Help with video making needed

malin182

Hi guys,

I along with a few others have been asked to make a short 5 minute video of the relationship between staff and customers to present to our board of directors in mid December. I understand its not much time but we are currently in the middle of writing the script and planning it out. The problem is none of us have any experience in video filming or editing. The general view is that the company needs a camcorder anyway so they are willing to buy one. After consulting a rental company they suggested the Canon XM2 DV (I cant easily find the "DV" model online, do I have that right? Is there 2 types?)

I am broadly experienced in cameras themselves so have volunteered to do the filming. What I need to know is:

1. Is that camera suitable for the type of short film we want? The theme is a news room type of setting, with various "reporters" reporting some facts on the company. It will be shot mostly indoors, if not all of it.
2. Does anyone know where to buy one? Would your regular electronics store do these? I doubt it.
3. Would the mic built onto it be sufficient for picking up voice or should we get an external one?
4. Would I be able to edit this on my laptop? Basic editing, although was thinking of having a picture in picture in the top right of the screen for each news story.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. Appreciate it! Here is a link to the camera: http://www.canon.ie/For_Home/Product_Finder/Camcorders/professional/XM2/#p-specification1

Tactical

malin182 wrote: »

Hi guys,
The general view is that the company needs a camcorder anyway so they are willing to buy one.

Curious as to why. Buying a camera is all very well but editing facilities need to be factored in. Ok, iMovie or Windows Movie Maker may suit your purposes if it is for company "internal" purposes. However there are many additional "extras" that would need to be taken into consideration e.g. audio equipment, tripod and lighting.

malin182 wrote: »

After consulting a rental company they suggested the Canon XM2 DV

Did they say why this particular model may be best suited to your requirements?

I am broadly experienced in cameras themselves so have volunteered to do the filming. What I need to know is:

malin182 wrote: »

1. Is that camera suitable for the type of short film we want? The theme is a news room type of setting, with various "reporters" reporting some facts on the company. It will be shot mostly indoors, if not all of it.

Probably. You'll most likely need a sturdy tripod too. Lighting will be important too.

malin182 wrote: »

2. Does anyone know where to buy one? Would your regular electronics store do these? I doubt it.

eBay?

malin182 wrote: »

3. Would the mic built onto it be sufficient for picking up voice or should we get an external one?

Probably not. This camera doesn't have XLR inputs either which means you'll be either limited in mic selection available to buy or you'll need to buy an XLR adaptor. Also you'll need to get the hang of getting the audio levels correct too.

malin182 wrote: »

4. Would I be able to edit this on my laptop? Basic editing, although was thinking of having a picture in picture in the top right of the screen for each news story.

Maybe. Don't know if the basic packages can offer this.

malin182

Thanks Tactical,

The price for 1 days rental is €333 incl VAT and courier there and back. Looking online Sterling prices for buying are around £500 mark. I guess they figure it might be worth while having one since they did a video only recently as well and possibly more in the future.

After explaining to them it was going to be a short film about 5 mins long which would be presented to the board of directors I was quoted for this.

I am unsure if they would be willing to buy on ebay. Because of the time frame if the camera was delivered not functioning properly we wouldnt have time to send it back to be repaired. Also to be able to walk into a store and have it in our hands with warrantee would be preferable.

I understand the audio levels might be tricky, I guess its something we will need to try out. I was also looking at this one although doesnt see as professional. http://www.currys.ie/Product/CANON-Legria-HF-M56-Full-HD-Camcorder-Black/312956/175

This doesnt have to be a masterpiece, in saying that we dont want a pathetic clip either. It just seems a bit much to hire a team to do it for us.

Fionn

the Canon XM2 is out three or four years now, haven't seen any new ones for sale around, i did see some secondhand ones in adverts.ie theres an Canon XL1 and an XL2 for sale at the moment too.
take a look at the Sonys as well, they're really good cameras

conns cameras rent camcorders too as well as camera kit.ie http://www.camerakit.ie/hire/products.asp?cat=10

Remember if you intend to record on a cam that uses solid state media, your looking at AVCHD which requires a lot more computing power than Standard Definition footage. For a five minutes edited movie you might have as much as 20/30 minutes or more of raw footage, so you'll need the computer to have enough power to manipulate all that data.


also as tactical pointed out you'll need at a minimum a good tripod, audio that you can control, some cams have very good audio some don't - maybe a Yamaha C24 digital recorder or a more expensive Zoom recorder. sync in post,

Lights you can probably manage yourself if your a competent photographer.

where you might have some difficulty is editing! really you wont get too far with the free ones, you could maybe persuade the company to get at least Adobe Premiere Elements 11 when they're buying the company camcorder & Tripod

good luck
:-)

Splinters

malin182 wrote: »

It just seems a bit much to hire a team to do it for us.

You do realise people invest countless time and effort into learning video production. Theres a reason people spend years in college learning this stuff.

Its not just about having the equipment, you also need to know how to use it. Then you'll also need to edit the footage. Its a huge undertaking to try to get done by December.

Its possible, but I can tell you now without bringing somebody in, on the basis none of you have any video prouction experience of any kind, its going to be pretty awful quality. Im not being pessimistic, thats just how it is.

Ultimately it just depends on what value you place on this video. If its just a whimsical video to fill in some time at a board meeting then by all means work away and it probably wont matter what standard its done. But if its something with any level of importance behind it then I assure you it will fall flat with shoddy video/audio production.