Equipment

So right now I'm obsessing a bit about equipment. Let me rephrase that. I'm obsessing about what I'm going to buy and what I'm going to hack together.

This is what I think I'm going to buy.
1. A 35mm adapter for my prosumer camcorder. I'd forgotten so much of this stuff that when I bought my camera ALL I really wanted was a prosumer unit that would give me the most manual control possible. Since my last foray into this was before REALLY good digital camcorders, stuff like depth of field was almost lost on me, because you simply couldn't really use 35mm lenses back then. It wasn't even an option unless you were spending upwards of 50k on the camera. Hell, I was just excited about shooting with 24fps. But the world changed while I was away, and while back then we would set up shots and rewrite scenes to make the best use of what equipment I had available...NOW you can buy stuff to make your badass camera even more badass. So I will be shelling out some cash for a RNG35 adapter-- It will allow me to tape shots where the object in the foreground is clear and the background is out of focus- this is the holy grail of achieving a "filmic" look for your video. Well that and framing your shots that tell a good story...otherwise, 35mm adapters make everything look like a feminine products commercial.

2. An external monitor. This is just so that I can view what I'm taping.

3. Final Cut Express... I'm not shelling out 999 bucks for the Pro version. Unless someone convinces me otherwise, I'll make do with FCE.

4. A Nikon 50mm lens for the adapter.

This is what I will hack...to some of you... this will look like ghetto filmmaking but eh..

1. A DIY (do-it-yourself) steadicam. Already did this...works for what I need. It cost me about five bucks.

2. Lighting. I know.. I know.. Lighting is crucial. But after some research I think that I can use a fluorescent troffer kit (as long as I use a 5600K "bulb") and some halogens (hot.. but I'll reflect them off walls or those aluminum looking car reflector things).


Truth is though-- I will only obsess on some of these things much as I need to-- no more. I'd rather not get too bogged down in "gear" hunting AND if anything gets too complicated to hack together, so much that it gets in the way of achieving the actual final goal... well... I'll drop it and buy or rent equipment.