I am 13 yr.s old and I am looking at getting a digital camcorder for making movies with my friends. I would like to make them as good as possible, but I don't have much money (did I mention I was 13?). I am looking for a way I can have fun making good movies (20min. up to an hour) without spending a ton of money. Is this possible?

-- Ben Anderson (deadlychicken22@hotmail.com), August 05, 2003

Answers

This is absolutely possible! And in the digital age very simple, All you need is a mini dv or a digital 8 camera, and a computer to edit with. Any Mini dv or Digital 8 camera will be sufficient for your purposes but I would recommend an entry level Sony mini dv camera. I recommend sony simply because You can be assured of the quality no matter what model you end up buying, but canon, Panasonic, and JVC all have great entry level cameras. If you have a decent computer with firewire (IEEE 1394, iLink, dv, its all the same, just different names) and an editing program you can import and edit a movie no problem. I know I’m going to get some flack from the “anti-apple Mac must die crowd” for this one. But if you don’t have a computer with firewire or an editing application. Then I would suggest looking on ebay for a first generation Firewire imac. If it has Os X installed then it will come with a first rate editing app called imovie. If not, the upgrade from Os 9 to 10 is simple and well worth the cost (around $100). After the film is edited export back to your camera and then onto your VCR You should be able to get a camera for a couple hundred, the computer for a couple more. Also to help with the filming you should go down to your local library and get “the five C’s of cinematography” it is an excellent book that will teach you the basics of filming.

Good luck and have fun!

-- Trevor Swaim (Whitelephantfilms@hotmail.com), August 07, 2003.