Making a Film

Digital video cameras and home editing software

The digital video camera is small, light, portable, affordable (ranging from £150 - £400) and their quality of filming is of a high standard. The digital video camera is becoming increasingly more popular and widely available, which is beneficial for ammateur film makers and for home use, where digital video cameras are replacing the old fashioned camcorders, which were much larger and combined the camera with a VCR tape.

Examples:

Panasonic NVGS27B Digital Camcorder:

30x optical zoom

Small - fits comfortably in one hand

Joystick control - easily operate all basic functions with one hand

Icons representing different features are displayed on the LCD monitor

JVC GRD728EK Digital Camcorder:

28x Optical Zoom (800x digital zoom)
2.7" LCD Screen
Auto light
Widescreen recording
Image stabiliser
DV output
Long Play
Camcorder Weight: 410gms

The digital video cameras (DV), capture and store video in digital formats known as DAT (digital audio tape) When footage is made using the digital video camera, it can be edited on the computer or embedded into multimedia documents, such as Youtube, by connecting the camera to a computer using a USB lead.

By being able to connect the camera to a computer, consumers can upload the footage and then create short films or video clips using

editing software like Ulead VideoStudio or Adobe Premiere. This is a great and convenient way for Amateure film makers to produce short films, as the software and digital video cameras are affordable and easy to use. They can then upload their films onto independant film websites like http://www.ifilm.com/ or www.fxhome.com. The other benefits of being able to upload videos onto the computer are for audiences to post their videos on popular video site YouTube, where they can share and consume the media, but also once the footage is uploaded onto the computer, it can be burnt onto a dvd and consumed via the tv using an audio-video cable.

The digital video cameras target a wide audience, as it can be used for hobbies, such as producing films or for leisure, such as filming holidays and families. The portability makes it convenient for carrying the camera around and they are also very light. Most of the modern cameras are of extreme quality in sound and picture and contain additional features such as special effects therefore the consumer feels as though they are getting more for their money.

CONCEPTS of THEORY

Portability, Miniaturisation, Personalisation, Quality, Diversification

Vertical Intergration - by purchasing a camera from compnaies such as Sony or Panasonic, customers are more likely to maintain customer loyalty and purchase other products from the same company.