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One of the world's top independent film gurus answers your questions.
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So many cameras, so little $$
Sorry to bother you, Rick, but bored as I am at my annual family holiday gathering, my imagination has turned to moviemaking, and I have a question for you. As a 26-year-old recent film school graduate, I decided to bite the bullet, buy a camcorder and just start making movies. Here’s my dilemma: what to buy?
I considered Panasonic’s new 24 fps Mini-DV camcorder, only to discover it doesn’t technically record “true” 24 fps, but converts 2:3 in-house to 60i. Then I thought about buying a PAL Mini-DV camcorder from B&H (under $1,200). Here’s the clincher: Sony’s cameras are affordable and have Carl Zeiss lenses (very high quality). So do their new Micro-MV camcorders, which cost slightly more, but have very high resolution (over 1 million pixels, producing MPEG-2 issues/53/images) with 1/6”CCDs. Then, there’s the JVC camcorders with Progressive Scan CCDs that produce true frames. Mind you, these are PAL formatted throughout. Any advice before I go back to my turkey?
— Louis K., Ann Arbor, MI
Dear Louis:
Anyone who has ever cracked a moviemaking magazine can appreciate your dilemma. I approach the problem by budget. If you only have $1,000 to spend for a DV camera, will you be satisfied going the 1-chip, new-camera route or heading to Ebay.com, where used 3-chip Sony cameras like the DCR-TRV900 come up periodically (winning bids run $1,000 - $1,200 for this exceptionally well-constructed, extremely compact, now discontinued camera). If buying a used unit doesn’t scare you off, the TRV900 can supply you with the “broadcast quality” you’re after (see www.bealecorner.com/trv900 for a thorough camera overview).
I checked out B&H in New York and found the 1/4” 1-chip PAL Panasonic NV-MD9000EN “PAL” Professional 1/4” Min- DV camcorder for $1,249, which must be what you’re considering, given that no other PAL camera comes close in price. Seems like a lot of camera for the cost. And with the PAL 25 fps, it would serve you well if a blow-up to 35mm is a consideration (25 fps generally make for a better DV-to-24fps film conversion). Regarding the Micromv format, I just don’t think it’s up to Mini-DV standards, isn’t Mac-friendly (not compatible with Final Cut Pro) and “con” reviews at Amazon are convincing. So I wouldn’t go there.
When budget isn’t the issue, the challenge is to get a solid, well-performing unit, that can deliver consistent quality under adverse conditions. For around $2,000 you might try the Canon GL-2 Mini-DV. University of California, Santa Cruz students and I shot a three-week feature using the earlier Canon GL-1, which delivered great issues/53/images without much technical fuss beyond setting exposure and focus. I’ve heard from friends who use them that Sony’s VX2000 and the discontinued DSR- PD100a are also great units for the price. At the $3,000- $4,000 price range, you could consider the Sony DSR-PD150, which has garnered top reviews from my director friend William Farley. He’s cautioned me, though, to watch out for sound problems on discounted units. Give him an e-mail to hear more (Farleyfilm@aol.com).
With a $6,000 budget you can go Pro-DVCAM, with something like Sony’s DSR 200, that my DP/director son Morgan Schmidt-Feng has used on several of our Feature Workshops shoots, such as the “no-artificial-lights” Chetzemoka’s Curse (Dogme # 10). He has certainly tested the unit’s endurance, having taken it on location to extreme climates like Guyana (see www.filmsight.com for issues/53/images from Midas Curse). E-mail him if you have questions (morgan@filmsight.com), or need info on the higher-end 24p HD cameras he’s mastered while working for LucasFilm and TechTV.
can’t we just wing it? Please?
I’m going to be filming my first feature film on digital video this summer, and I have a quick question for you: is a radio broadcast in the public domain? What I mean is, I want to have a character listening to a radio broadcast (a talk show or commercial, none in particular, just whatever happens to be on the radio at the time). Can I incorporate this into the sound design of the film without paying rights to the broadcast? Or do I have to actually go through the procedure of contacting the radio station after filming and ask about rights to the broadcast?
— Darren P., Chicago, IL
Dear Darren:
As a moviemaker/producer/editor, my heart stopped when I read that you were asking about “contacting after filming.” What if you shot a simply amazing and pivotal scene, with the radio sound ambiance throughout the cuts, and then someone said “No!” to the usage? Never leave yourself or your production vulnerable to as yet unknown costs for rights that you might desperately need up the road.
