Hi Amanda,

Regarding the piano recital advice. It's probably worth starting a new topic so people won't wade through 49 posts, and it is a distinctly separate topic.

And while Chris gives you some great advice, you may not have lights, and mics. Even if you had a well placed digital recorder of some type, you can capture better audio than with an on-cam mic. It's the sound source distance to the recording device that makes it yucky.

I would also shoot some b-roll before the recital. Like an exterior shot of the church, flowers, stained glass, crowd reaction, etc. that you can cut to in the edit to make the production a little more interesting.

Most importantly (IMHO), keep the camera steady, which usually means a tripod with a good fluid head. And get good, clean audio.

BTW, over 40 responses to your original post in 3 days, I think speaks more to chivalry - however sometimes things get lost in translation. The 'big boys' really are trying to help.

You have already made the best move of your future career - that is, that you found this site early on in the process.

All the best.

OK, little recital should be great practice!


Watch out for backlighting if it's a daytime shoot with windows... or low light if it's a night-time shot - hopefully house lighting will be adequate, usually if there's enough light for an audience, you'll be fine, although you have to watch exposure (or use spotlight mode if the cam has it). Most casual shoots you won't have the luxury of controlling the lighting, but if you do, try to bone up on the basic Key/fill/back/hair light configuration so you can optimize. You didn't mention lighting experience, but if you've got any, it's a big help for some "event" shoots, and if you want to do any interview type footage (maybe a littel extra of the performer or their family?).

Video: Two cams, one set wide for safety/cutaway, locked down on tripod, second either handheld or on monopod for some close ups/tight shots/audience. Strive for slow, steady camera moves, and limit zooms/pans to a minimum - nothing says amateur like crash zooms and whip pans (unless it's cheezy transitions added in post, where your wide cam is your friend if you do need to make quick moves on your "main" camera). Set WB to the best looking image on both cams to ease CC in post. Start the cams simultaneously a bit before the recital starts, do a clap or set off a flash to give you a "sync spike" (clap is better if you also sync your audio recording at the same time). If you are shooting tape, watch out for run time, but hopefully you'll be shooting a flash memory camera and let 'em run. DON'T start and stop recording, you can cut out "dead time" or mistakes in the edit process faster and easier, but you can't replace if you "missed something" and lining up a bunch of short clips increases editing time exponentially (sync'ing is a pain!).

Audio: Elsewhere you'll find the quote that good audio is 70% of good video, and it's true, audio is very important! #1, have a good/decent digital recorder, if you can test placement before the actual performance, try to find the "sweet spot" - you already know from your audio experience what I mean, mic/recorder placement is of course a tricky art not unlike alchemy, but you're a bit ahead of most in that department! If there will be a "house" sound system, try to get a recording of the performance on CD (most systems have that I find). DO NOT count on it for anything, but it's audio source #2, the ambient on cam mics will provide a third/fouth source, but not ideal.

If there's a practice and you're available, don't be afraid to be there for a "dry run" so you've got more confidence for the live shoot.

Amanda, glad to help but, like everything else here it's just my opinion.

My guess is that although you're approaching this as a video job, the pianist will be at least as concerned about the sound as the pictures, perhaps more so.

My personal recommendation would be to hire or borrow two decent large condenser microphones which will do better with the high SPL and complex harmonics of the piano than most other mics. If you can record these on separate channels the player would probably appreciate being able to balance the two in post..

Recording musical instruments is a subject in its own right so read everything you can about mic placement and test, test, test.

Finally do plenty of close up cutaways (B roll) but I'm sure you've thought of that.

Good luck

Hi Amanda, a piano recital would be a very good project to start with. I should mention that I do not do weddings so my perspective is perhaps a little different than others in this section of the forum. My main focus for paying jobs is indie feature films/docs, commercials & corporate gigs, live event productions (plays, recitals, concerts, etc.). I do quite a few recitals right now.

