Book & Starter Equipment Recs

dr_stupid

dr_stupid

Active member
I am a novice who has self taught a little bit of NLE with Premiere and managed to put together some decent little projects with a crappy camera and essentially no knowledge about filming, light, sound, etc. I LOVE doing this, and I really want to learn some better filming skills and advance to the next level.

I'm going to have an opportunity to produce a public relations video for the hospital I currently work for -- it's my first big chance at a legitimate production. I'm using the available budget to buy my first real camera -- the DVX. Before I go launching into this project with no idea what I'm doing, I'd like to spend the next few months learning how to actually use the camera effectively and use more professional shooting/lighting/sound techniques. Books I'm buying so far (gleaned mostly from recs on other threads on this site) include:

- The DVX Book (Barry Green)
- Producing Great Sound for Digital Video (Jay Rose)
- The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques (Joseph Mascelli)
- Lighting for Digital Video & Television (John Jackman)

Is there anything else I really need to get a good technical background to get me started?

Also, in terms of equipment -- most of my budget is going to the camera. I will probably have a maximum of another $1000 to spend on other equipment (if that). I will be shooting half indoors and half outdoors in a city. Most of the video will have music/voice-over, but there will be some live audio (conversation or interviews) generally shot indoors and at close range. Toward that end, things I would _like_ to buy are:

- AT 897 microphone (or possibly the Sennheiser ME-66)
- A decent shock mount and maybe a wind screen; I was planning to go without a boom for now and just mount on the camera
- A tripod (I've read a lot of recs here for the Bogen 503 head, but don't know if I can afford it...)
- Misc. stuff, e.g. cables, DV tapes, a better battery, headphones, and maybe a simple UV filter

Does this make sense for a really elementary starter package? Could I actually get all of this stuff for under a thousand? If not, what should I sacrifice first? I'm sure this is not an ideal situation for a truly professional project, but I can only do what I can do, you know? Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
Dr_stupid.... For silky smooth pans and tilts you need to spend the money on the Bogen 503 at a minimum. It will be the best money spent. (except maybe the $$ on Barry's book)
And don't forget that 72mm UV filter to protect the front element....
 
you can also consider renting equipment if your budget does not permit purchase.

and in addition to your very thorough research & prep work, a professional day hire is worth considering to eliminate a few variables and increase your on-screen production value on the first time out. i think the chance to work with a strong cameraman would teach you a lot towards project #2.

sounds like a great opportunity. good luck.
 
Always have a lav mic in your bag. Even a $20 wired lav mic can save your butt in a lot of situations. Wireless is nicer though.
 
Hey -- thanks for your thoughts!

Here's another question: I think I will be doing a significant amount of shooting walking with or holding the camera, and also some set shots that would be more appropriate for a tripod (e.g. interviews). I don't think I can afford both a nice shoulder rig and a nice tripod. Should I a) go with the shoulder rig, and, for example, film my interview shots by standing there and holding the cam, or b) should I really be trying to shoot as much as possible from a tripod -- in other words maybe the stuff where I envision walking with the cam should really be re-thought and done from a tripod wherever possible? I guess maybe I will answer my own question as I learn more about cinematography...

Also, if I can only go with one good mic and I'm choosing between a shotgun and wired lavalier, which is likely to be more useful for a broader range of applications? For this job, the major dialogue will be interviews and ad-libbed conversations, suggesting a lavalier system, but it seems like a shotgun would be a better long-term investment with more overall uses...

JY_Blue -- renting is also a good suggestion, and it would be nice to learn *on the job* from a professional. One of my problems, however, is that I will be forced to shoot in small bits here and there, stretched out over a long period of time. Renting multiple times seems less economical than buying and owning something, even if it's not the best quality...
 
I don't know which NLE you will ultimately settle with, but you may want to try Vegas (there is a trial download available on the Sony site). I have been using it for several months, after graduating from Pinnacle Studio, and never looked back. I also highly recommend Gary Kleiner's "The Vegas 5 Companion" dvd set. I just purchased it, and have learned an immemse amount more about how to efficiently use Vegas 5. Good luck!
 
