Film Making Essentials
- Thread starter J.D.
- Start date
thisiswells
Retired
Wells' Thoughts
Wells' Thoughts
Find a gaffer and a grip truck.
Find a sound mixer with sound equipment.
Pay them instead of buying equipment. That's a much better investment.
For anything else you need like a tripod and cine accessories it's probably better to rent than buy.
Wells' Thoughts
Find a gaffer and a grip truck.
Find a sound mixer with sound equipment.
Pay them instead of buying equipment. That's a much better investment.
For anything else you need like a tripod and cine accessories it's probably better to rent than buy.
J.R. Hudson
Spirit Animal
I love these posts:
"I am getting ready to shoot my first full length feature film in a few weeks. What do I need besides a camera?"
Experience might help. Pre-production might help. A shot list. A shooting schedule. Experienced crew-members....
Sorry J.D. NO sleight on you. I applaud the leap you are gearing up (Pun) to take and wish you all of the sucess and luck.
If you are serious; I suggest a minimal of: ( and I stress M I N I M A L )
The camera
Bounce Cards for Light
An Audio package
After that?
An NLE (That supports 24p pulldown) if using SF 5 or 6
Everything else is really just sprinkles and based on your experience probally will not
benefit you anyway.
"I am getting ready to shoot my first full length feature film in a few weeks. What do I need besides a camera?"
Experience might help. Pre-production might help. A shot list. A shooting schedule. Experienced crew-members....
Sorry J.D. NO sleight on you. I applaud the leap you are gearing up (Pun) to take and wish you all of the sucess and luck.
If you are serious; I suggest a minimal of: ( and I stress M I N I M A L )
The camera
Bounce Cards for Light
An Audio package
After that?
An NLE (That supports 24p pulldown) if using SF 5 or 6
Everything else is really just sprinkles and based on your experience probally will not
benefit you anyway.
get a really good mic and at least a polarizer filter if you are shooting outdoors.
get as little as you need so you can focus your attention on getting things right.
get a good pair of headphones. the most common ones are the sony mdr-7506.
if you have too many things you will get more easily distracted and wind up ruining a shot or forgetting to get a shot etc.
spend a lot of time going through the things you need to do and the things you need to bring. silly stuff like extra batteries for anything that needs batteries. a box of granola bars, the phone numbers for local restaurants that deliver etc.
less is more, keep it simple stupid etc.
and my personal favorite is to post a message on here saying where you are in the country.
if there are dvxusers nearby they are quite likely to offer to help out!
matthew
get as little as you need so you can focus your attention on getting things right.
get a good pair of headphones. the most common ones are the sony mdr-7506.
if you have too many things you will get more easily distracted and wind up ruining a shot or forgetting to get a shot etc.
spend a lot of time going through the things you need to do and the things you need to bring. silly stuff like extra batteries for anything that needs batteries. a box of granola bars, the phone numbers for local restaurants that deliver etc.
less is more, keep it simple stupid etc.
and my personal favorite is to post a message on here saying where you are in the country.
if there are dvxusers nearby they are quite likely to offer to help out!
matthew
craigbowman
Veteran
Can anyone say, Deer in the Headlights!
Can anyone say, Deer in the Headlights!
Don't forget to have a cool chair and megaphone! Everyone knows how important that stuff is!
Seriously, before you rent or buy anything, get the 6 DVD series "Hollywood Camera Work" by Per Holmes. Watch it till you can block shots in your sleep.
Per's master course is the best I've ever seen and it sure beats getting poked in the eye with a sharp stick!
Can anyone say, Deer in the Headlights!
Don't forget to have a cool chair and megaphone! Everyone knows how important that stuff is!
Seriously, before you rent or buy anything, get the 6 DVD series "Hollywood Camera Work" by Per Holmes. Watch it till you can block shots in your sleep.
Per's master course is the best I've ever seen and it sure beats getting poked in the eye with a sharp stick!
YES!
those dvd's blew me away.
i think they should include the first disc of that set with every dvx-100 or maybe a sampler.
i have bought/read a ton of books on filmmaking and i learned a lot, but nothing even attempted to cover the stuff that is on these dvd's and i can't imagine getting this info on anything other than the format that they used.
reading that stuff in a book even with diagrams would suck compared to having moving demos on dvd.
matthew
those dvd's blew me away.
i think they should include the first disc of that set with every dvx-100 or maybe a sampler.
i have bought/read a ton of books on filmmaking and i learned a lot, but nothing even attempted to cover the stuff that is on these dvd's and i can't imagine getting this info on anything other than the format that they used.
reading that stuff in a book even with diagrams would suck compared to having moving demos on dvd.
matthew
It's impossible to say what you need unless we all sit down and talk with you about your script, shots, etc. But having said that, pick up Rick Schmidt's "Extreme DV". There's a whole section on the minimum equipment requirements. In general, it's a great book on DV filmmaking with lots of practical info. As for moving the camera, Per's DVD series already mentioned is the best thing out there. But it's not enough to watch the series. You need to get yourself a dolly with a short jib and practice! Moving the camera and maintaining good composition isn't easy. And if you're working with inexperienced actors and grips that aren't used to hitting marks, you can waste an afternoon on one shot. Is 8 weeks enough time on top of all the pre-production you already have to do?
Best of luck with your shoot! Let's us all know how it went.
Dan Selakovich
www.DVcameraRigs.com
Best of luck with your shoot! Let's us all know how it went.
Dan Selakovich
www.DVcameraRigs.com
A flowpod-type camera support or similar product (even a home-made one, if you have the time to make it). With good planning (and you had better have good planning all around, or not bother even starting production) you can get the benefits of all sorts of dolly setups, etc, without need for the dolly and tracks, and a moving camera is frequently a good thing.
You'll need time to practice using a stabilizer, though, in order to be able to get good results. If you can use one to best advantage, it can add a lot of production value.
You'll need time to practice using a stabilizer, though, in order to be able to get good results. If you can use one to best advantage, it can add a lot of production value.