Get a Bogen tripod.

Get the most recent iMac for editing.

You should use external hard drives. I use "Neptune" but any name brand is fine.

?URL? http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/?/URL?
Sennheiser is the mic most used by professional sound recordists.
They are expensive and worth it. Check out the ME-66 and the ME-
67. The MKH60 is the best if you can afford it.

?url? http://www.audio-technica.com/?/url?
Audio-Technica is cheaper. Check out the AT8035. Its a workable
mic, a little muddy and not as directional as it should be. The
AT835ST is a good mic for the price, but it, too, sounds a bit
muddy - the vocals dont sound crisp enough for me.

?url? http://www.rodemic.com/microphones.php?/url?
Rode mics are quite good. Check the NTG (shotgun) series.

?url? http://www.azdencorp.com/?/url?
Ive never used Azden mics. Theyre inexpensive and I dont hear
too many good things about them, but if that's all you can afford
it's MUCH better than using the camera mic.

Lowel makes nice kits. Tungsten lights with stands, barndoors and
hard case. Britek makes nice light kits - cheaper than Lowel and
not as durable, but very usable. You can also check Arri lights -
more expensive and worth every penny. I have a Lowel 6 light kit
with the Omnis and Totas that I bought new in 1990 and am still
using it 20 years later.

The minimum equipment I would suggest having on hand is:
a tripod
6 lights with stands
2 china balls
8 extension cords
6 power strips
black wrap and gels
2 bounce boards
a good external mic
a boom with extension cables
4 apple boxes
gaffers tape
a bunch of C-47s - also called bullets or wood cloths pins
a coffee maker
a slate with marker

Most serious filmmaker rent the rest of their equipment:
a dolly (wheelchair or doorway)
a simple grip kit with:
c-stands (at least 6)
flags (assorted sizes - at least 8)
scrims (at least 6)
silks (at least 2)
cookies (at least 1)
sandbags (one for every light/c-stand and then 6 more)

=============================================
The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

OK, thank you for your reply. Also what about lenses, and filters? and where can I learn the basics of lenses and shot composition? thank you so much for your help.

Glad to help.

The Canon XH-A1S is a fixed lens camera. You cannot change lenses.
I know there are adaptors that allow you to place another lens in
front of the fixed lens, but Im not to familiar with those. The
few Ive tried are more trouble than they are worth. In my
opinion, of course.

I dont know where you can learn about lenses and shot
composition. Im sure there are web sites and books. Do you want
to be a cinematographer?

quote:

---

Originally posted by JayLethal84

Hello I want to start making short films and then move on to making independent features. But I have no idea on all the equipment I will need. I am saving up to buy a Canon XH-A1S 3CCD HDV High Definition Professional Camcorder. What is a good tripod for this camera? What kind of mac computer should I get? I know I will be getting final cut pro for editing. Do I need external hard-drives, and what kind ? also what about sound, what kind of mic should I get? What about lights? thank you so much if you have any other ideas of equipment I will need feel free to add. I am 100% serious and dedicated, this is not a hobby for me. And I appreciate any help I can get. Thank you very much.

---

Why are you purchasing all of that equipment? Do you plan to be a Director or a Cameraman? Do you want to own a truckful of lights plus accessories that it takes to "light" a set? You didn't mention purchasing a sound mixer or any of the other necessary gear even though, arguably, sound is probably more important than picture.

Point being, if you are serious about making QUALITY movies that you will use to showcase your DIRECTING talent, then undoubtedly you will not be able to afford to purchase the standard of gear necessary to achieve that goal. You haven't even asked all the right questions (above) so it is doubtful that even if you did have the money, you wouldn't have the know-how on how to properly use the gear once you had it.

So, my advice is to put aside this desire to purchase a camera (that will likely be subpar for your true intent) and the accessories that make it work as well as a full lighting and grip package that runs into the thousands of dollars for anything worth buying...or the sound package that, like camera, will likely not be what you really need.

