Hello I am a beginning film maker who is beginning to collect equipment and there is so much stuff out there I don't know where to start. Would a good computer/editing software be first? The computer I have now is 5 years old and pretty much junk.
After that I was planning on getting a camera. In the mean time I was planning on using my Iphone since it takes good enough footage for me to edit and learn how to frame. Eventually I want to pick up an HD prosumer camera.
I don't know where to go after that. Sound equipment? Lighting? tripods? jibs? Its a lot of stuff to learn and master!
Any current computer will handle video editing. One possibility is
Apple and Final Cut. All Mac's come with iMovie free and it's an
excellent video editing software for a beginner. Excellent software
for a PC is Premiere and Vegas.
When looking for a camera there are two essentials: manual
controls of focus, exposure and shutter and a mic input. Check out:
Panasonic HDC-TM700
Panasonic HDC-TM300
JVC GZ-HM1
JVC GZ-HM400
Canon HF S21
Canon HF S11
Sony HDR-CX550V
You'll get several people suggesting the DSLR cameras so I'll let them
wax rhapsodic about those cameras.
What you're looking for is a good shotgun mic. That in itself is a
generic term that means any long barreled mic. You want a good
condenser (externally powered) mic with a “lobar” pick up pattern
to put on your boom pole. Lobar pick up means the mic focuses its
audio pick up to a narrow area. This is why you want to use a boom
pole to get the mic as close the the actor as possible - you’ll
get clean dialogue tracks with less ambient noise.
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/
Sennheiser is the mic most used by professional sound recordists.
They are expensive and worth it. Check out the ME-66 and the ME-
67. The MKH60 is the best if you can afford it.
http://www.audio-technica.com/
Audio-Technica is cheaper. Check out the AT8035. It’s a workable
mic, a little muddy and not as directional as it should be. The
AT835ST is a good mic for the price, but it, too, sounds a bit
muddy - the vocals don’t sound crisp enough for me.
http://www.rodemic.com/microphones.php
Rode mics are quite good. Check the NTG (shotgun) series.
http://www.azdencorp.com/
I’ve never used Azden mic’s. They’re inexpensive and I don’t hear
too many good things about them, but if that's all you can afford
it's MUCH better than using the camera mic.
A good mic is an investment. It will last longer than your camera
- why skimp? A great place to check prices and purchase is B&H
Photo
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
Allove will offer more detail on audio.
Lowel makes nice kits. Tungsten lights with stands, barndoors and
hard case. Britek makes nice light kits - cheaper than Lowel and
not as durable, but very usable. You can also check Arri lights -
more expensive and worth every penny. I have a Lowel 6 light kit
with the Omni’s and Tota’s that I bought new in 1990 and am still
using it 20 years later.
For a nice beginning light kit I recommend:
A couple of work lights with stands from any home improvement
store.
Five or six “scoop lights” - those lamps with the silver
reflector.
Three or four pieces of Foamcore from any art supply store to use
to bounce the light.
Two or three Paper Lanterns that you can get at Ikea. I hook each
one to a dimmer
(home improvement store again) to get better control.
Some colored gels (check on line or if there is a small theater in
your town they often have extras) and some black wrap.
Tripods come in many price ranges. I really like Bogen/Manfrotto, but
any name brand will be fine when you are starting out. Obviously the
more you spend, the better the equipment. Look at Daiwa and Libec.
The minimum equipment I would suggest having on hand is:
a tripod
6 lights with stands
2 china balls
8 extension cords
6 power strips
black wrap and gels
2 bounce boards
a good external mic
a boom with extension cables
gaffers tape
a bunch of C-47’s - also called “bullets” or wood cloths pins
a coffee maker
a slate with marker
If you can afford it - these items you can rent:
a dolly (wheelchair or doorway)
a simple grip kit with:
c-stands (at least 6)
flags (assorted sizes - at least 8)
scrims (at least 6)
silks (at least 2)
cookies (at least 1)
sandbags (one for every light/c-stand and then 6 more)
