What Camcorder would be good for film?

What is a good video camera/camcorder for film making?

• I'm am 15 and looking to start shooting private films and want to know what kind of camcorder would be best for the movies.I have actors for this but need a good camera for it! ...show more

• Answer:

  You can use any camera to make a movie, even with a cell phone. But you need to narrow down what you think you’ll need in a camcorder before anyone here can make suggestions. As you probably already know, there are so many to choose from. That said, let me offer some thoughts for you to think about. Most of the camcorders on the market shoot in HD. So that’s not a problem. Some cameras allow you to shoot HD and SD (standard definition). You’ll need proper software and a computer that is abel to work with HD video files which are very compressed. You’ll want a camera that has an external microphone. The mics on cameras are not really ideal for great audio. You can get a decent mic and it will still be better than the on-camera mic, especially when you have the external mic close to your talent (actors). You’ll need to decide if you want a camera that records to an internal hard drive (HDD), on memory card (Flash), or to miniDV tapes. If a camera that records to a hard drive falls or gets bumped too hard, your video could be lot and/or the camera become worthless. Flash memory has no moving parts. MiniDV tape camera does too, so think about that as well. You may want to add a video light. Some cameras have a hot shoot which uses the camera’s battery power for the light. But you can use a bracket and mount a video light on that. You mention you’ll be making private films. Be sure your talent is of legal age and I would have them sign model release forms with detailed description of what your project is exactly and what you intend to do with the video, especially if it were to get in the wrong hands, etc.