a question for professionals in the film/vid industry

[GetCarter]

About 10 years ago, I almost invested a whole bunch of cash in a camera that would take broadcast standard vid.

Never got round to it. (Some other git nicked my idea)

A friend of mine now wants to take that plunge.... but has very little money.

Any suggestions as to the cheapest camera that will get the proposed documentary saved in sufficient detail so that is broadcast quality?

TIA

[Podie]

Parrot of Doom is your man (I think)

[GetCarter]

Podie said:

Parrot of Doom is your man (I think)

Ta Pod

I've e mailed him

[Parrot of Doom]

Your mate could shoot on pretty much any format you liked, its the content thats important. That said, a Sony Z1-E is probably your best bet - at DV quality in 16:9 (although frame up for 14:9 so its 4:3 compatible). Nobody will touch HDV because its a pain to edit.

Suggest your mate also buys something like:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Basic-Betacam-Camerawork-M...

Its no good having a great story but not having the shots to be able to reconstruct that story in the edit, the above book is a good reference for that. Sound is also vitally important, and frankly whatever your mate shoots will always look amateurish without good quality sound - thats not something you can do without spending at least a couple of grand on sound kit and wages for someone to operate it.

Unless your mate has a very good story, or a few weddings to raise money, I wouldn't even dream of trying.

In short, £5,000 minimum, plus VAT.

[GetCarter]

ta mate... I'll fwd

[Simpo Two]

I started producing corporate video in the late eighties and you needed about £100K then...

I hope your chum finds a buyer for his documentary but I'm not investing. TV commissioning is a minefield.