The Best Cameras for Independent Film Makers

DSLR cameras are all the rage for indie film makers. These cameras can be programmed to produce a film-like image with great depth of field that makes the subject look sharp and pop out against the soft, blurred background. Unfortunately, these cameras have several limitations, namely, no way to monitor the video on a video screen and the camera at the same time, and the 12 minute per clip limitation of continuous video (OK, that one's not too limiting to a film maker). The real problem is the poor on-board audio system. DSLR's don't have professional XLR inputs or even a headphone jack to monitor the audio, and there's no means of defeating the AGC (which creates added hiss to low volume sounds). The solution is to use a separate 300 dollar digital recorder, which seems like an easy fix. Until you get into the editing room. Since the audio is on a second system, it is not synchronized to the video. If you don't sound slate each scene, it becomes difficult to match the audio and video in post. Don't laugh, I've edited many other's projects who's crews failed to do this properly, or not at all. Now, let's suppose your audio person is new at the job. He or she may forget to start the recorder properly. Some recorders require a double press of the record button, and not too close in succession, or the recording won't start even though the red light is on, the meters are going and there is sound in the headphones. Again, stop laughing, because I've seen this happen too often. Another problem comes when the audio person forgets to turn OFF the recorder, and lets it roll into the next scene. Scene four and five are now on the same file. The video editor sees the file and matches it to scene four. OK. Then he looks for the next file in succession to be scene five. Naturally. But it isn't. The next file is scene six because scene five is at the end of scene four's file and it was never logged that way. Sounds like not too much of a hassle until you realize an average feature film can contain 4000 of these scenes and perhaps hundreds of errors like the one's I mentioned. Again, keep the laughter down. It happens often. Now the worst is when the audio tech hits the button to stop, but it keeps going, and the next take, he hits it again thinking it's going, but it is now stopped. This cycle may repeat several times before the tech realizes he or she is off cue. And they're not going to embarrass themselves in front of sixteen actors and crew members by asking for retakes of the last eight scenes. Stay in your chair, because all of these things happened on the last feature film I put together when the producer used students to shoot the scenes. I solved the problem by using the good video take and matching it with a previous take's audio. In most situations, this is difficult to do and get it right. Even when it all goes right, the added editing time syncing 4000 audio files with 4000 video files adds up to months. And that's if nothing goes wrong. Now I didn't even mention the takes with static because someone used a cheap mike directly on the camera with that little tiny audio connector, and didn't hear it because there's no place to plug in headphones. And I will not bother mentioning mishandling boom poles or bad mike placement, because these can happen with any audio system, either first or second. These problems are all easy to prevent simply by using the right equipment for the job. So what does one do if they have a heavy investment in a DSLR or two? Well, you have to weigh the cost of the equipment against the cost of time and see what works best for you. If you haven't purchased your camera yet, you can get a true broadcast camera from Panasonic for about the same price as the DSLR. It will also shoot 24P will have XLR mike inputs so your audio is synced with the video on the same file, saving months of editing time. The trade off - you'll give up some (but not all) of that nice depth of field and you might not be able to changes lenses (although most times you won't need to). But you'll get a crisper image and have no 12 minute time limit per clip. A few companies have recently produced full feature video cameras made specifically for the indie film maker that offer all of the audio and video advantages of a DSLR and a broadcast video camera combined into one. These cameras produce those luscious soft backgrounds behind the sharp subject that film makers love so much from their DSLR's. In addition, the image is more refined, the camera is easier to control and the image has less digital artifacts than a DSLR. Expect to pay a premium for these models, but you'll save months of time in the editing suite and end up with a better looking film than a DSLR or broadcast video camera can provide. Of course, it goes without saying that the best camera is useless in the hands of an inexperienced DP. Contrarily, a lower priced camera in the hands of an experienced DP can yield an acceptable result. So why not stack the deck in your favor with good experience AND good equipment? If you're lucky, you'll have one of each type of camera at your disposal, because each one adds an advantage of it's own in certain situations. Fine Art Film Works uses several types of cameras so a producer can choose the best camera for each scene.

http://www.fineartfilmworks.com Rick Bennette is a 27 year veteran independent film maker. He has owned and operated a video production facility since 1985 in Connecticut and South Florida. Currently, Rick provides video services for the independent film industry, actors auditions and demo reels as well as tape to DVD video conversion services. In addition, Rick is a published author and screen winter. His web sites include http://www.rickbennette.com