Movie Making!?

Question

I want to buy a video camera and other things so I can make home movies. I have no clue on what to buy. I don't want to buy just any old camera. Maybe something nice with a mic that someone holds. Good movie making stuff. Where do I get this stuff from? And what do I need to buy to make good movies not cheap ones?

Answer 1

You need two major items to start making home movies:
. A digital camcorder with Firewire or USB2 output, and
. A home computer with DVD burner, movie maker software, a large hard drive, Firewire or USB2 input (to match the camcorder), and lots of RAM memory.

Go to a good camera store to see the camcorder selection. Just like still cameras there are lots to choose from, with prices ranging from $350 to $$thousands. More expensive ones, give you better performance in difficult filming conditions and more features. But even the lower priced ones will let you make enjoyable DVD's.

You need Firewire or USB2 output so you can just plug into the computer and transfer your raw video footage. These files are huge, so you need the high speed transfer capability.

Because the video files are so huge, and because the DVD file "rendering" process is so complex, you will need a powerful computer. Although you can get along with less, editing video and rendering the DVD image will take hours without lots of processing power, disk space, and memory.

A computer that came with a DVD burner often comes with some moviemaker software. I started with the free copy of WinDVD Creator. It does not have all the editing capability possible, but enough to learn on and make your first movies. My first was a movie of a baby shower, combining edited camcorder video with sound, still photos, and an added sound track of "baby" music.

Like the other components, there is a wide range of prices and capabilities for moviemaker software. I learned the concepts and made an enjoyable movie with the free stuff. Now I am trying to decide which editing software to buy.

There is a pretty good tutorial for beginners at

http://www.patmedia.net/dennisvogel/#INTRODUCTION

Let me know of any questions.

I hope you have fun. I did!!

Answer 2

visit the camera stroe they show u all featured cameras,infact i cant help u bcoz u didnt mention the budget.
for some information
now a days latest are 3ccd cameras and the more megapixel more will b cost more is optical zoom more will b cost .
always see optical zoom not digital as the actual zoom is optical ,digital is just as to zoom the pfotogrpahs /movie without impriving resolution,
charged coupled devices are there which sence light and convert in to charge so as to take the picture digitally.
3ccd is much better than 1 ccd.
one more thing now a days there are coming cameras which do online editing,effects and they record in the DVD.this is much better ad u can see the DVD diredlty but in previous models there is a tape u have to convert in to dvd/cd. and there is no physicall contact of head with the media (i.e. DVD),while in another head make physically contact to record the tape.
again the life of head will decrease.
buy the camera only when u need urgently.
as new models with advanced technology are coming and the model u buy today will definately depriciate more tomorrow cost wise and technology wise.

Answer 3

To me, "Good movies" and "Home movies" are two very different things. My home movies are generally not worth watching, unless you were on that particular vacation.

Very creative people can use cheap, low quality equipment to make some really impressive movies (South Park won a Peabody award, with low budget animation). Also, some people use really expensive equipment to make some really bad movies (Waterworld comes to mind).

I suggest starting with a DVD camcorder, which are pretty inexpensive. The benefit of DVD camcorders is that it's easy to plug into any DVD player, and show at your friend's place or stuff. With DV tapes, you have to connect all the right cables with the right TV connections, and you can only play the tapes on a DV camcorder. Most DVD camcorders include basic editing software, or enough to allow your creative side to shine.

If you want expensive equipment, just look at the professional video stuff at B&H photo video. They also have a lot of more reasonable equipment too, including DVD camcorders.

Answer 4

In my experience, having the footage is easy: by a digital video camera, with a firewire port included.
Then comes the long and time consuming part: editing. It includes selecting footage, adding titles, effects, some caption, sounds, etc. For this, i TOTALLY recomend to buy an Apple computer. Buy a Mac Mini, the default configuration wil be fine.
Importing footage, making canges and home movies is SO easy eith iMovies that you will love it.

Answer 5

I know what you mean. I saw one at Radio Shack for 90 dollars. It's a camcorder and camera that you can hook it up to the computer. It has a built in mic and all that sorta stuff. If you want the link, just ask me.

Answer 6

Buy a complete home studio in a simple iMac and get a digital camera with dv out (not necessarily dv in). That's all you need my friend. In the iMac is installed imovie and idvd and you can go ahead with that in making movies. Otherwise you can buy Final Cut Pro Studio in addition to the iMac which makes it a lot of money if you want to be rearlly a professional!

visit
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore/

Answer 7

If you go to a "BEST BUY" store or a camera store,
they should be able to explain to you all the features,
etc...