A few things to consider for the audio is that churches are generally not the greatest acoustically. You'll have to place your mics fairly close to the piano to avoid also picking up the echo. To gain experience I would purchase or better yet rent a small digital recorder such as those made by Zoom or a number of other companies, and a decent outboard mic. I've got a Sony PCM-D50 that I use without an external mic since it's usually used to record front of house sounds to fill in and mix with my mics that are closely placed to the talent (singer or instrument). The thing to consider for this is you will have to sync the audio with the video in post production. Not a hard thing to do and may be good practice.

Though sound is a VERY large part of any video you create, for this project I wouldn't suggest obsessing over it. It may even be a good idea to find a local sound guy or girl who would be willing to help record it for you. That will let you concentrate on the video side and may even give you a chance to check out their practices. For video, you've gotten some good suggestions already. One locked down which will be your master or establishing shot. That's the shot that will give the audience a quick perspective of the staging and can cut to that when you need to get from one shot to the other and can't find any other good cut to go to.

For piano performances I like to get close up shots of the performers hands, feet, facial expressions, inside of the piano seeing the hammer action. When shooting think about how you will be cutting between shots. One rule to consider is that you don't want to cut between similarly framed shots. Something has to be different. Either the size or angle or both or you'll have a really unsettling cut. Another shot that almost always looks good for a piano performance (if it's a grand piano) is shooting from the end through the lid so that the performer is framed by the lid, piano body and lid prop. Of course your shot selection will depend on where you are allowed to go. Another tip for most live performances, crew almost always wears either black or very dark clothing. This way they are not noticed by other cameras or the audience.

As for cameras, I'd suggest you look into renting two of the same cameras. That way you won't get too frustrated in post production trying to match them. Renting is a great way to try out different equipment and if you do make anything from this project you will most likely be able to cover the rental cost. Create a check list to go through on both cameras during your setup so that you are sure each one is set up the same. You'd be surprised how many starting camera ops blow something as simple as making sure the shutter speed is set correctly or that they've got the gain set correctly.

I'm going to through out two concepts that you may already be aware of but if not, do some quick searching on Google as they are two of the basic shooting "rules", the rule of thirds and the 180 degree rule. If you don't already know what they are look them up and follow them for your first few projects. Like all rules, there are exceptions but in general these two rules are pretty much followed.

Lighting wise, for this first project I wouldn't worry too much. Lighting is important but you also need to learn how to work with what you've got and since this will be a first venture for you shooting a project, follow the KISS rule. Lighting is an art and professional gaffers take years to develop their craft just like great production sound and camera ops. The only way to really learn about lighting is to work with it. And during a project is not the time to do it. The best way to learn about lighting techniques is to do test shots.

In case you're looking for a little point of reference or encouragement I've attached a copy of a blog entry (I'm attaching the PDF because it hasn't been posted yet). You might find it somewhat relevant to the situation you're in. It's about my journey into this crazy but fun world.

-Garrett

Amanda, There are probably a few brides in your area that are not getting a video because they can't afford it. Do theirs for free or real cheap. You get experience and the bride gets something on video that she would never have had anyway. Win=Win situation.

Mike.

Cameras: Anything that has good low light abilities (indoors can be a problem for light), manual (professional) controls and preferably shoots HD. Ergonomics can be an issue as well, so keep in mind you may need a shoulder mount for the cam etc depending on whether you are hand held mostly or on a tripod.

Tripods: Fluid head. Though no sub $2000 tripod head is a true fluid head. The friction/fluid heads are sufficient though for the weight class for most hand held format cameras. (I use a $200 Chinese made one).

Monopods can be useful if you need to move around a lot but need more stability than hand held. Keep in mind not to twist the monopod. They have little rotational stability.

Sound: Can not stress enough how important it is to have clear, intelligible sound! Use a shotgun on the cam and a lav (lavalier or "lapel" mic) on the groom. Cheapest way (for now) to do this is use a portable recorder and a small lav. While not the "pro" level, there are some decent $100 recorders out there. If you go that route, try and get one that at least has a built in limiter. Built in cmaera mics are _not_ adequate enough for professional use.

