camera help please

[Mister Stocks]

Maybe I'm just not normal in my way of thinking but I would MUCH rather own a cheaper camera and learn everything there is to know about it, all of it's tricks and idiosyncrasies, and take my time and practice everything rather than rent a camera and it's operator (whom you may or may not get along with) and then hurry up and try to get a bunch of shots in your budgeted rental time even without knowing how the camera reacts or how the operator sees your shots.

And yes, I've done this.

I wasted time and money trying to get the camera and operator/owner seeing my vision and then we didn't even jive. Shots were poor for one reason or another and had to be redone, etc.

Of course, all the dudes who rent their cameras out will say "renting is best!!".

It might be if you are familiar with a certain camera and lenses and you know your operator so well that you can just rent and go to work and get it done in the time allotted, but that's rarely the case in the real world, especially for a first shoot. However, you might have to bite the bullet and do it once and waste the time and money just to get acquainted with someone and their camera and plan to use them again(granted they work out for you).

Personally though, for a small budget shoot I would take a slightly "lesser" camera and know what I'm getting in the end than hire a good camera and have an unsure result.

Which brings us to needing more information about the OP's needs. When money is on the line I would want to rent/hire, knowing the results I will get instead of charging blindly into it trusting my own skills when I am unsure of which camera to even shoot on.

If $3000 is the entire budget for the entire film I would get a t2i or even a used DVX and hire a sound guy. I have never met an audio guy I didn't immediately like as long as their work is decent. As long as the shot is exposed properly and the sound is good you can surprisingly get away with a lot IQ wise. But if more money than that is on the line I would hire an owner operator, an experienced man on set is invaluable, and get them involved in the pre production if you can. And for low budget I would argue deadlines are crucial, otherwise you will spend so much more money on extended shoots than you would. And remember the six P's (piss poor planning makes for a piss poor production).

Hell, I just returned home from a poorly planned production (with a budget!) and spent two months working on the thing when it was supposed to be two and a half weeks.

 

[Ryan Patrick O'Hara]

Maybe I'm just not normal in my way of thinking but I would MUCH rather own a cheaper camera and learn everything there is to know about it, all of it's tricks and idiosyncrasies, and take my time and practice everything rather than rent a camera and it's operator (whom you may or may not get along with) and then hurry up and try to get a bunch of shots in your budgeted rental time even without knowing how the camera reacts or how the operator sees your shots.

And yes, I've done this.

I wasted time and money trying to get the camera and operator/owner seeing my vision and then we didn't even jive. Shots were poor for one reason or another and had to be redone, etc.

Of course, all the dudes who rent their cameras out will say "renting is best!!".

It might be if you are familiar with a certain camera and lenses and you know your operator so well that you can just rent and go to work and get it done in the time allotted, but that's rarely the case in the real world, especially for a first shoot. However, you might have to bite the bullet and do it once and waste the time and money just to get acquainted with someone and their camera and plan to use them again(granted they work out for you).

Personally though, for a small budget shoot I would take a slightly "lesser" camera and know what I'm getting in the end than hire a good camera and have an unsure result.

Sounds more like a people problem than what is technically best for the production. Hire a good DP and you shouldn't have to worry about the camera department. All you have to do is communicate and work together to create the film. I wouldn't judge or dismiss the advantages of renting because you have had issues finding quality people to collaborate with.

thats crazy, most of the rental houses here want something like 800-1000 a DAY for such packages.

One of the many instances in this industry where knowing the right people is so very important.

 

[Deniz Coker]

Sorry if I come across mean, I don't mean to, but if your goal is to shoot a feature for theaters and you only have 3,000 to burn and are not sure how to spend it, I'd take a good hard look at the project. I don't mean to discourage you, I just want to throw in a few things to consider that might make your project even better in the end. Why does it have to be a feature? Why do you need to buy not rent? If you have some kind of distribution deal lined up and such then I could see your point. But take a good hard look at the situation. If you want actual movie quality, you will have to step up to a proper cam. That comes with a price. At that point ask yourself, how often will you use said cam? Is it enough to justify it? Why not rent? Does it absolutely have to be a feature? And shoot for 15 or more days? There's a limit to 3,000.00 and it'll come very soon. You may find it wiser to perhaps do a shorter piece where that money will take you a lot further and give you the chance to land a good DP who will bring their cam and experience. It's hard to demand a feature project, with feature shooting schedule on a web video budget. See what you have available and make the best of it, don't spread yourself too thin. The question to ask is how will I balance? Quality or quantity? Having both of those costs some serious money. Now, I'm not here to say no, heck you may find someone willing to shoot it on an awesome cam for 3k but you have to take a serious look at the situation. Perhaps if we knew more about your project, I'd be able to give you better ideas, I'm being a little vague because it seems very general. Hope this helps!