New to Film Making Question at DVinfo.net

Simon Kenny · January 6th, 2005, 01:14 PM

Hi

I am an actor first and foremost mainly stage productions but appeared in a couple of student films. I have just received a camcorder for christmas from my girlfriend and hope to start shooting my own short very soon.

Will my Cam be capable of producing decent results? I have a Canon DV 750i, it is nothing like what most of you guys are using obviously but what are the main differences between a standard camcorder and the type of DV Cameras you guys are using? Obviously the bigger cameras have more complex lenses etc but as for quality what is the difference? Do Video Cameras work in the same way digital cameras work, i.e the pixel quality etc. What kind of pixel quality can I expect from my camcorder?

Hope this doesn't seem to daft a question to ask?

Thanks for any help.

Regards

Simon

Rainer Hoffmann · January 6th, 2005, 01:45 PM

Hi Simon,

don't worry too much about the quality of your camera (it's a pretty good one, though). What really counts is the story you want to tell and the way you are going to tell it!

Technically, all PAL-DV cameras (since you are living in a PAL country I assume you've got a PAL cam) record 720x576 pixels. However, there are differences in the picture quality. You must decide, wether the quality is acceptable for you or not.

But there is more to making a short than just the camera. Have you thought about a decent tripod, about a good mike (they say that 70 percent of what you see is sound) and lighting? That's what really makes a difference. And the story, of course.

Do some research on this great site on the various topics about DV and film making. You'll learn a lot (at least I did!!).

Good luck and

Dylan Couper · January 6th, 2005, 05:56 PM

I never thought I'd have to say this to an actor...

What is going to make your project good, is the acting and story.

:)

Don't sweat it, your camera is fine. Instead of upgrading, spend money on a tripod, lights and a good microphone. That will make more difference than a better camera.

Keith Loh · January 6th, 2005, 06:15 PM

... and 50 million bucks.

Simon Kenny · January 6th, 2005, 06:26 PM

Thanks for the replies all.

I will look into the things you all mentioned, first on the list is a tripod.

I will search the posts for advice on a microphone, dont know who can help with the 50 big ones though! ;-)

Simon

January 6th, 2005, 01:14 PM	#1
Simon Kenny New Boot Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Manchester, England Posts: 16	New to Film Making Question Hi I am an actor first and foremost mainly stage productions but appeared in a couple of student films. I have just received a camcorder for christmas from my girlfriend and hope to start shooting my own short very soon. Will my Cam be capable of producing decent results? I have a Canon DV 750i, it is nothing like what most of you guys are using obviously but what are the main differences between a standard camcorder and the type of DV Cameras you guys are using? Obviously the bigger cameras have more complex lenses etc but as for quality what is the difference? Do Video Cameras work in the same way digital cameras work, i.e the pixel quality etc. What kind of pixel quality can I expect from my camcorder? Hope this doesn't seem to daft a question to ask? Thanks for any help. Regards Simon

January 6th, 2005, 01:45 PM	#2
Rainer Hoffmann Major Player Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Syke, Germany Posts: 249	Hi Simon, don't worry too much about the quality of your camera (it's a pretty good one, though). What really counts is the story you want to tell and the way you are going to tell it! Technically, all PAL-DV cameras (since you are living in a PAL country I assume you've got a PAL cam) record 720x576 pixels. However, there are differences in the picture quality. You must decide, wether the quality is acceptable for you or not. But there is more to making a short than just the camera. Have you thought about a decent tripod, about a good mike (they say that 70 percent of what you see is sound) and lighting? That's what really makes a difference. And the story, of course. Do some research on this great site on the various topics about DV and film making. You'll learn a lot (at least I did!!). Good luck and __________________ Keep rolling Rainer

January 6th, 2005, 05:56 PM	#3
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	I never thought I'd have to say this to an actor... What is going to make your project good, is the acting and story. :) Don't sweat it, your camera is fine. Instead of upgrading, spend money on a tripod, lights and a good microphone. That will make more difference than a better camera. __________________ Need to rent camera gear in Vancouver BC? Check me out at camerarentalsvancouver.com

January 6th, 2005, 06:15 PM	#4
Keith Loh Air China Pilot Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 2,389	... and 50 million bucks. __________________ -- Visit http://www.KeithLoh.com \| stuff about living in Vancouver \| My Flickr photo gallery

January 6th, 2005, 06:26 PM	#5
Simon Kenny New Boot Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Manchester, England Posts: 16	Thanks for the replies all. I will look into the things you all mentioned, first on the list is a tripod. I will search the posts for advice on a microphone, dont know who can help with the 50 big ones though! ;-) Simon