Whatever camera you get, practice! Make sure you know what is and isn't exposed or in focus. Hand held pro cameras tend to have crappy viewfinders/lcd screens.

Get to know the settings. Two operators with the exact same camera and you can have gigantic differences in looks (exposure and focus being equal) just based on how the camera is set up. Scene files(or equiv), frame rate, shutter speed etc.


For Mac based editing you are pretty much limited to FCP, Premiere or AVID. It's to bad Edius doesn't have a port for Mac as that software tends to have the most bang for the buck. There are plenty of basic online tutorials for whichever NLE you end up using.

Good luck and try not to get to daunted my the copious amount of information out there and feel free to ask questions!

There are probably a few brides in your area that are not getting a video because they can't afford it. Do theirs for free or real cheap.
Back in 1993 when I was first starting out, that's exactly what I did.
I had *zero* experience shooting weddings. Starting with a co-worker's
daughter's wedding, I shot, edited and delivered five separate jobs for free...
even the final VHS finished tapes were out of my own pocket. It was a great
way to jump in and learn without gambling anybody's money but my own.

Chris, thanks for supporting my response. I had some negativity earlier in this thread. Here you are 18 years later! haha

Amanda, There are probably a few brides in your area that are not getting a video because they can't afford it. Do theirs for free or real cheap. You get experience and the bride gets something on video that she would never have had anyway. Win=Win situation.

Mike.

Doing it for free is much better than doing it real cheap.

Even if you charge $50, in their mind you got paid. And since you got paid they may have expectations. It's your problem to ask for the money your job is worth and theirs to get what they want as long as they paid you.
I was talking with a just married couple once and they were so mad that their photographer screwed up their wedding pictures and that it was a huge mistake that they hired her.
It turned out she was a cousin just starting out so I assumed they got it for free and said "well at least you got it for free right?" and their answer with one voice was "Noooo, we paid her... she charged us 100 euros and we got approximately 250 pictures..." "but that's how much the paper costs, she didn't make any money, she actually did it for free..." I said, "Yes but we paid her what she asked" was the answer.

Also if yo do it reall cheap you are actualy setting up your price range because in a small town it's really easy to find out how much the other couple paid.

Tripods: Fluid head. Though no sub $2000 tripod head is a true fluid head. The friction/fluid heads are sufficient though for the weight class for most hand held format cameras. (I use a $200 Chinese made one).

Really? Are you sure? Have you tried any, or done any recent research?

Have you tried any of the Sachtler FSB range, or the Vinten Vision Blue? Both cost around half of $2000, including legs. And pretty fluid. And certainly a lot more fluid than the $200 Chinese effort.

Your statement implies that there are no useful options under $2k, and that Amanda (and anyone else haplessly browsing along here) will assume there's no point going for anything other that a $200 piece of crud.

Your statement implies that there are no useful options under $2k, and that Amanda (and anyone else haplessly browsing along here) will assume there's no point going for anything other that a $200 piece of crud.

I don't think that his statement implies anything like that. Maybe the offers you mentioned have true fluid heads but he didn't say that the friction heads are not useful and that there is no point for anything other than the Chinese tripod.
It's amazing how people interpret words.

Spiros,

First of all, I'm not trying to pick a fight with the wedding guys, I'm not experienced in that area and am not trying to tell anyone off. If equipment works for you, then that's all that matters.

My interpretation of the post is just that, an interpretation - yours will be different, as will everyone else's. I may be wrong, you may be wrong, who knows, but I believe my interpretation is no less valid than anyone else. Maybe I came over a bit strong, for which I apologise for - sorry, Denny, I did not been to be abrasive.

Regarding this: "No sub $2000 tripod is a true fluid head":
- You can now get very good heads at the $1000 level, and lower. Vinten and Sachtler have really good models in that price range, with "proper" fluid heads. This is mainly driven by the DSLR market, who up until now have had no way to get a quality tripod that copes with lower payloads.

