$1000 Budget for first film. Need suggestions.

[Coldkilla]

Hi all. I've been a filmmaker (at heart) since I've been 10 years old, (currently 22) but have never created anything short of digital works using video game engines. Since this thread has started I have purchased my camera (Canon T2i), and have $1300 left for accessories (Including batteries etc.). The following list is my planned "To do list", but I've never touched into photography and I'm not sure whether or not I should pursue the things I have listed here or put my attention elsewhere.

Essentials:
Camera: Cannon T2i with Kit Lens ------- Bought
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-437-_-Product

Battery Grip: BG-E8
http://www.amazon.com/BG-E8-Battery-...8607800&sr=8-1

Memory Card: Transcend 16 GB ------- Bought
http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-Clas...d=HPCX9QEZUAC0

Batteries: LP-E8 LPE8 Generics. (Getting two)
http://cgi.ebay.com/Battery-for-Can...emQQptZBatteries_Chargers?hash=item3efdc48ecd

Strap: Canon Hand strap
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-strap-Di...d=HPCX9QEZUAC0

Steadicam: Poor Man's Steadycam
http://littlegreatideas.com/steadycam/


Sound:
Boom Pole: DIY
http://www.indymogul.com/episode/imwe_20070727

Shotgun Mic: AT875***
http://detonator.dynamitedata.com/c...ica_AT875R_AT875_Short_Condenser_Shotgun.html

Note***: Does not include Shockmount, Sound/Wind Supressor

Lighting:
Home Depot, Etc. Misc. ($50 or so).

XLR Cable(s): Own
Accessories: Bag (Cheap)

Software.
Video Editor: Own
Sound Libraries: Own


Adding in:
XLR recorder: $319 + Shipping
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...G&A=details&Q=

Boom Mic Extras: $379 (Adding cost ontop of shotgun mic)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...G&A=details&Q=

Plural Eyes: +$149
http://www.singularsoftware.com/pluraleyes.html

Comes out to about: $1450 left

My cousin can make a small camera track for me free of charge, I just need to get him some materials. I've also got 3-5 people that will be working with me. I've got a screenplay and a script all done, I just need some stuff! I am probably missing a bunch more than whats listed, but thats why I'm here. I hope to get into film school 3 years from now once I save for 2 years once I graduate from UW Milwaukee. I think me getting a head start would really be a good idea.

Some of my previous 'game' stuff [crap] that shows (I guess) that I'm serious at least.

GTA4 [The Majestic]:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx2uqbjzB90

ARMA2 [Base Attack 5]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTw38KXsiyk

CRYSIS [Pre-release trainer composition]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yacNusJ6kU

 

[jpeyton]

Use a DSLR for video?

The new Canon T2i looks to be the best option for under $1000. It was just announced, but should hit the street pretty soon. It has 1080p24 with full manual controls and a stereo microphone input jack.

Pair it up with some fast lenses and you can get that shallow depth-of-field film-makers love. The only lens that would fit into your budget is the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8, but you can rent/borrow the rest.

You don't need tapes, just a few fast SDHC cards ($30). You absolutely need a stabilizer of some kind when you're not using a tripod.

 

[n yusef]

The Canon T2i seems like it'll be the camera to get. Your lens choice will depend on your filmmaking style. Personally, I generally prefer a wider perspective than 50mm on a crop camera.

 

[jpeyton]

The Canon T2i seems like it'll be the camera to get. Your lens choice will depend on your filmmaking style. Personally, I generally prefer a wider perspective than 50mm on a crop camera.

Something like a 35L would be ideal on a crop camera, but that would eat his entire budget for lunch. A Sigma 30/1.4 would be a good alternative.

 

[Kaido]

Video:

Either a Canon HF200 camcorder ($520) or a Canon T2i dSLR ($799 + lens). The T2i will give you the film look with great DOF, so if you can splurge for that, I'd totally do it. Get some low-end used lenses like a 35mm f/1.8 prime to start out with to stay within budget.

