SD or HD? Need Advice

claxius

claxius

Active member
I will be shooting a 45 page b&w film noir/mystery short. As a short I don't plan on making money off it but showcasing my storytelling skills. I have all the equipment needed from earlier projects but my camera is a 100b. I could sell the camera and use the money to rent an HD cam for a few weekends.

My questions is what should I do?

I know that HD is pretty much the only "excepted" medium when shooting video, but is that more important than content? For the sake of argument lets say my script is great (I think it is :happy:). Since it's a short, should it matter that it's SD. This is basically no-budget guerilla style filmmaking, with a couple buddies as crew members. By choosing HD, I'll end up shooting on a real tight shooting schedule and I will be sacrificing quality by having to move quickly with a small crew.

With my own equipment, I can shoot whenever I want and take as long as I want and spend as much time getting my shots, lighting the scene and working with the actors. Again the most important thing for me is the quality and making a GREAT short. Will people not take it seriously if it is shot in SD?

Please offer some insight into my dilemma. Thanks.
 
Shoot SD and make the best film you can.

When was the last time you saw something shot in SD that you thought was good and said to yourself, "That WOULD have been good, if it was shot in HD"

Yes, of course HD might look nicer, but in the end your project is probably going to be viewed on DVD, online, or at film festivals who may not have HD projectors anyhow. Besides, HD would only look nicer if you took the same or more time lighting, blocking, shooting. From what it sounds, you'll have to more faster shooting HD than SD due to financial contraints. Shoot SD and take your time.

One of my favorite sayings I once heard from a DP is:
If you know how to light, it doesn't matter what format you shoot on.
And if you don't know how to light, it doesn't matter what format you shoot on.

Look around this site, there is plenty of damn good work being done in SD.

In the end, content is always the main dish.
Formats are just gravy.
 
claxius said:
I will be shooting a 45 page b&w film noir/mystery short. As a short I don't plan on making money off it but showcasing my storytelling skills.
Click to expand...

Just saying, if you don't plan on making money off of it, don't plan on spending too much either...it'll only help you in the short run, and the long run.


claxius said:
I know that HD is pretty much the only "excepted" medium when shooting video, but is that more important than content? For the sake of argument lets say my script is great (I think it is :happy:). Since it's a short, should it matter that it's SD. This is basically no-budget guerilla style filmmaking, with a couple buddies as crew members. By choosing HD, I'll end up shooting on a real tight shooting schedule and I will be sacrificing quality by having to move quickly with a small crew.

With my own equipment, I can shoot whenever I want and take as long as I want and spend as much time getting my shots, lighting the scene and working with the actors. Again the most important thing for me is the quality and making a GREAT short. Will people not take it seriously if it is shot in SD?
Click to expand...

You've answered your own question here bro. SD will be easier and suit your style better.

Trust me, if you plan on making a great short, work hard on the script and acting, then people will love the short.

I say go SD. If you do it right (and it is your own camera, study as many shorts on DVXs as you can, there are a plethora of them, and take your time getting the right look), then you'll have a great short and a great look.

The only concern with SD vs. HD is for a print to 35mm film, but that's an entirely new ballgame, and a 45 minute short will run you somewhere in the thousands, just for one print.
 
By the way - as long as you're asking for advice.....
Personally I think a 45 minute short falls into the 'no man's land' category in length.

It's too short for a feature - but too long to really be considered a 'short.'
You'll also have a hard time getting it into festivals.
Think of it this way - it needs to be good enough to turn down nine 5 minute shorts to have the time slot open to play your 45 minute film.

I'm not saying your script isn't good ..it may be great.
I'm just saying its not the easiest thing to get out there.

But, that's just my 2 cents (well, 2 more I guess)
 
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