I clearly do not know which Chinese tripod Denny is using. I have used tripods that cost $50, $200, $500, $1000, $2000, made in all sorts of places - China, Korea (I think), Germany and England. Someone once said that an expert was someone who has made all the mistakes - I may not be an expert yet, but I've made enough mistakes to feel I can comment occasionally.

I would be very surprised if a $200 tripod could come close to a $1000 tripod in performance. It may suffice, and it may be just what you need - who knows, it's all up to the individual to decide.

But I would rather that any newcomer heard an alternative view, that there were options available in the price range.

I'll get me coat and crawl back off to the tripods forum now...

Hi Mike

Don't feel bad!! Plenty of us would LIKE a $2K tripod!! But it's not business sense to spend $40K on gear when your business is only going to turnover $20K!!

I I was doing commercial shoots then I could justify a $2K tripod. I just do budget weddings so my tripods are pretty cheap (yes, around the $200 mark) Actually they perform remarkably well (Weifeng with 75mm bowls) and even after a year the action is silky smooth!! Made in Taiwan to be exact.

Amanda here is basically testing the waters in her area so she could get by with a cheaper tripod for now. I have got by with both my Weifeng's for many years and never a jerky shot!!

Chris

Hey Chris -

I guess as a hobbyist, I don't need to justify buying myself expensive presents like a tripod, I can just go out and buy them! <insert smiley>

I work in an office of women. One of the girls here paid 700 bucks for a woman to shoot her wedding in Nov. The lady was a friend of her mother's. When the wedding was over (as in that night!) the lady hands her two digital 8 tapes and says "here ya go kiddo"!!! She didn't even put the raw footage on DVD....NOTHING!!! Soooo, Jackie hears through the grapevine that I am getting started and begs me to take these tapes and do something with them. I tell her that I am just getting started and she's fine with it being a first editing project and says she will pay me $500 just to give her something ANYTHING. I tell her it is going to be a while because I have this huge learning curve and still don't even have editing software, just a brand new mac. Again, she's fine with it.

Then, a friend of mine who owns a resort in Utah asks if I will come there to shoot an informational dvd/commercial type deal for his biz and says he is willing to pay 5K!!!! I tell him the same thing that I don't even have all equipment yet, plus learning curve, yadda yadda. He says he doesn't care, just do it when I feel comfy doing it, but if I can do it by April that would be great.

THEN, my old piano instructor gets wind that I am getting started and asks if I will video recital in April. Same conversation....again!!! And again...she says no problem, just want the basics anyway.

THEN THEN THEN....friend/coworker from old work calls and says she has wedding in June .....same conversation...same response.

So, here I am....haven't even picked up a silly camera and I have all the projects in line that my friends are confident that I can pull off. My big fear is the Utah project because it's a lot of money. I'm glad my people have faith, but I'm slightly on the scared side. The utah project will generate enough cash for some really cool equip. I'm nowhere and you guys KNOW that I am NOWHERE close to being ready and so do they but still are holding out for me...gotta love southern loyalty!!! I also have some transfer projects that came in by same means. So, I'm gonna get my feet wet there too. All together I have like five projects with nothing even bought yet. All of that just because so and so told so and so that I was moving into the world of video. So, without advertising (wasn't even on the schedule to do for months and months and months anyway) I have already got my hands full. God HELP ME!!! Lol.

I I was doing commercial shoots then I could justify a $2K tripod. I just do budget weddings so my tripods are pretty cheap (yes, around the $200 mark) Actually they perform remarkably well (Weifeng with 75mm bowls) and even after a year the action is silky smooth!! Made in Taiwan to be exact.

Amanda here is basically testing the waters in her area so she could get by with a cheaper tripod for now. I have got by with both my Weifeng's for many years and never a jerky shot!!I think that it was Chris who put me on to the Weifeng tripods but they are really amazing value. They are of course not quite as good as a $1K or $2K tripod but may be plenty good enough & it does mean that you can afford to have multiple cameras each sitting on a half-way decent tripod. The are sold under other names too. These are branded 'Fancier' Fancier WF-717 Pro Video Camera Tripod with Fluid Head on eBay (end time 07-Feb-11 12:37:00 GMT) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360317983645#ht_3082wt_1038)

I'm losing my mind with information overload... I want in the biz. I know I can produce a wedding vid that will melt brides....because I was one!!!

