Ideal Camera For Film School

E

Enjay

Member
We are in the process of setting up, what may be the largest film school in Asia. As HD is now gaining world wide popularity and acceptance, we are looking at the possibility of equipping the school with the Sony HDV (Z1) Camera's (for 1st. Year Students) and then moving them upwards to either a Sony Cine Alta, Varicam or a Viper (for the 2nd. Year Students).

However, since the cameras are an expensive investment, any thoughts on what we should be careful about before making this investment and what peripheral gear would be needed additionally to make things work smoothly, would be highly appreciated.

Finally, your recommedations on the best choice between the Varicam, Cine Alta and / or Viper would be helpful to us as well...

Thanks in advance.

Enjay.
 
you're asking in a pretty biased forum...

We're all partial to the ag-dvx100a and soon-to-be hvx200

So you want a bunch of high definition cameras for first-year students, and a really nice camera for the second-year students?

I would honestly wait until at least december before you shop for the 1st year cameras, because the hvx200 is going to be released around then, and that's a high definition camera that is going to be amazing if it can do what it says it can.

As far as the 2nd year cameras, I have no experience with them, but varicam and cine alta seem to be the two.

http://www.artadams.net/info/sonyvspanasonic.htm

check that chart out and make your decision based upon some research.

It seems that all three of the high end cameras will do the trick, it just depends on what you'd like to focus on the most as far as features go.
 
Thanx for your advice... Well, I have checked out the DVX-100As and must say that I did seriously consider these as well. But unfortunatley their support here in my country (India), apparently stinks (as I have been told by many rental and broadcast companies who use the 100As here). Hence the Sony Z-1s.

The link provided by you has been really helpful. Thanks!

Again, none of the DOPs I have spoken with here have really used any high end HD camera for film, most of which is still being shot only on 16mm amd 35mm. Hence the research bit here locally is difficult. The manufacturers themselves have themselves been quite supportive (obviously... they want their camera's here... :grin: ) but again most of the info. coming from them is obviously only the good points... They all say that they are the best... :grin:

Hence, I am hoping get some unbiased views from various forums on the web... Any help / info, once again... will be highly appreciated.

Btw, we open in January 2006, so I guess that is enough time to take a decision... :undecided
 
wouldn't ya have to teach film in a film school?
Sounds like your setting up a video school.
 
grinner said:
wouldn't ya have to teach film in a film school?
Sounds like your setting up a video school.
Click to expand...

Well... a film school can teach digital film making techniques too... can't it? :happy: But no seriously, we will be renting out 16mm & 35 mm arri cam's as well, but just feel that HD Film Stream Camera's would be a better long term investment... :)
 
Wells' Thoughts

Wells' Thoughts

Depends what you're trying to do. If you're trying to teach cinematography, then you'd be a fool to teach students with video cameras. However, in a broader sense, filmmaking is more than the camera department. Programs geared towards writing or directing, for example, should be fine for video projects.

Being that cinematography is the ultimate form of taking pictures I don't think video is a way to learn how to be a cinematographer. There are just certain disciplines that you do not develop when learning with video equipment.

Video makes students, or anyone for that matter, become sloppy. Mistakes are cheap and for the most part, so is the work of people who trained on video equipment. I didn't say people who use video equipment because there is a lot of stuff out there that looks incredible, including certain news broadcasts shot by Emmy-winning photojournalists. I do not have a bias against video. I mean, hello, I'm here on this forum, right? What I'm saying is the people I know who most effectively use video equipment trained on film gear and learned the lessons on film and though they may use 24p video, they employ the same techniques they would on film and the video people I know who trained on video are careless because they don't know any different. If teaching students how to light and compose images it absolutely matters to shoot on film.

I'd research the cinematography departments of some larger film programs and examine the curriculum and persuasion of film as a medium for cinematography student. It's necessary to develop the craft. Otherwise, as grinner has mentioned, you're setting up a video school and nothing more.

Hope this helps.
 
Actually, Wells, you'd be sadly incorrect. I agree with you in principle and from my own experience (somewhat begrudgingly) learning to shoot film - you do in fact learn methods and practices you would never develop otherwise.

But as a business, and even as a model of the real world, "film" in film schools is rapidly going away. Even my own alma mater, USC, sometimes considered the daddy of all film schools, has now phased out almost ALL physical post work and almost all actual film shooting. Digital is just faster, cheaper, and most importantly the students coming in are demanding it because they want to make films NOW on today's equipment... why should they pay to learn antique equipment, much of which is rarely used in the industry anymore? The argument is solid, and probably would have been my argument when I was in school, too. But I had no choice but to learn film, and I'm glad I did.

Anyway, you see my point, I think. I'm sure AFI and graduate programs will continue to use film, as will certain classes and training programs. But for the most part it's getting phased out in schools even faster than in the real world.
 
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