Sound:

Best option is a boom mic, second best option is a lav mic. Beta 58's are more for like singing and stuff, although if you build a boom pole, you can probably get away with using them. I built this boom pole a few years ago: ($15 or so)

http://www.indymogul.com/backyardfx/post/1498/build-plans-15-telescoping-boom-pole

For films, story is the #1 most important thing, audio is the #2 most important thing. You can have a craptastic camera, but if your audio sounds good, no one will care (re: Blair Witch, Paranormal Activity, etc.). So it's really really important to pay close attention to your audio. For cheap lav mics, check out the Audio Technica AT-35s for $29:

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica...dp/B00006I51V/

You can attach them under shirt collars and stuff with some cloth stickers ($13):

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...lier_Wind.html

Mostly what you'll be recording is vocals (the actor's lines), then mixing in music and sound effects. With the vast sound effects libraries available now, it's almost a waste of time to record the majority of the sound effects yourself. So your goal when filming is to get nice, clean vocals. It's not rocket science, but there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. Basically just get the mic within a few feet of the actor's mouth. Right above their head is best; watch out for shadows. You can also do it beneath their chin if your shot is high and you'd see the mic. Remember to record some room ambience too so that when you switch audio tracks, you don't get weird audio gaps.

Lighting:

Chinese laterns are really good and cheap for even lighting:

http://www.simplelegance.net/images/chinese_lantern.jpg

I just bought 3 at Ikea for about $30 with the laterns, bulb plug, and cords. Then I got some "natural" white compact flourescent lights (the swirly ones) from Home Depot. Get as high wattage as you can - remember the CFL's are rated at like 1/3 the output, so 100w equivalent is like 30 watts or something, so you can put in a higher-wattage CFL to get the more light output. I also got some work light reflectors for about $10 at Home Depot:

http://img.alibaba.com/photo/260362564/Overhead_surgical_light_Reflector.jpg

Those are good when you want light in a certain area, but don't want it to be a spotlight like your can lights. Oh and just remember that CFL's don't like to dim like normal lights - so you get brighter/whiter light from the same actual wattage, but you lose the ability to dim well.

Stabilization:

Try to avoid handheld, it looks amateurish. Also try to avoid zooming, that's only for Godzilla movies. Mount the camera on a tripod and don't zoom (you can focus in/out, but zooming is the #1 sign of an amateur filmmaker, unless you're going for a BSG or 300 effect). I'd recommend building a $14 Poor Man's Steadicam:

http://steadycam.org/

You can use anti-shake filters on your video when editing it to make it look smoother. The big key with tripods is a Fluid Head - this basically has some thick liquid inside that makes pans and tilts smooth, instead of clickity like with a photo tripod. Fluid Head tripods are fairly expensive (good ones start at $115), but you can buy just the head for $29 and get some cheap tripod legs if you're on a really tight budget:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...y_Panhead.html

The camera you'll be using won't be huge, so it's not a big deal to use a cheap tripod setup like that to start out with because you won't have weight/size to deal with. I'd also recommend getting a mini tripod, either a cheap tabletop one or a Gorillapod (my favorite - they have flexible legs).

Shooting:

Just do it like your video game movies (good job on those, btw!) - quick cuts, different angles - up close and far away, plus details like opening door knobs and stuff. Instead of just filming your character getting into a car and driving in a single, long, continuous shot, for example, do lots of little cuts like this:

http://vimeo.com/7279220

Shoot a lot of extra stuff while you're out and about so that you have some fill material when editing the video.

Editing:

Just make sure you figure out your workflow BEFORE you start your project. Editing can take a long time - importing and transcoding video, figuring out which clips to use and where to cut and how to pace and tell the story, swapping in sound effects, musics, and voiceovers, etc. etc. It can be overwhelming when you finish shooting and have a big pile of footage and sound recordings and don't know how to get from there to a finished movie. So nail down your workflow FIRST - what computer platform you'll be using (Mac or PC), what video editing software you'll be using, etc.

HTH.

 

[Coldkilla]

Wow thanks so much for the suggestion(s) Kaido!

@jpeyton: Sorry I'm just not sure what DSLR is.

@Kaido: With your suggestions (Cheapest route):

$520 Camera Canon HF200
$15 Boom Pole
$29 (x3 at least) Audio Technica AT-35s Mics
$12 (x3 at least) Cloth stickers
$30 (x2 at least) Chinese Lanterns
$15 (for 2) White compact flourescent lights
$14 Poor Man's Steadicam
$10 (x2 at least) Light Reflectors
$29 Cheap Tripod Legs (I have a cheap tripod, this is for budget reasons).
Not counting the 35mm f/1.8 prime lense. I'm not sure what to look at.

The total is $784. That leaves about $200 for some upgraded component. Having the Canon T2i dSLR would bring it to $1063 (w/out lense).

I've yet to test the vocal range of my Beta58's at distances over 3+ feet for overhead audio, my guess is it'll be superbly quiet. I'll play with that in the mean time.

 

[alfa147x]

Wow thanks so much for the suggestion(s) Kaido!

@jpeyton: Sorry I'm just not sure what DSLR is.

