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Getting swallowed up in technology?

A

Absolution_Films

Hi guys,

So I watched "Monsters" last night directed by Gareth Edwards... On the BluRay is a really informative documentary about how Gareth made the film. For those who have not seen it, Gareth basically went out to Mexico with his PMW-EX3 (w/ 35mm Adapter), and a crew of 4 plus 2 actors. In 6 weeks he shot a alien invasion movie and when he got back edited it on Premiere Pro and After Effects. (he had no script by the way)

I myself in the last year have been swallowed up by the promise and excitement of new cameras (2k,4k,8k, 97k) full frame, RED price drops, Sony a99's, Alexa's... the list can go on.

Im sure everyone has done it at one point in their career... "if i just have this piece of equipment/camera... my movie will be so much better" ... will it?

As film makers are we getting lost of the technology and forgetting about our unbridled imagination,desire and enthusiasm to just go and shoot.

I personally own a t3i/600D, I often dream of using an F3, F65 etc but I sometimes question my motives behind that choice... is it my ego talking and telling me if i have the best equipment/latest gear i will suddenly enter a new level of film making?

Im just curious as to peoples thoughts on here?

I would definitely say at the moment I am a beginner film maker although I have worked with famous people, shot short films and worked on features... Now this forum ranges from complete newbies to seasoned pros so it would be great to get views on at what point can technology consume you? do you need certain things? is it you ego wanting to make you believe you are better than you are and desire things you dont need?

Another quick example , I used to use premiere pro and After Effects, I probably used 5% of its capacity in all honesty... then I came across FCX and quickly realised "hey you know what, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles as CS5.5/AE but it actually has and does just what i need for right now."

Hope all that makes sense.... love peoples thoughts
 
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Absolution_Films said:
I myself in the last year have been swallowed up by the promise and excitement of new cameras (2k,4k,8k, 97k) full frame, RED price drops, Sony a99's, Alexa's... the list can go on.

Im sure everyone has done it at one point in their career... "if i just have this piece of equipment/camera... my movie will be so much better" ... will it?
Click to expand...
And as a member of this online community you know that many of us say
over and over that the camera and equipment is ultimately not important
to the end user - the audience. An audience pleasing movie can be made
by a talented person on cheap equipment.

Absolution_Films said:
As film makers are we getting lost of the technology and forgetting about our unbridled imagination,desire and enthusiasm to just go and shoot.
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Since I started with bottom of the line equipment but shot something every
weekend I am one of those voices that deeply believe it's better to shoot a
lot with lesser equipment than wait until one can afford the good stuff.
Especially today. Filmmakers today have much, much better equipment on
their phone than I had in a room full of equipment - including editing. Yet
as you know from reading the boards, when someone asks if their iPhone is
acceptable to shoot something there is about 80/20 percent against doing it.
When people ask about getting a camera under $700 most people suggest
saving more money and getting something better. Don't shoot now - wait
until you have ____________ camera.

I so agree with your statement! Learning how to use our unbridled imagination,
desire and enthusiasm is much more important than having a great camera
with a full selection of lenses. How many short film and trailers have you seen
right here in indietalk that look great because they used a nice DSLR but fall
shout because they didn't have good audio, they didn't light it and they don't
yet fully understand how to direct actors and tell their story visually?

when I see that I always wonder what that person would have done if they
had made five or six films with a cheap, piece-o-crap camera and THEN shot with
a better camera...

Absolution_Films said:
I personally own a t3i/600D, I often dream of using an F3, F65 etc but I sometimes question my motives behind that choice... is it my ego talking and telling me if i have the best equipment/latest gear i will suddenly enter a new level of film making?

Im just curious as to peoples thoughts on here?
Click to expand...
I know that you will enter a new level of filmmaking. It might not be sudden, but
you WILL grow as a filmmaker if you keep making movies. If you learn the really
important, essential aspects with the equipment you have you will be better
equipped as a filmmaker to enter the next level. If you learn the mundane but
essential (scheduling actors and crew, finding locations, running auditions) and the
more exciting (directing actors, motivating crew, telling the story visually) with the
equipment you already have when you have access to the "good" stuff your hard
work will have paid off. If you hold of learning all of that until you have the "good"
equipment you will still be starting at the beginning of the learning curve.

