[TheMule]

I am new to filmmaking and need some advise on what Mac to buy.

Right now I am looking at the iMac Core Duo 20-inch with the ATI Radeon X1600/256MB.

I’m also looking at the following :

Panasonic PV-GS65 camcorder
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

LaCie d2 Hard Drive Extreme with Triple Interface 250GBhttp://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=10059


Do you think the iMac would be good? Any other advice would be great also.

Thanks.

[mduell]

iMac should be fine with enough RAM.

I'd put an external drive together yourself instead of buying LaCie.

[TheMule]

How do you put an external drive together?

Thanks

[jlincoln]

More system memory will serve you better than the upgraded video card, unless you plan on doing a fair amount in Motion and/or Shake or play games. I'd upgrade to the 1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 1x1GB then buy another 1GB on your own. Depending on your budget, I'd put my initial funds into memory, and video card before the external drive. The 250GB hard drive you'll get is pretty big. It will suit you well for a while.


You can build your own external drive by buying the drive and an enclosure separately. It will probably save some bucks, though the LaCie may come with worthwhile software. It just depends on you needs.

[dlefebvre]

Originally Posted by TheMule

How do you put an external drive together?

Thanks

You can find some very decent external drive casings for around 30$ (USB2 and/or FireWire). These casings can take regular ATA drives. So for about the same price of a LaCie drive you can almost double the capacity.

[jlincoln]

hey, for what it's worth the new core duo Mini is pretty nice, in my book.

[mduell]

Originally Posted by TheMule

How do you put an external drive together?

1. Start with a well-reviewed Mac-compatible enclosure like this one for $50 or this one for $40.
2. Add a 300GB drive for $115 with a 3 year warranty.
3. Assemble (takes 2-4 screws).
4. Be happy you got an extra 50GB for $60 less than the LaCie.

[TheMule]

What about this enclosure and HD?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...1&NoMapp=0

[stevesnj]

what kind of movies you gonna make? home, pro?

[mduell]

That seagate at tigerdirect should work. Doesn't mention Mac compatibility.

[TheMule]

Originally Posted by stevesnj

what kind of movies you gonna make? home, pro?

Pro, I will start by making 12 shorts(within a year) to learn how then see about making a feature.

[TheMule]

Originally Posted by mduell

That seagate at tigerdirect should work. Doesn't mention Mac compatibility.

In one of the user reviews a Mac user said it worked well on their G4 Power Book. Maybe I’ll just ask tigerdirect to make sure.


I have another question:
Should the iMac Core Duo be able to edit HD video? I know you really can’t tell for sure yet, but do you think the iMac could do it?

Thanks

[stevesnj]

Originally Posted by TheMule

Pro, I will start by making 12 shorts(within a year) to learn how then see about making a feature.

I would skip that camera and go for a Canon GL-2 or XL-2. the camera you want to use for pro work wont cut it IMHO. If your doing shorts and need reliability and your starting out I would get the GL-2. I use this and has a great image superior to that Panasonic. You also should use Final Cut Express or Pro. I went from iMovie to FCP and never looked back. The learning curve is much higher but the results and flexibility with final cut pro is amazing. I think that a low end G5 would be better than the iMac. I am using a 1ghz PowerBook 17" and 667mghz PowerMac and they run FCP good but only with lots of RAM and hard drive space. Also, if you get an iMac just buy a Mac compatible hardware enclosure that is firewire. USB 2 uses its maximum bandwidth inrementally. Firewire or even a network Gigabit Harddrive is better. They always work at full bandwith. Also get a hard drive like a Seagate or Hitachi. After years of using Maxtor and Western Digital I and other determined that they SUCK ASS for digital editing. The hard drive should be 7200rpm and 8 or 16mb cache.

Also you will need help with editing so use a few forums I found they work great for any type of help. This one here dvxuser.com is for users of a Panasonic DVX camera but their forums are great from FCP help to home made dollies and sound and special effects. Also try this forum http://www.uemedia.net/CPC/2-pop/ubb...ubbthreads.php is a good forum but sometimes it may take a while for help but the archives are full of good info.

