I'm in pre-productio, making a sci-fi action flick. I need to know what would be the best camera for making it. I'm on a tight budget. I honestly know almost nothing about cameras since this still be the first one I'll be purchasing myself. So any information on the things my camera should have or a specific camera would be absolutely wonderful.
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Camera Help
- Thread starter Young Obie
- Start date
HD, ability to shut off all auto functions. The camera must allow you to manually focus, manually white balance, manually set the exposure and to manually control audio gain. A plug for a mic is needed, too. If this is your first camera, stay the hell away from DSLRs or else you risk turning into a gear freak.
The risk mentioned here is very real.
Though, I think its well worth getting a dslr out of the gate. There is no question, these give no-budget indie first timers the image of the professional.
So get a dslr - w/ this caveat: don't waste any more time or money on learning/picking up gear than what is absolutely essential to start shooting. I.e. once the camera arrives on your doorstop, unwrap, go out, and press record. Don't waste time reading about other tech, discussing on forums, or shopping for junk. You will actually learn how to shoot this way, & bloom into a real filmmaker.
Alternatively, given your tight budget.. I'll sell you my old gear -- camera and 35mm adapter. for cheap.
What, exactly, do you mean when you say "extremely tight budget?"
I ask because the camera is just the start of it. While you certainly don't need to sink money for your first film on lots of fancy camera supports (stabilizers, jibs, etc.), you DO need to consider a good tripod. And, depending on the camera, you may need at least a basic support rig to make handheld shooting a little more steady. And with DSLR, you'll need to figure out a lens or lenses.
Then, there's the question of sound. If you go with DSLR, you'll be able to learn how to get good images, but sound recording in-camera is not even an option due to the poor quality of DSLR audio circuitry. That means you'll need a separate recorder. If, however, you go with a camcorder like the AC-90 (or even finding a good deal on a used HMC-40 with XLR adapter) you can get decent results in-camera with the right equipment in front of it. And on no camera that you can buy, borrow, or rent will the built-in mic be usable. You'll need a mic (maybe two), boom, shockmount, windscreening, and headphones, plus cables. And whether recording to camera or external recorder, a mixer or external pre-amp is a good idea.
My apologies if you've already considered these other things. I just want to make sure you're looking at the bigger picture, which beginners often overlook.
I ask because the camera is just the start of it. While you certainly don't need to sink money for your first film on lots of fancy camera supports (stabilizers, jibs, etc.), you DO need to consider a good tripod. And, depending on the camera, you may need at least a basic support rig to make handheld shooting a little more steady. And with DSLR, you'll need to figure out a lens or lenses.
Then, there's the question of sound. If you go with DSLR, you'll be able to learn how to get good images, but sound recording in-camera is not even an option due to the poor quality of DSLR audio circuitry. That means you'll need a separate recorder. If, however, you go with a camcorder like the AC-90 (or even finding a good deal on a used HMC-40 with XLR adapter) you can get decent results in-camera with the right equipment in front of it. And on no camera that you can buy, borrow, or rent will the built-in mic be usable. You'll need a mic (maybe two), boom, shockmount, windscreening, and headphones, plus cables. And whether recording to camera or external recorder, a mixer or external pre-amp is a good idea.
My apologies if you've already considered these other things. I just want to make sure you're looking at the bigger picture, which beginners often overlook.
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^ I'm with this guy.
^ And this is absolutely right. You cannot expect to get anywhere near half decent audio with at least this. Windscreening is a must when filming outside.
Something I see a lot on this forum is that newcomers often leap straight into making something like a "sci-fi action" movie. Which surprises me.
I guess a lot of people are drawn to movie-making by the movies they enjoy watching - which is fine and good. But certain types of film demand far more resources than others.
With action films - and doubly so when you add sci-fi - if you are to avoid looking amateurish and cheap, you're going to need a lot in the way of equipment and resources - sets, costumes, props, and - to get the action thing right - cranes, dollies, tracking, steadicams. That's just for starters. Choosing a camera is the least of your problems.