Some people will disagree with me, but here is my take. When I bought my consumer-cam, B&H hooked me up with a reasonable fluid-head tripod complete with a carry case for about $80. It is NOT as good as a $300 (or more) tripod, but it does the job for me in lots of situations, and is light enough to sling on my back all day. I have to add weight to get it more stable sometimes, and if I extend the center column it better not be windy. I get decent pans, but not good enough if I was shooting a movie for large screen projection in HD. If I had just gone out and spent $80, I know I would have ended up with crap, but B&H advice was invaluable. I also bought 3 cheap ($10 each) wired lavs, and I doubt any non-pro knows the difference for what I am using them for.

Any tripod is better than no tripod. Fluid head giis a minimum standard for video, IMHO. A pro one will give you pro pans.

Any lav mic is better than the in-camera mic, and in some situations a $10 lav will work better than a $600 shotgun. A $300 lav is better than a $10 one, but the quality difference between none and $10 is greater than the difference between $10 and $300. OTOH, I would not try to save too much money on a wireless system, too many opportunities for failure, interference, etc. But to answer your question, a shotgun has more uses generally than a wired lav. Again it depends what you are doing. I would spend more money on the shotgun, and have some cheap lavs around.

Same with lights. It is nice to have the $3000 kit, but at some point light is light, and some is better than none.

Buy quality where you can. But when you have made your choices, leave a few dollars for some "get by" equipment that you know you will replace when you can. You don't need the best of everything, just some things. And most equipment is 3 days away by UPS ground, so don't buy anything until you know exactly what you will be doing with it and when (Especially the shoulder rig!!) . Everybody needs a tripod though. Buy used when you can. When you are spending "throw away dollars" (to me a $20 lav is a throw away), don't sweat it too much. But if $300 is a big expense, don't spend $300 when $400 gets you the tool you really want and need. Buy the right one the first time in that case. Does that make sense?

As far as tripod vs walking, it depends what you are trying to achieve.
 
I think if you were to choose one mic, given your circumstances, you should go with the AT897. That said, any mic mounted on a camera is going to be a pain in the ass. Not just because of camera noise, but because the angle of attack between mic and actor is constantly changing, and that makes a difference. But, if you get the 897, you can always add some type of boom device later, whether store bought or homemade. Also from my experience so far, the AT897 seems to be the most forgiving in a camera mounted situation and, I think, that was one of the design considerations.

I email you back regarding your other question.

Matt
 
First of all, I heartily agree with the choice of "The Five C's of Cinematography" - it's the best book on the subject I've ever found.

Secondly, if you can't afford the Bogen (AKA Manfrotto) 503 head, consider the 501. It's almost the same, just lacking the counterbalance spring. It doesn't make much of a difference, unless you are often tilting the camera a long ways up or down.

I've used the 503, but own the 501, and have no regrets at all.
 
you've picked great books. I'd also recommend to keep reading on this bulletin board.

a few suggestions:
--The more you can do on sticks for this project, the more professional feel it is going to have.
--You could buy a shotgun mic and mount it just out of frame for sit down interviews. That will be a more versitle solution than a wireless lav.
--You may want to consider a used camera to have more $$ left for mics and tripod.
--If budget doesn't permit lights, a $100 reflector kit would come in handy. also if you could schedule as many interviews as possible on 1-2 days, a light kit rental may be possible (realize this may not be possible to schedule, but something to aim for). You'll need some sort of professional looking solution on lights, as you just can't interview hospital administrators with worklights.
- a couple other essential items for a starter kit. these are mostly post items.
1. a camera bag ($100)
2. a cheap camera/deck to digitize material ($300 minimum)
3. a firewire external hard drive 200-300 gb ($250-300)
4. at least 1gb ram for your computer
5. decent computer speakers
 
Thanks! One question:

>> a cheap camera/deck to digitize material ($300 minimum)

Can I not import directly from the DVX? Is there a reason not to, e.g. "wear and tear"?

Also, for lighting, how about a low-cost camera-mounted light? Useless?
 
the heads are delicate and importing directly from the dvx will greatly reduce the value of the camera and increase your need for potential repairs (e.g. wear & tear). the theory is burn through cheap camera heads rather than your nice camera. there are lots of suggestions and threads you can find on this with a simple search. one good idea is to get a cheap panasonic camera as that will provide you with an extra battery and charger.

low cost camerra mounted light can be useful in certain situations, but not for a sit down interview. not useless, but probably not very useful.
 
i bet after reading the Jackman book, you'll come up with some solutions tailored to your project and have some specific questions that will help make your project shine.
 
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