Collin Davey

Hello, I'm pretty new to the boards, so maybe there's already a thread here about this? I've worked a lot on film and video crews and even produced some of my own video projects, but now I'd like to make the leap to getting a low-budget film setup for doing some of my own stuff on film. This is for strictly feature-type stuff, storytelling. That' really the only criterion other than cost. I will probably record sound separately since it seems that gives me more varied, more affordable camera choices, and since I'll probably be doing most sound in post. I plan to get a little mini-dv setup, non-synched for now. Anyone use a laptop and record straight to hard-drive? Suppose that makes it tough to do moves. For cameras, I've seen some great-looking stuff shot on S8, so that's an option, but it seems some think it more expensive by the time you're done with processing. I'm looking at the Canon 1040 XLS and several Nizo models. In 16, I'm looking at the Bolex family, of course. I assume the wound cameras are too loud even for separate sound recording? The main thing is keeping the cost as low as possible. I am happy enough for now with some of the S8 stuff I've seen in terms of quality, but if the right 16 setup is just as affordable, well, hey! Anyway, thanks in advance!

Hey, I'm new to this board, but I have some background in both film and video. I moved to Nashville cold in 1999 and worked freelance in both for about 18 months before getting out for a while and working in music. When I got into the industry here, I asked several producers about the "film school" question and I got an invariable response: nobody will hire you JUST because you have schooling. They want to know AT LEAST that you're reliable, intelligent, can work with others, etc. If you have experience and expertise in what you're job is, even better. Some producers I asked said they even avoid film grads because they generally think they know everything, want to start at the top, want too much money, etc. My own experience (one year of vid. production in high school) was borne out by that. Once people got to know me, I never had trouble getting work unless I was simply totally under-qualified technically. If a guy had three more years experience or had known the producer for two years, I'm not going to get the job. Get books, read message boards, ask questions, keep your eyes open, and get REAL WORLD experience - I'm not saying it's more valuable, I'm saying that the perception among those who put crews together is that it's more valuable.. Train yourself technically (so many more resources than in 1999!) and learn how to work in the environment from inside. If you devoted yourself full-time to this for the same amount of time you'd spend in film-school and took your tuition to buy gear, work for free for crews, buy books, whatever - at the end of that period, you SHOULD have more technical knowledge, contacts, relationships, and experience than any film grad will have, unless you just shouldn't be in the biz. And that's a valuable thing to learn, too.