I know that many pieces of equipment may be project specific, but there are a lot you that make shorts with little to no budget on a regular basis... What equipment/software do you use? From screenwriting software to cameras to lighting to microphones to monitors to laptops to editing software to, I dunno, software for posters to... yeah. You get what I mean!

I come from a music background and always found it fascinating listening to what other musicians' set ups were... and i don't think i've come across a thread like this. (If there's already one I appologise!)

Look forward to hearing what you guys have to say!

Screenwriting software: I use Movie Magic. Final Draft is also standard
and there are free programs like Celix available.

Camera: I started using Super 8, shot my shorts on 16mm and then
moved to Hi-8. Now I use JVC cameras.

Microphone: I use the Sennheiser ME-66.

Lighting: I own a small kit
1 -Mole richardson 10 K fresnel.
1 -Mole richardson 5 K fresnel.
2 -Mole richardson 12 light FAYs (7.8 KW ).
1 -Mole richardson supersoft 4 KWs.
2 -ARRI 2 K fresnel.
2 -ARRI 1 K open face.
4 -ARRI 650s watt fresnel.
2 -ARRI 300s watt fresnel.
2 -ARRI 150s watt fresnel.
4 -Omni 650s watt open face.
2 -lowel 1 KWs open face.
2 -lowel 650s watt open face.
1 - kino-flo (Diva Light 400)
4 china balls

I rent grip equipment. Storage is an issue as well as cost so renting
these items make better sense for me.

Software: I use Final Cut Studio. I have a 17" G4 PowerBook and a 24" iMac.

Software for posters: I use Photoshop.

For a nice beginning light kit I recommend:
A couple of work lights (http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=9401794&PMT4NO=0"target=) with stands from any home improvement store.

Five or six “scoop lights” - those clamp on work lights (http://www.doityourself.com/icat/clamplights) with the silver reflector.

Three or four pieces of Foamcore (http://www.artsupply.com/brand/foamcore.htm) from any art supply store to use to bounce the light.

Two or three paper lanterns (http://www.cherryblossomgardens.com/paper_lanterns.asp) 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. Check Studio Depot (http://www.studiodepot.com/store/)

Ok -- so now to offer a contrasting POV to directorik:

Screenwriting software: MS Word...or a pad of paper. We don't write much stuff down.

Camera: We've been mostly using a Sony Hi-8 -- not sure of the model. It's Paul's. Definitely not a professional camera, but it takes pretty decent pictures for our purposes. We have a few other cameras in the group, but they are all consumer variety.

Microphone: We bought a $60 shotgun mic from Best Buy several years ago. They don't still carry it (according to their website). I can't remember the brand name but it wasn't anything fancy. We are also musicians so we have mic stands. Take the pole off the base and its a boom pole.

Lighting: The Sun, 2 x 500 watt halogen work lights on stands, about a half-dozen clamp-on work lamps that we fill with a variety of incandescent bulbs (depending on the strength or color needed). We have occasionally used colored cellophane (from the party store!) to darken/tint the light coming through a window. Also might use posterboard, a sheet, or whatever else we can find to bounce/diffuse/redirect light.

Software: For video editing we use Sony Vegas Movie Studio. Charles is our sound guy and he uses a variety of programs for that...not sure of the list. Editing is done on Windows PCs.



Graphics/posters/other designs done in either Paint Shop Pro or Fireworks.

I have a very small set up of good pieces:

1 good digital camera (panasonic dvx 100a)
1 small pansonic 3 chip handicam (purchased for playback and use until the heads die)
1 good shotgun mic (audiotechnica AT 835)
1 bogen/manfrotto tripod
1 macintosh powerbook G4 (tricked out as far as I could afford)
1 bypass card (because you don't want to save your footage where the edit system operates, they're cheap)
1 Final Cut Pro HD edit system (I don't shoot in HD, but it does what it should)
1 320 gig external hard drive (which I fill up with almost every project, then reluctantly purge)
1 tape rewinder


I want a terabyte so I don't have to purge my hard drive for longer periods of time, eventually, I'll do what knightly suggests and just store the projects instead of dumping them.

I purchased professional grade digital tape stock from Data Media. They are holding up to my blacking the tapes, but I will be purchasing some new stock soon I hope.

