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Film directors are often gear heads. They love gadgets in general and the newest cameras in particular. If they aren't gear heads then they're probably film purists that insist on 35mm for anything they shoot. The newest camcorders are superior in quality to the ones you can get cheap, yes. 35mm film is the best thing you can shoot on for your film, yes. Unfortunately you won't be able to get the money for either one.

If you want to make movies rather than wait around, you need to find the silver lining in using less-than-optimal camcorders for your film.

Multi-Camera Setups

If all you can afford is a cheap camera, you might be able to get a few of them instead of just one. The difference between $300 and $900 is much less than $300 and $17,000. So you can get three cheap cameras for only $600 more rather than the $16,700 more you'd need for a Red One. With multiple cameras you can change the way you shoot. You can do fewer takes and get just as much footage. You can do guerrilla filming where you have cameras in many places so not matter if one is messed with you still get something shot.

Backups When One Breaks

Camcorders like to break. Film cameras are industrial strength while consumer-grade camcorders are built cheap to sell cheap. Under the conditions of even a safe film production things can happen to break your camera. Tripods falls over, people sit in the wrong place, and dust can get where it shouldn't. Save yourself the hassle of having to shut down the production for the day by having more than one camera on-hand.

One Less Obstacle To Doing It

There are so many things that can get in the way of shooting a film. You don't want the camera to be one of them. It's hard enough getting the script right, pulling the crew together, finding decent actors, and just plain coordinating the whole thing. You don't want the lack of camera to be another problem. Once you decide to go with a cheaper camera you will be that much closer.

Will Become A Style

Cheaper camcorders, without care, will just make your movie look like a home video. The truth is that decent lighting and video processing can do a lot to make the footage you get to look much better than it should. It won't look like a film, but it can still look unique. Work within the boundaries of your camcorder's limitations in a creative way and you'll have a good chance of it helping the style of the film.

• Remake It Later

If you want a better camera, you will have to wait. You may think that this is your one shot and it has to be perfect, but it is not so. If this movie does turn out to garner some interest, you can just shoot it again with a better camera. I realize most remakes are done years later by a different director, but that need not preclude you from using the idea. You can even use the cheap version of the film as a way to get interest in helping you make a better version or to sell the screenplay.

• You Will Have More Ideas

Don't be too precious with the current film ideas you have. They are brilliant, yes, but you will have more ideas that are just as good or better in the future. Don't worry that you'll be wasting your best stuff on a cheap camcorder, there will be lots of stuff you can shoot with better equipment in the future.

Instead of putting more hurdles in your path, find interesting ways to maneuver around them. There is no right way to make a movie. The more energy and time you put into doing it, the better you can make it. Don't let the quality of your camera affect the movie any more than it has to. Don't make excuses, just do the best you can with what you got.