Canon T2i is a DSLR

wiki link

 

[Kaido]

Wow thanks so much for the suggestion(s) Kaido!

@jpeyton: Sorry I'm just not sure what DSLR is.

@Kaido: With your suggestions (Cheapest route):

$520 Camera Canon HF200
$15 Boom Pole
$29 (x3 at least) Audio Technica AT-35s Mics
$12 (x3 at least) Cloth stickers
$30 (x2 at least) Chinese Lanterns
$15 (for 2) White compact flourescent lights
$14 Poor Man's Steadicam
$10 (x2 at least) Light Reflectors
$29 Cheap Tripod Legs (I have a cheap tripod, this is for budget reasons).
Not counting the 35mm f/1.8 prime lense. I'm not sure what to look at.

The total is $784. That leaves about $200 for some upgraded component. Having the Canon T2i dSLR would bring it to $1063 (w/out lense).

I've yet to test the vocal range of my Beta58's at distances over 3+ feet for overhead audio, my guess is it'll be superbly quiet. I'll play with that in the mean time.

You'll want memory cards (Class 6 SDHC, I'd get 8gb cards minimum, 16gb if you can), batteries (I like the $20 knockoffs on eBay that include a car & house charger), and a padded bag for your HF200. For the Beta 58's, you can build the cheapo boom pole and get a mic clip to put the 58 in, then run an XLR cable to your camera, and get an XLR-to-Minijack adapter to pump it into the camera. You don't want to run a Minijack cable too far because it will pick up interference - just get a short adapter, like six inches or so.

The HF200 is a great video camera, but if you want to do the film-look, definitely go for the T2i. You can do rack focus (where it focuses on one thing, then makes it blurry as it focuses on something else) and the picture quality is better than the HF200. All a dSLR is is a digital SLR camera, which is a 35mm camera that has interchangable lenses. Many new dSLR cameras do video, so you get tremendous picture quality from them. The T2i represents a huge pricing breakthrough for superb quality video.

 

[jpeyton]

This is what a T2i can do (that a HF200 definitely can not do): http://www.vimeo.com/8455331

Get a DSLR for your camera if you want to shoot something that looks decidedly more professional than something shot on a camcorder.

 

[Coldkilla]

This is what a T2i can do (that a HF200 definitely can not do): http://www.vimeo.com/8455331

Get a DSLR for your camera if you want to shoot something that looks decidedly more professional than something shot on a camcorder.

That's insanely cool. I'll definitely put that on the radar. I think it might be worth it to save up for a while to get something like that. Now just need to find out a way to make a few extra few hundred dollars hehe!

 

[Kaido]

That's insanely cool. I'll definitely put that on the radar. I think it might be worth it to save up for a while to get something like that. Now just need to find out a way to make a few extra few hundred dollars hehe!

If you are serious about wanting to do your own films, then get the T2i. Nothing can touch it for $799. Plus you can upgrade the lenses to whatever you want - Canon, Nikon, Zeiss, anything. I have a Nikon dSLR with a 35m Zeiss lens and it's absolutely *gorgeous*. If I weren't saving up for a Scarlet, I'd totally go for a T2i.

 

[alfa147x]

If you are serious about wanting to do your own films, then get the T2i. Nothing can touch it for $799. Plus you can upgrade the lenses to whatever you want - Canon, Nikon, Zeiss, anything. I have a Nikon dSLR with a 35m Zeiss lens and it's absolutely *gorgeous*. If I weren't saving up for a Scarlet, I'd totally go for a T2i.

Even over a 5d MkII with the mythic firmware?

 

[Kaido]

Even over a 5d MkII with the mythic firmware?

$2499 vs. $799, hmm ^_^ Although full-frame is so hawt...

 

[jpeyton]

http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/11350991_G9vAj#797228127_NWX23

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0pvqxMeyIQ

 

[Coldkilla]

http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/11350991_G9vAj#797228127_NWX23

Very nice. The camera looks cool too heh, if only I knew more about lenses b/c I have no idea whats what.

 

[luv2liv]

ok. i love that canon dslr!! but how hard is it to shoot without the articulating lcd found in camcorders??? anyone with experience?

 

[Coldkilla]

Some gathered and compressed links based off of suggestions.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP $800.
Camera Bag: Case Logic $80
Camera Battery: LP-E8 $60
Camera Lens:
Boom Microphone:
Camera Stabilizer: Poor Man's Steadicam $14.
Camera Tripod: Fluid Head $30
Boom Microphone Pole: Make shift DIY $15
Microphone LAV: Audio Technica Brand $29. Will need 3.
Microphone Windcover/stickers: Rycote Undercover $13. Will need 3.
Chinese Lantern: Unknown. $10. Will need 3.
Light Reflectors: $10. Will need 3.

