500 on a pole alone, and another $1000 on a mic. Wireless lavs are expensive, a single transmitter/receiver lav with a mic can cost from $ 200 to over $1000 per set. A basic starter set might be:

TASCAM DR680 8-track portable digital field recorder $ $575
Extra batteries and media cards for the Tascam $200
SENNHEISER EQ 112P x2 Wireless lav sets ($600/per ) $1200
RODE NTG2 shotgun mic $ 270
RODE WS6 Fuzzy windscreen $60
RODE Boompole $ 150
Headphones ( whatever kind you like )


cheers
geo

 

[GeorgiaHilton]

LENSES:
Most Mid-range DSLR and higher quality cameras do not come with lenses, or if they do it s a relatively cheap 35 - 85mm zoom. If you want to get the quality out of any mid-range or more expensive camera you will need a set of lenses.

As a director you need to learn about lenses and what type of shot requires what type of lens. Research types of lenses and what they do. Each lens has its own requirements and abilities. Depth of field, lighting requirements, whether they work in low light or not, prime or Zoom.... There are wide angle, Normal, telephoto, macro, fisheye types... there are also Spherical and Aspherical lenses.
All lenses are driven by physics. Every lens is a trade off. Faster lens, slower lens... Even manufactures of the same lens vary significantly.

Lens tend to range from 17mm to 300mm. It all depends on what the shots you want are.
Look into a Director's Lens, or Director's Viewfinder... it will help you understand how varying lenses change the depth of field and size and position of your subject. http://www.alangordon.com/sales/our-products/mark-vb.html

This link might help.
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/standard_display/Lens_Advantage_Select

Here's another starting point:
Less than 17mm to 30mm lenses show more of a scene, but objects appear smaller/farther away. They are typically used for wide shots. They can also work very well indoors when the ability to move farther away is limited. 50mm prime lens is the workhorse. It shows a normal field of view. A basic 50mm prime will give you very nice Depth of Field. The 50mm is very very close to how the human eye "sees" the world. a 50mm on a DSLR ( depending on your camera ) can look closer to a 75mm to 80mm. 50mm tend to work well in low light. A 24mm to 105mm zoom could do what a 50mm prime does, but you probably have to crank the ISO to do it. 60mm to 180mm lenses are pretty much specialty lenses. Their most common use is for portraits, medium close, Close up with a nice background blur. As you go from 60mm and head up to 180mm the background will become more and more blurred. Their relatively narrow Depth of Field makes it easy to have a main subject/person in focus while keeping the background blurry. 120mm and greater lenses are typically used for action from a distance. Those are situations where detail is needed, but the ability to get “closer“ is limited. They tend to be “slower", and good ones are very expensive. They can also be used very effectively to isolate small areas of a scene. Remember, there is NO RULE about which lens to use for what. That's way a Director and their DOP need to truly understand what Lens selection will do for them. If I were buying lenses on a budget i'd purchase the following:

24mm or 17mm Prime
50mm Prime
75mm Prime
35-85mm zoom
and something around 120mm


cheers
geo

 

[Steve_in_MD]

And lenses, why do I need lenses could somebody please explain(I know it's probably a silly question but as I said I'm new).. If you could point me in the right direction I would appreciate it greatly

For now you'll only need lenses if you get a DSLR camera, as they use removable lenses unlike the camcorders in your price range. If you get a Canon DSLR like the t3i, 60D, etc., the kit lens is a fine place to start. The other common introductory lens is the EF 50mm 1.8, which goes for like $100 and is a nice prime lens to start with. I'm not super knowledgeable on lenses yet but there's plenty of info on here and other web sites to get you started.

 

[Alcove Audio]

Although I admire Georgia her audio kit is perhaps a bit ambitious on an ultra-micro budget.

The very raw basics:

Tascam DR-40 (DR-100 is preferable) - US$200 (US$330)

2 Tascam BP-6AA Battery Packs - US$25 x 2 = US$50

Shotgun Mic Kit (Audio Technica AT875, Rode NTG-1) (includes mic, shock-mount, boom-pole, wind protection, cable) - about US$600

sE Electronics SE1A cardioid mic - US$150

Sony MDR-7506 Headphones - US$100

Even this basic kit is around US$1,100. What kills your budget are the needed accessories - the shock-mount, boom-pole and cables. (The AT875 is under US$200 and the NTG-1 is about US$250.) If you are handy you can DIY the boom-pole and the shock-mount, but just be aware of the problems and limitations involved with using DIY gear. You may want to check out used gear; there are lots of folks who find out that is a lot harder than they thought, so there's some decent used stuff out there at good prices.

More important than the gear - as has been said frequently - is the skill/technique with which you use the gear. Booming is a very difficult skill to master; in fact, a great boom-op is worth his/her weight in gold, especially to indie filmmakers. Why? Doing ADR (Automated Dialog Replacement) is a tough gig for professional actors, and inexperienced actors almost always give very sub-par performances. Even decent ADR performances still require a good dialog editor. This is why capturing quality production sound is so important to the indie filmmaker; most have neither the skills nor the tools to pull off convincing ADR. Add to that the fact that, if you do ADR, you will have to completely Foley every scene where ADR is used, and Foley can be even harder to pull off convincingly than ADR.