| Author |
Message |
| < Underground Filmmaking ~ which camcoder is good for making small movies? |
|
 Posted:
Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:20 pm
|
|
|
Day Walker
Joined: 10 Sep 2008
Posts: 10
|
|
| we are thinking to make ads uding good camcoder; any idea which camcoder is used by small screen ad makers? |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| Posted:
Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:09 pm
|
|
|
Day Walker
Joined: 04 Jun 2009
Posts: 16
Location: Bad Wörishofen, Germany
|
|
| splm wrote: |
| we are thinking to make ads uding good camcoder; any idea which camcoder is used by small screen ad makers? |
As a rule of thumb, when working on a low (to no) budget film, you should try to borrow as much equipment and talent as you can. The less you have to spend on such things, the more you can put into other aspects of the film (such as purchasing real costumes or buying food for long shoots). It's always awesome to know that you own your own camera, but costs there can mount up pretty quickly. For instance, if you don't have a camera, I'm assuming you don't have a tripod either. To buy a decent tripod and camera both require cash values ending in 'hundred'. Anything that someone might own already can be lent to you for no cost (assuming you're a trust worthy film maker, But enough of that, what about HD vs. SD?
I would first consider the needs of the film festival. When I helped on a project for the Wisconsin Film Festival, we shot our footage in glorious 1080i. However, when we were selected to be screened at the event, they needed a standard definition version on miniDV... bummer. Still, the image quality of the HD camera still came through in our down converted final cut, bringing better colors and crisp edges to the action. There are multiple reasons the HD camera had a good image even when scaled to a lower resolution. The technology of '3CCD' chips has been around in consumer grade cameras for some time. The process takes the light from the lens and splits it into the 3 primary RGB wavelengths and sends each to it's own sensor. When combined on the digital file, each frame has greater clarity and better color balance. This technology is available in both HD and SD cameras. Another reason the HD camera preformed well was due to the large lens diameter. This, along with several factors, gave the camera a wider and better aperture. More light could get to the sensor chip so there was less distortion/grain in the image, and low-mid light scenes were handled much better.
All of that aside, you will kick yourself in 3 years if you end up buying a standard definition camera... I can almost guarantee it... so borrow borrow borrow!
When you say external microphone I'm assuming you mean that the camera has a detachable microphone? I can venture a bet to say that all consumer camcorders on the market have microphones built in, but only some have external microphone jacks. This is an important specification when looking for a camera, because this will allow you to buy third party microphones, as many different types as you want, and record with them. Being mounted on the camera is nice for mobile action, but if you are shooting a short story (or even a long one) having a mic operator is essential for usable audio. If you have an extension cable (and a broom handle and duct tape) you can also create a boom for the mic, allowing you to aim the mic past the actors mouths and into the ground or the sky. Placing microphones this specifically can cut down on the reverb and ambient noise of shooting locations.
Two camera brands I have heard positive reviews about are Canon and Panasonic. JVC has been known to carry less expensive high end HD cameras, but they have also been known to break easily and are hard to shoot with in low light situations. In my experience, everything Canon has ever produced can take a picture with beautiful colors. However, they know this, so you'll have to pay a premium (but it'd be worth it if you wanted it).
I think that's about it... but feel free to refine your question if you want more information. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Posted:
Sun Jun 07, 2009 12:58 pm
|
|
|
Day Walker
Joined: 31 Oct 2007
Posts: 18
Location: Konan, Aichi, Japan
|
|
| I bought a new HD Video Camera for home movies is it possible to stamp the date and time onto the videos? I know i do this manually but that would take a lot of time. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
SmartFeed
