Need some camera help...

[maxxfilmage]

Hey guys, I'm a senior in high school now and have been fascinated with filmmaking for a while now, helping my friends in our school's film class and making a few shorts myself, but I'd like to step up my work.

I used to skate a lot, and got a Sony vx2100 to film with my friends, and was using it to make my shorts. I have almost finished my script for a film i want to make to enter in a festival, but was wondering if anyone could suggest a camera that'd give me a more professional, film quality picture that doesnt cost a fortune.

Thanks guys!

 

[Bob Kessler]

Simple things like lighting technique and properly prepping your set will go long way towards giving you a more "professional" look. Also, pay a lot of attention to capturing solid production sound, which will greatly improve the quality of your projects as well.

 

[ralck]

I agree with UncleBob. I think it was David Lynch who said "Films are 50% visual and 50% sound."
A good sound setup will go along way in any video you produce (even Youtube videos )

Everything else UncleBob said I also agree with. Lighting is another way to easily make your film look more "Hollywood." If you haven't done much with lighting in the past, do a google search. There are tons of of online resources to explain how to light with a key light (light on your subject), fill light (light that fills in harsh shadows that the key light misses and/or creates), and back light (light to help light up the background and fill in any extra dark places in the frame).

Another thing I don't think UncleBob mentioned was depth of field. It's what's in focus in the frame. Most DV cameras have a very wide DoF meaning most of the frame is in focus. A lot of Hollywood films have a small DoF so that the actors are in focus, but the background isn't. If you wanted to achieve this, you can buy a 35mm adapter or build your own.

Of course, I think UncleBob gave you the best advice of all. He said that prep will go a lot farther than you think. Some of the other things, like 3-point lighting and shallow DoF don't have to be used (Orsen Welles is common for having a very wide DoF). In essence, the more you plan, the better your project will turn out- no matter what style or look you are going for.

I hope this helps, and good luck! Come back and share your videos with us.

 

[maxxfilmage]

thanks!

thanks!

Thanks so much for the advice guys! I've been saving up for a 35mm adapter, and I'll definitely practice my scene prep and use of lighting. Your advice really helped me, thanks again.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Your current camcorder should give you good footage.
As has been mentioned, sound, setup and such can make a world of difference.

I use a pair of mid 90's Sony CCD-V5000 Hi8 camcorders, which in there hayday were used by some networks for field work and will still do great work.

The amount of work you put into such things as lighting and sound will make all the difference in the world.

Even with the best equipment that $$$$ can buy, a poor setup or poor location will result in less than optimal results.

I have done work with 16MM back in its day and the rules still apply.
Lighting, lighting, lighting, location and sound.

The piece of glass on the front end of the camera can make or break your best efforts too.

Dont skimp on the lens as it is the last thing between your subject and the film or in the case of the new equipment the CCD.

The magic that the computer and related editing software can render is awesome to say the least but its still the same old rules, Garbage in, garbage out.

You can only do so much with the tools to improve the end result.


Best of luck.

Snowy