Filmmaker On A Budget 2008
By Bill, Joe, Mike and Keith.  Forward by Chris

Every year we challenge our resident filmmakers to put together an equipment list for a low-budget feature or documentary. Those budgets range from $15,000 to $3,000 dollars. We assume everyone has a computer and does not include the cost of the editing system. This exercise is meant to show new filmmakers that the camera is not the only consideration in allocating your budget. Any spending time on video forums won't have to wait long to see a post starting out with something like, “I have $5,000 to spend on equipment, which camera should I get?” As if the camera could manage the production all by itself.

I'm always surprised at the quality that can be produced with the equipment available at these relatively modest price points. It may sound like a lot of money, but not when you consider that the camera alone would run between $50,000 and $60,000 not that many years ago, it's really quite amazing the video power available on a modest budget.

Although this year the top end got better, as usual, the low end had to come up. I flunked the $500 challenge this year. The best I came up with was an idea for getting a couple old Sony Hi-8's with night shot and doing something Blair Witchesque in near dark locations. I couldn't find a camera that offered some minimal HD format with an external mic jack that left room in the budget for anything but the camera.

After giving these a good look, I'm convinced that with Bill's equipment list, some props, a decent crew and experienced editor it would be possible to produce a TV show that would be largely indistinguishable, from a quality standpoint, than the series you watch now. And that is truly the most astonishing realization of this exercise. That the equipment to compete in that arena is within the budget of most anyone who can afford a car.

Amazing. Enjoy.

- CP

Equipment List Quick Links: $15k - $10k - $5k - $3k

Bill's 15K Budget
A couple of years ago deciding what to buy was easier. It's a bit more complicated today because there are more choices. The first impulse is to spend the biggest chunk of the theoretical cash on a camera. I am able to resist that because the "low end" of the professional cameras is so good these days.

For the money I have to spend here, I could go for the Sony EX camera, a 1/2" chip camera that shoots XDCAM HD. The bigger chips and 35mbs data rate should give a better quality picture. However, it's a tapeless workflow. That does not suit the needs of many projects, especially if you're doing documentary work or traveling a lot where you may have to shoot for days, accumulating hours of tape. Sony's tapeless solution is a lot closer to being workable for most of us than those offered by Panasonic. But for me I'll stick with tape until the price of the storage media is comparable and I can shoot 10 hours of footage and stick the cards in a box until I'm ready to edit.

If the EX recorded to tape, I'd go for it. However, I am going to stick with the Canon XH A1 as the best bang for the buck in the camera department. Its image quality is second to none in the 1/3" chip arena, and for most types of production in my world (ie., documentary, corporate, low budget indy film features, an occasional local TV spot) the camera is good enough. I've had one for about a year and a half now and it's reliability is a proven factor. I like it over the Sony Z1U because it does 24P, and I like that. Otherwise, I could be equally happy with the Z1U. Ask me in a couple of years, and I might go for a tapeless format.

The XH A1 is $3300 at Libec 38 tripod. Tapeworks Texas is also cheaper than B&H for Libec tripods.

The Libec 38 which is adequate and a great deal for the approximate $600 price tag. However, I would recommend the Libec 55 for $900. That way if you ever want to use a matte box or hang anything heavier on the camera, you're covered. The Libec 38 says it's good up to 18 pounds, and no doubt you can put that much weight on it. However, to me it feels just adequate for the XH A1 and the Canon TA-100 tripod adapter plate I use (not necessary unless you do any teleprompter work and need to mount the camera on a standard professional tripod with 3/8" threads. The Canon only comes with a 1/4" threaded mount, and most of the cheaper tripods like the Libec 38 have 1/4" screws.)

For sound, the Audio Technica 4073a seems the best value for about $600. Personally, for most dialog, interviews and talking heads, I'm using the Sennheiser G2 100 system for $500. I'd add a couple hundred bucks for a fishpole and shockmount. Make it about $250, and add another $50 for cables--so that's about $300 for audio accessories.

You can live without a mixer, but you really shouldn't. The Shure FP33 is considered an industry standard where I am, but it's around $1300, and there are alternatives for a lot less. I'm going to go for the ATI MX101, around $700 at B&H, and I can't see that the Shure does anything this one doesn't. I haven't used one of these personally, but I'd be willing to try it out--buying from a reputable dealer so I could return it if it didn't work well.

Here's what I would go for today when buying lights:

• Two 575 watt HMIs and two CDM lights from Coollights for about $2800 with stands
• Three 500LED lights from Flolights for about $1500 with stands
• A couple of Lowel DP lights, around $600 with stands (for lighting a green screen)
• Color correction gels, two or three C-stands, flags...maybe up to $1,000 for "gaffer stuff like this."

