Any digital movie makers out there?

[Nick De Marco]

Despite spending too much of my 'disposable' [it’s not really!] income on an M8 earlier this year, and some lenses to go with it [which now accompany my Canon 5D and various film Ms] I am re-awakening a desire for film making.

Many years ago, before becoming a barrister, I used to be a professional film and video editor, and I am a dab hand with a movie camera. Back in those days (early 90s) the idea of an individual not at the top of their trade having their own professional standard video camera and edit suite was just fantasy. With the digital revolution it is now real- we can all now be home movie makers (editing on our Macs).

So I am thinking of buying the Canon HV30 (looks like the best camera you can buy that is still portable enough to share a small bag with an M8 in)... I wondered if any other Leica users on here also dabble in movie making. And more importantly, as an anxious reflex to my equipment junkie condition, I have been wondering how you combine the two if you do. Can you sensibly take both a good video camera and your M8 on a trip abroad for example? Do you use video one day, stills camera the next, or do you find it possible to carry both around with you and select the medium you want for the event you come across? Just wondered about others' experience..

Thanks

Nick
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[ampguy]

Yesterday I carried my Canon miniDV in my domke f5xb along with my rd1s and used both on an all day outing. Though the Canon and my Sony have firewire, I put the analog output to SVHS tape, then output that to a DVD recorder.

[Don Parsons]

I always have the wrong camera in my hand when a situation comes up. I either want to take pictures or movies....:bang:

That being said, I did manage to shoot some good video last summer of flying events.

don

[Nick De Marco]

That's helpful, thanks.

I did borrow a Canon camcorder 3 years ago and made a couple of films I spent weeks or months editing on the computer. No doubt that it eats up GBs (was one of the reasons I had to buy a new computer and portable HD), and also eats up so much time. But as someone trained in, and with a passion for, film and video editing I really enjoy the process and I think it's so exciting we can all do it at home now, to more or less the same standard (technical) I was working at 15 years ago on equipment that would have cost you 10s of thousands.

I have used iMedia before and it is a really good free programme, but having researched I feel to get really good output it is probably worth investing in Final Cut 2 (which appears to be the Photoshop of computer digital movie editing - and costs as much too).

I shall buy the HV30 today and hopefully get a bit of practice in this weekend. I'm buying an abandoned house in the village my ancestors come from in Southern Italy in a few weeks and wanted to make a film charting the development of it from the state it's in now to the state I hope it will be in in 6 months to 1 year - something for prosperity - to watch - I hope - when sitting comfortably in a nice holiday home there. That's what made me think I could really use a movie format rather than just stills.

I'm delighted you can carry both camera about with you - my only real fear is if I have one with me on a trip I won't use the other - I know I have to make a very conscious effort to decide when to use what - but that is probably a good thing - aimlessly waving a video camera is as irritating as photographing everything you see.

[teo]

If you just need basic editing (cut, titling, color correction, etc) without exotic filters, the much cheaper Final Cut Express should be enough... (a bit like Photoshop Elements)

[LADP]

I shot a "digital" movie that will be in theaters in a few weeks. It's a documentary film called, "Religulous."

http://www.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/religulous/

I do bring a still camera with me on location. On that film, I took both my M3 and my MP. When we're actually shooting for the film, I never have still cameras on me. During scouting, traveling to and from locations, and on down days, I shoot stills for myself.

We actually used an earlier version of the HV20 for a scene in Religulous. It's not the best choice for blowing up for the big screen, but for clandestine use, there really isn't a good choice.

More recently I've used a Sony EX-1 to supplement primary cameras on a movie. That little camera impresses me. It's bigger than an HV30, but it holds up pretty well on the big screen. Choosing a digital format (or camera) depends on what your final distribution/viewing venue intentions are expected to be.