Hi Amanda.

To turn the phrase in your OP: I was once a baby but I don't want to be a midwife :)

I have just loved reading this thread and your enthusiasm, and the great advice given by all the guys here and I wish you your hearts desire.

It's really a story about creating something where something didn't exist - gosh, maybe I should have been a midwife?

I came into this biz in the mid 1970s (I'll leave you to work out my age). I did so because I wanted to work in television. I had a degree in electronics and worked in the electronics manufacturing industry and battled my way through all the dross comments when my peers were becoming typists and secretaries. I was definitely not of this world at that time.

I was fortunate to be awarded a traineeship in one the UK's biggest television networks - and so it began.

Having a dream - an ambition - is fine, but it does need to be backed up with knowledge and skill, ability and (often) good luck. If you have one or more, then off you go. But alll here often learned from mistakes too, so expect to make one or two on your journey.

Hope to see your first video, but remember learn the very basics, learn the knowledge and develop the skill. The information from others here will be a good start.

Good luck :)

One of the girls here paid 700 bucks for a woman to shoot her wedding in Nov. The lady was a friend of her mother's. When the wedding was over (as in that night!) the lady hands her two digital 8 tapes and says "here ya go kiddo"!!! She didn't even put the raw footage on DVD....NOTHING!!! Soooo, Jackie hears through the grapevine that I am getting started and begs me to take these tapes and do something with them.

So you're the guy in the desert selling hamburgers. ;-) If you build it, they will come.

To quote the title of your thread Amanda "I need help". Yep for sure girl! How about subcontracting the work and becoming second string as someone has already suggested?

@Michael

"If you build it, they will come." Wasn't that about about some dead people who had potential but never really made it? Oh, I see your point here :)

I think Amanda, now's the time to break the alarm glass and seek some hands-on help.

:)

Is Digital 8 still a used format?
How are you going to get that onto any system?
I though I was in the backwoods here in the middle of England but I've not seen or heard of anyone using Digital 8 in a decade, and even then never for shooting weddings for other people.

@Michael

"If you build it, they will come." Wasn't that about about some dead people who had potential but never really made it? Oh, I see your point here :)

Kevin Costner built a baseball field in the middle of his cornfield..the people came. I'm guessing he was the only game in town. Much like Amanda, she's the only game in town and she should capitalize on that.

Yep Michael I know the film (movie) I was just trying to give a different slant - but I think it really was a film (movie) about the reward of missed opportunity.

:)

Edit: Field of Dreams

Amanda, I still have a Digital-8 camera, although I don't shoot with it. It was my first digital camera! ;)

I will transcode to ProRes and put the footage on a drive for you if you'll send me the drive or just order a cheap one off Amazon to send to me. There are others here who know me and will vouch that I won't just be taking a drive from you. :) I can turn it around quickly and send you the drive back with the files. If you need references, lemme know. Others here can probably offer this too, but I didn't see anyone offering - so I'll step up. Email me - bill [at] billvincent dot net and we can work out details - I'll do this for next to nothing for you.

As for your corporate shoot in Utah, I'd be very careful if you haven't really done much of that type of work before. Arrangements and talk may seem informal until you arrive, but the situation you are walking into may be totally different than you had imagined before you left. You'd be much better off talking to one of the local Utah people here and teaming with them on this. David Perry is in Utah, and would at least probably know someone to help you, if not helping you himself. Look him up - davidperryfilms.com.

I work in an office of women. One of the girls here paid 700 bucks for a woman to shoot her wedding in Nov. The lady was a friend of her mother's. When the wedding was over (as in that night!) the lady hands her two digital 8 tapes and says "here ya go kiddo"!!! She didn't even put the raw footage on DVD....NOTHING!!! Soooo, Jackie hears through the grapevine that I am getting started and begs me to take these tapes and do something with them. I tell her that I am just getting started and she's fine with it being a first editing project and says she will pay me $500 just to give her something ANYTHING. I tell her it is going to be a while because I have this huge learning curve and still don't even have editing software, just a brand new mac. Again, she's fine with it.



