35mm adaptors and Jag35

New discovery today! There are still some options for non-wealthy filmmakers out there! I've been slobbering lasciviously over the Letus 35mm Pro for a couple of years now, but can't bring myself to fork over the giant piles of money necessary for the most basic of Letus adaptors. Then today, while perusing youtube for videos Canon Xha1 with 35mm lens adaptors, I came across the Jag35 site. This is a company that builds affordable 35mm lens adaptors for consumer to prosumer video cameras. First off, this company is awesome because they make tutorials showing you how to build your own 35mm lens adaptor, and secondly there 35mm adaptors not only tend to cost less than $500, but they are a very decent quality. Check out the video above. The entire setup (camera included) cost $1200. I for one am sold. We'll definitely be looking into purchasing one of these.

Whoo-hoo!

We bought a new camera today! Yeay! We were looking for a small compact HD camera. Something that didn't lack quality but wouldn't break the budget either. Since Canon is coming out with upgraded versions of all their compact HD cams, B&H is having a HUGE sale on the old versions. So we took advantage and were able to get the HF-S10 at a good price. Although small and compact it's a pretty good model with high HD quality. Crank 2 was actually filmed using one of the smaller Canon models that was even lower quality than the one we've just bought, so I'm pretty confident the SF10 won't disappoint in image quality. Plus, if we ever need to film a scene in a public place like a library or grocery store, there's less chance we'll get caught with this tiny camera instead of our giant XHA1. Haha, sneaky, I know ;) Above is a youtube video showing the image quality of this camera. Why do all youtube videos showing test footage always have to be boring static shots of flowers, trees and parks? We watch a lot of youtube camera test videos for research and they're all the same. I think for the SF10 we'll make a fun test video that shows actual human beings doing things, which is what we all normally film with our camcorders, right? Anyways, that's my schpiel for the day. G'night :)

Check mic, check one check two..

Some exciting news today-we finally bought an essential addition to our equipment list-the holy "shotgun" mic. After researching, we found that the Audio-Technica AT897 was the best bang for our buck. It's sharp, perfect for interviews, and isn't too pricey. A professional shotgun mic was the last on our list of extreme essentials needed for production, so we were glad to finally buy it. Plus we're going to be shooting a friends wedding this weekend, so it was imperative that we ordered it today, to get the best possible sound pickup at the wedding. So we're eager to hold our new mic and test it out on future videos. The only things we really have left to purchase are a backup HDV camera, a merlin steadicam, and a (low-cost) dolly system. Once we have those final three things..look out world! We're taking over! Just kidding..for the most part.

Filmmaker Competition (Part Dueh)

So I guess I'm posting about film competitions two days in a row! It's that time of year when all the fun film competitions start pouring in mainly through withoutabox. Speaking of withoutabox, have you ever noticed how they always post open competitions a couple days before the deadline? What is the point of that? Like, I'd really love to know about the film competition where you shoot a 2 minute music video for a chance at 5 million dollars before it ends. Withoutabox really needs to start posting the opening dates of competitions. Anyways, that's my rant for the day.

So where I was going with this was withoutabox posted a contest today that sounds really interesting. It's basically a chance to submit your film idea, and possibly win the money to produce it. It's called the The Ultimate Filmmaker Competition The contest consists of you presenting a 1 page synopsis of your film idea, a 250-word mission statement as to why you were born to yell "Action!", and a resume. Based on these items you could receive a $200,000 production grant and a over $300,000 in resources. It has some legit sponsors like Canon, Final Cut and Movie Maker Mag. There are some dubious elements though, such as a $75.00 entry fee, and of course the deadline is two weeks away. But if you've been sitting on your story for a few years and think you can create a one page pitch strong enough to sell it, you should take a look at this contest. I am seriously considering applying for it.