STUDENTS?

[Conrad T. Curtis]

Hello, I am new here but I was wondering if there was a way to get some sort of ideas bouncing around by film students around the RED community.

I have posted this in the Scarlet arena, because I am assuming that this is the most interesting tool red is planing to offer to people like ourselves.

All for now,

CTC

 

[Andrew Rieger]

???? What exactly do you have in mind.

 

[Conrad T. Curtis]

Not sure, just a place to throw around thoughts on how students will practically be able to own and have access to the technology.

 

[Zach Nelson]

credit cards, rich parents, film school.

 

[George Tsai]

Join the military, go on a deployment, go back to school and have everything paid for you n deployment money to buy red stuff with:-D

 

[Jimmy Odom]

What I've heard of people doing is get student loans and take a full semester worth of credits; enough for full time student status. Once they have dispersed drop all but 6credit hours worth of classes. You should then be issued a refund amount from your university in the amount owed back to you.

That amount, depending on where you go for university may be enough to buy the Scarlet Fixed.

Now don't take this as free money, because it isn't. its basically a low interest loan from the government, and considering you will most likely use it for educational purposes might not be against the law. Obviously you need to research this more, but thats just a suggestion.

Hope this helps

 

[Andrew Rieger]

I can't join the military so I guess it will be credit cards or a loan of some sort. I am trying to figure out how much of a loan would be needed for everything and I mean everything. A complete Scarlet S35 system with modules, pro prime kit, fluid tripod, medium sized crane, slider, pro mics, hmi, fluo and led lighting, basically everything needed for an indie film. Hell, throw in a complete red ready edit system and I am sure you are approaching $100,000. This is not a cheap industry.

 

[Mark Allen]

I don't think students should buy expensive equipment. You just need something that puts you in the realm so that you can shoot often. Even if it is a canon hf11. Sometimes having lessor equipment helps you learn how to shoot even better when you get the beter equipment.

The reason is that the most important thing is just to shoot, shoot, shoot. If you spend all your money buying equipment vs. investing in your productions, you're cheating yourself out of the opportunity to shoot more in exchange for ownership of a devaluating asset. Your talent is your increasing asset. that is where you will make more and more money and a career and therefore, developing that is what is most important.

SIDE NOTE: I also think young filmmakers today show their cards way too much. They shoot basically a home video and post it for everyone to see. A well known photographer (in her field) once told me that she didn't think she was as good as a photographer as she was an editor. She knew what pictures never to show and which ones to make sure everyone saw.

A lesson everyone in the creative arts should learn from. But I digress.

 

[David Adamic]

Andrew - LOL, I'm pretty sure a student doesn't need to buy $100,000 in equipment. There are these cool places, they rent equipment and if you are a student, you can use the University equipment for free.

My suggestion to the original poster, use the skills you've acquired through school to do some work. Assuming you can scrape together $450/month for the next 8 months you can buy a scarlet. If you can't do that, ask yourself why you need the scarlet.

If you still must have it and assuming you haven't destroyed your credit, get a credit card from a credit union. This is important, it's important to the tune of about 10% difference in the interest you'll pay/year.

Also, assuming you intend to be in this business, form a company with the state now. Report your income, (all of it even the cash), pay taxes, do it all official like. Then, in a couple of years when you've graduated, you'll be in a position to get an SBA loan.

Best wishes.

P.S. I think as a student you'd be better served by taking every internship opportunity your school can give you. In this business, too often what you know isn't important until after who you know. Make the contacts get the experience and there'll be all the time and money in the world to buy equipment after that.

 

[Andrew Rieger]

I don't think students should buy expensive equipment. You just need something that puts you in the realm so that you can shoot often. Even if it is a canon hf11. Sometimes having lessor equipment helps you learn how to shoot even better when you get the beter equipment.

The reason is that the most important thing is just to shoot, shoot, shoot. If you spend all your money buying equipment vs. investing in your productions, you're cheating yourself out of the opportunity to shoot more in exchange for ownership of a devaluating asset. Your talent is your increasing asset. that is where you will make more and more money and a career and therefore, developing that is what is most important.

SIDE NOTE: I also think young filmmakers today show their cards way too much. They shoot basically a home video and post it for everyone to see. A well known photographer (in her field) once told me that she didn't think she was as good as a photographer as she was an editor. She knew what pictures never to show and which ones to make sure everyone saw.

A lesson everyone in the creative arts should learn from. But I digress.

All true unless you have already spent a lot of time working with lesser cams like hvx's and Xha1's, gh1's and 7d's. I learned most of my shot framing from still photography working with a 70's Nikon Ftn and Mamiya C330 medium format camera. Its time for me to move up to Red. Yes, it is best not to show all your work. My flikr page has 1/4 of my work, only the stuff I want to show.

 

[Andrew Rieger]

Andrew - LOL, I'm pretty sure a student doesn't need to buy $100,000 in equipment. There are these cool places, they rent equipment and if you are a student, you can use the University equipment for free.

My suggestion to the original poster, use the skills you've acquired through school to do some work. Assuming you can scrape together $450/month for the next 8 months you can buy a scarlet. If you can't do that, ask yourself why you need the scarlet.

If you still must have it and assuming you haven't destroyed your credit, get a credit card from a credit union. This is important, it's important to the tune of about 10% difference in the interest you'll pay/year.

Also, assuming you intend to be in this business, form a company with the state now. Report your income, (all of it even the cash), pay taxes, do it all official like. Then, in a couple of years when you've graduated, you'll be in a position to get an SBA loan.

Best wishes.