Good luck and have fun!!

[TheMule]

the camera you want to use for pro work wont cut it IMHO.
===============
Well I receive advice about the camera by a Filmmaker and he told me to get a $300 to $400 camcorder to start with. Then get a Panasonic 100A or a HD cam after that.

Its not like shorts are marketable.



I am using a 1ghz PowerBook 17" and 667mghz PowerMac and they run FCP good but only with lots of RAM and hard drive space.
=========
Wouldn’t the new iMac be quite a bit more powerful then those machines, they seem pretty old.

[stevesnj]

Originally Posted by TheMule

Well I receive advice about the camera by a Filmmaker and he told me to get a $300 to $400 camcorder to start with. Then get a Panasonic 100A or a HD cam after that.

Its not like shorts are marketable.

True but thats not a camera for pro work. Thats a camera for little leauge games and birthday parties. To get started on how to learn shooting you can use that camera but you will get 'the eye' for a better image and I think you may end up getting that DVX 100a sooner than you think. So my point is don't waste your money if your serious about showing off your work, marketable or not, learn on the DVX and save yourself $300-$400. If you have $5000 to $9000 to spend on an HD cam then you can afford to get a G5 Quad core PowerMac. The iMac may not be able to handle the HD workflow.

Originally Posted by TheMule

Wouldn’t the new iMac be quite a bit more powerful then those machines, they seem pretty old.

Yeah they are old but FCP works great on it and you really don't need an iMac, to me an iMac is not as expandable as a tower and using external drives are not recommended for editing anyway. Internal drives work better for reliability and workflow and transfer rates and rendering. I used my PowerBook starting out and went to that older tower which works good enough.

[jlincoln]

I'd be really hard pressed to buy anything right now if your goal is to run Final Cut anything. It ain't universal yet. Though, I believe FCP6 is supposed to be out this month. I think right now is an unusually odd time to buy. No intel Apple desktops. And we're right on the cusp of HD cameras at a decent price, though 24p HD is always going to be pricey as it's a niche market. If you have to buy in the next few months, go for the XL2. I promise you, with good lighting, and 24p, you will be amazed. The lens that comes on that thing is a beauty. The only computer out there to run Final Cut Pro in it's native state is about to be dead. Wait on the computer. If you are dead-set on buying now, get a core duo mini with a gig of ram if you can afford it. If nothing else, you can offput rendering to it later. I'm of the opinion that it's a pretty nice deal for under $1000 and with the Intel chip, it has life ahead of it.

[MutePrint]

I was in essentially the same position as you about a year ago, TheMule.

I started with a Panasonic GS400 and was extremely impressed, made a few satisfying shorts, and quickly realized I wanted to get serious about filmmaking. After only a few months, I sold the GS400 (with a couple hundred dollar profit, no less) and bought a DVX100a. I could not be happier.

My advice is this- when you start, you're going to have an absurd vision of what it actually is to make even a small short. You'll romanticize about cranes, dollies, lighting equipment, boom mics and expensive tripods. But the reality is that no matter what your intentions are, your success relies on only two things: you and your camera. Think of it as you might computer equipment- all the scanners, printers, tablets, 30" cinema displays, leds and external HDs you can buy are going to mean nothing attached to a cheap computer. A GS65 is about as low-end as you can get when it comes to a camera for filmmaking.

I suggest starting with no less than a GS400, as it features some of the more professional qualities of an entry-level pro camera, but still hovers around the sub-$1000 price range. If you can, pick up a DVX. The XL-2 is a fine camera as well, but for a film-like look it's not quite on par with the DVX. If you can't afford a $3000 camera right off the bat, try to borrow any DV cam you can and get a feel for things, then decide if it's worth the plunge.

The moral of the story is, you're not going to be able to make legitimate, festival-quality short films - much less features - on a sub-$3000 camera. Trust me, it's an expensive hobby.