Hi. I'm trying to get into independent film making and having a hard time trying to figure out what all I need. I got the sound taken care of. Do I need to get a different lens? I have the kit lens that comes with the Canon 70D (18-135). Is it really necessary to buy another lens right now? I don't want to seem like a gearfag but I just want to know if there's anything really else that I need to produce a decent looking/sounding video. Here's what I have so far.
Canon 70D
18-135mm Lens F/3.5
RODE SmartLav + into a Zoom H1.
And one of the cheaper Manfrotto tripods.
Also have a decent homemade Camera Slider.
Other than actors, and skill, do i need anything else? Thanks.
Depends on the scale of the film, you should be able to cover most of it with your gear, but you may want another person doing cinematography, reshooting scenes at other angles can be a pain
>>2762593
Lighting.
A prime lens with de-clicked aperture would probably help, but you don't NEED it.
>>2762596
That's the thing. I'm scared of letting someone else to the camera work because they way I see things in my head, I want the shot to be exactly that. I don't feel comfortable letting someone else decide the shot.
>>2762598
What kind of lighting is best? Just like generic softboxes that people use for regular photography or...? Maybe do you have an amazon link to decent stuff?
>>2762601
A good DP will do exactly what the director says, and will always show you how he's doing things. Every director in the movie business uses a DP.
Interesting example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YMCWR8jzpU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53vr9EiOH7g
Look at these two clips. Paris, Texas, and Dancer in the Dark couldn't be further away from each other as far as cinematography goes... and you know what? Same DP.
>>2763162
Never noticed it before but using that filter at the start of Paris, Texas is quite an odd choice. I mean the cameras just shaking everywhere. Kinda ruins it.
>>2762603
I don't know exactly what you have in mind, but lights like these are pretty nice.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004TJ6JH6
I'm not necessarily recommending this one, it's just the first one that came up when I searched. Though they do look identical to the ones we ordered off Deal Extreme ... where you could save a few bucks if you got the time to wait. They're dimmable, and can take all sorts of batteries in addition to AA.
Else just go to the hardware store and buy a couple of cans (pic) and start thinking of ways to diffuse them.
Also consider getting old manual primes, they're cheap, so you can build a nice set, and you shouldn't be running anything automatic anyway. "Real" (expensive) lenses do have some advantages like better fine control, but picture quality wise, just about nobody will know the difference.
Also a light meter. Do not eyeball your exposure, our eyes suck at judging lighting.