To me, holding off until one has the better equipment is just an excuse to NOT
make a movie. I know way too many people like that. I know this is my own bias
because I just started with whatever I had. My first dozen films were shot with
an old camera I came across one day in the back of a closet when I was a teen.
A bottom of the line, beat up, home movie camera my Dad had stopped using to
shoot home movies. I learned so much by shooting every weekend that it really
bothers me when I run into "filmmakers" who don't make movies because they
don't have the "right" camera.
 
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For the record, I'm just moving into the camera you think isn't quite enough. Doing paid work on it... and looking at it as the image answer I've been longing for while making over a dozen projects and doing commercial work.

Never get hung up in the technology... you'll end up making prequels.
 
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I've been trying to save for a 550D/t2i for over a year and I still don't have the money to buy it.
Meanwhile I could have shot something with my canon powershot but no. I keep thinking "aahhh If I only had a t2i I could make nice shorts"...but it's an illusion, if I could make nice things with the t2i I could also do them with my canon powershot.

Then I think: "I must do something great with my current camera to deserve a better one. I have to deserve it first"

Aaargh!
 
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I completely agree with all your points...

I just really struck me watching the BTS of "Monsters" when Gareth stated he had made films all his life but when he went to film school he hated it because they were so hung up on cameras and technical equipment, he felt that wasn't for him.

I love my t3i and have made a promise to myself to know that camera inside out in 3 months. The image out of that camera people could have only dreamed about 10 years ago.

i just think some of use get consumed by it all sometimes including myself
 
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I figure the knowledge is more important than the gear... and that is generally learned with whatever you can get hold of and just beating the hell out of your finished projects. Lather, rinse, repeat! These techniques are the same on my iPhone as they are on an Arriflex 35mm camera. Story, lighting, blocking, editing.
 
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Absolution_Films said:
Getting swallowed up in technology?
Click to expand...
Absolution_Films said:
... "if i just have this piece of equipment/camera... my movie will be so much better" ... will it?
Click to expand...

IMHO too many folks believe that throwing money at a problem will solve the problem. Unfortunately, self deception seems to reign over honest, brutal, unflinching self criticism. Instead of a new camera perhaps spending more time learning how to light will improve the look of your project. Perhaps better actors. Or set design. Or set dressing. Or real H/MU. Or perhaps (GOD FORBID!!!) a better script. Or all the above.



Or maybe even better sound...



Boy, wasn't that a surprise, especially coming from me!




There are other issues as well. Filmmaking is a team sport, but too many low/no/mini/micro budget filmmakers seem to forget that. The first part of a successful shoot is putting together that team. And it always seems to be the sonic portion of the team which gets overlooked, both production and post.

And if you insist on throwing money at a problem at least toss the money at a person with equipment, knowledge and experience, rather than a device that gives 1080p and depth of field to the 19 year-old terrible actors without any make-up in your parents living room performing an absolutely horrendous script while recording the audio to your iPhone.
 
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4K or GTFO
smiley_colbert.gif


I kid, I kid!! :blush: Make the most of the tools you have.
 
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In the local music scene, it's referred to as Gear Acquisition Syndrome. We've all fallen to it at some point! And, hey, who doesn't like new gear! But when that drive interferes with your actually producing stuff, that's when you have a problem.
 
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You don't need to know the camera inside out... you need to know how to expose (F-Stop, ISO, Shutter) and focus (Twirly bit on the lens)... the rest is composition (not camera dependent), lighting (not camera dependent), and the rest of the art/craft of cinema (not camera dependent).

The camera is such a small part of what we do that it's ridiculous. Especially given how much time is given to this camera or that. None of that matters at all if what you're pointing it at is crap.
 
