Fundraising for a camera!

[Marc Wielage]

Every day, I realize how little I know. Every time I work with someone who is a master of their craft, I realize how little I know. And I suspect that when the day comes when I see my final sunset, I will realize how little I know.

It took me decades to realize how little I know!

I believe it was the great philosopher Barbra Streisand who once sang, "the more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know."

 

[Zeb B]

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?115909-Vilmos-Zsigmond&p=1359148&viewfull=1#post1359148

 

[BrendanLeahy]

I've recently returned to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where I did my undergraduate work. I'm taking a couple refreshers before moving on to an MFA (which I am paying for out of pocket BTW) and... there is a girl in my advanced filmmaking class who shoots everything on VHS. Her shit is fucking awesome. I shoot Red's and Phase One on the still side because I busted my ass for 20 years and now I can afford whatever I want. I'm rambling, I know, but the point I'd like to get to is... don't sweat the gear. The work you are doing right now is garbage. I don't mean you specifically... but EVERYONE who is at where you are right now. The first 10 years of your work is all just fodder to grow from. It's not worthy of the gear that you're wasting your time drooling over... and I say this with love... get out there, fuck up, make mistakes and learn! Hell, get a BM PCC, it's a grand and shoots great little pictures.

Gear is such a trap... so many filmmakers set their sights on an Epic and then they think they'll be set. These people all end up fucked and broke.

</rant>

Christopher Barrett is absolutely right that gear is a trap. The camera will never make you better - it's up to you to do that. Sure, REDs have great features like slow-mo and the incredibly hyped 4K/5K/6K, but everything has strengths and weaknesses. It's there to help you tell your story (or the client's).

Daniel, you said you have a 70D and Canon lenses. Put that to great use by figuring out the strengths and dealing with the weaknesses. Shoot weddings and concerts, help buddies out on freebie short films... work your butt off doing the crap and save up for the camera you want. Just remember to always take something away from those mediocre or displeasing jobs (weddings for sure) - there's always something to learn, even when everything has gone wrong (figure out what to do right!).

 

[Wayne Morellini]

Work at it and through it. If you have something to contribute to everybody else you may ask strangers, otherwise close people who you know and know what you 'Could' do. But less is more and more is less, ask for the little that you can archive a fair bit with, then more may come afterward you have achieved it from supporters (by then you may have enough anyway), ask a lot then a little may come. As for me I realistically need a billion, so I don't ask. I preferred to work towards something that earns money step by step, and now build investors confidence.

Missed your post, but I have been involved in low end cinema cameras, pushing the price down. Red was one of the successes, but now we have black magic, Kinefinity I don't know about and axiom open source camera group coming, someday. But lower than this: The Panasonic gh4, and falling off the cliff is the Sony sub $2000 UHD and JVC has a UHD version of their px100?? sub $1000 camcorder, and maybe something based on ambarella hiding at the bottom (great chip but not so great cheap cameras since Sanyo left).

Now Daniel, ask for the thread to deleted, so this is not around in years to come.

Wish you the best.