If you use anyone else’s music, spoken words or issues/53/images, then either get a signed “Actor’s Release” before you shoot (see copy in Appendix of my “Feature Filmmaking at Used-Car Prices”), or create your own audio/visual ambiance/background. Of course, if you get your hands on “public domain” materials, those issues/53/images and sounds created before 1923 which are no longer protected by copyright (see www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm), you’re home free!
None of us can anticipate the future saleability or value of our work, and thus we can’t afford to leave open the possibility of a lawsuit or screening cancellation due to some contractual oversight. Always keep your movies free from copyright problems! This is moviemaking 101.
Know Any Good Shortcuts?
I know you are very busy but hope you have time to answer a question. I just finished reading your book and learned a lot. I already have a bachelor’s degree (not in film), and wanted to ask if it’s possible to get into a good grad school to study filmmaking with zero experience, or is there is a better way to learn filmmaking that will enable me to make a career out of this?
— Brian R., St. Petersburg, FL
Dear Brian:
I’ve heard about people joining English departments and taking filmmaking classes in grad school, putting their writing to work in scriptwriting classes and easing into production that way—but it all depends on the college or university. At any rate, that tells me that you can indirectly study filmmaking, and even grab some production classes, without sweating the experience or submitting examples of work, which is usually necessary to gain entry into a “film program.”
While some universities are rigid, maybe an art college like the California College of the Arts, which I attended, will celebrate your drift from one artistic pursuit to another, as they did in my case. I started in industrial design, drifted into a sculpture major, finally switching to filmmaking in grad school. I’d recommend getting in touch with chairs of the various film/video departments you’re considering to affirm their particular requirements for film study.
should I leave max headroom?
Rick! I had a quick question! We start shooting on Thursday and an interesting point just came up: we plan to raise the money to bump the DV (shot on a Canon XL1) to 35mm. We’re trying to figure out whether we should shoot in letterbox format or just shoot regular and leave extra headroom for the transfer later. What do you think?
— Laura S., Tampa Bay, FL
Dear Laura:
Talking to the digital department at DuArt Labs in New York City (245 W. 55th Street), I got the heads-up that you should supply a full-frame image for their blow-up process, so as not to lose any of the digital information. They recommend you (or your DP) shoot a chart and then tape over your 16/9 frameline cut-off points on a field monitor or LED fold-out camcorder screen, to establish where the top and bottom edges fall.
I learned that DuArt has handled almost
every possible blow-up situation and has their own proprietary software
for
up-resing
everything from Mini-DV to
24fps issues/53/images to commercial standards (they’re expensive, but maybe the
best). I also learned that DuArt conducts free screenings once a week to show
various examples of DV-to-35mm, film-to-DV and other digital/film gauge combinations,
plus various examples of lighting (they recommend you “flatten” lighting
if planning for a 35mm blow-up from DV/video). Give them a call (212/757-3681,
x 712) to R.S.V.P. a seat. There’s a lot to learn when preparing to shoot
a DV feature that will ultimately be blown up to film. MM
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COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
- Comment by Fabio on 4/25/09 at 9:49 am
hi Rick!
My question is very simple, i’m 30 yrs old, never experienced filmmaking, but i adore films and it was my childhood dream to be a film director, due to some circumstances i couldn’t study it, instead i studied english literature, i want to do any thing relates to cinema, what do you advise me? where to start from?- Comment by Charles on 2/21/10 at 10:05 pm
I got a camera off ebay for cheap, just make sure you look at the ebay users reviews before you buy. There sure are a decent amount of scam artists on there.
- Comment by Camcorder Reviews on 10/07/10 at 11:13 am
Review sites are great place online to view camcorder review.
- Comment by Logs on 10/14/10 at 5:51 pm
Interesting read. Thank you so much for sharing to us this information.
- Comment by Sospensioni Ohlins on 10/22/10 at 3:59 pm
Interesting review on this. I learned a lot. Thanks for sharing this.
- Comment by maxsikis on 10/24/10 at 5:41 pm
While some universities are rigid, maybe an art college like the California College of the Arts, which I attended, will celebrate your drift from one artistic pursuit to another, as they did in my case. I started in industrial design, drifted into a sculpture major
- Comment by sniper2 on 9/29/11 at 1:12 pm
- Comment by Lemon on 11/29/11 at 2:15 pm
Everyone has to start somewhere! Start with something as simple as a flower blooming
This story was published in the Winter 2004 MovieMaker Magazine. The headline was:
Extreme Indie / One of the world's top independent film gurus answers your questions.
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