My film program got a budget of $1,000 to spend. What should we get

[Dragonoid.Slayer]

Here's a list of what we currently have:
Lots of Macs

Adobe and all of its editing software

Lots of non-DSLR cameras

2 studio filming cameras like for TV

A complete control room like for TV

lots of tripods

lots of lavaliere microphones

a boom mic




so, what should we get? I'm the student director for film, so I get a fair say on what to get.

[Ad Bot]

[Headcrab Zombie]

Lights?
You didn't list any lighting gear. Lighting is... kinda important

[Juncoph]

lighting is way more important than you'd think op

the human eye has a lot of cheeky tricks for low light which cameras don't have. adequate lighting for your house is garbage lighting for a film

[Headcrab Zombie]

the human eye has a lot of cheeky tricks for low light which cameras don't have. adequate lighting for your house is garbage lighting for a film

On a modern camera, the quantity of light isn't the main concern, as video doesn't need a very high shutter speed, because unlike photos, you want motion blur between frames to prevent it looking jittery. Unless you're deliberately creating "moody" lighting, typical household lighting should be plenty, from a quantity standpoint.

The issue comes from a quality/creativity standpoint. Lights are useful for all sorts of purposes, not just "it's too dark" like filling in harsh shadows created by hard overhead lights, or deliberately creating harsh lighting, such as a film noir lighting style.

[Juncoph]

On a modern camera, the quantity of light isn't the main concern, as video doesn't need a very high shutter speed, because unlike photos, you want motion blur between frames to prevent it looking jittery. Unless you're deliberately creating "moody" lighting, typical household lighting should be plenty, from a quantity standpoint.

The issue comes from a quality/creativity standpoint. Lights are useful for all sorts of purposes, not just "it's too dark" like filling in harsh shadows created by hard overhead lights, or deliberately creating harsh lighting, such as a film noir lighting style.

guess im thinking HD photography more than film work

[Headcrab Zombie]

Photography is what I do, but the aspects of light quality is the same whether it's photo or video.

It's just the quantity aspect that is different.
Say I'm shooting something like a dance competition, one with fast paced moves, rather than slow, graceful ones. I'm aiming for 1/1000th or bare minimum 1/500th to freeze action.
But for video, the general rule is a shutter speed twice that of your frame rate. So if you're shooting at the cinematic standard 24fps, you only need a shutter speed of 1/48th.

Which actually reminds me of another thing I would recommend. With your max shutter speed being limited to as low as 1/48th, the thing I hear from my video friends more often, rather than not enough light, is too much light, especially when shooting wide open or outdoors. So grab a good quality variable neutral density filter.

[Tetris]

ronin-m

[Dragonoid.Slayer]

lighting is one of the things that I thought we should get. the list in ON is what we have, not what we need.

so, what specific lighting equipment should I get? I tried to look into it, but could not figure out what exactly I need for 3 point lighting with gel / plastic diffusion

[Drydess]

lighting and paying people to use their place as a set

[Headcrab Zombie]

lighting is one of the things that I thought we should get. the list in ON is what we have, not what we need.

so, what specific lighting equipment should I get? I tried to look into it, but could not figure out what exactly I need for 3 point lighting with gel / plastic diffusion

I couldn't recommend specific equipment, I've only ever used strobe lighting.
But some sort of 3 light kit, with an assortment of modifiers.
You can buy something really cheap, as long as everything uses standard Bowen mounts you can just get new lights when you know what you need, without buying all new modifiers.

[LeisureSuit912]

Like others have said, lighting, but I'd also recommend getting a camera dolly if you want more dynamic shots

Also potentially actors pay cuts

[FelipeO_O_]

You'll need probably a green screen and lights for ambient lighting.

These both are indispensable.

Of course additional material will depend upon what kind of movie you want to make.

[Headcrab Zombie]

I'd also recommend getting a camera dolly if you want more dynamic shots

idk these days I see handheld stabilizer rigs far more than dollies
then again the stuff i do is more event related rather than scripted scenes

Also potentially actors pay cuts

well he's doing this as a student, i'd assume the actors are students as well

[Refticus]

burn ALL of it on cocaine

[Metario]

what are the non-dslr cameras, as well, what are the studio filming cameras? you may want to rent some dslrs to replace them (if you're allowed to rent them). you'll def want lights (headcrab zombie's recommendations are great), stabilizers (chest-mount/shoulder-mount, or normal handheld), dollies, green screens (like this: http://a.co/fVzL4Qm), and some quick-release kits (these are loving godsends). also, test out the tripods, and determine how smooth/stable they are, see if they need to be replaced. get some different lenses as well (https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/digital-cine-lenses/ci/25249/N/3908282151)
other then that you should be ready to go