Advice on Cam - first film dip

Hey guys, so me and a group of friends have come up with an idea. I admit we are total newb but as the saying goes, if you don't try, you won't know

So coming to you guys as a total newb and being a student on a budget can someone advise the type of camera and price range we should expect to pay?

We are doing a production for a college project

We are expecting it to be around 1 hour

We are basing most of it, location wise in the school grounds. Indoor in halls and rooms and halls and outdoor, think sports grounds, green also.

So basically, if someone can advise or guide me on a type of camera we should look.

Any help, much appreciated guys - In terms of budget, being new and new user with cams, I want something, if it exists - cheap, easy to use but also good ;p

Asking to much but maybe there is one that is recommended

I'd say max $800

Chase your dreams,

Umar
 
As always, noobs completely forget about the sound of their project.

Sound is half of the experience

If the sound is poor it won't matter how good your project looks. Nobody notices good - or even great - sound, but they always notice crappy sound. So figure on spending half of your budget on the audio.
 
Was that his whole budget? I thought he was just going to start with the camera first since that is a must for a short film. Then I thought he was going to give a budget for lighting, then audio. I didn't realize that $800 was his whole budget. Thanks for pointing that out Alcove.

He's right don't forget about audio or lighting. Both are extremely important for your piece.
 
You should consider renting your gear, or even borrowing if you know the right people.

BTW, an hour is REALLY long project for your first attempt. There are dozens of things you don't know. I'm not saying that you are stupid, just lacking in experience. Do you have a script? Storyboards? Shooting script? Shooting schedule? Budget for feeding and transporting your cast and crew? Permits? Release forms? Have you thought out the video and audio post? What about a tripod for the camera? Lighting? Audio? Expendables (Even a roll of gaffers tape will cost you $20), hard drives for editing (video is very drive-space intensive.)? Have you thought about safety issues?

You should do a lot of research on this and other sites just to figure out the questions you should be asking; there's quite a bit more than pointing a camera at a couple of actors.
 
If this is a college project, why do you need to buy anything? Are you not in the film program? You can still ask them if you can borrow equipment. You should be able to get camera, lighting, equipment, and locations for free since you're in college. That leaves $800 for everything else. And it will get used.
 
All the advice is great, but since no one is actually answering
your question, I think I’ll do it.

Unfortunately, in the $1,000 and under range all cameras are
pretty much the same. A Sony is like a Sharp is like a Canon is
like a Panasonic is like Samsung. You pick up a camera in that
price range and you won’t be able to tell the difference. And
most likely you won’t get all of the three essentials.

Three CCD’s or CMOS
Manual controls for the iris, shutter, focus and white balance.
A microphone input.

So as you do your further research, see if you can find cameras
with at least a mic input and manual controls. But if all you can
afford is $800, then any camera from one of the major
manufacturers is going to be adequate.

So coming to you guys as a total newb and being a student on a budget can someone advise the type of camera and price range we should expect to pay?
The price range you should expect to pay is closer to $1,200/$1,800.

See these threads for specifics. Though I know many of the model
numbers are different in the UK so you’ll still have to do some
further research.

http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=17514
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=86959
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=12037
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=11309
http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=12203
 
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