BLOGS

I can not tell you how many times I have to watch people either already in the biz, working their way in or trying to get started have their eyes glaze over when they start talking about making their movie with a 'RED ONE' or some other crazy high-end camera.

Forget the fact that the camera itself whether rented or purchased outright often blows a huge hole in an Indy production budget by itself. Then when you add all the support gear needed to get the full value out of so large a camera sensor, there goes another significant chunk of the budget and you haven't even started shooting yet! On top of that, I've seen folks get such high-end gear and then not have enough money to have the footage properly stored and then edited because most of the money went for the gear. But at least they can say they shot their film on the (blah, blah, blah!)

Of course you don't want to shoot on a rickety PoS camera because a worn out rig will cause you numerous other problems that will also cost money. However, you'd be surprised at how good a film you can shoot visually with some ingenuity, a good eye and lots of creativity! So what if you can't get a RED or a high-end rig from Canon, Sony, Panasonic, etc. All you actually need is one or more smaller rigs that can shoot at 720p and with good production values, good direction and tight storytelling, few people will be able to tell (or care) that you didn't shoot with a 2k+ camera!

Here's a good video by Ken Simpson that breaks down the question of, 'Do I need a high-resolution camera to make my movie?' Whether you're about to go into production or already undergoing principle photography, those of you involved in filmmaking should take a look at this as it may well save you some pain in both the purse and backside!

http://vimeo.com/63404537