Okay, yes, you can get away with doing it on a tight budget, but for that you have to replace resources with skills and experience. I'm guessing from the nature of your message that you don't necessarily have an abundance of these.
What I'm getting at is ... are you sure you want to do an action sci-fi movie at a point where you know so little? Why not start with something less ambitious, where it will be easier to achieve a result you can be proud of and that will enhance your reputation with far fewer (and cheaper) resources?
If you're sold on the action sci-fi thing because it's the only thing you're interested in doing (which is fair enough), then I suggest the first line of your budget should read:
* Get a bigger budget...
I guess a lot of people are drawn to movie-making by the movies they enjoy watching - which is fine and good. But certain types of film demand far more resources than others.
With action films - and doubly so when you add sci-fi - if you are to avoid looking amateurish and cheap, you're going to need a lot in the way of equipment and resources - sets, costumes, props, and - to get the action thing right - cranes, dollies, tracking, steadicams. That's just for starters. Choosing a camera is the least of your problems.
Okay, yes, you can get away with doing it on a tight budget, but for that you have to replace resources with skills and experience. I'm guessing from the nature of your message that you don't necessarily have an abundance of these.
What I'm getting at is ... are you sure you want to do an action sci-fi movie at a point where you know so little? Why not start with something less ambitious, where it will be easier to achieve a result you can be proud of and that will enhance your reputation with far fewer (and cheaper) resources?
If you're sold on the action sci-fi thing because it's the only thing you're interested in doing (which is fair enough), then I suggest the first line of your budget should read:
* Get a bigger budget...
My budget is currently tight but actively growing. I don't plan on shooting until mid June so i have time. My most liberal estimate is between 2 and 3k dollars and that will have to be split between cameras, lights, sound, props, with maybe 2 hundred for pop up expenses. I know I'll need lights and mics but I'm honestly pretty ignorant of it all so I'll be up here asking questions for a bit.
@ZolaScope don't worry my film is being written with price in mind. It takes place in a poor sector of the country during a dystopian future. Costumes will be torn clothes and it takes place mostly outside so lots of natural lights.
@ZolaScope don't worry my film is being written with price in mind. It takes place in a poor sector of the country during a dystopian future. Costumes will be torn clothes and it takes place mostly outside so lots of natural lights.
Two or three thousand dollars can be a week, or even a couple days of filming depending on the project. When I read that you need to buy "cameras, lights, sound, props, and other expenses" with this money, I just read "money, money, money, drained." Be very careful with how you work with this budget, and take into account your post production work, which may be considerable, given your genre of choice.
I second the notion of the DSLR, and I'd suggest a Canon T2i or T3i. Personally, I think the T3i is a wonderful start-up DSLR that can really get you going and learning how to use a DSLR. Keep in mind DSLR = interchangeable lenses, so make sure you allocate that money if you need broader or longer lenses. I'd look for a DLSR used or refurbished, I know I have a buddy who just got a T3i refurbished very inexpensively on eBay.
As for mics, look into shotgun or boom mics that don't break the bank, I recommend the Rode VideoMics. Keep in mind you shouldn't funnel that sound into the T3i, or any other camera, even if it does have a mic input. So get an audio recorder the mic can go into. I use a Zoom H1.
As for lights, and I could absolutely stand corrected on this information, but I've had a decent success with halogen work lights to light scenes, and occasionally using some diffusers for them. Obviously, this is a very low budget solution, but, at a budget between two and three thousand, spending five hundred dollars on lights could be detrimental to other aspects.
What I've learned from my no/low budget filmmaking, is make sure all of your gear evens out. Don't blow all your budget on a great camera if you can't get good sound for it. Find a way to get a good camera that you can afford good sound for. And that goes for everything else as well.
Look no further than your local Walmart:
I call 'em chicken lights but they are better known as brooder lights. Those LED lights on the top shelf are rechargeable, but a lot of people don't like LED. I think they are still useful for certain remote situations though.