Next, I'd get a flextrack type dolly, and that can be had from Indiesnap for less than $600, including 50 feet of flex track. This is one of the beauties of using a small, lightweight camera: You can use a small, lightweight tripod and then use a small lightweight dolly which is much cheaper than the Losmandy equivalent. It's, no doubt, not as good as the Spyder dolly at Losmandy, but so much cheaper I'd have to try it.

According to my rough calculations, we're up to around $14,300 now, more or less depending on specific costs, how many C-stands I'd get, etc. I'm going to say that gels, cords, bags, bulbs, gaffer tape and all the little goodies you need would get me to the $15K.

There are many ways to go when putting together a package for $15,000. Some might choose a pricier camera, and there are reasons for that. If you work in a production studio with clients over your shoulder when editing, you might go for a Sony and add $3K or so for a deck; if the type of work you do can handle tapless, you might go for the HVX200 or the Sony EX. Also, some might put less money into lights and go for something like a Varizoom "steadycam" type device, which can be had with the arm and vest for around $2,000. That's yet another nice thing about small cameras -- you can get a $2000 "steadycam" instead of a $7,000 one. I'm not saying the items I've selected are the best for everybody. For instance, I'm spending more on HMI and LED type lighting, because I like to shoot daylight most of the time. Others might prefer a set of Altman or Arri tungsten fresnels, or the tried and true set of four Lowel DP lights that can get you through most situations if you know how to use them. The point is, for $15,000, you can buy a versatile, quality production setup. In fact, for $15,000, if you are frugal, you can get a quality production setup PLUS a nice Final Cut Pro editing system. Truly, $15,000 is a lot more money today, in the video world, than it was even ten years ago. You can go out and buy what's necessary to shoot a movie for $15K...or less.

One final note: You may have noticed I didn't include any money for a monitor. I've rarely needed one, but if you have client, producers, etc., hanging around, a monitor might be necessary. If you have a Mac laptop, you can turn on iMovie, run a firewire cable from the camera, and it works great, with a slight delay. Final Cut Pro doesn't work because the picture deteriorates in capture mode; iMovie looks great for this purpose.

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Equipment List Quick Links: $15k - $10k - $5k - $3k

Mike's $10,000 Picks
We’ll deal with the normal 3 categories:

• Camera Package
• Sound Package
• Lighting Package

Again, this year, I will reference prices at Filmstools in Burbank, CA and B&H Photo in New York. B&H is honest, reliable, no grey market. Owned and operated by Hasidic Jews, I have always speculated that B&H stood for Beards and Hats. I have done a lot of business with Filmtools and have had a great experience with them as well.

CAMERA PACKAGE
This year, I have to go with the new Sony PMW-EX1 XDCAM SxS camera. Yes, this is solid state. Yes, there are challenges associated with solid state that do not exist with tape formats. But, it’s time to start getting used to this. The days of electro-mechanical devices are approaching their twilight. Solid state affords much higher reliability as well as less sensitivity to changes in temperature.

This camera sports 3 ½” CMOS sensors, a Fujinon 14x optical zoom (5.8 ~ 81.2mm) with a maximum aperture of f 1.9. It shoots full raster HD (1920x1080) with true 24p capability. It can also record in 720P! The shutter can be adjusted to 180/90/45/22.5/11.25 degrees with speeds ranging from 1/33 to 1/2000 sec. You also have variable framerate choices of 59.94i, 50i, 29.97p, 25p and 23.98p (24P).

I/O consists of:

• Component: MiniD (x1 Output)
• HD/SD-SDI: BNC (x1 Output)
• Audio: XLR 3-Pin Female (x2 Input)
• Speaker: Monaural (x1 Output) i.LINK: FireWire 4-Pin (x1 Input/Output)
• USB: Mini-B
• Headphone: Stereo Mini Jack (x1 Ouptut)

While this camera is no RED 1, it still does an incredible job for the money. The EX1 comes in at $6449. Whew! A big chunk of our budget, but probably the most important part of it.

SOUND PACKAGE
This year, I am going to opt to use a single system and leverage the sound capabilities of the EX1. The EX-1 records 16 bit uncompressed PCM at 48Khz which should be fine for dialog recording. To feed this beast, we are going to go with the Sennheiser MKH 416. This is a wonderful shotgun mic that is particularly adept at recording dialog. It has excellent rear rejection and has been described as having a tractor beam effect on voices.

