Can you recommend a good camera/camcorder and give some advice for film making?

Question

CAMERA/CAMCORDER~

I really want a camera/camcorder to make some short films with, but I am a broke student from the UK. Can you recommend some good ones? I don't mind spending a bit, but what I mean is that I don't want to spend thousands. I need a camera that is easy to use, reliable and not too expensive.

Also, is it better to have a HDD/Flash camcorder to use with Windows Movie Maker or is it better to get one that records straight to DVD/tape?

ADVICE NEEDED~

- Do I need any other equipment in order to make short amateur films?

- Even though it's a cheap, annoying ("Not Responding") program, can good films still be made with Windows Movie Maker?

- Can building up a little portfolio of films help me when I approach people in the media/film industry for work?

Thanks :)

Answer 1

My husband uses Samsung. I think its a M300? Its was not very expensive but the quality is good and its easy to use too. Maybe check the samsung web and see the specs for different models.

Good luck!

Answer 2

OK...you've got a lot of questions so this will be a bit long.

1.  Camcorder:

If you're just starting out just get a basic consumer camera that records onto MiniDV.  This is for several reasons that will be listed later.  The main things you want to look for in a camera is that 1st) is it compatible with your computer?  This means are you able to capture your footage from camera to computer via firewire.  2nd) Does it have a manual focus ring that you can turn yourself?  This is important because various stages of focus can signify many things in your film, thus making it a stronger scene.  Also it enables you to rack focus ( a nice little trick used in most movies).  3rd)  Does it have manual exposure settings and white balance?  This is very important in terms of shadows and exposing for the right thing as well as color temperature.  If you want a silhouette of a guy in a doorway then you're gonna want to expose for the bright light, leaving the guy in shadow.  With auto exposure cameras this is nearly impossible to do ( possible, yes, but you'd need a h**l of a lot of light).  Also it enables you to bring in more grain or less grain into your shot depending on what you need.  The white balance is important because if you begin a scene inside with Tungsten light (3200k) then the camera automatically white balances for tungsten to ensure that the color tones of the people aren't all weird.  However, if you need to have the camera follow that guy out into daylight (5600k) then everything will have a blueish tone to it and that is extremely hard to color correct in post.  

You'll want to get a simple MiniDV camera because the footage is not as compressed as hard drive or DVD cameras.  It also gives you a lot more leeway in post production (editing) because you can save the file type as whatever you want and ensure that it is compatible with your editing program.  Don't buy the hype for supposed HD cameras.  Most are only HDV, a high def codec, not true HD and it is actually more compressed in certain things, for instance, you need more light to ensure a good shot.

I'd suggest you go to www.bhphotovideo.com for cameras, they have PAL version cameras as well.  You can look on ebay but make sure you do your research, there's a lot of scams on e-bay.

2.  Any other Equipment:

OK, here's what I recommend to everyone.  Rent your camera and instead spend money on lights.  Lighting is what enables a film to be made.  If there's no light, there's no picture.  Save a good chunk of money and buy lights.  I'd recommend a small set of probably two 2k fresnels, two 1k fresnels,  two or three650w fresnels or open face lights, a 500w fresnel or open face light, and a 200w-300w fresnel for a kicker.  This is actually more than what you need but it gives you a huge amount of leeway and options with lighting.  Also, you can get a bit of a return back on your investment by renting them out to other budding filmmakers.  Just be smart and ask for a deposit.  Take a look at what other rental houses are asking for a deposit and lower it a bit.  You can get a lot of nice lights on Ebay for pretty cheap.  Search for them under Arri, Mole Richardson, Lowel, Colortran, Disisti, and Fresnel.  This will give you a lot of options on what to buy.

3.  Post Production/ Editing:

You can use Movie Maker, however its extremely limiting.  I've made some decent stuff using it, but I had good footage too.  If you've got good footage, anything is possible.  If you have bad footage, nothing in the world can save you.  

I'd recommend you save about $100 or pounds I guess in the UK, and get Adobe Premiere Elements or Pro.  This is a very reliable editing system and its workflow and set up is more common with Avid (industry standard editing system) and Final Cut Pro (up and coming editing system in the industry).  It's easy enough for a beginner but it enables you to do much much more as your skill level improves.  You grow with it basically and don't need to really upgrade at all.  It also enables you to have multiple audio and video tracks for layering and sound effects.

4.  Portfolio

Of course its excellent to have a portfolio of your past work to show people what you can do.  Its usually what's called a reel.  Its basically clips of your absolute best work that is edited together in a pleasing and relevant way to show people what you can do.  You can compile everything yourself and edit it yourself.  Reels vary in style depending on what they're showing.  An editor's reel is much different from a cinematographer's and that is different from an actor's.  You can just Google, editing reels, director's reels, cinematographers reels, etc. to get more of an idea of how to put one together.

If you'd like more info, don't hesitate to send me an e-mail or an instant message.

Answer 3

What i do to make films is use any old camera. A simple digital one from anyshop will do. Just make sure that you can get it on to the computer to edit. If the camera's a bit shakey and c**p then why don't you just Cloverfield the film you want to make and do it like that. Its effective and different. Hope this helps