Currently @ about $1200 not/inc shipping/taxes. I'd like to stay around here, but if necessary I will go to $1400 but but I cant afford to go any higher.

Sound Libraries. Music. Script. Screenplay. Video Editor Program. All done. Is there any cabling, adaptors, or anything else I may need? Other replacement suggestions very much welcome.

In regards to:
1. The Camera: In terms of educating myself on what it 'does' and how it 'does it' (in terms of features and their understanding). Could you recommend a link that could help out in this regard? Or is simply having the camera and 'playing around with it' the best way to learn?
2. The Camera Batteries: Someone mentioned knock off batteries? Any way I can save money is probably for the best.
3. LAV Microphones Vs. Boom Microphones: It was mentioned that a Boom Microphone is preferred over clip-ons/stickers. If this is the case I have some questions:
---A. Can/Should I use both?
---B. How do these LAV microphones work in conjunction with the camera?
---C. Does the boom microphone record directly into the camera or do I need some sort of external audio recorder?
4. The Camera Lens. Sorry I'm just so lost in this ordeal I can't really tell the difference in what is what.

Note: Some of the links are to discontinued items and/or are currently out of stock and I will find em' elsewhere. Again I'd like to save money in anyway I can, but if that means reducing (audio especially) quality then perhaps I'll consider spending a little bit more. I apologize once again for not understanding most of the technical aspects in film-making but I hope to understand soon enough.

 

[996GT2]

Some gathered and compressed links based off of suggestions.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP $800.
Camera Bag: Case Logic $80
Camera Battery: LP-E8 $60
Camera Lens:
Boom Microphone:
Camera Stabilizer: Poor Man's Steadicam $14.
Camera Tripod: Fluid Head $30
Boom Microphone Pole: Make shift DIY $15
Microphone LAV: Audio Technica Brand $29. Will need 3.
Microphone Windcover/stickers: Rycote Undercover $13. Will need 3.
Chinese Lantern: Unknown. $10. Will need 3.
Light Reflectors: $10. Will need 3.

Currently @ about $1200 not/inc shipping/taxes. I'd like to stay around here, but if necessary I will go to $1400 but but I cant afford to go any higher.

Sound Libraries. Music. Script. Screenplay. Video Editor Program. All done. Is there any cabling, adaptors, or anything else I may need? Other replacement suggestions very much welcome.

In regards to:
1. The Camera: In terms of educating myself on what it 'does' and how it 'does it' (in terms of features and their understanding). Could you recommend a link that could help out in this regard? Or is simply having the camera and 'playing around with it' the best way to learn?
2. The Camera Batteries: Someone mentioned knock off batteries? Any way I can save money is probably for the best.
3. LAV Microphones Vs. Boom Microphones: It was mentioned that a Boom Microphone is preferred over clip-ons/stickers. If this is the case I have some questions:
---A. Can/Should I use both?
---B. How do these LAV microphones work in conjunction with the camera?
---C. Does the boom microphone record directly into the camera or do I need some sort of external audio recorder?
4. The Camera Lens. Sorry I'm just so lost in this ordeal I can't really tell the difference in what is what.

Note: Some of the links are to discontinued items and/or are currently out of stock and I will find em' elsewhere. Again I'd like to save money in anyway I can, but if that means reducing (audio especially) quality then perhaps I'll consider spending a little bit more. I apologize once again for not understanding most of the technical aspects in film-making but I hope to understand soon enough.

If you're going to spend $80+ on a bag, don't get a Case Logic. Get something decent like a Crumpler.

Aftermarket batteries are fine. Sterlingtek makes some great third-party batteries that come pretty close to the OEM ones. Energizer also makes good third-party batteries.

The lens is actually one of the most important parts of your setup. I would recommend the Canon 50mm f/1.8 (around $90) since you are trying to stick to a tight budget. Having the fast f/1.8 aperture will also let you play around with shallow depth of field more. If you have money to spare, a fast f/2.8 zoom like the Tamron 17-50mm is another good choice, especially in its image-stabilized VC variant.

 

[Munky]

And I assume you're proficient at manually focusing lenses? Because as much as people love to hype up the video capabilities of the latest DSLR, it still won't autofocus.

 

[Coldkilla]

And I assume you're proficient at manually focusing lenses? Because as much as people love to hype up the video capabilities of the latest DSLR, it still won't autofocus.

I wasn't aware of this feature. I'll be spending quite a bit of time prior to filming to try and get the knack of things.

