• Wondering which camera, gear, computer, or software to buy? Ask in our Gear Guide.

Getting started - how does this equipment sound?

B

brandonman

First off, hello! This looks like a fun forum!

Here in the past two months or so, I've been working on a film script that's a cheesy actiony-drama-comedy type of project (Things are ridiculously crazy and off the wall, hopefully to give it novelty factor). I've written it with my close friends in mind to fill the main roles, and I think I'm about ready to dive into the world of film making. i'm wondering how my tools will fare, however.

I have a Nikon Coolpix L105 camera. ( http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-L105-Di...BXMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333505253&sr=8-1 ) It records 720p video (My dedicated video-camera is only 480p). This camera obviously isn't optimal, but do you think it would fare well enough to be 'ok' in a film that includes a decent sprinkling of action scenes? I've also been reading in the audio section of this site and have realized just how crucial good audio is. My budget is *extremely* tight (I'm about to graduate High School and this is only a fun little side-project with friends. We do want it to have decent quality that is bearable and doesn't detract from the movie for the average person, though.) I was thinking of getting a Tascam DR-05 and an Audio-Technica 6550 to record passable audio. I know that this is definitely not optimal (Alcove's posts in the sound forum for sure point this out :P), but it wouldn't sound downright *bad*, right? I've read that the 6550 has issues with noise in indoor environments, but a lot of the film is set outdoors. Along with this, if I can keep the cable length down in the couple of feet range, it shouldn't be *terrible* if I try to keep it under incandescent lights, correct?

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for your suggestions. Really hope this stuff won't be a problem for getting passable quality. Time is money, and "time is tight"! (Cue Booker T & the MG's)
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
brandonman said:
First off, hello! This looks like a fun forum!
Click to expand...

It is a really friendly forum, for sure. Even when opinions differ heatedly, it still makes for great reading. :cool:


This camera obviously isn't optimal, but do you think it would fare well enough to be 'ok' in a film that includes a decent sprinkling of action scenes?
Click to expand...

If that's the camera you have, then it will certainly fare well enough. It has to. :)

If the story itself is sound & solid, you've already won the most important part of the filmmaking process. All other technical limitations and constraints can be dealt with, and optimised to be the best that can be done.

If your story blows, no amount of fancy HD camera & expensive gadgets are going to be able to fix it.


(My dedicated video-camera is only 480p).
Click to expand...

What is this camera, fwiw?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
It's a Samsung SMX-C10. Thanks for the reply! I really am most interested in just ensuring that the camera won't look terrible with moving objects in the scene and that the audio won't be extremely noisy. I've noticed that that is was pretty much sets a tolerable film from one you end up stopping halfway through.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
brandonman said:
and that the audio won't be extremely noisy.
Click to expand...

Doing audio correctly is very important. It is also calls for a serious commitment.

Start here:

http://www.myspace.com/alcoveaudio/blog

http://www.rodetv.com/rode_uni/rode-university-outdoor-location-sound-recording/

http://www.rodetv.com/rode_uni/rode-university-indoor-location-sound-recording/

http://www.colinhartonline.com/?p=336

http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/location_sound.html

http://www.filmsound.org/articles/designing_for_sound.htm


SOUND IS HALF OF THE EXPERIENCE!!!


Remember that the techniques are just as, if not more, important than the equipment you use.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Thanks Alcove. I've seen your posts around the audio forum and you seem to be the most knowledgeable sound person on the internet! I'm going to read through all of this information in the morning. If I remember correctly from my browsing, you are definitely not a fan of the low-end hardware. Sadly, it's about all I can afford with my current budget. I'm looking at the sub-200 range, which seems to pretty much encompass the atr-6550 and either a DR-05 or H1 (The 05 sounded better and looked more intuitive to me). Coming from a musician perspective, I'm aware of just how important sound is. When compared to the price of the camera I'm considering (was $100 on black friday), sound would make up about a half to two thirds of my equipment budget if I went this route already. I guess that says something at least. I've noticed that no matter what the video quality, bad sound = terrible experience, while even bad video can be pretty much redeemed by good sound. I'd love to be able to afford the 1,000+ worth of equipment you're suggesting, but at this stage, it would just be a stupid decision for me (I've never done any movie work before and am not sure I'll even enjoy it that much), and is way out of my financial reach. Thanks for the reply, though, and I'll be absorbing all the information in those links for techniques and what to be looking for in *my* budget! :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I got a chance to read all the pages and watch the videos. Great stuff and it really put me into a better mindset to be more aware of sound on set, and I'm going to go back and rework the script so that sound is a bit more integral from the get-go. Thanks Alcove! I was extremely impressed with the indoor recording of that car. Those mics weren't really picking up any engine noise at all!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top