Instead, work on YOUR talent for writing (?) and directing and invest time into acquiring PEOPLE who want to specialize in those specific areas (camera, sound, lighting, wardrobe, special effects, music, editing, sound editing, etc.). Those kind of people DO exist, it's just up to you to attract them to your project. Then, YOU can concentrate on what YOU really want to do (which is likely directing) while those others get to work on their true passions. PLUS, if you find people who want to do those other things, it is highly likely that THEY will have access to equipment and supplies that are BETTER than anything you are capable of purchasing PLUS they will know how to use all of it far better than you ever will or will ever want to.

So, for all aspiring Directors out there, please, put aside this conceit that purchasing a camera and lights and a "good mic" is what you need to do to succeed. Concentrate instead on writing and putting together a solid production, meaning, finding the elements on an as-needed basis for your movie instead of trying to buy things that A) are likely less than you need and B) will be obsolete soon anyway.

Get lost in the camera alphabet soup if you want to, but if you truly want to make a QUALITY movie, forget it and find qualified people instead. If your project is worthwhile, you'll have no trouble finding willing volunteers. If your project isn't worthwhile enough to attract those people, then you should question why you're doing it and work hard to make it better so that they DO want to help you.

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

Hello once again thanks to everyone for the help. To bjdzyak, yes what I want to do is be a writer/director. But if I do not have some gear to practice with, how do you suggest I go about learning how to be a director? Im starting from the bottom up, but like I said before I am 100% serious about this and have a true passion for cinema. If you or anyone else has any advice that can gear me in the right direction then I would appreciate it. Thank you.

What I mean to say was how can I become a good director if I have never even made a film before, not even a short film. Would you suggest maybe that I buy a cheaper camera to practice with and make short films? or ?

Brian and I have very different methods.
Both are worth exploring.

I wanted to be a writer/director so I bought
a camera and made movies. I didn't start
using a director of photography until several
years later. I am an advocate for a beginning
director owning and using a camera.

quote:

---

Originally posted by JayLethal84

What I mean to say was how can I become a good director if I have never even made a film before, not even a short film. Would you suggest maybe that I buy a cheaper camera to practice with and make short films? or ?

---

Yes. If all you are doing is practicing, then truly, the cheapest "image and sound acquisition gear" you can find is more than enough.

But when you feel that your skills (as a writer and director) are coming along to the point that you're ready to make a SERIOUS movie that will go to festivals or some other place or person who will help you move forward with a career, THEN you can worry about quality gear and quality PEOPLE.

For that matter, if you truly wish to practice directing actors, you should think about directing theatre before you add the element of a camera (and everything else that goes into filmmaking). Another aspect of directing is knowing how to shoot for the edit, so to that end, you should invest a great deal of time editing. Edit ANYTHING, even footage from other people's projects so that you can see firsthand just how the choices on a set affect you in the edit suite later on.

And of course there is the camera and sound and lighting that make filmmaking what it is. Directing is just that.... DIRECTING the variety of resources (creative and technical people) all toward one goal. It isn't about telling others what to do. Directing is about answering questions and guiding the creative and technical skills of others so that everyone is working toward the same common end. Learning how to do that takes far more than owning the "best" camera you can afford right now. It means learning what you need to know as well as knowing the things that you need to rely on others for.

In terms of a camera, it is your job as a Director to collaborate with an experienced Cameraman and a Producer to choose the best acquisition medium possible (given your financial parameters) and to work together in placing the camera in the "correct" spots with the "correct" lenses with the "correct" settings (film stock, camera speed, aperture, shutter). While you're doing all of that with the Cameraman, you'll also be answering a hundred questions a day from the Actors and just about every "department" on set.

So, yes, when you're just learning and starting out, any camera will do. By the time you're ready to make a serious movie that will sell your skills to people who have real money to invest, it's THEN that you'll be concerned about having a quality camera along with all of the necessary accessories... as well as the full grip and lighting packages necessary AND the full quality sound package necessary... AND all of the quality experienced people who know how to use all of that stuff.

