Do I need any more gear to make a GOOD feature film?

I

ironpony

Carbonite Member
I am producing and directing my own, and have a couple of horror thriller scripts to choose from so far. And will look at more later. Something that will fit my budget best. I want to do a feature that is worthy of distribution around 90-110 minutes, and am starting to build a crew, that is actually up to the task I think. The DP is always producing pretty good work on other projects. He doesn't have a lot of support gear though, because most indie projects who want him only want to do tripod and hand held only. So for my budget I would like some more gear to make a more professional impression and make something feature length, that is distribute-able.

Here's what I was thinking for support gear. A tripod, fluid head, steadicam, and slider. Any types of shots that would require other gear, I'll just work around with what I have, and not come up with shots, that would necessitate other types. Does this sound good for a horror thriller, or will I NEED more gear, to sell myself in the final product? Thanks.
 
A good tripod and fluid head are a basic must-have... but I think you need to select a script, storyboard it, and figure out which types of camera shots and movements you need first. Don't put the cart before the horse.
 
Agreed. Plus, technically, you don't need any gear to make a feature film. You just need to know someone who has it and is willing to rent it or loan it to you. So don't sweat gear until you've gone through and storyboarded your script and discussed it with the DP and figured out what shots may actually need what type of equipment. Then figure out if you can borrow or rent it, before committing to buying it.
 
I have some halogen lights, and flourescents, but my DP already has the lights covered. He does a lot of photography work and has that stuff. The script I want to do most, that I could get my hands on so far, can be done with all that gear. There a few shots that I thought of where a jib would come in handy, but it's just a few and a steadicam can replace the jib as long as I don't storyboard it to go too far. I already storyboarded half the script to see what I would need so far, and a those support systems should cover it. There are some shots I might substitute something, like but the fluid head on a the mic boom, and use that as a monopod, for doing one shot I thought of. Bottom line, is in this micro-budget world, I will have to circumvent some gear, but only for a few shots at best. For this particular horror script, those gears will be enough, plus a few circumvented shots.
 
If your goal is to produce a film you should not be buying any gear. If you find something you need it goes on the list of rental possibilities. In the case of Steadicam you hire a Steadicam operator. The audio will be provided by the sound recordist. Check with rental houses to see what your options are for inventory and pricing. You will never be able to buy all of the tools needed to produce a good feature worthy of distribution properly, which is part of why film is a collaborative medium. Unless your goal is to go cheap and do it all, in which case you're better off not even worrying about more expensive stabilizers or anything is. Finding people who know what they're doing and renting the equipment needed is the only cost effective way to go.
 
Yep for sure, but I am planning on emergency back up options. My last short film, I had a steadicam operator ready to go, but he backed up, a couple of weeks before shooting, so I had to make a DIY one and learn it myself for example. The DIY does not hold up as well though. The rental store is also not that reliable where I live. I have made about three attempts to rent and everything was taken all the time. Plus even if it was not taken, I still had to give them at least 50 days notice, and a very low budget, sometimes I don't have that kind of notice myself.

I am budgeting back up plans as well, just in case. But the initial plan would be to hire an operator. After him though, their don't seem to be any operators around where I live, so I would have to either get one to come in, and pay his motel bills or something, which can get expensive. Or hire someone hear, to learn a steadicam which I will supply. I have to plan out the gear in case I end up having to get it myself.

I know that I am suppose to plan the camera movement before knowing which equipment I will need. But everytime I tried storyboarding the movement, the budget went way up in gear I would need. By planning on gear beforehand, I can storyboard specifically to that gear only, and won't have to keep constantly re-storyboarding over and over, till I nail it down to affordable gear. This way, planning on it ahead of time, I know what I can afford to storyboard for.
 
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even if it was not taken, I still had to give them at least 50 days notice
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wha? thats insane. in nearly two decades in the business ive NEVER heard of anything like that. if a place has something in and not scheduled to go out, why wouldnt they rent it to you? thats just retarded.

somebody is either misinformed, you misunderstood them or they're just feeding you some ridiculous line because they dont want to rent to you.

But everytime I tried storyboarding the movement, the budget went way up in gear I would need.
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this doesnt make any sense. there are only so many reasonable (when i say "reasonable" i mean for people who dont have avatar or lord of the rings budgets) ways a camera can be moved and you either have access to the required gear or you dont.

if you dont own, know someone who owns or have rental budget for a steadicam - dont write a shot that requires one.

i guess if you were a paid writer or if you had an organization shopping your script to major production companies, you could just write whatever you wanted and let them figure out how to deal with it. but as an independent producer, you know what gear you have and probably know your ballpark budget. so dont write james cameron level visuals into your script ; )
 
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I'm a bit worried that your creative team are a little er, green? If you are the producer and director, then surely the point of engaging a DoP rather than a cameraman is that you want their creative skills to tell you what is needed, what needs to happens and take this off your shoulders? Are you sure that you're not getting carried away with titles and the spirit of making the movie rather than concentrating on the movie itself? Cart before the horse was mentioned - and almost everything you say convinces me it's an accident waiting to happen. You have covered lighting because the DoP has some. How will he determine what is needed until you decide on the stortyboard? It's crazy and totally the wrong way around. You have the creative ideas, you draw the storyboard to show everyone what your vision looks like. They then find all the technical problems, and if they cannot get you to rethink, then they MUST go with your plan. Plan the shoot, then shoot the plan!