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JoshL said:
Nice! I am filled with envy! I'm also liking the look of that new Roland module (I love Roland drums). Being low on funds is no fun!
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Yeah, I have an old Fantom and I always liked the sound of V-Drums. The Integra7 sounds like a wicked box.

I'm also low on funds, but I'm trying to follow up my previous tutorial DVD with a new one covering my new beastie. It's a fairly extensive self production, especially the research involved - thousands of pages and many hours of trial and error.

The last one was a 3 camera shoot and ran over 3 hours long:

In keeping with a point I made earlier on this thread, the new project will be shot with my existing gear - cameras from 2006 (HVX200, etc.) and older. :)
 
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directorik said:
And you're going to do that by making at least three short films, right?
How about setting your goal at five in the next three months? It isn't
the camera that makes a great director - it's making movies.
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Great comment!!! I am going to try to apply this somehow in my busy schedule with my point and shoot.... Been shopping for just the right equipment for too long. I will get a second camera, T(2,3,4)i, but mostly for the purpose of multi-camera uses, and to be able to use lenses/set manual selections. I will have to make a commitment and a goal in order to make 3 in the next three, but am willing to go big (small) or go home....:lol:
 
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Absolution_Films said:
I myself in the last year have been swallowed up by the promise and excitement of new cameras (2k,4k,8k, 97k) full frame, RED price drops, Sony a99's, Alexa's... the list can go on
Click to expand...

See, when people get swallowed up like that, they usually come out of the other end with a film looking like, well, poop.

Most people in this thread gave reasonable advice -- gear comes second.
 
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I'm where I am because of my obsession with camera tech, or at least it has a very significant role in how very fast I advanced.

If it motivates you, then how could it be bad? If it holds you back, then yeah there's likely something that needs to be done about that.

The tech was a motivator for me, striving to earn the right to use better tools meant I did more work and learned more about them, and now I pretty much shoot what I want outside of actual Film. It also got me a lot of jobs, educated me on how-why-when-where's of cinematography (still learning) and put me into a position to skip shooting shorts--although I tried doing one but never finished, and went right into a feature film.

Strangely enough, even as I transition into director/writer, I'm noticing that having the knowledge looks pretty good to people that can move you to higher places. I'm just now seeking out representation, and already being able to show a perspective on the technical craft in a conversation with an agent or manager alongside a genuine interest in the narrative earns a different kind of attention I've noticed.

So, well, find your own path really. If it's destructive then again, likely ought to do something about that... yet if it's inspiring you to learn and create then there's nothing bad about it.
 
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icba pictures said:
I am going to try to apply this somehow in my busy schedule with my point and shoot.... Been shopping for just the right equipment for too long. I will get a second camera, T(2,3,4)i, but mostly for the purpose of multi-camera uses, and to be able to use lenses/set manual selections. I will have to make a commitment and a goal in order to make 3 in the next three, but am willing to go big (small) or go home....:lol:
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You should be able to shoot a short film in two days. Editing is on
your own time so if you need to wake up two hours earlier or go
to bed two hours later you can find time. Making a short film takes
commitment and sacrifice. I think that's one of the reasons why
so many people get bogged down in the equipment. Even if you
have the right camera, that doesn't change how busy you are.

Of course having good equipment matters. But making films with
whatever camera you have available will teach you MUCH more
about making movies than a great camera will.

I look forward to seeing your forth film...
 
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directorik said:
Editing is on
your own time so if you need to wake up two hours earlier or go
to bed two hours later you can find time.

I look forward to seeing your forth film...
Click to expand...

I go to bed between 12 and 1am, and get up every morning at 5:30 (daughters med.s) and then again at 6-6:30. That's about max for me... I will exchange some schedules though, for the sake of the fourth movie of course.
I look forward to starting and accomplishing this challenge. Hmmmmm, off to script-land to come up with some projects. Anyone curious to see a parody about Willard Scott and the old timers he interviews? I'm 2 episodes into a 5 episode web series plan...
 
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