Famous artists and filmmakers have access to lofty budgets and producers with deep pockets. What production companies don’t really tell you is that big stars and directors like Quentin Tarantino, Miley Cirus, and Childish Gambino started just like you and I. They had the free software like iMovie, HitFilm Express, Shot Cut, or cheap karaoke sets for their music.
Multimedia professionals seems to gravitate towards expensive gear. You don’t really need high-end extravagant equipment like the Canon XF705 Pro Camcorder or an 80D DSLR to achieve quality results. What you have on hand will suffice.
Casey Neistat, a filmmaker with 11 million subscribers on YouTube, maxed out his credit card to get the first iMac computer and a Canon VHS- C camcorder.
“If all it took to be good was the right equipment, the people who had the most money would always win,” stated Neistat in his video Casey Neistat’s Guide to Filmmaking.
Neistat then showed two examples to illustrate his point. One was a high budget film and the other was a low to no cost budget film. The movie Pan had a $155 million dollar budget and still received terrible scores on Rotten Tomatoes and other sites. While the low budget film Tarnation was made with iMovie and had a $218 dollar budget, receiving multiple awards at film festivals. It was one of the most celebrated documentaries that year.
Use the resources you have available to you for practicing techniques. Use a cheap tripod and a camera and your product could turn out just fine.
As long as you have an iPhone or an Android phone like a Samsung Galaxy S10, or even a cheap Alcatel OneTouch from a local general store, the camera quality will be more than enough. If your phone has a camera, you can be a filmmaker or a photographer.
If you don’t have anyone willing to help you out, just vlog and create Micro Short Films- just one character and simple shots. Work on skills and techniques with the equipment you have now and with the overall resources you have to your disposal.
Canon, Nikon, Sony and other big brand cameras don’t teach you framing or The Rule of Thirds. Teach yourself those things over time and practice. Just remember if you’re starting out, don’t stress. Practice your pan and handheld shots. Great technique is not going to happen right away.
If you think about it, athletes kind of start off the same way. A football player watched football with their families and threw an old ball when they were little. A basketball player shot hoops in the driveway or in their yard constantly while growing up. People who play sports don’t just play sports. They live, breath, bleed, and practice sports all the time, every day.
Ideas are cheap. Ideas are easy. Ideas are common. Everybody has ideas. Ideas are highly, highly overvalued. Execution is all that matters. – Casey Neistat