The secondary handicam I bought as playback because a cheap playback deck will cost you at least $1000, which was the price about a year or so ago when I was pricing them. I got the camera for two reasons: 1.) if you can avoid it, you don't want to use an expensive camera as a playback or vcr because it will wear down the heads. Better to destrory a $500 dollar camera than to destroy a $4000 dollar camera; and 2.) until the heads wear out, you have 2 cameras. You use the small one as an overall wide shot or whatever seems good, I usually call it my "drummer cam". Or else I try to just get a good secondary angle.

I use the "big" camera for everything important. Main shots, interviews, etc. The picture is better, the sound is better.

I hope to purchase:

1. on camera light
(since I like ambient light, I have been lucky, but I have also not been able to shoot on occasion because my camera light wouldn't work. That sucks! :grumpy:

1 new tape rewinder that will also fast forward
1 monopod (so that when I am in the crowd, I can still have some kind of stability)
1 terabyte of hard drive

Dream item: 1 wide angle lens for DVX. I don't want anything too over the top, no fisheye lenses. Just let me get a wider shot than I am presently getting. I don't have $600 to drop on a lense, but I'm okay for now.

You can get away with just a: camera, shotgun mic, computer with good edit system and external hard drive.

Hope that helps :)

-- spinner :cool:

EDIT:
posters: make the posters in a photoshop program or whatever you have. Make one exactly the way you want it, take it to KINKOS. By the way, it took me a little while to acquire all this stuff, but I have it now....I almost forgot: a friend gave me a mic stand that he used to use in his band, clip my shotgun mic to it and I have a makeshift 'no-hands' boom.

ok...I'll start with the computer end of things and work towards the people end of things:

1 2x2.5Ghz G5 Power Macintosh, 2Gb RAM, 500Gb Disk (2 x 250Gb SATA internal)
0.75 Tb of lose storage (mostly 180Gb EIDE bare drives connected through a WiebeTech drive dock)
-as I complete projects, I keep them on the drive for backup
dual monitors for editing and a dv bridge through my old JVC GR820DVL to a vcr/dvd combo and a crt tv for preview

I write using Celtx ( www.celtx.com ) - free,
I edit using Final Cut Studio
I effect using Shake
I graphic using Gimpshop (a photoshop interface hack on top of the GIMP)

Camera: Canon XL1s with an ma100 XLR mic input doohicky
Mic: Sony ECM672 shotgun microphone upgraded from an ATR55 (waaaay better sound)
Lights:
-8 x ACDelco clamp lights with GE Softwhite CFL bulbs
-6 x Craftsman 500w halogen worklights
-5 x foamcore bounce cards/flags/backgrounds in various colors (white with silver spray painted other side, white/gold, black/white, white/blue, white/green) - various sizes
-various mic and low-end light stands + a tent pole that bridges two of my lighting stands to make a frame to hang lights/scrims
-black scrim (fabric store, sheer black fabric from wedding section)

People:
I know a bunch of actors, some writers (I'm good at ideas, not writing), some good friends who help out with the pre-production end of things...all in all about 20-30 folks.

A drive to create things and the ego to finish no matter what anyone says (or perhaps because of the criticism ;) )

A love of cinema as a holistic art form that can possibly make the artist money while they are still alive.

I do more corporate/commercial stuff than short films.

Screenwriting:
I don't write stuff typically. If I do, it's in Final Draft.

Editing:
After Effects - I love After Effects.
Premiere - If I'm doing something simple, and I know I am using a lot of after effects
Avid Media Composer - Primary editing software. I learned on it, and every professional place I worked at uses it.
DVD Authoring - Plethora of software. Scenarist for simple stuff (because I suck at Scenarist), Encore usually for trickier stuff.

Camera:
(2) Canon XL2
(1) Sony HD Z1U

Mic:
(3) Wireless Seinheisser packs
Audioteck(I think) shot gun mic
(2) hardwired lavs

Lights:
1k HMI
(2) 1k arri's
600 arri
300 arri
couple flags, bounceboards, etc.

People:
I have a google spreadsheet of names, contact info, wages, and specialties. I met them through various projects I worked on.