Jump in and start making movies, but put aside the idea of going into debt to buy the "best" camera you can at this time. If you don't have at least $50 grand (at minimum) right now for a camera package, then don't bother. And that doesn't even include lighting, grip, and sound much less anything else it takes to produce a quality movie that has the chops to get noticed out in the real world. Just get the "best" you can borrow for the moment to practice with. Then, when you're "ready" and have a really really good script that you believe in, THEN you should be able to attract PEOPLE who know what they're doing and have access to the quality equipment you want and need AND maybe even the people who have access to MONEY so that you're not going into debt on your own.

It all starts with the script. It has to be good. Then it's all about YOU and if everyone else (cast, crew, financiers) believe that YOU have what it takes to produce/direct a successful project. If you have the skills and talent to do this and the ability to sell yourself to everyone else, THEN you won't have to spend a dime of your own for gear or anything else. They'll be paying YOU and all of that gear will be rented by someone else as an investment in what they believe you can deliver...namely, a quality project that can bring a profit.

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

quote:

---

Originally posted by bjdzyak

It all starts with the script. It has to be good. Then it's all about YOU and if everyone else (cast, crew, financiers) believe that YOU have what it takes to produce/direct a successful project.

---

What if the director is not the writer? Some directors want to practice their craft and show people what they can do. In that case, they need a reel, just like cameramen and actors do.

You need to know what the world looks like, by looking through a camera. You learn subjectivity, angles, 2D space, depth of focus and creating points of interest.

On a Hollywood movie, no one expects the director to be the screenwriter or cameraman. But, he better know how to communicate one medium to the other. That requires just as much familiarity with a camera, as it does scriptwriting.

I had a professional DP, with a 20' jib, lined up for my last feature. He was committed the week prior to shooting, but supposedly, a better gig popped up and he decided not (or forgot) to tell me that he wasn't showing up. He wasn't some stranger, either. I've known this person for 8 years and he had long wanted to work with me since seeing one of my movies at a limited theater run.

Anyway, we were shooting in the next state (Utah), 300 miles away, for 19 days. I ended up shooting the movie. This was March, 2007 and I had just got the Panasonic HVX200. I didn't know how to handle the P2 workflow, like the DP did. Fortunately, one of my actors was a freelance videographer, so he got me started the day before shooting. I shot several projects with the DVX100, so the HVX's similar layout was easy to pick up on.

My two leads got on the plane, back to Washington state. I had only a 3 days of leeway with them, but the shooting finished on schedule.

In the indie world where it is not unusual to have to step up for other people and be able to do anything that the movie requires. Often, it is the only way it gets finished.

It seems like everyone here agrees that practice is a good thing. Robert Rodriguez made about 200 shorts, before EL MARIACHI launched his career. He shot it and it was no accident that it was sellable. The best directors (Besson, Cameron, Raimi, Jackson) started out with cameras and learned the technical chops.

On the otherhand, comic guys and storyboardists make great directors, too. Hitchcock was meticulous about having the photography match his storyboards. Tarantino was a comic guy and has a strong visual sense. I believe Spielberg had over 1,000 storyboard frames for RAIDERS.

I hate talking to director/filmmakers who can't answer any questions about their project, like what did they shoot on. Many of them have no idea how "their" images were achieved. 100% credit to the DP, in those cases, but they don't often get it.

I've also worked with DPs who were very frustrated when they asked the director what they were about to shoot and it could not be conveyed. I remember this director getting his script out and just rereading the scene. He had no idea of what mood, framing or lighting he wanted, before the DP set it up. He didn't know if he wanted tracking or still shots. The DP and I would just look at each other and shrug our shoulders. After a week into the shoot, the DP just set up what he wanted and didn't worry much about what the director said.

A potential director can learn by crewing on other shoots. This way, he gets to know what a china ball, barn door, diffusion and C-47 is. Ironically, it was the above shoot (20 years ago) that I first heard that term (C-47) for a clothespin! I was the Nagra/boom operator on that one.