Two (2) Digital 8 and she get's paid $ 700? I am moving there tonight. =)

I've watched this thread with interest. Funny how we all got started. Not HA HA funny but ironic.

Anyway, Amanda, you've gotten some really great advice and insite here, and God love you for getting the kind of work without even really "being" in the business. As for Bill Vincents offer, I would take him up on it. I think about 100 or more people here would vouch for him. To the best of my knowledge he's never been convicted so he's OK ;-) (Bill you know I'm kidding) You can use your MAC and just use iMovie and iDVD to edit and burn and you would be surprised as to how much you'll pick up just from doing that.

As for the Colorado job, while it sounds great on the surface there is a whole lot of information you'll need before you even buy your tickets out there not to mention equipment. Not just camera(s) and tripod(s) but also audio gear, probably more than just a single lav, and lighting is probably going to be needed.

All of that aside, there is also the fact that you'll need to figure out by talking to the client exactly what they want and how they want to present it. I always ask a corporate client, 1)"What's the message?" 2)"Who is your audience?" and 3) "What is the method of delivery? Is it DVD, webamercial, TV?"

Weddings are quite different than commerical work so perhaps for that you might want to think about "selling" the job to another more experienced person and work with that person as a grip/PA/cameraperson. Especially since the "client" is a friend. You never want to lose a friend over the work.

Just my $.02 worth. I could make it a dollars worth but my post is long enough.
Not matter what you decide, good luck in your venture, keep your eyes open, do you best and most importanly, just get out and do it.

Well, you can't argue with "success"! I too have a Digital 8 camera if you need the footage dumped, two tapes would be around 8G if memory serves, and would probably fit on one of those USB drives you can pick up for around $15, so now you've got two ways to at least get the footage off the tape if you need it! I'm not "Mac proficient", but files are files anymore...

I think we now understand your excitement (yea!), take a deep breath, slow down and ask questions and you'll be just FINE! Or "DON'T PANIC", if that serves you better!

You're right about needing to get a couple cameras, but to be honest, you can shoestring this and step up later (there's a reason some of us have Digital 8 cameras laying around, and it's not because we'd dream of shooting ANYTHING with them). I'm a big fan of squeezing the most out of inexpensive gear, and advocate that, so you could get some cameras in hand on a small portion of your budget and start shooting with them to get learning (ASAP it would appear!). I'd be able to shoot the projects you're talking about with a pair or three Sony CX550's without any worries (well, maybe the $5K job would be a bit iffy, depending on what the storyboard looks like). Wouldn't be "big budget", but would come out just fine. As long as no one commented on my "little" cameras!

Or even pick up an HDSLR, ASAP, since things are going that way and you probably should have one in your "toolkit" anyway. You mentioned some stills experience, any chance you've got some lenses and stuff that might transition to a HDSLR rig?


Teaming up on projects is a good idea, if you don't yet have access to the "helping hands" and classifieds sections of DVi, shoot Chris a PM and see if he can hook you up (it's usually 30 days or so in, once you've been an active member, but you've already gotten your feet wet and probably could benefit from those).

Bill, thank you for the offer. When this came about, I asked around to borrow an old cam. No one had one, but plenty of people had the old sony analog 8mm cams, myself included, but they won't transfer the digital 8. So, in my search for cam hunting I landed yet ANOTHER gig. Scored 24 8mm tapes to transfer!!! So, I went ahead and found an old cam for 150 on ebay that was capable of playing digital tapes as well as the 8mm analogs.....guess what? Seems like everyone is interested in video transfer!!! This is hysterical. But, I appreciate your offer!!!

