[SPiNdustrious]

Hello,
My girlfriend wants to start producing short movies for web distribution.

I looked at a ClubMac catalogue and figured that she would need about $5000 worth of equipment:
-$2999 on a Dual G4 with 512mb RAM
-$999 on a 17" Apple LCD (a bit of a splurge...)
-$1000 on a DV camera (average price of their DV cameras...)

Since she's a student, this system's price is steep.

What can she reasonably get away with in terms of hardware (processor speed, RAM, hd size...)? She would probably be working with iMovie in OS X...

Are there DV cameras out there that are a good value? Is there no point in shooting in Hi-8 or some other format and digitizing it?

Any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Peter

[scottiB]

Is this your and your girlfriend's first foray into video (DV) editing? The only reason I'm asking is the "using iMovie" part of your post. To be frank, a dual-gig G4 for using iMovie is a bit excessive or overkill. Most of my iMovie stuff is done on a G3/400 iMac or iBook/700.

Depending on your budget, an eMac would be fine or, if you wanted to burn DVDs, a flat panel iMac--the 17" is especially nice. Load as much RAM as you can afford, and an external FireWire drive for extra storage is a nice perk, but not a requirement.

For a camera, make sure it has optical image stabilization, not digital. Sonys or Canons are good choices, and be prepared to spend around $1000 for it. To me, investing in a good camera should carry the most weight in your budget.