I've seen other directors shoot the hell out of a scene, because they can't previsualize it. Then, they forget things like a cutaway shot, which could mask continuity or effects' work. They find out, at the editing stage. Yes, a director should know something editing. Again, storyboardists and comic guys pick up editing theory, quickly.

Speaking of cheap, but good equipment - a lot of people are getting nice images out of the Canon DSLR cameras, like the T2i and 7D. You can switch lenses out. You can also use a Zoom H4n or Tascam D-100 handheld recorder to get decent sound. Both these recorders have XLR jacks for plugging in shotgun mics that can be placed on boom poles, like the ones CI mentioned (above).

www.midnightsunent.com

I understand that there are a lot of different ways for a person to learn and "get into" the business. What I'm trying to suggest is that a new aspiring Director shouldn't go into debt just to buy the "state of the art" but "cheapest" camera out there to do it.

Should an aspiring Director "shoot" a movie by him/herself? Well, yes! That experience behind the lens looking through the viewfinder is invaluable experience JUST AS actually placing lights is and holding a boom is and working in wardrobe is and making special effects is and editing alone is.... etc.

Point being, there are many things that a Director SHOULD know before trying to sell him/herself to the world as a Director. The question is, how much money should this person "invest" while he/she is learning vs what needs to be invested when this "hobby" turns into something a bit more ambitious? In fact, should any money be spent at all, particularly when the "practice projects" likely won't go anywhere "important" at all?

It seems that these days, EVERYONE has a camera of some kind to videotape their kids birthday parties. So borrowing one (or ten) of those cameras is perfectly fine for the aspiring "filmmaker" while he/she is just practicing. But once that person feels that he/she is ready to make a "real" movie where the details matter (lens, image quality, etc), THEN by that point, this hypothetical Director SHOULD BE able to attract other people who WANT TO do those other jobs (like camera work and editing and wardrobe and sound and etc.) and THOSE PEOPLE will be BETTER at those jobs than this aspiring Director ever will be AND they will likely have access to the tools for each of those jobs...tools that likely will be of higher quality than any of the junk that is frequently marketed to aspiring "filmmakers."

So, I'm not suggesting that an aspiring Director shouldn't "shoot" his/her own movies. I am saying that he/she shouldn't stretch the budget to get "the best I can afford" when practicing. There are cheaper ways to make short movies and learn how to direct actors.

"But what if the short movie I make DOES attract attention but because I didn't use the 'best!' camera, it doesn't look perfect?!"

Well, if your short movie IS that good (funny, inspiring, tear-jerking, etc.), then whoever has decided that won't really care what camera you shot the movie on. What those people are looking at is YOU and YOUR ABILITY and SKILL. If they like your movie that much, they'll gladly pay to "fix" your less than perfect movie (like was done for El Mariachi to tune of millions of dollars to fix sound and picture). You don't have to go into massive debt to get "the best camera!" that likely won't be good enough anyway. Instead, as an aspiring "filmmaker," concentrate on your DIRECTING skills, and if you write, your WRITING skills to prove that you know what you're doing. Stop worrying about getting "the best!" camera in your budget because if you're asking that question, you likely won't know how to make the most of it anyway. And all too frequently, people asking that question (about camera) just ignore sound or think that all it takes is a "good mic." Just like any tool, it takes more than having "the best!" one to get the best results. You also need PEOPLE who know how to use them.

So instead of finding "the best!" equipment you can within your limited budget, concentrate on finding "the best!" PEOPLE you can within your budget. They'll worry about their "department" and you can worry about yours (directing). And you won't be going into debt doing it.

