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Posted by R&B on 03/30/06 06:31
<ben@ballig.net> wrote in message
news:1143623178.974333.299210@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>I am new to video production and know very little about the equipment
> involved (except what I've been able to research online). I have a
> low-end Panasonic MiniDV camera (NV-GS35) which has no accessory shoe
> or XLR connection (but does have a standard 3.5mm audio jack).
>
> I am planning an indoors project that I want to make look as
> professional as possible, but I have a very limited budget ($300 AUD in
> full). I need advice on suitable lighting and microphone options. A
> two-point lighting system would most likely be the best I could hope
> for, but there appears to be a large variety of different equipment to
> choose from and I don't know what I would need. On the audio front, as
> there will be scenes where someone behind the camera is talking to the
> person in front, a unidirectional microphone is probably out of the
> question. A bi-directional or cardioid microphone may do the trick (I
> don't know enough about these to know for sure), but not having an XLR
> connection probably limits my options anyway.
>
> If anyone could give me an idea of the kinds of things I need to ask
> for at my local lighting/audio store to get suitable equipment
> (preferrably portable - the shoot location will be hired) for close to
> my budget, I would be greatly obliged.
That's a mighty tight budget. I'm not sure I would go so far as to say you
can make anything look truly professional for $300 if you're starting with
nothing. But in "getting it as close as possible," I'd point you in this
direction:
Lights: You can pick up a very simple, low-cost, 3-light kit for around
$125. Smith-Victor makes a set that looks a lot like the lights you'd use
in a workbench setting. The difference, of course, is that the lights also
come with stands. This was my first light kit. Not bad. Not great. But
certainly better than nothing. You'd do well to learn some of the
fundamentals about lighting. There are lots of books and videos on the
subject. None better than the one called "Lighting Faces" by Bill
Holshevnikoff. It would be the best $35 you ever spent, I promise.
http://www.poweroflighting.com/videos.html
Sound: This is where it can get a little tricky. One mic simply won't do
it, unless, of course, you're shooting just one talking head. You can get
very inexpensive lavaliere (lapel) mics at Rat Shack (Radio Shack) for
around $15 each (last time I checked). And believe it or not, they don't
sound bad at all. They are not, however, wireless, so your subject can't
move around much. The trick is to get enough mics (and extension cables, if
need be) so that you can record everybody you need to record. Do not -- I
repeat, DO NOT -- use the mic on the front of your camera -- if you want
your stuff to be "as close to professional as possible," as use of the
on-camera mic is a tell-tale sign of "beginner-itis." Of course your
camera, if it's the typical consumer camcorder, will only accept one
1/8-inch (mini-plug) input. So you'll need to bring the mics into a mixer,
and take the output of the mixer and plug it into the camera. Now the good
news: You can get a fairly inexpensive mixer that will handle multiple mics
for under $150 (well, two mics anyway, and maybe as many as 4). Check out
what's available from Behringer. Their stuff isn't exactly world-class, but
the feature sets are similar to Mackie's (they make Japanese knock-offs of
Mackies), and the prices are much lower -- low enough that when they break
(and they surely will), you can just throw 'em away and buy a new one.
You will need a converter to get the line-level output impedence of the
mixer converted to mic level (which is what your cammie will want to receive
in the mic input plug), but again, the good news here is that you can buy
just such an impedence converter at Rat Shack for around $15. You may have
to add a converter to go from 1/4-inch plug (output of the mixer) to
1/8-plug (input on the cammie), but I'm sure you'll figure that part out.
Rat Shack sells just about any configuration imagineable of converters. Or
if you're feeling really spunky, you can solder your own cables together and
build 'em from scratch, getting the cables and plugs from an electronics
supply warehouse.
All this can be brought in for somewhere in the vicinity of $300, give or
take.
Not the ideal way to do things, but for someone just starting out, it will
give you enough to fool around and get your feet wet. It's how I started.
But hear this: before long, you'll be yearning for the big boy toys. Trust
me, this video stuff is a black hole that sucks your money right out of your
bank account. It's worse than crack. :-)
You are exactly correct in focusing your attention on lighting and sound.
These are the two areas that set amateurish videos from professional-looking
videos. Learn lighting and sound and you'll have a leg up on a lot of
videographers who actually earn their living doing video. (Many of them are
utterly clueless about these two things.) Kudos to you for going there
first, even with a limited budget.
Randy
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