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Originally posted by JoeSixpack

Certified, I start shooting after I get the 5D & all the other equipment. Then gather a cast & crew from around my area. I already have plenty of stories.

Vasic, I'm aware of all the little intricate details of the process, I just wanted some knowledgable advice on a camera. I wanted to know how cheap a camera I could buy and not be scoffed at by the festivals cuz my equipment was too cheap. I found the answer here suitable and will recommend this forum if someone asks.

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The festivals don't care what equipment was used. All that matters is a quality story that looks good and is "entertaining" and competently made.

A movie shot in IMAX at the hands of an amateur will still look like it was made by an amateur even though IMAX offers the POSSIBILITY of superb image quality.

A movie shot with a 5D by a professional will likely look like it was shot in IMAX because the PERSON knows what he's doing.

If a movie-maker wishes to impress a "festival," then it takes more than having "just enough camera to not get laughed at."

Brian Dzyak
Cameraman/Author
IATSE Local 600, SOC
http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
http://www.realfilmcareer.com

quote:

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Originally posted by JoeSixpack
I wanted to know how cheap a camera I could buy and not be scoffed at by the festivals cuz my equipment was too cheap.

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quote:

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Originally posted by bjdzyak
The festivals don't care what equipment was used.

If a movie-maker wishes to impress a "festival," then it takes more than having "just enough camera to not get laughed at."

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I'll even take that one step further.

I have been on the first and third wave selection committee
for Slamdance and on the selection committee for three smaller
festivals. When a good movie comes in that was shot using
really cheap equipment it actually has a better shot. Sure, people
can make a find movie using top of the line equipment - it
takes something special to make a great movie using low end
equipment. If the filmmaker can overcome the limitations of a
cheap consumer camera and make an enjoyable movie that
goes a long what with the selection committee. Most are
filmmakers and all of them love movies. Make a great movies
with a Canon HF G10 and it will be better received than a
mediocre film shot on the 5D, RED or even 35mm film.

I would also say, the quality of that camera will make much greater difference to the skilled operator. I'm pretty sure, our resident expert cinematographer Brian would be able to shoot incredibly good looking images with Vixia HF-G10. He'd know very well what the camcorder's limitations are and would bring all the necessary tools in order to overcome them. Since it is a very cheap consumer camcorder, Brian would likely be quite frustrated with those limitations, and consequently limited options for kinds of shots he could make with it, but within all those limitations, he'd be able to squeeze the maximum. A much better camera would of course give him much more room for visual creativity.

For someone with little to no experience with cinematography, it is entirely possible that the result wouldn't differ much regardless of which camera the person uses. To go back to my musical analogy, a 9-year old who learned how to play chopsticks can play them on a toy piano, as well as on a 9-foot Steinway concert grand and it will sound roughly the same, while clearly exposing the differences between the two instruments. Professional pianist could play much more than chopsticks on that toy piano, although a 2-octave keyboard and the clinking sound would drastically limit the expressiveness he would be able to get from the instrument. Sit him in front of that Steinway grand, and he will play Rachmaninoff's 2nd concerto with delight. Even uninitiated audiences would realise that there is no way he could play that Rachmaninoff on a toy piano.