Oh and good call on the bag, if theres anything I could be putting that money towards that would be better by all means let me know. Thanks for the lens suggestion, now I'm just confused on audio/sound. Would a high quality boom mic outbeat (in terms of quality) 3 LAV mics + clips?

 

[Kaido]

I wasn't aware of this feature. I'll be spending quite a bit of time prior to filming to try and get the knack of things.

Oh and good call on the bag, if theres anything I could be putting that money towards that would be better by all means let me know. Thanks for the lens suggestion, now I'm just confused on audio/sound. Would a high quality boom mic outbeat (in terms of quality) 3 LAV mics + clips?

Yeah, a good boom would sound the best. The one to go with on a budget is the Audio-Technica AT875: ($183)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...r_Shotgun.html

However, boom mics aren't as simple as they seem. For clear audio, you really need:

1. A real boom pole (handling noise gets picked up by the mic)
2. A shockmount
3. A blimp kit (protective air covering, with a furry sock for wind outdoors)
4. An XLR cable
5. An XLR recorder (preferably a recorder + mixer)

B&H has a pretty decent kit for $579:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...icrophone.html

A good basic XLR recorder is the Zoom H4n. B&H sells a kit with an 8gb memory card and wired remote control (for easy access) for $319:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...order_Kit.html

So for even a "low-end" good audio kit, you're looking at about $900. Audio can get expensive, but again, no matter how well-shot your movie is, if the audio is lacking, the whole movie is lacking.

 

[Coldkilla]

Question on the XLR recorder: Is there a way to sync it up to the Camera so both begin to record at the same time (& stop at the same time)?

I might pick up the camera first, is this the one I should be looking for? (Best Buy). If so I'll just get it there and then get the lenses and stuff online.

Thanks for the links and information. I'm going to definitely keep all this in mind.

 

[Coldkilla]

I've been trying to find these knockoff batteries for cheap but keep coming up short. I keep running into the $65 official ones. What am I looking for, exactly?

 

[Kaido]

Question on the XLR recorder: Is there a way to sync it up to the Camera so both begin to record at the same time (& stop at the same time)?

I might pick up the camera first, is this the one I should be looking for? (Best Buy). If so I'll just get it there and then get the lenses and stuff online.

Thanks for the links and information. I'm going to definitely keep all this in mind.

Sort of - there is a thing called TimeCode, but recorders with TimeCode are very expensive (like $2500 expensive). There *is* a cheat, however - a cheat for $150 :sneaky: It's called PluralEyes:

http://www.singularsoftware.com/pluraleyes.html

Basically it's post-sync software for separate audio/video systems. It's compatible with Final Cut Pro (Mac) and Sony Vegas (Windows). Basically it analyzes the audio track from your camcorder, then syncs up your separate audio recording from your XLR recorder to match 1:1 on the timeline. Sure you can do this by hand...if you're patient, lol. But if you go out and shoot 100 short clips, you will spend agonizingly long amounts of time trying to manually sync your audio in post-production without TimeCode, so this is some really nice "cheater" software to aid that process.

Yes, that's the correct camera ($799 for the body). Since it's a new camera, you'll probably have a hard time finding knockoff batteries (not sure if it uses a standard battery from previous cameras or not). Also, you probably won't be able to get one until early April since it's so new. For a beginner lens, I'd go with the Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens to start out with (around $100). Although a lot of people will complain against the kit lens (the stock 18-55mm lens that comes with the Canon for $100 more), that might actually be a really good starter lens for you to play around with since it gives you a zoom and you'll primarily be using it for video.

If I were buying a Canon today and had a bit of money to burn, I'd go with the 17-40mm f/4 ($750) and the 85mm f/1.8 ($380) - a short, wide zoom and a nice portrait lens (just to give you some ideas for a future roadmap). Poke around Vimeo.com to get an idea of how those lenses look (just type in "Canon 85mm" for example and see what footage has been posted). dSLR's are a bit different than traditional camcorders because you need to pick a lens to suit the subject matter you're filming, instead of just pressing a super-zoom button to go where you want. But, you get better quality, so it's worth the hassle! haha.

 

[Kaido]

Also, audio is sort of a tricky thing to get right - video (for me, at least) is much easier. I would start out with a Zoom H4n XLR recorder, build that DIY $15 boom pole, and try out your Shure mics before buying anything else. And practice syncing the audio using PluralEyes in post. Then if you want better audio, look into more equipment - that way if the Shures do the job, you're set, but at least you'll know the quality of the audio from what you currently have and can upgrade from there!