This is a no to low budget recommendation!
How long do you estimate your principal photography would be?
For $3k, I'd rather find some young up-and-comers with some equipment than try and buy everything myself.
Find an up-and-coming Gaffer with a few lights who will work for $200/day, an up-and-coming DP with a camera who will for for $200/day, and an up-and-coming soundy with gear who will work for $200/day.
Will get you a product infinitely better than if you had tried to purchase everything on your own.
If you shoot around your local area's production downtime, you're more likely to find people who don't have much work on and will therefore take a cut rate.
As always YMMV
For $3k, I'd rather find some young up-and-comers with some equipment than try and buy everything myself.
Find an up-and-coming Gaffer with a few lights who will work for $200/day, an up-and-coming DP with a camera who will for for $200/day, and an up-and-coming soundy with gear who will work for $200/day.
Will get you a product infinitely better than if you had tried to purchase everything on your own.
If you shoot around your local area's production downtime, you're more likely to find people who don't have much work on and will therefore take a cut rate.
As always YMMV
What's wrong with looking amateurish and cheap for your first film? I mean, realistically, unless you've got the budget to hire a professional crew it's likely to be the result anyway - regardless of what genre you're working in. I've seen plenty of amateurish & cheap looking films that consisted of little more than two people talking. The only way you get around that is practice and experience, so you need to look at a first film as the first step in a learning process, not necessarily an end point that should look polished and professional.
It's precisely because you're going to have lots of other problems to deal with anyway, heaping on top all the additional issues you're going to have trying to shoot an action sci-fi movie is likely just to make matters worse and potentially obscure the more valuable lessons. Being more modest in your ambitions to start with let's you focus on the core skills and techniques of film-making.
My guess is that a lot of people who start with something like sci-fi or action - and end up with terrible results - spend a lot of time kidding themselves that everything would have been fine if only they'd had the right VFX, or props or whatever, when in fact the real problems are poor scripts, lousy sound, bad acting, bad directing, poor shot choice & montage etc etc.
The very first thing you should make is TEST your camera/lenses/lighting/focus/make up the list goes on. It is really simple and gives you tremendous freedom and knowledge saving money,time and multiple headaches.
EDIT: When you don't have money or experienced crew and all the cool equipment you have to substitute it with something to achieve Quality.
Time. Following was rehearsed for 6 months before a single roll of film was used. Preprod even for big films takes a year minimum. Transform time into quality
EDIT: When you don't have money or experienced crew and all the cool equipment you have to substitute it with something to achieve Quality.
Time. Following was rehearsed for 6 months before a single roll of film was used. Preprod even for big films takes a year minimum. Transform time into quality
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Not me. I went for a drama for my first. I had a young, excited guy turn up on set one time. My usual cameraman was AWOL and the replacement came in and he was all ideas and tricks and stuff. I was like, 'Hallmark TV movie, dude' that's all I want from you!
My personal opinion is if you have no money and you want to learn the ropes, go for something simple. I made a lot of mistakes with my film and it is taking forever to fix in post. If I had made those same mistakes on a sci-fi or action flick, I am positive it would take even longer to fix.
And on your first feature-length no/lo budget film, you WILL make mistakes.
Young Obie.
Summer is coming on, its 48 hour film project season. My first film project was PRODUCING a 48hfp. I paid the entry fee and arranged meetings. I found an experienced director, actors etc. I learned a ton watching the experienced director and DP at work. Spent a few bucks on the fees and food and got a great education. After that I knew what I wanted in gear and understood what was really required. Still an amateur but learning more every day.
Summer is coming on, its 48 hour film project season. My first film project was PRODUCING a 48hfp. I paid the entry fee and arranged meetings. I found an experienced director, actors etc. I learned a ton watching the experienced director and DP at work. Spent a few bucks on the fees and food and got a great education. After that I knew what I wanted in gear and understood what was really required. Still an amateur but learning more every day.
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