what gear do I need to get to start making films?

[FranzF]

Hi, I have several ideas for art/expressionistic movies (although I may venture out of that as well), but I need to know what camera etc, i should get to begin this excursion into the visual arts. I will do most of the editing on a Macbook, do I need to get some special editing software as well? I am a novice but I have a plethora of ideas, and I'll learn along the way haha.haha when i wrote down "plethora" i almost laughed at myself. Probably one of the most overused "big word" in English

[ShtMyself]

He said plethora. haha haha. Do you think you'll need a water proof camera? Special software may be nice, although, you'd be surprised what you can do with the free stuff.

[dddbbb7124]

All you need to start is a cheap DIGITAL video camera to start. NOT a record to dvd disk type if you plan to edit (no matter what the IDIOTS at best but/circuit city try to tell you) Get a mini dv camera with the proper cable to download the video to your computer IEEE 1394 and make sure your macbook has a IEEE 1394 port to plug into. Also- although hi def is available it is in it's infancy and expencive and the files are still too huge for most computers to handle properly. If you start simple and cheap you can learn the basics and then when you know your way around you can move on to better equipment with the knowledge to get what you need and not waste cash on things you don't. Using a tripod will make things look much better instead of that shaky handheld home movie look.