SECRET NUMBER 3 Using the Right Equipment
No one can really argue with the line 'content is king', that is to say - it's what your film is about that is more important than what camera you used to shoot it. And it's true. Well, kind of.
There are still some general rules that should be taken into consideration when deciding on equipment, what to buy, what not to buy etc. Here are some of the main ones:
If you want the highest image quality then of course you ought to be looking at HD (High Def) cameras. The good thing is they are no where near as expensive as they used to be, and still falling in price. However, if spending a couple of thousand pounds or more is beyond your means, with WEB video it is possible to to create a higher def look (highER not true HD) by ensuring your camera is a 3CCD or 3 chip camera, using a FireWire equivalent input connection to your editing device, and keeping the frame size of the final production less than full screen. Try it and you'll be amazed at the results!
When looking at tripods, don't - I repeat DON'T - be tempted to use your dad's still camera tripod to sit your video camera onto. Why? These tripods were not built to take the weight of a video camera, and therefore are too light for the job, giving considerable camera shake and no smooth pan or tilt ability whatsoever. Although you might not be able to afford a £5000 pro set of legs, there are more affordable alternatives out there produced by companies like Manfrotto, etc that do offer some degree of smooth panning and tilting. Shop around and you will soon find many options for £300 or under.
Always, always, always record sound for your web video with an additional external microphone, NEVER the onboard mic of the camera you are using. Not all cameras have XLR ports (pro standard microphone inputs/outputs), but reasonably priced cameras do have external microphone sockets. Use them.
As you might be now realising, pro shooting equipment is expensive. That goes for microphones too. But you don't need to buy the latest Sennheiser radio mics to do the job. You can pay as little as £100 or even less and still get the audio job done well - have a budget in mind and check with your local audio dealer. Just make sure you take your camera with you to test that it's compatibile.
There are so many different companies producing editing tools nowadays that virtually every home with a pc has some kind of software on their machine. But to do the job right (and ensuring you don't buy software too complicated for you to get to grips with - unless you are a budding editor) there are some good programs that have 'semi-pro' or 'basic' versions of their full editing suites, costing only a fraction of their full price and giving you all you need for most editing needs. Look at Adobe Premiere Elements, Sony Vegas Movie Studio, or Apple Final Cut Express.
Finally, if you don't have funds to purchase the right equipment, you can always hire it. You will have to prove you have insurance cover for any pro-hire shop, but a £200 insurance policy is a lot cheaper than spending £3000 on a camera you will only use once!
Happy shooting!