The entire point of the storyboard is to show how it's going to look. Of course it generates budget items - that's one of it's functions - to prepare you for the request for X amount to light your 'essential' scene.

As for the rental house, people walk in and walk out with gear all the time, often with no notice at all - that is what they do. The Director has a great idea, they go off and get the kit. The fact you fell for the 50 day rubbish again reinforces the fact you're being fed misinformation.

Very few people in the business as DoPs own that much kit. Maybe the essentials, but they still need new kit for each project because they are all different. You mention flus and other LX kit - great maybe for filming an office scene, but maybe not that useful if a scene is set at night?

You sound very keen to do it in a professional manner - but I think you've perhaps got the baseball cap and eye shade directorial style in your head, and a lack of solid people to assist you.

START WITH THE STORYBOARD

Don't do anything until you have it planned.
 
Well the person at the rental house told me that twice, and would not let me walk out with anything. We just have a crappy rental house. But every time I storyboard, I run into budget problems, cause it means a new peace of gear. That is why I want to get the gear and the section of the budget of the gear, down first, so I won't get a headache every time I plan a new storyboard, only to realize I need more gear for it. I have decided to storyboard based on those four pieces of gear only. May not be the best way, but it keeps me from having to constantly re-storyboard to avoid having to get more gear, and spend more money.
 
ironpony said:
But every time I storyboard, I run into budget problems, cause it means a new peace of gear. That is why I want to get the gear and the section of the budget of the gear, down first, so I won't get a headache every time I plan a new storyboard, only to realize I need more gear for it.
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This is still a very, very backward approach. Storyboard. Don't worry about gear. Just storyboard. The point of it, as Paul said, is to establish the vision... how you want it to look. THEN you worry about what it's going to take to get there. If you buy the gear... sure, you'll use it. But if you set your vision first, then figure out how you can get that look with a frugal investment, you'll end up saving time and money in the end.

You're paving a road before you know the destination, and that's going to take a lot more asphalt than it should.
 
why are you storyboarding gear you dont have? sounds like youre making your own problems...
add another vote for you having your process flipped.
 
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I've got to agree with the others that you need to storyboard first, & if you don't have the resources to accomplish your vision, modify your vision.

Furthermore I'd never go out and just buy a Steadicam. There's a world of difference between a Steadicam operator, & some guy with a Steadicam.
 
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I know I would have to learn the steadicam. But I can make it worth it.
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it's getting pretty clear that you're not really interested in doing anything other than what you've been doing or what you want to do.
 
ironpony said:
Well the person at the rental house told me that twice, and would not let me walk out with anything. We just have a crappy rental house.
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I bet you don't have a "crappy" rental house. I'd be far more willing to believe that something about your attitude, appearance, or the way you present yourself to others told the guy in the rental house that renting to you would be a bad idea, and so he fed you a line of b.s. so that he wouldn't have to come right out and say, "Sorry, I'm not going to rent anything out to you."
 
Well I checked the rental house again, and all they have is tripods anyway as far as camera support systems go. No slider, steadicams, jibs, etc. So I would have to get my gear from somewhere else anyway. As far as two years to learn a steadicam, it would be more expensive to rent one to practice, then to purchase one. No one I can find where I live knows how to use that system unfortunately. Perhaps I could just go handheld, and embrace the handheld style.
 
My tip; KISS

Keep it Simple Stupid. It's an old saying but it works.

Gear is overrated. I once shot an award winning documentary with one prime lens. Find a way to make your film work with what you've got and what you know how to use.
 
Sounds like you are looking for an excuse to buy gear. There are mostly two kinds of people on this board.... the ones who obsess over gear and always use it as an excuse not to shoot anything yet because they can't afford a specific piece of gear or it's not out yet, and the other kind (the actual filmmakers), that just use what they have available and shoot beautiful movies.
I'm sure you heard this a 1000 times, but it's really not about the gear. Just as an example: there are people that take amazing photos with their iPhones, photos that are good enough so they could make it into magazines... I'm sure you have access to an iPhone yourself, see how good of a picture you can take with it... It's really all about the talent, and not very much about the gear...
 
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