So, today I find out about my new job (wish me luck). When I get it, I want to use the inordinate ammount of money I will be paid to buy a camera and make some short films. Nothing fancy nothing complicated, just practicing to see if I (and my friends) have any talent. So, R.C. this is one for you, do you guys have any advice on what to do. Do I buy an 8mm or a digital or video camera??? Do I start with camerawork or script? In short, what the fuck do I do??? I was going to e-mail this to R.C. but then thought "why deprive the world of her knowledge?". Oh, and does anyone know Katie Holmes' phone number? ;)

i'll pass your number on to Kat if you want me to, but i doubt she'll call you. she's pretty busy. i just bought a pxl-2000 by fisher price. that's how i'm going to start my filmmaking career. if you buy a digital video camera you turn your PC into an editing machine and put things together nicely. you're going to have to put up more money, though, i think.

is your fisher price toy a new model or is it that old cool camera?

Are you talking "film making"? or just screwing around with friends in front of the camera? A relatively cheap way to do this is the Sony 8mm digital camcorder, and some software. Its user friendly and fairly inexpensive. Or buy a 16mm film camera lots of film, lenses, sundry equipment and someone that can load canisters, have fun. Then find some one to develop then film, then find a projector, and teach yourself how to splice film. Don't forget to get sound gear.

condour got up one morning and decided to pull a tarantino. quit his job, acquired dodgy gear/pirated software, and went about his new business of making movies. the first one is a cartoon. http://www.amberdigital.com i dunno... but maybe you will.

to my knowledge, fisher price hasn't made any new cameras. mine is the old artfag one that records onto audio tapes. but i'm going to rip out the audio tape mechanisms and out it to a portable VCR.

Bagpuss Goes Hollywood! I can't wait tyo see what you come up with! Wired got it right in terms of the equipment. But I'd recommend getting an old 16mm Arriflex camera for starters. And lots of B&W film (you can buy recently-expired stock for next-to- nothing. By recently/I mean the exp. date isn't more than 2-3 mos. ago.). Two or 3 lights & reflectors. Then pull together a short script for a silent film (tougher than it sounds/but worth the effort) w/3 or 4 characters/& go out & shoot. I don't like video becuz it doesn't absorb light the same way film does. Yr eye needs to be able to set up a shot/light it/& understand how it will look on film before it's shot. Plus you'll need to get used to loading film into the camera on the fly (which I never managed to do successfully during film school). And understand how to light for film vs. video. And even tho' there's so much digital post- production now/it's always good to know how to cut film the old-fashioned way. And how to synch up yr sound. Once you've got the hang of the camera & yr shots come out looking like you want them to/pick up a used Nagra & some tape & mics & booms/& start recording ambient sound & dialogue. You'd be surprised how hard it is to capture the sound for exterior shots -- you don't realize how a plane overhead or a car passing by can totally obliterate yr dialogue. Even a small thing like shooting a woman in high heels walking down a hallway can take all day if you've got to capture the sound & picture at the same time (which is why foley artists & sound mixers make so much $$). The best advice I can give you is to find the most experienced crew available/& to work w/folks you really like. Avoid real actors or wanna-be actors unless they're personal friends. Let yr friends be yr actors -- even if they're lousy /it won't matter becuz you're all just learning. And 1 or 2 of them might turn out to have some real talent. Plus/at least 1 of yr friends will no doubt have a house that's perfect to shoot in. Consider yr sets & locations carefully while you're writing the script. Interiors are easier to shoot than exteriors. If you can create a story that takes place at the dining room table over dinner/it'll save you a lot of time & headaches in terms of setting up shots/& you can focus more on the acting. Plus/if you shoot at a friend's crib/you can guarantee everyone's comfort & the availability of a working bathroom nearby. And be sure to feed yr cast & crew well. People don't mind working all day for free nearly as much when they've got good eats. But no drinking on the set (reefer's ok if you normally smoke pot). Yr shoot can deteriorate too easily into a hang-out session if everyone's boozing it up. I'll don't recall using a text for film school -- it was all notes from class. But I'll see if I can find some How-to titles for ya. Oh yeah -- don't buy yr own slate. Yr 1st slate shd be given to you as a gift/or stolen from some other set that you worked on. If someone else steals one & gives it to you/you're almost guaranteed to win an Oscar someday.

that's cool you have one of those cameras, nate. I didn't think there were any newer ones out (I was just hoping). video looks both flat and garish compared to real film.

where the fuck did you get a pixelvision camera? i have been looking for a fisher price camera for under $300 for ten years now. shit.

i got mine for $200. it's the deluxe set, with a bunch of crap i don't need. like a little monitor. ebay.com, baby.

i'm going to start looking on ebay. what section did you look in?

uh. just search for pxl-2000 and pxl2000. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=107179256 http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=108664695 http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=107320872

thanks, nate. maybe that will be a graduation present from myself to myself.

then we can be film buddies and swap features.

okay, but i'll bet you won't like mine. what do you suppose is up with the one that may not work? do you think i could get that shit fixed anywhere?

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jmanoog/pxl/ most of the problems i have heard of concerning the pxl2000 have to do with tape transport. somewhere in the link above you'll find contact info for someone who fixes pxl2000's. i plan on mod'ing mine to out to a VCR, so i'm not particularly worried about in board tape transport system.

ps. i've noticed a lot of people making assumptions about what i won't like. often these assumptions are incorrect. luckily, only my mom regularly makes incorrect assumptions about what i will like. infrequent regularity.

nate how is the pixel cam? My wife cranked out her super 8 last weekend. We haven't had the two reels she shot processed yet. Procrastination is to blame. artfag cam indeed. I'll tell ya though, the cheap, off the wall, odd ball cameras prove no tonly to be the most fun, but it's interesting to limit yourself and see what comes of it. I have been shooting the last couple of weeks with a 60's polaroid. No shutter control. ISO is either 75 and 3000 (ie. color or b&w). The aperture is basically set in terms of "feet". It sose have a darken or lighten function. It's a complete idiot proof camera, however, with a little understanding of lighting conditions i have made some really neat polaroids. Plus I found some flash cubes on ebay that i finally got today. They don't make them anymore so i had to score them elsewhere. YOu should see the packaging, these things came outta someone's basement, probably purchased 20 years ago.

has anyone seen any pictures from that new "toy" 35mm camera, that shoots 4 pictures on the same space a normal camera shoots one? My best friend has one and she says it's awesome, but she also hasn't sent me any photos yet, so my curiosity is not yet stilled.

the chick friend I worship got one too. but I haven't looked at any of her photos, either, come to think of it. last friday I went over there and we played around with slides, viewmaster reels, polaroid film, a projector, 160-degree water and watercolor paper. I turned viewmaster (las vegas, snow white, sleeping beauty) slides into prints. next I'm going to make them into cards. maybe I'll send one to sorabji. I like to mail him things as payment for letting me be here.