P.S. I think as a student you'd be better served by taking every internship opportunity your school can give you. In this business, too often what you know isn't important until after who you know. Make the contacts get the experience and there'll be all the time and money in the world to buy equipment after that.

I was talking years down the road. I am working at the bottom of the food chain with internships. I am still looking at grad studies for cinematography so any money will be going to that. I was just adding up the costs of a complete shooting package. Rental is what I do now but everyone dreams of having their own gear.

 

[David Adamic]

Agree, I want my own equipment even thought I can't cost justify it. Thankfully, in my case it doesn't have to justify itself, it can just be an expensive hobby. Film work does meet the criteria for a good hobby - you can spend as much time and money on it as you wish.

Still, I think my post did look to the future.

 

[Andrew Rieger]

Its a tough industry to get into but I am doing everything to get there. I know it will be hard but I intended to give 110% to every project. Hopefully things will fall in place. The great thing about the film industry is that there are many different ways to get to the same place. Just read wiki entries for some of the top cinematographers and directors and you will see the diversity of their backgrounds.

 

[David Rasberry]

Agree, I want my own equipment even thought I can't cost justify it. Thankfully, in my case it doesn't have to justify itself, it can just be an expensive hobby. Film work does meet the criteria for a good hobby - you can spend as much time and money on it as you wish.

Still, I think my post did look to the future.

It's nice when expensive toys can be made to pay for themselves. If you have a basic shooting package it is not too difficult to find some kind of paid work to help support it. Shooting simple music videos and demos for garage bands comes to mind. A few hundred dollars per gig goes a long way and helps refine your skills too.

 

[Scott Crawley]

What I've heard of people doing is get student loans and take a full semester worth of credits; enough for full time student status. Once they have dispersed drop all but 6credit hours worth of classes. You should then be issued a refund amount from your university in the amount owed back to you.

That amount, depending on where you go for university may be enough to buy the Scarlet Fixed.

Now don't take this as free money, because it isn't. its basically a low interest loan from the government, and considering you will most likely use it for educational purposes might not be against the law. Obviously you need to research this more, but thats just a suggestion.

Hope this helps

When student loan funds are dispersed, the payments are made directly to the institution rather than the individual to prevent this kind of fraud. Do you really mean to advocate fraud?

 

[David Adamic]

When student loan funds are dispersed, the payments are made directly to the institution rather than the individual to prevent this kind of fraud. Do you really mean to advocate fraud?

The original posted did make it sound like they where pulling a fast one but it's not fraud. You can get a student loan when you carry 6 credit hours. There's actually no need to carry more and then drop them. Money is dispersed to the University, excess after tuition is sent to the student.

 

[David Adamic]

It's nice when expensive toys can be made to pay for themselves. If you have a basic shooting package it is not too difficult to find some kind of paid work to help support it. Shooting simple music videos and demos for garage bands comes to mind. A few hundred dollars per gig goes a long way and helps refine your skills too.

Yes, All of my sound equipment paid for itself this summer. It positioned me to get an SBA for a Red but now I'm hesitating pulling the trigger. Buying a Red has never been more expensive than right now. Another factor is that there are some 11 reds floating around my area. I might be better off buying better sound equipment.

 

[Shane Nassiri]

You can edit RED Footage on a macbook pro just fine. Granted a full desktop suite with fast external drives and a beefy video card will make the process much more enjoyable and render/transcode times more tolerable.

But the great thing about DSMC is that it will really be scaleable, in a number of ways, for you as a student/artist. <$10K should get you going nicely (fixed+MBP+some accessories). That's ~$800 a month for a year. Now that may seem like a lot, but it really isn't if you can cut out unnecessary expenses such as beer for friends, ski trips, and excessively eating out. Take a second job, or a campus job or something.

I'm a student. The above plan worked for me. I have my funds ready to go (minus what I spent on a 5D2 to hold me over til Scarlet, but hopefully I can make that up by the time it actually releases

 

[Scott Crawley]

The original posted did make it sound like they where pulling a fast one but it's not fraud. You can get a student loan when you carry 6 credit hours. There's actually no need to carry more and then drop them. Money is dispersed to the University, excess after tuition is sent to the student.

Excess after tuition? It has been a long time since I paid off my student loans, but unless the program has changed condsderably there is no such thing. Gov't guaranteed loans can only be used for tuition; none for fees, board etc. so there should be no occasion that funds would be given to the student. Any diversion of funds from the institution for use other than the payment of tuition would constitute fraud.

There are of course student loan programs that may not carry such restrictions, but those would not be guaranteed by the government and therefore have higher rates. They are essentially personal loans. I assume you are referring to those. If you are going to take a personal loan, then there is no need to run the university rouse in the first place.

 

[David Adamic]

Excess after tuition? It has been a long time since I paid off my student loans, but unless the program has changed condsderably there is no such thing. Gov't guaranteed loans can only be used for tuition; none for fees, board etc. so there should be no occasion that funds would be given to the student. Any diversion of funds from the institution for use other than the payment of tuition would constitute fraud.

There are of course student loan programs that may not carry such restrictions, but those would not be guaranteed by the government and therefore have higher rates. They are essentially personal loans. I assume you are referring to those. If you are going to take a personal loan, then there is no need to run the university rouse in the first place.

I don't want to argue with you but gov't. guaranteed/subsidized load can and do pay money to the student. They consider the cost of going to school to be more just tuition. I registered for 6 credit hours this semester. My tuition was about $1000. I received a check from the University for about $1500.

That of course is not enough to purchase a scarlet.