Do film students really need their own cameras?

waltind said:
The camera doesn't have to be great. It just has to work. I was in a photography class and some poor bastard (Literally) built himself a pin hole camera. And he came out with some great pictures.
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Just like I said - pin-hole video camera is all you need!

Really, Tina, rough as the bunch may be, it sounds like their posts were exactly what you need! A number of statements from people, some in film school, some from film school, most working in film/video somehow, incredulous at the concept of film school without a camera. Erase everything I wrote, print out the thread, and you have your written justification, no?
 
Tina - Just be proud your thread got over 40 posts in one day. That's really good! (Especially for a newbie.) You created a topic that sparked some passionate responses. Now, if you can create a film that has this kind of turn-out, you'll have a blockbuster!

:)

My advice to you is, if you have never shot a video in your life and know very little about filmmaking, then DON'T get a DVX100. Sorry, but the DVX is overkill for a newbie. You should just buy a camcorder, shoot a short script you wrote, and edit the footage to create a story. If you enjoyed yourself and, if you do this a few more times and get better, then "consider" getting a used DVX. If you have experience in video/film productions then, by all means, try to get the funds to buy a "used" camera ($2,000).

Do you have $300 to buy a miniDv camera and tripod? Without being too personal, how does your disability effect you as a filmmaker?

pk
 
Good advice PIK. A DVX100 is overkill.

It's not that I don't expect mods not to have opinions; I expect that they will set an example for others and not jump on new posters and make assumptions about them that are unfriendly. Or perhaps I just 'read' John that way -- maybe he likes to joke, and what he said was partly a joke. But I was a bit taken aback by it.
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Don't look for me to set examples. I try and be as honest and blunt as I can. I never sugarcoat anything; I will give you the straigh dope. I beleive this might be a combination of:

You not feeling to well
Taking it too personally and reading me wrong
Me not having a little 'Grace' for a new poster (sorry)

I do like to joke; more than I should, MOD or NOT. Don't be taken back by anything I say. IN the future, if you have any questin of what I mean or how I mean it? Just ask. 98.9% of the time I'm gonna be like "Chill out... I'm just playing..."

Anyway; welcome to the board! You'll love it here if you love film. Its the best indiefilm board on the net. We have complete hacks (me) and working professionals in this village.

Sorry again for any abrasion
 
John_Hudson said:
Good advice PIK. A DVX100 is overkill.



Don't look for me to set examples. I try and be as honest and blunt as I can. I never sugarcoat anything; I will give you the straigh dope. I beleive this might be a combination of:

You not feeling to well
Taking it too personally and reading me wrong
Me not having a little 'Grace' for a new poster (sorry)

I do like to joke; more than I should, MOD or NOT. Don't be taken back by anything I say. IN the future, if you have any questin of what I mean or how I mean it? Just ask. 98.9% of the time I'm gonna be like "Chill out... I'm just playing..."

Anyway; welcome to the board! You'll love it here if you love film. Its the best indiefilm board on the net. We have complete hacks (me) and working professionals in this village.

Sorry again for any abrasion
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"Enough with the sensitivity act pleeaaassse. What the hell is going on around here?":kiss:
John_Hudson


.
 
Actually, I disagree PK. I never even saw a prosumer camera in real life until the day I bought an XL1, which I owned very shortly before selling it and buying an XL2. All you have to do is have the ambition to read as much as you can on the camera you buy and spend a hell of a lot of time test shooting, figuring out what every feature on the camera does, and messing around in the video editor. Plunging right in and figuring things out for yourself can be a blast, that is if you have patience and the desire to figure things out on your own and not have to be taught every damn thing. I personally love figuring things out on my own and learning by my own mistakes rather than being taught first hand. That way you can develop a greater knowledge, because by your mistakes you learn even more.

Sorry this is a tangent, but seriously, in filmmaking especially, it's best to learn not to do first in my opinion. That way you learn what you can do and what can be done and how to do it without falling into holes. I know a lot of filmmakers with big dreams, but because they don't think realistically, they fall into these holes because they don't want to learn what not to do. Just cover all your bases and know what you're getting into. Having a working knowledge of cameras will be a great asset on the set. I reccommend you put a lot of time aside to learn as much as you can about the DVX or any prosumer camera you can, or else you might fall into one of these holes. It will also put you way ahead of the rest of the class in terms of quality and workflow you'll have gained by out of class experience.

But what do I know...
 
