Category — Camcorder Accessories

The are more video cameras on the market these days than any sane person can keep tabs on. But you won’t find many that are designed to record underwater. Not without a “housing,” anyway.

Even if you just want to take your camera into the bathtub with you (Ready for your close-up?), you’ll need a waterproof if you want to get any underwater shots. If you want to take it with you when you go snorkeling, you’ll be able to have a greater variety of subjects to choose from—and even more if you are scuba diving.

If you have an older camera, you may have to buy a new one. Manufacturers often discontinue making cases for older models. If you do have to buy a new one, make sure you buy a camera from a manufacturer that also offers a housing. Not all of them do.

You can find a more detailed discussion here. If you’re a hardcore DIY type, you can build your own. It looks like a major task to me though.

I’ve saved the best solution for last. I have enough trouble managing the gadgets I have already, so this nifty camcorder from the folks at Panasonic is just what I’d buy.

Panasonic SDR-SW20

Think your stuck with mediocre sound quality with your camcorder? Think again.

Check out BH Photo for some sound tips. You’ll quickly learn the basics of how to get professional sound quality from whatever consumer camcorder you currently use. The manufacturers market higher costing camcorders as having superior, professional sound.

But if you need (or just want) better sound, these articles will tell you what you need. Most of the camcorder add-ons available aren’t prohibitively expensive and well worth the cost. You’ll also get a few tips that will help you in other ways, e.g., recording directly from the sound board at a wedding or other locations. If you don’t want to settle for the OEM, there are alternatives. Now you know.

A handy accessory for your camcorder is a pair of headphones. If you don’t have the luxury of a boom operator, you usually record the sound with the camcorders internal or external microphones. I’ve filmed entire shorts without considering the sound I was capturing. Boy, did that make my life hard in the editing room!

By using headphones to listen to the sound, you can still film shots without bothering your fellow neighbor or take your actors out of the scene. Even the most basic of camcorders have a headphone input. Just plug them in and presto! You hear whatever the camera picks up. More often than not, it’s too loud, but that’s easily adjusted in the settings menu.

Some people say it doesn’t matter what sound you capture, since it’s easy to dub everything in the editing room. I say it’s still safer to monitor the sound levels anyway. You never know, you might pick a new line of dialogue on set. And if the sound sucks, sometimes there goes that scene on the editing floor.

Martin McDonagh, already an Oscar winner for the short film ‘Six Shooter’, wrote and directed In Bruges. It’s a story about two hitmen hiding out in Bruges.

Can Colin Farrell actually be funny? Hmm….I guess he can pull it off with those good lucks and charm. The trailer has some funny bits, especially when Farrell’s character complains about Bruges. It reminds of Grosse Pointe Blank (one of my favorite Cusack movies btw) or Lock,Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. All these stories are about killers/thieves and other various morally bankrupt characters. They focus on protagonists struggling with the choices they’ve made in life.

There was a ton of coverage for the film at Sundance. Of course, most of the camcorder lenses were focused on Colin Farrell, but at least some of the video interviewers saved time for McDonagh and co-star Brendan Gleeson.

Find a more in-depth review of the film on Cinematical.

If you are shooting with only a few people, you don’t need a permit to shoot outside. Basically you are considered a tourist despite the fact you may be filming an integral scene for your lo-budget movie. For inside private property, that’s another thing entirely. Sometimes you can just ask the manager for permission. Other times, you may have to pay or advertise the place in exchange for rights to shoot on the premises. And then, if you are using state property, you definitely need a permit.

When shooting on-location, it is always good to have extra batteries at the ready. Using certain lens focusing extras, such as the zoom function, can use up your battery life. I know from experience that you can easily eat up the life of canon camcorder batteries in a few hours. If you’ve had to pull all sorts of strings to even film at a certain place, you must be prepared for whatever obstacles may arise. And the same rule goes for DV tapes or whatever format you’re using, be ready for extra takes.

Also be sure to have food/water for your talent, especially if they are working for free. Don’t want to get them complaining about little stuff and then lose focus. All these tips may sound like a lot for one person to do alone, that’s why you should enlist free help from friends or family. Then, you can be creative while someone else worries about the little production details like food and batteries.