At what age did you get into filmmaking?
 

I don't know how to put this, but at what age did you get into filmmaking?

I started in still photography in my late teens and video production in my mid twenties. I'm 46 years old.

I'm 17 right now, I started still photography when I was 14 and got really into video at 15.

Define "Filmmaking"...

I started in still Photography at 15, First job in TV as cameraman at 18, have worked professionaly in various aspects of the media including Radio, Theatre, Film ever since. I am 47

Yeah, I'm 18 now and have had my PD150 for a year. I did a bit of still photo, I got two of my pictures in McLeans, some crappy Canadian magazine.

My father was chief photographer for a local CBS affiliate in the 50s and 60s, so we always had cameras around the house. He did freelance for Walter Cronkite, Reasoner, etc., and was the first news photographer allowed on the Nautilus (first atomic sub). When I was 13 (in Junior High School), some of my friends had 35mm cameras (nice ones, with meters, etc.), so I told my dad I wanted to learn photography.

He bought me an Argus C-3 (an old range-finder camera), and a hand-held meter, gave me some basics and said to go out and shoot pictures - and that was the best way to learn. At the time, I got mad, because my friends had new and expensive cameras, and I had this WWII 'antique'. However, I'll have to say, it taught me a lot about still photography.

Later that year, when one of my friends was having trouble with his camera, he asked to borrow my light meter, so he could set his camera. Instead, without looking at the meter, I told him what setting he needed to use. He didn't believe me, so when I lent him the meter, I had estimated correctly!

I guess my dad was pretty smart! As for video, I'm now 45 and just started with that last year. Sorry for the long story! Oh, and I found an old C-3 camera, a complete kit, in the box a couple of years ago and bought for 'posterity'!

I started taking stills when I was about 6, and found that I took some good ones. I always took my camera with me on any trip---whether a day trip or full length holiday. When I was about 9, I got my first movie film cam. As I got older, I bought more cams and lenses. In my teens, I did a lot of macro photography and scenery, then I switched over to capture mainly cheeks, faces. I've used 8mm, 16mm and super8; VHS, SVHS, Hi8 and miniDV. All this is just a hobby though. I'm no "film maker." I'll be turning 49 in about 8 days. Tonight, I was at a large party, and shot a roll of B&W. I prefer B&W for stills, and shooting with miniDV----and lately a bit of super8 and SVHS. I shoot the odd wedding, usually at least 1 funeral per week; and in the past have shot many instructional videos. But, I sometimes shoot video at a picnic or something, and make a little story out of it. I have also shot bird videos for my mother and her group of friends. Basically, I enjoy shooting---that's the bottom line. Oh, and I've also done studio work with stills. That's fun too.

I've started video filming when I was 24... am 25 now!

I started taking stills when I was 10, and then got in to Video when I was 14. I am 17 now, and my life revolves around cameras (still, and Video)

Alex

I got my first video camera three weeks ago with the intention of shooting documentaries and shorts. I am 50 years old. I hope I'm not starting out too young! :-)

At what age did you get into filmmaking?
 

I shot some VHS camcorder stuff through the mid-eighties, then nothing until I bought my first of two Sony camcorders in December of 2000. I use a VX2000 now. I'm 53.

I shot stills, B&W, around the age of 12 with a Boy Scout Brownie camera, majored in film production in college, worked on a newspaper shooting stills and reporting, did some free lance documentary writing, shot B&W Tri-X in college with the old Bell & Howell cameras that you could fall out of a tree with and not hurt anything (except your own body...I did). Worked in educational films awhile, went to work for a big non-theatrical production house back in the 16mm film days as a writer/director, went on my own shooting 16mm in the '70's, switched to video in the mid-80's and still doing it...moved form 2" to 1" to 3/4" to Betacam...bought first Avid in the mid-90's...moved from Betacam to DVCAM a couple of years ago. So by most people's standards I've been doing this forever. Which means I've made most of the mistakes there are to make but on occasion still manage to find new ones. The one thing about the biz I know well is that you can't get comfortable and complacent. Just when you think you know all that you need to know, everything changes and you have to learn new stuff all over again. The basics don't change, only the technology and the definition of an acceptable image on the screen.

"The basics don't change, only the technology and the definition of an acceptable image on the screen"

Absolute Gospel!

Along with "Everything old is new again..."

Started in video when I was 18 or so. 27 now.

I started out, as many others, with a still camera. I was very interested in wildlife and particularly birds , and wanted to take pictures of all the beautiful things I saw. In my early teens I got me a job after school, and saved the money so I could buy me a camera. My little brother and I also got us equipment so we could do the whole process ourselves. That was from the picture was taken and until it was developed and a ready black and white paper-copy.

Later I got the opportunity to try out an 8 mm film camera, and in 1987 I got the first VHS camcorder (big and clumsy). Since then I have tried the analog Hi8 and the small 1 chip DV camcorders, and finally I got my self an XL1s last year. I am now 42 years young ;-).

Ivan