I'm guessing pookie that you've probably made a few films so far... So, when you watch your films, do you sit back and say, "this is perfect"? Or, do you look at it and say, "what can I do better?" or "how could I shoot this better?" If you are asking those questions, you are probably thinking how to do it better next time and how not to make the same mistakes again to better get your vision across. Every filmmaker must learn by their own mistakes to better themsleves and shape their creativitiy, in my opinion. The best lessons I've ever learned in life are by mistakes.
 
" in filmmaking especially, it's best to learn not to do first in my opinion".

If you want to learn filmmaking, don't touch a camera, take a class. LOL
 
You learn by doing. And by doing, you learn what not to do. And by learning what not to do, you can keep from falling into traps and holes. You also learn what to do and how to think realistically of what can and can't be done, and how to manifest your dreams into reality.

I've never taken a class in film, and a lot of guys on this board haven't either. Many of the most successful and best filmmakers never stepped foot in a film class. You don't need a film class to teach you how to use a camera, shoot a movie, block scenes, light, edit, etc.. etc.. You can teach yourself all these things by doing your own films or by gaining experience while working on other people's films. I am going to film school (not for awhile yet), but I don't want to wait for the professors to tell me how to make a film before I actually start doing it. I'm out there now, making my own films with my own aquired knowledge. I might not know much, but by teaching myself I have learned a hell of a lot that I might not have been able to acquire in even film school.

And please, don't get into the semantics of how you can make a "film" on a video camera. You all know what I mean.
 
Thank you, John. And thank you all for your perspectives -- you're right, ullanta, I've gotten a lot of great information. Thanks, all. :)
 
Wow, I step away to work on the house (Pulled up carpet in three rooms ant this is still going on ....

deadhorse.jpg


:evil:
 
I've worked as a film assisstant at a local college for 4 years and I've notice that students who own their own cameras usually have an advantage over students who don't. Another words, their projects are usually better looking. But it all depends on the person. I suck with a camera, I can't edit, shoot, direct, slate, cook, find a midget who cares for lonely asian guys. Damn, I need some sleep! :)
 
BLUESPIDER said:
I've worked as a film assisstant at a local college for 4 years and I've notice that students who own their own cameras usually have an advantage over students who don't. Another words, their projects are usually better looking. But it all depends on the person.
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Which coincides with my post. I didn't have my own camera when I was in my university's experimental digital cinema class, and I couldn't do the stuff I needed/wanted because there were too few cameras to go around.

Theoretically, I could take that class over again and do another film for no grade, but I've wasted too much time here already.
 
Tina C's probably decided already but...

Film school - My experience. Mostly full of wankers. In the beginning the people
who had their own cameras or the technical geeks did great. Those who came from other disciplines/couldn't afford a camera/ other reasons were at a disadvantage. But as the terms progressed those with something to say or could tell a story, and had real talent surpassed all those "been making movies since I was 8" folks.

You see, being able to transfer life experience into a visual medium (beyond the cliche' copying) trumps the details every time ( not to say the details aren't of secondary importance).

So my advice is to put more energy into using the schools facilities - that's if you can't afford a similar level quality camera. Just be more focused and persistent than anyone else. Treat the media manager (the guy that doles out the equipment) like your new best friend.

PS - Don't take anyones judgement of your whether you are a "filmmaker". Chris Doyle didn't pick up a camera until he was 34. Today he is arguably one of the best cinematographers in the world. He also didn't go to film school. What makes you a filmmaker is your own passion (with or without a camera) and God given talent.

Good Luck:)
 
Tina, may be late in the day to ask, but what do you plan to specialise in? Directing? Camera? Writing? Editing?

If it is directing or camera, I would buy a camera so that you can experiment in your own time. If you can't afford $1000's, get something cheaper/2nd hand.

If you want to edit, buy an edit suite... you can get a 2nd hand one for nothing nowdays.

I understand Pookie and John etc who can't understand not owning a camera but it isn't your fault that you can't afford one by the sounds of it, so you don't deserve a hard time. Had you wasted money on drugs like a load of people I was at film school with and then complained that they couldn't afford a camera...well tough!

I saved my every penny to buy a Sony video8 on my 13th birthday. The experience I had when I started film school definitely gave me a huge advantage, along with a few others. In my experience, the same people also came out on top at the end of the course though.
 
D_and_G said:
Chris Doyle didn't pick up a camera until he was 34. Today he is arguably one of the best cinematographers in the world. He also didn't go to film school.
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I love that

I am not familair with all of his work but from what I have seen I totally dig

What makes you a filmmaker is your own passion (with or without a camera) and God given talent.
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In the end it is God Given indeed; some people have it and some don't and it's painfully obvious
 
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