Young Film Maker Starter Camera

A warm welcome to all. Here we talk about films, which people put onto YouTube or Vimeo and embed here. The idea is to allow useful, friendly discussion.
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Tami Nicks

Young Film Maker Starter Camera

Post by Tami Nicks »

I have a 15 year old son who is extremely interested in film making, screen writing, etc. To date he has been using our very old family camcorder. I want to get him a decent digital camcorder, with the correct accessories
and editing software for our desktop. I don't want to go overboard, just want to ensure I get him the correct equipment that encourages his interest.

Any recommendations?
Cinema For Thurso Group

Re: Young Film Maker Starter Camera

Post by Cinema For Thurso Group »

Try a basic model of JVC MiniDV camera and use Ulead Studio 8. Fancy cameras don't make good films, it's the people behind and in front of!

The Ulead software offers just enough means to create interesting films. The rest is down to your son's talent as a screewriter/ director. Best of luck and happy movie making.
tom hardwick

Re: Young Film Maker Starter Camera

Post by tom hardwick »

Have you considered getting him a more 'professional' camcorder but buying secondhand?

I ask this because I've just put my Sony VX2000 up for sale. This is a Mini DV with a 12x zoom (and has a proper zoom ring rather than just the rocker switch). The camera is quite amazing in low light (better than cameras costing twice as much) and offers full and total manual control should you want it.

Perhaps the best thing about this camera is the superb picture quality, and the fact that you can happily shoot a family day out at the zoo and the next day use it to shoot a wedding professionally. Accessories will amount to
a decent external microphone, spare battery, nice tripod and maybe a wide-angle conversion lens.

Just a thought.

tom.
Ian Gardner

Re: Young Film Maker Starter Camera

Post by Ian Gardner »

I would disagree a bit, sorry. The idea sounds good but why not buy a new Canon MiniDV in and out for about £199. He can use this for 2 to 3 years and if he likes film making then he could save up for a better one. I have
won most of the comps in my local club. You may lose a few marks in picture quality at lowlight, but it`s the ideas that make a film and if the picture quality is a bit ropy, you can hide it with careful editing and effects.

Ian Gardner
tom hardwick

Re: Young Film Maker Starter Camera

Post by tom hardwick »

You make a very good point Ian, that a £200 camcorder will ease this enthusiastic lad into the filmmaking world and if he changes his mind not a lot has been lost. But I was picking up on the words that he was ''extremely interested in filmmaking'' and I can well see that such a lad could well be held back by a £200 camcorder's inability to allow headphone monitoring, the use of external mics and be devoid of full manual override, say.

I'm always wary of recommending people buy at their level, feeling it's better to grow into new kit rather than grow out of it. A 200 quid camcorder will be almost unsaleable the next day, whereas a more versatile model (perhaps second hand as I suggest) often has better residuals should the money need to be recouped at a later stage.

In the meanwhile the better quality obtainable will no doubt boost the youngster's confidence. He won't be baulked by the automation or the poor low light performance, and he'll be treated as 'serious' when he gathers his crew around him.

tom.
Ian Gardner

Re: Young Film Maker Starter Camera

Post by Ian Gardner »

I can agree with that Tom.

The only thing, that could be a downer doing it that way would be if he bought second hand and it was faulty. You have to be very careful of faulty goods second hand. He could contact a video camera club. Members are always upgrading.

Ian Gardner
Ned C

Re: Young Film Maker Starter Camera

Post by Ned C »

Let me add a bit from personal experience. My grandaughter (aged 14) developed an interest in film making and we gave her a very inexpensive single chip Panasonic, no manual controls, no headphone socket etc and with the aid of her younger brother made a series of films, hilarious in content although rough around the edges by the standard of the film makers here.

She has now graduated to a 3 chip Panasonic (combined family present) and Vegas Studio on a family computer. So, if the young man has progressed through the family camcorder I agree that it may be time for somethinmg more ambitious. A used 3 chipper with manual controls and more potential would be great,

Ned C
MikeTV
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2010 1:47 pm

Re: Young Film Maker Starter Camera

Post by MikeTV »

Hi,

My first camera was a Panasonic HMC41e and I am delighted with it. It has a three chip sensor, auto and manual controls, records in 1080i or 720p, has a headphone jack, a jack for external mics, and loads of other col stuff that means that nearly every time I use the camera I am learning. I don’t know what your budget is (my camera was around £2,300) but it was worth every penny to me and I will continue to grow into it for at least the next year!

Part of the fun of film-making for me is learning new techniques with hte camera, and if you buy a cheap, fully automatic, then in my opinion your so will learn to use it really quickly and may then lose some of the magic.

Hope that is helpful in some way. :)
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fraught
Posts: 567
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:54 pm
Location: Basingstoke
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Re: Young Film Maker Starter Camera

Post by fraught »

If we're talking first cameras... my first Video camera was a Sony CCD V7 AF-e... shot onto Sony 8.

Image

Did me proud for many years! Until it broke down. :-(

I have to agree on the buying a small inexpensive camera as a starter, and then see how things progress. :-)
Only Boring People Get Bored
http://www.fraught.net
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