Okay, so I've been pretty heavy into filmmaking for the last year or so using budget equipment that I posess very basic knowledge of. My current equipment is as follows:
-Sony Handycam HDR-CX110
(Surprising video and sound quality for a $300 handheld)
-57"-60" (around that height) tripod
-mini tabletop tripod
-2 flourescent studio lights with umbrellas and stands
-10'x12' green screen with stand
-6' boom pole
-RØDE Directional Video Condenser Microphone w/Shockmount and dead cat
(I think I made a mistake with this purchase. I think it's meant to be compatible with video cameras only (I bought it to use as a boom mic) and my aforementioned video camera isn't compatible. I also don't understand the technicalities behind condenser microphone technology and I'm not sure of the significance of some of the available functions on the mic.)
-Samson SAC01UPAK USB Microphone
(My second attempt at a microphone that could also double as a boom mic. I knew I wanted serious sound quality, so I reached for the stars and got a Samson. Unfortunately, this wouldn't work well with my computer. I tried testing it by recording sound using Mixcraft 5, Audacity, and even the on-board Sound Recorder software. Every time it came back as either dead silence, or nearly silent with barely audible fizzled sound. I think maybe it just isn't compatible with my on-board sound card, but I don't really know)
-Software includes Adobe Premiere Elements 9, Adobe Photoshop Elements 9, Audacity, Mixcraft 5 and Blender (still learning Blender).
Given the equipment I currently have, so far, this is the very best quality I've been able to crank out of it. All voice work was dubbed over the footage by talking directly into the handycam's microphone and applying the audio to the footage. Also, I'm well aware of some of the flaws in the following trailer, such as the lack of depth of field (I'm pretty sure the camera is automatic focus only) and the massive amount of unused space in the right and bottom of the frame in one part of the video.
Sorry, I'm having trouble getting the youtube code to load the video properly on this page.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iexHNcdJ3Y
So now that you've seen what I currently have to work with and what I've done with it using workaround techniques due to lack of proper equipment, I have several questions for the community. First and foremost, given the sound equipment that I currently have, is it possible to still get a decent boom setup going somehow? Is there something I need to buy to complete a boom setup? Is there another piece of equipment that will record my sound rather than just plugging the mic cord directly into my laptop? What improvements can I make to my current arsenal to gain better overall quality in my productions? Is there a place online where I can learn all the nitty gritty technicalities involved with filmmaking, such as lenses, equipment terminology, etc?
-Sony Handycam HDR-CX110
(Surprising video and sound quality for a $300 handheld)
-57"-60" (around that height) tripod
-mini tabletop tripod
-2 flourescent studio lights with umbrellas and stands
-10'x12' green screen with stand
-6' boom pole
-RØDE Directional Video Condenser Microphone w/Shockmount and dead cat
(I think I made a mistake with this purchase. I think it's meant to be compatible with video cameras only (I bought it to use as a boom mic) and my aforementioned video camera isn't compatible. I also don't understand the technicalities behind condenser microphone technology and I'm not sure of the significance of some of the available functions on the mic.)
-Samson SAC01UPAK USB Microphone
(My second attempt at a microphone that could also double as a boom mic. I knew I wanted serious sound quality, so I reached for the stars and got a Samson. Unfortunately, this wouldn't work well with my computer. I tried testing it by recording sound using Mixcraft 5, Audacity, and even the on-board Sound Recorder software. Every time it came back as either dead silence, or nearly silent with barely audible fizzled sound. I think maybe it just isn't compatible with my on-board sound card, but I don't really know)
-Software includes Adobe Premiere Elements 9, Adobe Photoshop Elements 9, Audacity, Mixcraft 5 and Blender (still learning Blender).
Given the equipment I currently have, so far, this is the very best quality I've been able to crank out of it. All voice work was dubbed over the footage by talking directly into the handycam's microphone and applying the audio to the footage. Also, I'm well aware of some of the flaws in the following trailer, such as the lack of depth of field (I'm pretty sure the camera is automatic focus only) and the massive amount of unused space in the right and bottom of the frame in one part of the video.
Sorry, I'm having trouble getting the youtube code to load the video properly on this page.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iexHNcdJ3Y
So now that you've seen what I currently have to work with and what I've done with it using workaround techniques due to lack of proper equipment, I have several questions for the community. First and foremost, given the sound equipment that I currently have, is it possible to still get a decent boom setup going somehow? Is there something I need to buy to complete a boom setup? Is there another piece of equipment that will record my sound rather than just plugging the mic cord directly into my laptop? What improvements can I make to my current arsenal to gain better overall quality in my productions? Is there a place online where I can learn all the nitty gritty technicalities involved with filmmaking, such as lenses, equipment terminology, etc?
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