Digital Filmmaking an Introduction

Digital Filmmaking

Let us look at the basics. You will need a few things to make a quality digital feature film.

You will need a camera. This could be a DSLR, meaning a Nikon or a Canon. Some of these cameras are the Nikon 7000, the Canon D7, T2i or the most popular Dslr camera used by the pros the Canon 5d mark II. With these cameras you can shoot a quality movie. These cameras have shot films that have played in theaters. Movies such as Silent House, Act of Valor, Another Earth and Courageous.

Here are two short film examples of the cameras at work.

First up is the Canon T2i.

Next is a test film done on the Canon 5d mark ii. This was shoot by one of my favorite filmmakers David Keith.

You could use what is called a prosumer camcorder. These are camcorders that walk the line between the expensive heavy duty pro-camcorders and the ordinary consumer camcorders. The best of these cameras are the Canon Vixia and Hv series of camcorders. They are loved by many micro budget filmmakers due to the fact that they can shoot in native 24p. That is 24 frames per second which is the industry standard. 24p is what gives you that film look. These cameras with the addition of a depth of field adapter (Dof adapter) can give you a image quality that comes close to those provided by the Dslr cameras.

Now we will look at a few trailers shot with these prosumer camcorders.
This is a Trailer for a feature shot using the the Canon hv20, that is a three hundred dollar camcorder.

This is a short film shot using the Canon hv40.

If you wish to learn more about the basics of digital filmmaking please check out my other post and pages at this site. Also there is information about using camera phones to shoot your feature.

Good luck and have fun making your film. The worst day of shooting your movie still will be one of the highlight days of your life.

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” -T.S. Eliot