That will set us back $1000.

Let’s add the Gitzo G-556C boom and the K-Tek K-SM shock-mount for $147 and $120 respectively. A decent XLR cable at $50, and an indoor and outdoor windscreen pair for $80.

LIGHTING PACKAGE
Last year I suggested a Lowel lighting package and to be honest, it’s still a great deal with a set of great lights. My only complaint is that the stands that Lowel produces are not the sturdiest things around. However, recently I have been using some very nice adjustable tungsten lights by RPS Studio. These are adjustable via fader and use 3 250W bulbs for a total of 750w.

They offer a lot of flexibility with the built in fader and the ability to switch the bulbs in individually. They also have a very flexible mount system that allows ease of angle adjustment. They will accept standard speedrings for adding a softbox as well as providing an umbrella mount.

B&H does not offer these but you can find them online at www.filmtools.com. These are another great retailer with great, personalized service and reasonable prices. Filmtools sells the RPS units for $209 each. So 3 of these will set us back $627.

I recently lit a scene with just 2 of these. The key at 750w was bounced off of an umbrella and I used one of the others as a kicker running direct at about $400w.

These were the only sources of light on the set and they provided plenty of light for the shoot.. $8474.

I mounted them on C-stands. So 3 Matthews 40” Century Stands at about $180 ea for a total of $550. Yeah, C-stands are heavy. But they are very flexible and never break down on you.

One other light I like to have in my arsenal is a Fresnel spot. A nice 1K that I can use as a key that still runs off of 120VAC so I won’t need a generator. There are a couple of options here. An Arri 1K Fresnel spot will run about $500. We will want a globe (bulb) and that’ll run $22, some 4 leaf barn doors at $75.00, a Scrim/Gel bag for $80 and a full set of 5 scrims to round it out at $100.

One more C-stand at $180 and that will pretty much round it out.

Our total: $9981. The $19 you have left over will buy coffee for the crew for one day.

An alternative to this is a used Mole Richardson Baby. I see these on E-bay all the time for anywhere from $150 to $350. Shipping will run about $100 for one of these but they generally come with a stand, barn doors and many times a full set of scrims and sometimes a set of gels as well. And the Moles are built like tanks. They never die. A globe can be expensive for them so make sure that is included.

Joe's $5,000 Picks
In approaching a package at this price point, the goals I set for myself were:

1. Great value for the money,
2. Whenever possible, solid stuff that would take regular usage without breaking down and was of a good enough quality that I wouldn’t mind showing up at a professional shoot with it, and
3. Balance. I didn’t want to “blow the whole wad” on the camera. Audio and lighting are at least as important as your picture, so it’s good to save some money for them, even if (especially if?) you only have $5K to spend.

Like last year, I’m breaking my selections down into camera, sound, and lights.

First off, the camera. If you’re going to buy a package now, you’re wise to invest in HD. That’s not to say you can’t make a great film in SD, but the world’s going to HD, so you might as well go along for the ride. I looked for alternatives to my camera pick from last year, the Sony HVR-A1U. There are a number of reasonably priced HD(V) cams out there, including the Canon XH A-1 (at about $3300) and even the Canon HV-30 (at about $850).

In the end I decided to repeat my choice of the Sony HVR-A1U. It shoots 1080i, 30p, and even 24p. It’s a 1/3” single CMOS chip cam (which means that it will have similar light sensitivity to many of the more expensive “prosumer” cams. The Canon XH-A1 sang it’s siren song to me, but I needed enough money left over to get other stuff. If I knew that I would have another $1500 in addition to my $5K 6 months down the road, I would get the XH-A1 and audio stuff, and use shop lights for 6 months. But if I only have this $5K, then I can’t see blowing it all on the camera.And the best thing about this cam right now? It’s got a $300 rebate at B and H, making it $1850, rather than $2150.

Probably the two biggest factors in choosing the Sony again were that it has professional (i.e., XLR) inputs for audio and shoots HD. Now if one has to, you can use an adaptor box to get audio into your camera, but for something that has to stand up to constant use, there’s no denying the ease and durability of XLR inputs for your mic(s). I’ve used Beachtek type convertor boxes in the past, and I don’t want to go back there. That being said, if you have to skimp lower than $5K, then compromises have to be made, and you could do much worse than the Canon HV-30.

For a tripod, I went with the Bogen / Manfrotto 055XWNB Tripod (Black) with 503HDV Fluid Video Head. The legs are light, sturdy, and extend up to 71” high, so you can shoot over most people’s heads at event shoots. They also have variable angles, so you can get really low shots if you want to. The 503 head is probably the least expensive true fluid head that you can buy. This combination will stand up to years of abuse. It’s not as sexy as many other tripods out there, but it will get the job done, and do it reasonably well. The price? $496 after a $25 mail in rebate.

