Okay argument time.

C

Corine

Well-known member
I was talking to a co-worker about my feature film project that I will be filming at the end of this summer and I was going to shoot it on my Hvx200a. He said that unless I switch to a much high rated camera (red etc…) I would be wasting my time and will end up with a film that is just going to sit on my book shelf and collect dust. He said no distributors is going to buy this film of mine even if the story is good unless it is shot on high tech cameras.

I told him that I didn’t agree with him. lets hear feedback from this group. Is he right or wrong?
 
He's an idiot.

No movie ever would have been made in the history of time if that mindset was followed. I just watched a documentary the other day that was shot on Super 8. And as blackdogs said there are some theatrical movies using HVX200.

But really what we're talking about here is film festivals. A film festival can launch the career of any good storyteller, even one using an old polaroid camera and stop animation photography.

Ditch the friend.
 
Opinions are like arsholes. And like your co-worker, some stink worse than others! :happy:
Seriously, it kills me when people talk like this. BTW how many films has he made?
No doubt, filming on a red or even 35mm film would help. But don't let this clown bust your dreams. Bust his by making it happen!
 
I know several people that shot thier movies on Red, one producction had 4 Red's on it shooting. None of them have yet been picked up for distribution and I doubt they will. They will probably self distribute to recoupe a small percentage of what they spent.

One production spent 4 times more on camera's and gear than the entire movie budget. If it were me for my first, second or third movie I would have put that money on the screen and shot wth a hvx 35mm adapter. 9 out of 10 people I know who went and bought a Red are what Dan likes to call "measeurebators". A bad movie in 1080 is a lot worse in 4k.

Just curious, how much is your budget?
 
People are ignorant. I'm currently in college and several of my friends in the undergrad film program believe the exact same thing as your co-worker. I expect comments like this from no-nothing filmgoers but hearing it from people who are studying it as a profession simply made me angry.
 
Content in the determining factor. Lots of crappy movies are shot (and released) on 35mm. If you produce the next Citizen Kane, it really doesn't matter what it was shot on.

Edit: And by the way: your stupid and your mother dresses you funny (oh, not that kind of argument, sorry)
 
i guess a film can't be made under a million dollars and A-list actors either. we should probably all just slit our wrists and stop trying. seriously guys...what were we thinking? shut the forum down.
 
Nice camera = hit film the same way nice guitar = hit record. Its all about the artist and their skill and expressive voice with their chosen medium.

There is always an attitude with Indie film makers and others that think pro gear somehow validates you as a serious artist. All it means is you are fortunate or had a high enough credit score to drop some cash on some nice toys.

The film My Date with Drew was shot on a mini dv camera from circuit city and got theatrical release and distribution. They got the camera shot the doc and returned before the 30 day return policy expired.
 
Are you serious? Haha. What camera?
Click to expand...
Yes. They ended up getting two cameras from two different circuit cit's because production ran past the initial 30 days.

The film obviously got pro audio treatment and conform so it was certainly not a no dollar flick, ( i don't know if this happen before or after a deal was signed) but the initial idea and footage acquisition was done for next to nothing. Its a great little film.

Not sure what camera?

http://www.independentfilm.com/films/my-date-with-drew.shtml
 
THe flipside to your co-worker's arugment - I've seen local commercials for crappy mom n' pop hardware stores shot on Red One and it looked like utter low budget stuff.. So obviously, using high-end gear does not equate to high-end result.
 
Case and point. Iraq in Fragments. Look it up. Shot on the DVX100 & 100a.
Another case and point, Six String Samurai, which was originally shot as a student film on nothing even close to fancy. Some folks at Panavision got wind of the student film, and donated for some pretty stunning camera gear for the feature.

Worry about the story first, the toys can come later, when its important and perhaps wont bankrupt you.
 
As far as the technical side of things, I'll tell you what will set you apart from 99% of supposed filmmakers out there: clear sound and good exposures. Whatever camera you use, make sure you get decent sound for your dialogue and that your image is nicely balanced, not over or under-exposed (the majority of image problems I've seen has been with blown out whites).
 
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