VERTIBLOG Film School XI - THE $1,000 MOVIE, Part 10

PRE PRODUCTION (continued)

Step 2: Gear

One of things we've really got working against us in this whole endeavor is the fact that everything costs money. People, places and things; goods and services -- they all come with a price tag. But only for normal people.

We're independent filmmakers.

Step 2: Gear
I. The camera

You're shooting this thing standard def DV. No doubt about it. The only way you're not is if you know someone with an HighDef rig. And chances are you don't.

And to be honest, shooting DV is not going to hurt you. High Def is still an unfriendly format in terms of post and delivery. In post, file sizes are enormous, drives have to be super-fast, and you need HD peripherals -- a deck, video cards, and media. All expensive.

And in the end, you may end with an HD master, but nobody will be watching it that way. We're still a year or two away from a proliferation of HD players/monitors. Plus authoring and compression is prohibitively expensive for independent filmmakers like us.

This chapter will need some revisiting in the year to come. But right now, in the Spring of '06...

You're shooting this thing in standard def.

The next obvious question is, where are you going to get the camera. And not only the camera, but the package that goes with it, including the tripod and a monitor.

New models of camera are coming out all the time. A couple of years ago, the Canon XL-1 was the rig everybody wanted. Until they got one. The viewfinder stinks, focus is a nightmare, and the "cine frame rate" was just a weird-ass shutter effect that gave me a headache. It is 16:9, which is cool, and if it's the only camera you can get your hands on, it'll certainly do, but there are much better cameras in the same price range out there.

But we're not exactly going to buy a camera. We don't have the money for that. Maybe you already own one. If so, move on to the next chapter. If not, what to do?

Well, the problem may solve itself depending on our DP situation. If you got a pro, he's probably got a nice DV cam. If he doesn't, he'll have a friend who does have one. He'll most likely track down a rig he's happy with. Not your problem anymore!

If you got a wannabe/newbie DP, he too may have invested in a camera. If so, not a problem. Move on to next chapter.

But what if your DP has no leads?

Your first step should be a flyer at the local college/university. You should probably post it when you're looking for a DP:

"Do you have a video camera package? How would you like to be a credited producer on a feature film?" We're looking for a good DV prosumer video camera to rent (on deferment) for a local movie. We'd prefer a 16:9, 24p package but will entertain all offers. We also prefer a complete package with tripod, monitor, batteries and cabling.

Be a part of the local independent movie scene. Please contact us at www.glowingscreen.com"

The Producer credit is an easy enough gesture. Make them Executive Producer if you like. And the fact that you're offering it as a deferred rental at least suggests that future monies may be possible. If you get a taker, write up a contract promising them $75 per day, about half of the going rate (much more on contracts later). If they flinch at that, offer them more. Getting the camera now is the important thing. We'll worry about all the money we owe people in deferments later.

If all else fails, you have two options: one much more ethical than the other. And bear in mind I certainly don't condone the unethical one -- and probably wouldn't do it myself -- I just bring it up to bring it up.

Option One: Use your own camcorder. You've got one. If your mom or dad or neighbor or friend has a better one, use theirs. If there is no 16:9 option on it, frame your shot as if there were. Put black tape in the viewfinder to matte out the top and bottom and the frame, and in post put black bars over the image. It ain't 16:9, but it looks more like a movie than the alternative. Also, there are very cool post-production applications to run your media through to get that "film look". Adobe AfterEffects has a cool plug in that will allow you to create a faux "pull-down" option which takes your traditional 30 frame/second sequence and converts it to 24p. Again, none of these post production "fixes" are native to the source footage, so the quality will be lacking. But there are tricks to sweeten that footage to look more like a movie.

Option Two: Buy a prosumer camcorder, shoot your movie while taking sparkling care of it. Then return it within 30 days. The excuse you give is on your conscience.

OK.

I've mentioned the terms 24p and 16:9 a few times, and though it's not that important that you're intimately familiar with the technology, you should at least know what they mean.

This is a great section to skip if in fact you do know what they mean.

Step 2: Gear
I. The camera
a. 16:9 vs. 4:3

All you really need to know is that shooting 16:9 gives you a full resolution image when displayed on widescreen monitors, and a letterboxed image on regular TVs. Its aspect ratio is 1.78:1, giving you more latitude in creating a cinematic, widescreen look.

4:3 cameras give you a less rectangular, more squarey image that fits neatly in our traditional television sets. We're accustomed to this aspect ratio, which is approximately 1.33:1, when watching broadcast TV -- though this is changing, more often we're seeing letterboxed dramas (Desperate Houswives, Lost, CSI, 24.. et al) with the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen.

The bottom line is that 16:9 productions look more like movies.

The one minor drawback to shooting 16:9, is that when you look at it through the viewfinder, or on a monitor not 16:9 supported, it will look "stretched", as it will if spin you off footage to tape. But if you output to DVD, you're cool... DVD authoring tools are smart enough to encode the footage to display properly on either widescreen monitor or regular TVs. On widescreen monitors, it will fill the frame, on regular 4:3 TVs, it will letterbox it.

Step 2: Gear

I. The camera

a. 16:9 vs. 4:3

Video is recorded to tape at a certain frame rate. The norm has always been 30fps (frames per second). And these 30 frames were recorded in what is referred to as an interlaced signal. Interlacing means that the video camera captures 2 snapshots for each frame, separating each snapshot into a series of horizontal lines. It then combines the odd lines from the first snapshot, and the even lines of the second snapshot, and combines them to make a single frame. An interlaced frame.

You don't have to understand why.

Film on the other hand uses a completely different method of capturing images (including the fact that it's a photochemical process, not electronic). It doesn't screw around with fields at all, but rather takes 24 snapshots per second, ultimately creating the illusion of movement when we project them in sequence... like a flipbook.

A video camera capable of recording at 24p uses the same principles as a film camera, recording 24 (not 30) frames per second -- the "p" stands for progressive, as opposed to interlaced -- without first separating them into fields. The result is a quality similar to film, and thus looks more like a movie.

(continued)

© 2006 by Marty Langford