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Originally posted by TheManWithNoName

Hi All.

Very 1st Post Here.

Im scouring every possible place I can to learn things I need to know for the future, if there is one.

Okay.

Lets say you've got you're script done.
You've got Actors Lined Up

What I wonder sometimes is: How do people get hold of the equipment to shoot the film.

I think I would be looking at

A decent camera, min of around 3k
Tripos, other stands to minimise camera shake.
MAYBE some lighting equimpment.
Small Boom / Mic.
Would you need seperate recording equipment or record direct to the camera.

Basically it's the camera I am mainly wondering about. I know you can rent these, is that what people do?

Any response is appreciated.

Thanx in advance.

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I saw you're from the UK so here's some advice on cameras. The best idea is to rent and shoot in DV or HD-V. Alot of the film schools around the country will rent out equipment a lot cheaper than most rental places, it's a case of calling round and finding out which ones do (definately get lights from here or an amateur dramatics type place if you need to borrow).

The local rental places that the company I work for uses, generally charge ?120+ per day rental for a HD-V and ?500+ for HD. Tell me what area you're from and I'll tell you any places I know of nearby that may be able to help you out.

Cheers for the response.

Im in Leicester at the moment.

I am just gathering as much info as I can at the moment, Ive seen a few rental sites, but the Film School option sounds like a good one too...

As regards to equipment. What would be the minimum basic I would need to create a half decent looking film.

Thanks Again...

Welcome! I have no idea how you get a hold of equipment in the UK so I can't help there. But maybe I can help with equipment. To create a half decent looking movie, the equipment isn't your main concern. Experience and skill is. You can get that with four lamps, a camera and a tripod - as long as you keep making movies.

But here is my list anyway. This is just my basic set up. You don't NEED everything here:
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
gaffers tape
a bunch of C-47?s - also called ?bullets? or wood cloths pins
a coffee maker
a slate with marker

If you can afford it - these items you can rent:
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 better the lighting kit - the more control you have over the look. My minimum setup is:
A Baby 5k
2 Junior 2k?s
6 650w tweenies
4 200w peppers
4 china balls
a kino-flo (Diva Light 400)

For a nice beginning light kit I recommend:
A couple of work light with stands from any home improvement store.
Five or six ?scoop lights? - those clamp un work light with the silver reflector.
Three or four pieces of foamcore from any art supply store to use to bounce the light.
Two or three paper lanterns that you can get at Ikea. I hook each one to a dimmer (home improvement store again) to get better control.
Some colored gels (check on line or if there is a small theater in your town they often have extras) and some black wrap. Check ?url? http://www.studiodepot.com/store/?/url?

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

You need to weigh the options of renting versus buying. I personally would buy the equipment then sell it when done shooting. You may even be able to write the equipment off on your taxes depending on your laws in the UK. Even without the write-offs you should be able to come out ahead when buying your camera and sound equipement. Plus when you own the equipment you can afford to take your time when shooting.

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Originally posted by Kess
I personally would buy the equipment then sell it when done shooting.

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Do you have experience doing this? Do you do it with all the equipment - dolly, c-stands, lights? Is it really less expensive in the long run?

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You may even be able to write the equipment off on your taxes depending on your laws in the UK. Even without the write-offs you should be able to come out ahead when buying your camera and sound equipement.

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In many cases (again I don't know about UK laws) you get a better tax write off on rentals (cost of doing business) then on purchases (depreciation). It depends on your production schedule. If you are making 4 to 8 movies a year, owning some equipment might be better. If you're just starting out and making one movie every 18 months or so, renting is considerably more cost efficiant.

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Plus when you own the equipment you can afford to take your time when shooting.

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Isn't this only true if you aren't paying your cast and crew? On my productions (usually 12 to 18 day) the biggest cost is labor. I can't take my time when shooting even when I own the equipment. But you're right. If you aren't paying people it's much cheaper to own a camera and some gear if you're shooting weekends and need to shoot 6 weekends instead of three.

But I'm really interested in this buying and then selling idea. How easy have you found it to re-sell a complete lighting package (for example) or a full grip kit?

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

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Originally posted by TheManWithNoName

Cheers for the response.

Im in Leicester at the moment.

I am just gathering as much info as I can at the moment, Ive seen a few rental sites, but the Film School option sounds like a good one too...

As regards to equipment. What would be the minimum basic I would need to create a half decent looking film.

Thanks Again...

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Leicester Uni has a media section with affiliations with the BBC (I believe they sponser the course and supply some equipment so that may be an idea). A lot of the colleges will do a media or film&video course and will have basic red head kits. Stafford Uni (where I'm from) rents out HD and DV cams (Canon XL1) they have lights, marantz, tracking, jibs etc but I have no idea how much they'd charge for someone who's not part of the university. Provision in Leeds and Manchester is one of the biggest rental places and has a great selection of equipment but they are pricey and I wouldn't advise it for someone starting out.

Thanks for your comments on my films, I left you a quick reply 🙂

I fully agree with you...it depends on how you shoot and whether or not you should buy or rent. I started with 16mm, DAT sound recorder and lighting. I used them on one film then sold the camera and sound recorder, but I was shooting on weekends and taking my sweet time filming. I kept my mic, lighting equip. because I knew they would still be current for my next shoot. By then digital had taken over and I used the Canon XL-1. I also rented the equipment out for a short time, but that can be a scary notion...watching strangers walk off with your equipment. Next time around (next summer) I will go with an HD camera and I plan on shooting 2 films prior to selling. I found that is my best method for shooting is on weekends. If you are shooting 2-4 weeeks straight without breaks then you may be better off renting. I think this is a good discussion for filmmakers to understand. Planning and budgeting all come into play. Most filmmakers under-estimate their shoots and it can get very costly in the end.

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Originally posted by Kess

I started with 16mm, DAT sound recorder and lighting. I used them on one film then sold the camera and sound recorder, but I was shooting on weekends and taking my sweet time filming.

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It seems to me that's a big up front expense - buy a camera, sound and light gear - and a lot of time to resell it. Sometimes I rent grip and lighting gear worth tens of thousands of dollars so your method wouldn't work in that case. Even buying a $5,000 to $8,000 camera (or a $40,000 16mm rig), an $800 DAT recorder and a $1,200 light kit, using it for a few months and then selling it, is something I don't think I could afford to do.

This is the first time I've heard someone recommend this method (buying and reselling) as a good way to keep the rental fee down. Did you sell the camera and recorder for enough to justify the time expended? Would you do it again?

I am just reasearching at the moment but because I work in IT I might hopefully be ably to get finance.

Ive seen some kit that I would need to create a film of decent quality, bare in mind I don't know what Im doing. I alos thought that after all this I could rent the kit out for cheap to ppl like me and make the money back, risky who knows.

Looked at creativevideo.co.uk

For tripods, camcranes, gliders, shoulder rests, arri light kit e.t.c and the Sony PD-150 Camera, which I don't think Id buy. If it's good enough for Lynch it's good enough for me.

Anyway, these are all pipe dreams but I always like to prepare and what else have you got but your dreams.

Others have done it, so why shouldn't I is my attitude.

Cheers Again All...

Any comments again appreciated.

Im not saying Id purchase here but it's a good site to see what kind of kit is available and I think I know what kind of things I need.

I am jumping in at the deep end and don't even try to persuade me out of that. If something is worth doing it is worth doing well.

D