Questions about starting filming

Turner.

Turner.

Active member
Staff member
Okay, so this might be stupid, and I'm sorry if I'm wasting everyone's time here. Just got a couple questions that I think M&A can help me out with.

Context: Basically, I've never really had any creative output other than writing. It can be limiting, and obviously isn't tangible in the same way as film. I've always had ideas for film projects/edits/whatever but never followed through on them because I never had a camera and never bothered to pursue them.

Now I want to mess around filming stuff. Nothing fancy, no dslr's, no intentions of getting serious about editing or anything. Just something that I can goof around with with my buddies, going biking, lifestyle, skiing, whatever. For reference, I think the shit Jeff Kohnstamm is putting out is about as cool as it gets, and it's the kind of vibe I'm after:

[Video]https://vimeo.com/104204090[/Video]

I'm completely naive to anything like this, so I don't really know where to start. I looked at just getting a handycam off craigslist, which might be the really simple answer to all this, but I thought I'd stop in here to see what you guys think.

Is there a specific era/brand of cam I should be looking at to get the kind of aesthetic I'm after?

Can I just do this on a Handycam? (And no disrespect to Jeff when I say that, not trying to suggest his shit looks janky - on the contrary.)

Is achieving this kind of look harder than I think?

Anybody want to sell me an old camera they're looking to offload?

Thanks for you help homies.
 
Are you looking for the vignette look around the edges? Or the way he shoots the video? Or what?

There's no point in buying an old camera and spending more money then necessary solely because you think it'll make your edit "look cooler."

You can achieve a similar look with a t3i and a rokinon 8mm but maybe that is more then you want to spend.

You really didn't tell us how much you want to spend, maybe you should tell us that.
 
13145145:Michael_Thatcher said:
Are you looking for the vignette look around the edges? Or the way he shoots the video? Or what?

There's no point in buying an old camera and spending more money then necessary solely because you think it'll make your edit "look cooler."

You can achieve a similar look with a t3i and a rokinon 8mm but maybe that is more then you want to spend.

You really didn't tell us how much you want to spend, maybe you should tell us that.
Click to expand...

Word, yeah good call. My budget could maybe go as high as $500, but more likely closer to $400. Student budget, basically.

And yeah, you raise a good point about wanting to achieve a "look".. I guess I'm also asking if it's the camera or the editor that makes it happen.
 
wouldn't doubt if that guy uses a sony vx1000 and a opteka fisheye. could prob get that for $700. 500-600 for the camera 100-300 for fisheye
 
Where do you live? Definitely browse your local craigslist for a deal. If you let us know we can help you out with scoring a deal on some used equipment,
 
The thing about Kohnstamm's edits is that you can tell he really knows what he's doing with a camera.

Yeah it looks like it's filmed with really old equipment (because it is obviously). But he knows how and when to use the fisheye, he knows what type of music to select, he cuts really well, he uses slow motion well, he films really good skiers, and on top of all of that you can tell he actually knows how to hold a camera and get good angles while skiing. All of this stuff together makes his edits what they are.

So you asked if it's the camera or the editor that makes it happen...in his case, it's both.

For something like a ski edit, and a lot of other videos, you could give someone a 7,000 dollar camera who doesn't know jack shit about filmmaking. They might make a decent video -- quality wise. But it's probably not going to be very good or entertaining. It'll probably be long and boring.

On the other hand, you could give someone who really knows their shit a pretty janky camera and a fisheye, and the edit will be super fun to watch.

A lot of it is about the overall skill and knowledge of the person behind the camera.

To go into your questions:



"Is there a specific era/brand of cam I should be looking at to get the kind of aesthetic I'm after?"

For somebody like yourself, it's probably pointless to buy a VX1000 and a fisheye this day in age. Uploading footage from tapes SUCKS. A lot can go wrong too...I remember the footage getting messed up and shit (I never had a VX100 but I did have cameras that used tapes.) Ugh. But if you really want the Kohnstamm aesthetic, a camera like a VX1000 and a fisheye is probably the easiest way to do it.

Can I just do this on a Handycam?

This I'm not too sure about. At this day in age, I feel like it would be hard for a lot of people to tell the difference between an old and cheap (but fairly decent for its time) handycam, and a VX1000. The VX1000 is 3CCD though.. It also has the handle, which is great for stabilization. You could always add a handle on to a cheap handycam though.

Is achieving this kind of look harder than I think?

Most likely it would require a lot of practice.

Anybody want to sell me an old camera they're looking to offload?

I probably don't have one you're looking for.

Hope some of that helps. This day in age, it might be easiest to start off with a T3i or something similar. Get to know a little about filming and editing and then see if you want to try to really mimic the Kohnstamm style. Personally, I'm one to sometimes ignore what people say if I really think I can do something, so maybe you do want to try a VX1000/fisheye setup.
 
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