the 5k equipment dilemma

H

Hakim Erhan

Friends,

I have five thousand dollars and am at a crossroads. I want to shoot my film before September, and I have my actors casted and money for them acquired, but now I am on a $5,000 equipment budget. I have no editing station or software, no camera and two lavalier microphones. So, in this age of HD, should I opt for an HD camcorder? I prefer it over SD; I prefer native 16:9 to 4:3; I require a laptop that can handle editing (this is possible, right?). Mac or PC? FCP or Premiere? DVX100b or HVX200? SD or HD (are we too late for SD? I want to be using this camera five years from now, too..) And microphones: which brand and style do you recommend?

Your comments are gratefully appreciated.

~Hakim q
 
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Hakim, I'm of the opinion that you will be stretched to buy all of your equipment for $5K. Any decent laptop is going to cost you $1500 give or take. You can edit with MovieMaker or iMovie (iMovie being my preference), but if you want to purchase editing software, Final Cut Express would add $200 to your costs. That leaves you with about $3000 for camera and a lot of odd parts that tend to add up (shotgun microphone, XLR adaptor for consumer camera, lights, etc.). It can be done, but you should consider renting large ticket items as an option, or finding someone who has an editing station you can use, etc.

My preference for editing is Mac plus Final Cut Express or Final Cut Suite (FCS will be another $1000, so that may not be an option). The HVX-200 is not in your price range, but that would be my choice. By now you should be able to rent a DVX-100B or purchase one used, but you said you preferred HD, so the Canon HV-20/30 with an XLR adaptor could be more in your budget.

Wideshot is right. We've discussed some of these things ad nauseam on other threads.

Doug
 
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And just to add, the VS questions never really have an answer. Each has its own benefits/ downside, you need to decide what is better for you and your project.

It also would not hurt to make some friends who are at least semi-pros who already have some equipment. So many people have cameras, lights, etc. that you probably won't need to buy any if you get them involved. Its much harder to find people that own quality sound gear, but they're out there, and to be honest many will work and supply their equipment for a small fraction of what it would take to buy it.
 
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WideShot said:
Hakim, welcome. I would suggest you search the forums here because people ask these questions every week.
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And I always say the same thing, since it never seems to be one of the options. Consider renting G&E, and using a DP and sound mixer w/ equipment. :)
 
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Thank you, friends. My desire to purchase a camera stems from my desire to master it as a tool, and renting would impose a very short learning period....That is not to say I don't want a DP; I do, but I also want to be able to perform his duties if s/he falls violently ill on a day of shooting.

I hear you all completely. I'm trying to work my way into productions around here so I can get acquainted with every aspect of the process...I have never made a film before (with external mics, real actors and decent image quality) so I'm just trying to find a good way to plug myself into the community where I can fit before I dive headfirst into a film myself. I shall keep looking

Thank you so much! This forum is wonderful!

~Hakim
 
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We have some things in common Hakim (except that my specialty is DP). I try to know as much about every aspect of the production as I can, and of course I want to master every aspect of my camera and know how it will perform in various conditions. However, I have learned, after many sleepless nights, that making a movie is a cooperative task that requires the skills of at least a few people, and the faster you learn to delegate effectively, the sooner you'll be successful. If you are not the DP, you may really, really want to reconsider becoming the camera expert. An enthusiastic DP will have her own equipment that she would be most familiar with. If you can find that DP and entrust her with doing her part, then you can focus on other areas and probably save some money. Digital camera technology is always advancing. Soon Scarlet will be available, which will blow away most HD cameras in the $10K and under range. Whatever you purchase today will likely lose half of it's value within a year.

Don't wait until your nerves are frazzled, you have no hair left, and you are sleep deprived (like me) to realize that you must collaborate and allow your collaborators to do what they do best. It's really not optional, except on the simplest of productions.

Doug
 
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Since your budget for camera, laptop, software and audio is only $5,000
have you considered a camera less expensive than the DVX?

I agree with you on buying a camera - much better than renting. But your
five year plan for a camera is unrealistic for your price range. I suspect
most HDV cameras (including the Panasonic's) will be old technology in five
years. Frankly you don't need a high end HD camera to learn how to get
good image quality - you need good lights, experience and some talent.

My suggestion is to get a good shotgun mic and an entry level camera. Get
a computer and software you are comfortable with and spend the rest on
lights. You should be shooting short films all the time - two a month - to
learn how to get a good image.

I know from experience that you can get an excellent image with a cheaper
HDV or even SD camera. And learning how will really help you as you make
more movies. Make six to eight short films over the next year with the cheaper
camera and when you feel it's time to upgrade you will have much more
knowledge than if you buy an expensive camera and only make two or three
movies in the next year.
 
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I would like to say 5k for a project that you're paying your actors should cover either the camera or the editing suite, You can pick up a used JVC HD110u for ~$2.5k and can put together an edit suite for about the same with a used g5 Mac (lots of RAM and Hard drive space) and Final Cut Studio.

You'll need to get a decent shotgun mike ~$100 or up and a boom pole + shock mount ~$50 and up (Rode makes a decent mike with pole and mount for around these prices)... Don't for get to get XLR cables to hook the mike to the camera. Someone will need to hold this over the actors. It will make your sound much happier than the lavaliers will as it rejects environmental sound which the lavs are not made to do.

Add tripod and a couple of 7' coleman worklights ($70 each) and a few shorter ones ($20 each). The camera doesn't do much good for narrative work without lights. Take the time to learn to use them as setting these up when you just start will eat into your shooting schedule like you won't believe. We take a half an hour to an hour to setup EACH SHOT, and I've been doing this for 5 years with DPing as my focus.

You'll be much happier finding an enthusiast like me with their own camera/sound equipment in your area to pay. This really is a team sport dominated by people who are individual sport folks. It's an odd blend, but the ones who succeed learn to work collectively early on.
 
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