Michael, thanx for the vote of confidence, yet again!!!! I'm thinking I should call my biz (when it actually becomes one) "Crappy Desert Cheeseburgers". I laugh about it, but it is growing on me. I'd go there instead of the places that use words like....oops better not go there, don't want to step on anyone's toes. But it seems all video biz use calming words. Makes sense, but I like the desert cheeseburger better!!! I'll end up with something that makes you want to vomit in your mouth a little...like all the rest. But it certainly sounds fun.

Noel, you SHOULD move here. I need one of the big boys closer!! It appears I am in for a wild ride!!! My little digital 8 came in so I am going to give it a shot with the transfer. I have been eating, sleeping, dreaming, video. It's awful. It's so much fun.

Seems like everyone is interested in video transfer!
Here's another "back in the day" story from the 1990's. Just to keep busy, our
studio ran a transfer service, mostly Super 8 film to VHS (and later DVD). After
years and years, I thought we had run through every reel of 16mm, 8mm and
Super 8mm film that could be found between Austin and San Antonio, but it still
kept coming in. To this day, the studio continues to get all manner of transfer
business, from Beta and 3/4" U-matic and Digital 8 and Hi-8 and many other
formats. The cost of entry was relatively low... various decks and projectors were
acquired as we needed them from the yearly auction at SWTSU (now Texas State
University) for next to nothing, and they have paid for themselves many times over.

Indeed, everyone *is* interested in video transfer.

Really? Are you sure? Have you tried any, or done any recent research?

Have you tried any of the Sachtler FSB range, or the Vinten Vision Blue? Both cost around half of $2000, including legs. And pretty fluid. And certainly a lot more fluid than the $200 Chinese effort.

Your statement implies that there are no useful options under $2k, and that Amanda (and anyone else haplessly browsing along here) will assume there's no point going for anything other that a $200 piece of crud.

I never said the Chinese head was better. I said that there are no TRUE fluid heads tripods sub $2k range. Though I see that has changed in the last year. True fluid heads used to only be available for heavy cameras and were unusable for light cameras due to heavy springs and dampening.

Most fluid heads are really a friction/fluid (fluid between plates) head. My point was you don't necessarily need to buy a $700 tripod (ie manfrotto 503 and like, which are friction/fluid head tripods) when starting out as there are less expensive options. Heavy use where high durability is a concern then by all means spend more.

Perhaps there are more options, but I would guess that you are looking at at least $1000+ for a quality tripod with a true fluid head. The FSB line with legs used to be around 2K, at least up here. But we always get ripped off in Canada.

For the record I may be using a "piece of crud" tripod for my camera, but I have used just just about every major line of tripods and heads over the last 9 years for large format cameras and down. For the weight class of an HMC150, I have found the "piece of crud" tripod to work quite well. :)

I was only trying to point out "bang for the buck" rather than scare the crap out of new people by shouting that you must spend a fortune to get started out. There is a number of equipment out there that works quite well at a much lower price point than most "pro" gear, though perhaps not suited for long term heavy duty use. One can always upgrade to more durable gear once one has started to get enough business (and thus more use of such equipment) to warrant the expense.

That being said, there is also a lot of true and utter crap out there. Some of which is not so cheap. Buyer beware. Try out gear if you can. And don't always believe the hype.

Thanks for pointing out that the newer, small, cheaper FSB heads are fluid. I may upgrade to such a kit in the future as I balked in the past at spending $700+ for a friction/fluid head tripod combo. Though I still see the FSB's them being at least $950. Sachtler 0373 FSB-4 Aluminum Tripod System 0373 B&H Photo Video And I am a bit Leary about the FSB4 for anything heavier than a DSLR or HMC40. The FSB 6 looks better but not as inexpensive as BH sell the head alone for $1200.

I think that it was Chris who put me on to the Weifeng tripods but they are really amazing value. They are of course not quite as good as a $1K or $2K tripod but may be plenty good enough & it does mean that you can afford to have multiple cameras each sitting on a half-way decent tripod. The are sold under other names too. These are branded 'Fancier' Fancier WF-717 Pro Video Camera Tripod with Fluid Head on eBay (end time 07-Feb-11 12:37:00 GMT) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360317983645#ht_3082wt_1038)

That is pretty much the tripod/head I am using for my HMC150.