For audio, I again went with the venerable Octava MK-012. As Beaser, Matt G., and now Bill P. can attest, this mic is one hot little performer. Sure, it’s no Schoeps or Sennheiser, but if equipped and handled properly, it can produce professional sounding audio that stands up well. When I say equip it properly, that means a good shock mount and wind screen to compensate for it’s only Achille’s heel, which is handling noise. The K-tek SSM shock mount is low profile, easy to use, and works quite nicely. The Baby Ball Gag and Windjammer round out the mic package, along with a Gitzo pole. We also can’t forget headphones, cables, and a hotshoe adaptor (for when you do those unmentionable shots-the ones you mount the mic to the cam).

But wait! Since that Sony camera is less expensive this year, I’ve got some extra money to play with. I can’t think of anything nicer than a lavalier mic to go in my kit. I chose the Countryman EMW lav ($192). If I really think I need wireless I could go with a Sennheiser G2 wireless setup for $549, and spend a little less on the lights, but you’re really better off going wired with your mics if possible (you DO know that, right?).

Cost? Unlike cameras, mics tend to hold their value or go up in price. Fortunately, the Octava’s only gone up a bit, to $219, and the BBG and Windjammer are the same as last time, $139 and $70. The K-tek shock mount is also the same as last time, at $120 (if only gas were the same price as last year). The boom pole is not exceptionally long (at 109”), but it’s carbon fiber, and weighs in at less than a pound. Your boom operator will thank you. And it’s only $180, which fits nicely in our budget. Sony’s venerable 7506 headphones are a staple of many location sound people, and are still only $99.

Lights! Over the last couple of years, fluorescent and LED lights have been making inroads into professional armamentariums. There are now several manufacturers of reasonably priced fixtures of both types for those on a budget. Yes, you can make them yourself for a lot less money, but the advantage of someone else making them comes in the combination of portability, weight, and appearance. For my basic lighting setup this year I would go with two of the Flolight 500 LED fixtures, at $499 each. These fixtures draw only 40 Watts (AC or DC, so you could run them off an invertor), mount vertically or horizontally, and throw a good deal of light. While you can do “3 point” lighting with two lights (using bounce cards) I also am spec’ing a 650 Watt Fresnel from image West.TV for $269, first because I needed to save some money, but also because there are still times when you absolutely, positively want a Fresnel. We’ll need three stands ($60 each for medium duty stands from Flolight) to hold our lights.

So, totally everything up, we have:

ITEM	PRICE
Sony HVR-A1U	$1850
Bogen / Manfrotto 055XWNB Tripod (Black) w/ 503HDV Fluid Video Head	$496
Octava MK-012	$219
Countryman EMW lavalier mic	$192
BBG windscreen	$139
Windjammer windsock	$70
K-tek KSSM shockmount	$120
Sony 7506 headphones	$99
25’ audio cable	$20
20’ audio cable	$19
1.5’ Audio cable	$10
Gitzo GB0540 carbon fiber fishpole	$180
Flolight LED 500 fixtures	$998
Blue Line 650 Watt Fresnel	$269
Light Stands	$180
Total:	$4861

All in all, a very good haul of stuff for $5K, if I do say so myself. All of this equipment is stuff that can grow with you. And you still have $139 left for gells, gloves, and a couple dozen donuts and coffee for the crew!

Keith's $3,000 Equipment List:

ITEM	PRICE
Bought from B&H
Canon GL2 -Used	$1,449.00
BeachTek Dual XLR adaptor	$179.95
Canon WD-58- Used	$129.95
GlideCam 2000 Pro	$299.95
Azden SGM1x	$149.95
Birns & Sawyer Econo Slate	$28.95
Zoom H4 Field Recorder	$299.00
K Tek Zepplin w/shockmount	$249.95
XLR Cables 6'&25'	$50.00
Sony MDR Headphones x2	$25.00
Bought from ACE Hardware
Painter's Pole, Fiberglass	$14.95
Foam Rubber tube	$.99
500 watt light w/stand x2	$50.00
1000 watt light w/stand	$39.98
Bought from eBay
Turned Brass Boom Pole Adapter	$15.00
Bought from Michael's Crafts
Various Foam Core boards	$10.00
Bought from ACE Liquor
750ML Cheap Bourbon	$8.00
Total:	$3,000