Beginner Help! Best Cam for Short Film

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BruceLee

New member
Hey all, I'm an actor that done previous work before and I finally want to start making my own short film that's only about 3 minutes long. It's just a short I want to put on Youtube so the equipment I need would not be too advance.

However, I have little to no knowledge when it comes to camera equipment.

My question is what is the affordable best camera to get to shoot a short film to get the quality of 1080p HD?

If you guys can provide a model name of the camera that would be great!

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance! :cheesy:
 
Are you going to shoot it yourself (operate the camera) or be an actor? If you aren't shooting it I'd save my money and just find a director of photography who already has a camera and you can use that money to feed the crew pizza.
 
I will be the actor in it. My friend who is a current film student with experience will shoot it for me. It's very simple shots, but I do want to put out a quality product you know. And his camera can't shoot HD.
 
My friend who is a current film student with experience will shoot it for me
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Curious as to why your friend doesn't have access to a cam or point you in the right direction.

It depends on what your shooting situations entail, and budget. If there's lots of low light scenes, I would go dslr (gh2, canon 5d, t2i,) just to name a few. But if your going to be shooting mostly outdoors, I would look at an older hdv cam like the xha1, or an hvx200a, that way, you dont have to buy lenses, audio recorder, nd filters, viewfinder, camera rig.

once we have a budget, and an idea to what your going to shoot, we can give better answers.
 
Thanks for the reply. appreciate it.

Im willing to spend around $600 on the camera. The scenes are in low light source so that answer was great. it's like a 10 second night time scene in exterior than transitioning to interior with low lighting.

it's not a complicated shoot. I just need a few close up of the character's face and eyes, medium shots. The majority of the film is relies more on the editing since it is a montage film. Hope this gives you a better idea of what I need.
 
BruceLee said:
Thanks for the reply. appreciate it.

Im willing to spend around $600 on the camera. The scenes are in low light source so that answer was great. it's like a 10 second night time scene in exterior than transitioning to interior with low lighting.

it's not a complicated shoot. I just need a few close up of the character's face and eyes, medium shots. The majority of the film is relies more on the editing since it is a montage film. Hope this gives you a better idea of what I need.
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I reckon the Canon T2i is your best bang for buck option if you want to purchase, but have you considered renting?

The $600 you want to spend on a camera; is that your entire budget for your short film? If it is then it would make more sense to hire a camera and budget the rest of your cash on other aspect of your production. Filmmaking is a lot less about the camera and more about the the script, the shots, the characters, the narrative and general cinematography. Doesn't your film student friend have access to a decent camera? It seems you have your heart set on purchasing a HD camera but unless you plan on producing more short films in the future, it might be better to hire for now and learn your trade.
 
Sorry to add in, that was my budget for the camera only. In terms of editing, script, etc etc. I have all those covered. And yes i do plan on making more films later on which is why I am considering a good quality camera now and also it'll be away to explore creatively with a camera.

This may be a stupid question and keeping in mind I am only an actor and have no experience with camera works, but does all DSLR cameras are capable of shooting 1080p HD videos?
 
maranfilms said:
an hvx200a, that way, you dont have to buy lenses, audio recorder, nd filters, viewfinder, camera rig.
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Absolutely, the HVX200a is pretty wicked for outdoor filming, and doing timelapse work. You could get the model down, HVX200 which only shoots in 720p and have stellar YouTube footage. Make sure you get an 82mm UV filter as well. I'm pretty sure you can rent an HVX camera kit at random places that rent A/V equipment.

In addition, you can usually pay a $30 - $50 membership fee to your local PBS affiliate and then have access to their usually older but still high quality equipment and an outlet of cable access viewers for your work. They might even know someone who may have the same film interests as you and get you hooked up with the right people.

You have the right idea though, and you are seeking out the ways to accomplish what you are going for. Just remember that when there is some technical detail that seems impossible that there is another guy in the film industry who probably knows the answer and wants to work with you. Pay the them and feed them and the experts are usually ready to contribute time to your project.
 
my recommendation... get a t2i used with the kit lens ( it's terrible but maybe you can upgrade in the future) and a canon 50mm f 1.8. If you still have money left I would really recommend you getting a zoom h1 which is about $100 to get better sound than in camera.

However, remember that there is also a learning curve to DSLR. You need to know that if you are serious about this, then it's gonna cost a lot of money. Have you try posting on craiglist to see if someone can help you out? it's weird how your friend in film school don't have access to good film equipment.
 
also look for a canon hv30, their a great cam to start on and cheap. use the money saved to buy a few lights, your gonna need lighting regardless. It has mic input, headphones, hdmi, shoots 24p with a cine gamma setting. It really is a good cheap camera to learn on. There's thousands of videos done with that cam, as well as a bunch of features people have shot with that cam. Also remember avchd needs a good pc to handle the files.
 
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