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

When a person wants to become a filmmaker, thinks he has talent and ideas, and decides to embark on such a path, he usually starts from the beginning. Assuming that this person has no prior experience, nor professional training, he will have little clue how to practically use manual features available on high-end professional cameras. As Brian said, starting with a borrowed (or bought) cheap consumer HD camcorder (such as something along the lines of Canon Vixia HF-M300), a person could shoot dozens (if not hundreds) of shorts and learn a lot before outgrowing that camcorder. And the key word is outgrowing: there is no point in using a $3,000 camera when you don't really have a clue how the available features can help you achieve better images. Even $500 consumer camcorders have at least some level of manual control, which should provide enough flexibility for a good learning experience. Only when a person begins hitting a wall with those limitations, he should be ready for a better camera; not sooner.

Compared to the times when the aforementioned Robert Rodriguez made his El Mariachi (or Ed Burns made The Brothers McMullan), today's technology will give you significantly cheaper access to comparable image (and sound) quality. They had to spend at least $20k for film stock and processing, an expense that simply does NOT exist when shooting digital. Everyone has a computer these days, a 500 GB external hard drive costs less than $100 (and can fit over 100 hours of HD footage), and decent HD video acquisition can be had for less than $1,000 (T2i Canon, as Scoopicman mentioned).

The point of all of this is, get yourself a cheap camera, a cheap external microphone and start there. As you begin writing, directing, shooting and editing your movies, you will develop skills and ideas that will demand more creative options, so you'll begin acquiring lights, booms, microphones and other stuff, until you are actually ready to work with others who will bring all this equipment to the project.

I re-read original poster's questions (and follow-ups), and would like to offer a few more thoughts.

The poster stated he wants to start making short films, and later independent features. What I wasn't sure about was, who with? The usual stereotype is a cheap camcorder and tripod, some Home Depot shop lights, several good friends with some talent for acting, as well as a few others willing to help with other work, a computer with iMovie (or Windows Movie Maker) and a YouTube (or Vimeo) account. So, if this fits the profile, it is an excellent way to begin. Rather than waiting to save up $15,000, so that you can buy that Canon professional camera, plus Senheiser microphone(s), plus some lights, plus other gear, try borrowing a camcorder and a tripod (or buy the cheapest HD model you can, plus a $20 tripod) and start writing, directing, shooting and editing your shorts.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Vasic
?br(or buy the cheapest HD model you can, plus a $20 tripod)

---

The other benefit to using the low-end gear or a $20 dollar tripod is that you'll very quickly realize just WHY you need higher end gear. I promise that a $20 tripod will become very infuriating quickly when you find that making "professional" level pans and tilts is next to impossible.

I'd argue that you need better SUPPORT gear for your camera than the camera itself. Audiences will react more positively to smooth camera moves (tilts, pans, dollies, GOOD Steadicam moves, GOOD jib moves) than they will to a "high quality" images from a prosumer camera. Add a high quality SOUNDTRACK (clean dialogue track, sound fx track, music track) and no matter what that image looks like, they'll buy your movie as being professional even if it's not.

So, if you have money burning a hole in your pocket and you want to at least project a level of professionalism, invest in a quality experienced SOUND MIXER (and his Boom Operator) and quality camera support, like tripods, fluid heads, dollies, etc.

Then in post, be sure to have a clean dialogue track, a clean sound fx track, and a quality music track.

Do those things, and you could probably shoot the entire movie with a FLIPCAM or iPhone and nobody would ever realize it unless you told them.

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

Most readers here probably won't realise Brian isn't joking, or even exaggerating when he says that you could shoot a movie with a Flipcam or an iPhone, as long as the sound is perfect and camera movement smooth. It is really, really true, not so much because those devices give professional quality image output (they don't), but because good audio and good cinematography (the skill of framing and lighting shots) brings significantly more quality to the film than good video acquisition equipment.

That is why, for example, the last season finale of "House, M.D." show was shot entirely on Canon 5D Mark II (a $2,500 photo camera), and there is no chance in h?ll you and I could duplicate the production quality of it by simply buying this camera and shooting something. Not without expertise and experience (such as Brian's, for example), and not without tens of thousands of dollars worth of lighting and grip equipment.