Ok like a thousand questions about shooting an independent film, both equipment and techniques?

Question

ok ..

1. i know that major film industries use 35mm film cameras but is minidv just as good,because i know when i watch movies and home videos theres a quality dif

2. also ive heard that hdd camcorders suck compared to minidv, is this true?

3.can regular minidv tapes capture high definition recording on an hd camcorder or do you need special hd minidv tapes?

4.whats the difference b/w hdv and avchd?

5.do you need a capture card to transfer the files from minidv to computer or do most come with a usb/firewire cable to transport them?

6. whats a good video editing program thats user friendly to those with limited/no experience?

7. If I want to record in hd 1080p burn an hddvd, and then downgrade the quality to dvd 640x whatever.. will i be able to? and how?

8. any recommendations? any input is appreciated. im on a 2000.00 or lower budget for the camera.

if you also know a few good sites or any bands that would allow me to use copyright free music for my film please let me know

Answer 1

I'll provide what I know...

1) There is a HUGE difference between miniDV tape and capturing to film-convert to digital for editing-reconvert to film... progressive film frames at 24 FPS is very different from 60 interlaced or 30 FPS of most camcorders. REAL movie cameras don't do audio, and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars...

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/cat-broadca...

Since the movie folks are in the business of making money, if miniDV camcorders did what they wanted, there would be no need to spend what they spend on cameras.

2) HDD camcorders don't "suck". Is their video quality not as good as miniDV tape? Yes, when those internal HDDs apply a lot of compression in MPEG2 or AVCHD files, video quality will suffer. Video compression = discarded video information = reduced video quality. BUT, there are HDD that can connect to some camcorders - like those from FireStore - that save video in DV or HDV format... so there is an example where HDD video does not suck.

3) Yes, regular miniDV tapes can capture high defniton video. You do not need the special HD tapes. Do not re-use tapes and you will have high -quality video and no drop outs. I have been using Sony Premium tapes for several years with my Sony HDR-HC1.

4) HDV is a storage/compression method used to store high-definition video that happens to be used by high definition miniDV-tape based camcorders (and the FireStore external hard drives. AVCHD is a compression method for high definition video that compresses a LOT as compared to HDV. AVCHD is commonly used on high definition camcorders that use hard drive, flash memory or DVD storage media. Compressing this much as the first step - in the currentl AVCHD implementations - is a bad idea. That means all that data that was lost in compression is gone forever. HDV does not suffer from this amount of lost data.

5) To transfer miniDV tape video from the camcorder's DV port (not USB) to the computer's Forewire 400 port (install one if your computer does not have one) requires a firewire (i.Link. IEEE1394a - all the same thing) cable. This cable is typically not included in the box. They are cheap.

http://shop1.frys.com/product/4338375?si...

Though, I use Belkin or Monster and they are a few more $ - but this is not a $ item to even worry about.

6) I learned on iMovieHD (Macintosh). I use it and FinalCut. I understand Sony Vegas and Adobe Premiere are good Windows-based video editors. MovieMaker is bundled with Windows, but I don't think it can handle HDV. I know for sure it cannot handle AVCHD. Not all video editors that claim AVCHD cmpatability can handle AVCHD from all camcorders that store to AVCHD format...

7) Yes... For hi def DVD recordings to disc, I suggest a burner from LaCie

http://www.lacie.com/us/products/range.h...

When you finish editing, the next step is to burn a DVD. If your DVD authoring application knows that the computer's DVD burner is "normal" DVD only, it will downsample to standard definition (480p) for you. You don't need to do anything special or fancy.

8) Camcorder pricing is strange - and you will want more than the camcorder... Canon HV20, HV30, Sony HDR-HC7, HC9. The next bump takes you to the Sony HVR-A1U, HDR-FX7, FX1, HVR-V1U and Z1U... and the Canon XHA1... and Panasonic HVX200. You will wan a shotgun mic, shock mount, boom-pole, a wireless lavalier or two and maybe a stereo mic. If the camcorder comes with only a 1/8" mic in jack, you will want an XLR adapter (juicedLink or BeachTek). A good tripod. A Tele lens. A wide angle lens. A rechargeable high capacity battery or two... there's lots more, but this should get you started.

Sabra SMM-1

Sennheiser, Audio Technica, Shure

Bogen

A sturdy case (I use Pelican cases) to protect your investment.

Check out www.incompetech.com for royalty-free music (but follow his rules for listing credit).

PLAN EVERYTHING. Story board the scenes and stick to your plan. The better your planning and project management are, the more fun you will have shooting and the more fun it will be to the talent and staff.

Wardrobe... makeup... lighting, electrical... audio... sound design... stunts... and above all - SAFETY FIRST. Insure the project. If someone gets hurt, YOUR assets are on the line.