hi im new to film making and me and my friends have very little equipment and little to no money to buy more.
our problem is in a lot of our outside scenes the camera picks up the sound of the wind far to much and its extremely distracting from the dialogue.

does anyone know of any cheap ways of stopping this, all we are using is a handheld camera recorder type thing (sorry not a very good description.)

If you have a separate microphone you can cover it with a windscreen or dead cat and alleviate some wind noise. If you've no money for a separate microphone which can be brought closer to the action, then your only bet is to record the dialog indoors afterward and edit this new audio with the previously recorded exterior visuals. You'll also have to add a track of exterior tone (without wind, of course) under the dialog to add realism.

Incidentally, it's good that you find the wind noise distracting...this means you are appreciating how much audio is a part of the cinematic experience.

Definitely get a mic and a dead cat. It's necesito.

Get a separate shotgun microphone
Get a windscreen cover for the microphone.

You can spend any amount on this and get astronomically better results.
$25 - $5000

Get a separate shotgun microphone
Get a windscreen cover for the microphone.

You can spend any amount on this and get astronomically better results.
$25 - $5000

Windscreen = 'Dead Cat'

for this shotgun mic (sorry im so new)
can it work with any video camera and are they the big fluffy ones on the poles?

Your camera has to have an audio input, either XLR or 1/8" miniplug. If it doesn't, you'll need a separate digital audio recorder or a new camera. Sadly, many consumer level cameras do not have a separate microphone input.

It's nice to get a camera with an XLR connection--you can just plug your boom right into the camera. And as long as you don't have crappy connectors or wires, the audio quality will be good quality. We do this for all our features, and the sound is great.

'a little yak' (interesting name), shotgun mics will work for any movie, but not for every camera...I take it you mean will it plug directly into every camera...no. For the very reason we stated above, you'll need an XLR cable input on your camera...

The term 'shotgun mic' basically means a microphone that is directional...it picks up whatever it's pointing at most. The fluffy thing on the end ('dead cat' or windscreen) is just an additional item--you'll have to pick that up separately. And if you're ever shooting outdoors, you'll want a dead cat available to muffle the wind.

Good luck.

thanks everyone you have been extremely helpful, i wish it were my camera so i could just check to see if it has an xlr connection but since its my friends ill have to wait till i see him next.