Well I'm not going to say I'm an expert by any means but am a independent filmmaker who is looking for the right guidance from time to time. I got a book that I really wanted called the Filmmakers book of the Dead, But as much as I like this book it is another book that fails to really deliver to true independent filmmakers like myself. I'm going to list a few things here and then act on them.
- Shooting on 16-35MM
- Budget sheets
These are the two issues I'm having a problem with at the present time with the book. All right it list that you should not shoot on mini DV, well when this is all you have and all you can afford you cant really as an independent filmmaker afford a $5,000 pro HD camera, just not doable. I use a mini DV to shoot my stuff on and it's fine, you can clean everything up in post, I have a MAC so can clean up my films with out a problem. I mean really what independent filmmaker can afford a 16mm or 35mm camera? Plus unfortunately as good as film looks and it can never be copied it's expensive to cut and is time consuming, why use these old means when you have the digital age right in front of you? Hell some are using photography cameras to shoot films now at a fraction of the cost. We now live in a digital age, we adapt, you cant tell people not to shoot on DV if it's all they have to work with and all they can afford,in short you work with what you got. I'm not saying that I won't be getting an HD camera in the future because chances are good that I in fact will. When I can afford one.
Now with budgeting. For one to do budgeting you have to have funding which in short is the hardest thing to obtain in the industry. I mean your asking people for money and they need to see something credible and at an independent level that is often hard to do. It of coarse can be done, you shoot a few short clips of your film and present it to somebody they might like it and give you money. But again it's still hard to do. So having a budget sheet for an independent production really doesn't make sense at all, mainly big sets have these because Hollywood can afford to pay people. I made my first short on no budget and it came in the top 10 out of like 60 other entries.
Anyway wrote this because I feel that some film making books should actually tell you these things, that your not apart of Hollywood, you can make it there of coarse, but at an independent level you cant achieve some of these things, it's just not possible. I mean shooting on 16mm or 35mm, hey if somebody can spare a 16mm or 35mm camera for free then hey that's great. Plus you have the RED camera, another camera that is not possible to obtain with out a high cost, again I recommend use what you got, it's not the camera it's how you use it.
Corey Sim
