Alexander Curtis

While not strictly cinematography, the website CourseA.com has a free course called 'The Language of Hollywood: Storytelling, Sound, and Color.' https://www.coursera.org/course/hollywood

This sounds like a great idea and I've been looking for just this type of thing. It would be great for those of us who aren't going through a full-time film school, or are going through school but not with a focus on cinematography.

I haven't looked into renting for the time being because it most likely wouldn't be worth the hassle with the sporadic schedules I'll be using the camera, plus I'd like to have my own that I can use anytime and learn from.

Alan, I don't disagree with your point, but I want to be able to work on and make my own projects as well.

Right. I'll check out the T2i. I was looking at the 5D but it's just as expensive as the BMCC and from the footage I've seen them BMCC had it beat by quite a bit. I'm also waiting to hear what people have to say about the Pocket camera once it ships. I'm looking forward to checking out that footage for sure.

Thanks for the response, My most immediate concern is not getting work (I don't think I'm quite there yet) but learning and making short films independently. I want the purchase to be something I can learn from (I've never worked with prime lenses before, for example) and something that will last (both educational and for my personal projects).

Hi all, A little background; I'm a 'semi-beginner.' I've taken one class on Directing/Filmmaking which included writing and directing a short film, which was my first "real" movie. Other than that I have done some things with friends the past years with my Canon HV40 which works well but I'm looking to upgrade. I saw a short film made on the Black Magic Cinema Camera and was amazed and how great it looked. I started researching the camera and of course ran across the news of the Pocket Cinema Camera and the new BMCC being released. So basically my question is this, is it a smart idea to go out and buy a $4,000 camera (plus whatever I'll spend on the lenses and other gear) or would it be more advisable to go for the cheaper Pocket Camera or the older version BMCC which is now selling for $2,000?