CristiaanC

Hello everyone. I'm in the process of trying to gather funds for my short film. I've been a production assistant for quite some time (about 2 years), and have finally realized that I want to pursue directing. Story telling and realization via film is a dream of mine, and I'm at work trying to piece together the first film I've ever directed. I have written the script. It's been analyzed, and edited and worked on, I have a dedicated crew with tons of experience who'd be willing to work for free on set. This is my first film and it is a very personal and important project for me. My script is 12 pages, and I'm estimating about a 15 minute total length for the film. I will be composing all of the music for the film as well. The problem is that I'm on a very tight budget. My plans are to have it shot by the end of October or November. The funds I will have available will be approximately $6,000.00. I've set up a fundraiser for the short as well, and hopefully I can have about $8,000.00 for the entire shoot. I was planning on going super 16mm black & white and color. Good thing is most of the short will be filmed in black and white. I'm still doing research on which film I want to use. Anyway, in terms of gear, some of these rental sites have prices for their daily rates of cameras, but it does not include ALL of the equipment which will be necessary to have it run smoothly on set. I'm expecting the shoot to be 4 days in length. I was looking at the Arriflex 16 SR cameras and the minimum amount of glass I'd have would be a zoom, and about 3 or 4 primes. Again these are all rough estimates. I also need adequate film coverage, so I'm assuming about 3000ft for a 15 minute short. Of course I'm going to need everything else, all other camera parts, monitors, head, tripod, wiring, lighting, dolly, truck to transport the gear, mags, and everything else. Not to mention that I'm going to have to pay my DP and sound guy. Everyone else is willing to help me and work for free on this, which I'm VERY appreciative for. I'm just curious as to if this is financially feasible. I cannot stand DSLRs and having a decent image via digital requires a nice chunk of change if one wants to rent an Alexa or RED MX or Epic, and anything else of that sort. I DO NOT want to compromise the quality of my short in terms of visuals, and on top off all of this, I need to find VERY good actors to make this short convincing, considering that it is a dialogue piece with philosophical undertones. But that's besides the point. With all of your experience, has any of you seen a short of this kind with similar equipment executed within a limited budget of this kind? I know it's asking for a lot, but I've been doing research and I think I might be able to pull it off. I've been compiling estimates from certain rental houses and I've found a few that look promising. All of the film processing will have a separate budget. I will gather more funds to get that done. Right now, it's a matter of just being able to film it. Thanks all in advance and I look forward any responses.

I am currently preparing to film my short this coming April, as I am still working on gathering all necessary funds together; I was told that I could acquire free stock from Kodak, and any other film stock needed could be provided at a discount since I am a film student. Is this the case? Only reason I'm asking, is because the budget for my first short is estimated at around 12 thousand dollars. I'm saving a majority of the money myself and will raise the rest, but anything I can get at a discount or for free would be a great help. The short film will be approximately 15 minutes long, will be shot on super 16mm. If anyone has more information regarding the acquisition of free stock, or discounted stock, I would greatly appreciate it. I've been doing some searching, have found some reliable information, but I figured there's nothing more reliable than experience, hence my posting on cinematography.com... :-) Thank you all in advance for any information you can provide.

You're definitely right about that. It's somewhat of a surprise that I did not realize that myself. I appreciate the honesty. I will take your advice and will start looking around at camera rental houses, and the like. I know a few camera guys, so I'll be in touch with them. I was also thinking of buying a nice camera setup myself to rent out and use for my own projects. I've been studying all the camera manuals, the Arri Alexa, the 416, the 435, the Aatons, the Reds, etc, and they have been helpful at giving me a slight idea of what the setup of these cameras are. But I will do what you've mentioned. Thanks again to all of you for your responses.

Hey John, I'm starting their training program in the fall, and wonder if you've taken the course. I'd love to work in a camera rental house as it would provide the opportunity to get into AC gigs and other such positions. I spoke to a few NYC rental house owners and was told to do the internship at ARRI and then they'd consider hiring me. How long is your internship going to last? Also, I've been downloading and studying camera manuals (Arri 416, 435, Red One, etc), which is probably a ridiculous thing to do, but it's the only way I can get some familiarity with the camera equipment. I'm wondering if anyone here knows if handling camera equipment is part of the program. John, best of luck, and be sure to let us know how it goes.

Thanks so much Adrian.

Hello all, I'm currently a Production Assistant in NYC, I've been doing PA work since October of last year. I've worked commercials (Mercedes, Blackberry), short films, music videos (Atlantic Records), pilots (ABC and NBC), etc. I've been trying very hard to get to the AC level, as I wish to work AC on set. That is my goal for now. My dream is to be a cameraman as a regular job. I've been trying to get to know the cameramen, DP's, cinematographers, directors etc, but I haven't been able to get an AC gig. They've all told me that they'd call me when they had availability, and I've received some calls, but they didn't amount to any actual gig. I did work one music video where I helped the cameraman with mounting lenses on the camera, and transporting the equipment, which was so enjoyable for me. I was wondering if anyone here has any advice or resources I can refer to in order to get some gigs as an AC. I'm also waiting for a call from ARRI CSC in NJ for their training program, which I know will require my time during the fall, but as for now, I'd like to gain a little experience on set as an AC at least. Any advice or sources would be endlessly appreciated.

I meant the noise as in, decibel level while running. I heard they were noisy cameras, that's why I asked. I'm aware of the grain regarding different film stocks. Sorry if I alluded to something else.

Yes Tim, I meant super 16mm; I should have specified that. In terms of the ability to view picture via a monitor, since it did come out in the early 80's I was wondering about the quality of the image when viewing through a monitor. I tried to find images to no avail. I was definitely thinking of buying from a reputable house to ensure proper care and maintenance of the camera. I'm wondering about the noise of the camera, and the video assist that is required for it. I know it's a fairly old camera, and so I do not expect superb quality on that front, but I am curious to see some examples. Thanks for the comments guys, I sincerely appreciate it.

I'm a student film maker and I'm looking to buy a 16mm camera. I have a budget of about 5K. Does anyone have any recommendations? I've been looking at the Arriflex SR2 and the Aaton XTR. The Aaton XTR is a bit more expensive, but anything in that vicinity would suffice for me. Thanks all for any suggestions or information.