Hey, I picked up an old Focal brand on eBay that actually has a pretty decent head on it - oozes grease a bit, but it's got a nice smooth and controllable action to it... way better'n the heads on my other "cheap piece o' crud" tripods (they are locked down and only need to keep the cams up in the air, as high as may be needed (they are TALL, I'll give them that).

Amanda - how about "desert paradise cheeseburger productions"? I'm surprised the rest of the gang hasn't chimed in yet, do you feel part of the crew now?!

Too bad "Fluffy Bunny Productions" is taken... (by a production company with what might be the worlds worst website). :D
Fluffy Bunny Productions on Myspace Films - New Films & Documentaries (http://www.myspace.com/fluffybunnyproductions)

Amanda,

I am from your area and sounds like you can really grow yourself in Mt. Vernon. Actually I guess you would be competition. Wedding films is such an untapped market ready to explode. If I could offer any advice I would get the dslr. If you are low on funds then start with a canon 60d and maybe a rebel t2i, otherwise get a 60d and a 7d. For women they are great. Small form factor and you can be mobile....which is key for live events. Buy a few lenses. A wide and angle and a telephoto. At least start with one...possible two lapel mics if you can afford it. It will make or break your ceremony edit if you don't have good audio. Zoom h4n and a manfrotto 561 bhdv. Purchase a used tripod and spend more later on a better one. since you purchased a hmc150 you can use it for the ceremony to catch scenes that your dslr's didn't get(during stop/record or moving to compose a different shot).

By the way. My wife started this business and women definitely have advantage over men in the videography business in my opinion(relate with the bride, gives bride comfort, and be able to be in the room when they are getting there dress on, are usually better at storytelling in editing). You definitely need to be technically savvy when you start diving in (or at least have the drive to spend endless hours learning through the web from sites like these) and you will make some financial mistakes. But most successful videographers in my opinion know how to tell a story and that weighs heavier than having all of the best equipment. Anyway...good luck

Home | sweetTea Media | Capturing the motion of life... (http://www.addsomesweet.com)

I am thinking maybe "Crappy Desert Cheeseburger- A serene, serendipitous dream, dipped in moments and etched in a lifetime". LOLOLOLOL!!!!! I will be sending my business cards out when I actually HAVE a business!!!!

Just make it "Desert Cheeseburger." That's all you need. It'll be quite an in-joke, and a conversation starter.

Oh Chris, did you think I was serious with all that word vomit?? Funny. But I really am considering Desert Cheeseburger. It's so not wedding but it's catchy the more I laugh about it. And, I can't say that I have EVER done anything that made a whole bunch of sense!! And...that part of my personality has actually served me well. I can't focus on anything else. I am totally emersed in the forum, tutorials, books, internet based everything. I am sponging up everything that I can. My husband and haven't had a conversation outside of video for a loooonnnngggg time. We are both really excited. I am taking in everything and I so appreciate all the private emails and suggestions. I'm will be doing my purchasing soon.

Just make it "Desert Cheeseburger." That's all you need. It'll be quite an in-joke, and a conversation starter.

I am thinking maybe "Crappy Desert Cheeseburger- A serene, serendipitous dream, dipped in moments and etched in a lifetime". LOLOLOLOL!!!!! I will be sending my business cards out when I actually HAVE a business!!!!

Oh Chris, did you think I was serious with all that word vomit?? Funny. But I really am considering Desert Cheeseburger. It's so not wedding but it's catchy the more I laugh about it. And, I can't say that I have EVER done anything that made a whole bunch of sense!! And...that part of my personality has actually served me well. I can't focus on anything else. I am totally emersed in the forum, tutorials, books, internet based everything. I am sponging up everything that I can. My husband and haven't had a conversation outside of video for a loooonnnngggg time. We are both really excited. I am taking in everything and I so appreciate all the private emails and suggestions. I'm will be doing my purchasing soon.

I want residuals on the "Desert Cheeseburger" name!! But i do think the cheese should be an "option" you sell to the brides.