(Part 2) Best products from r/WeAreTheFilmMakers

You know, I was about to type a long reply but I've decided to be lazy and copy/paste the contents of an email I sent to a buddy who just bought a T3i. I use a 60D, and use all these things, but most all this stuff should work for you with a 5D.

Crane and eyecup:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SAHSVI

Cards:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WE4HE2
I buy 8 or 16 gigs, with the idea being that that's NOT a lot of room. If I had a 32 or 64 gig card and that card failed I'd much rather lose 16 gigs of footage than 64 gigs which could be an ENTIRE production.

Batteries:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZSHKIO
Work justs as good as the Canon name brand ones.

My 'Kit' lens:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EXR0SI

Cheapo plastic shoulder mount we used for the music video:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036NMQ7S

Gini camera rigs:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/gini-2011/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686
I did a minimum purchase right as the auction ended, and snagged their "dslr rig pro 10" for 235 + shipping. If you look at their past auction history, it seems like EVERYONE does this.

Audio Recorder:
http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-Handy-Portable-Digital-Recorder/dp/B001QWBM62/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315766729&sr=8-1
They just got me this bad boy at work to plug my XLR mics into, so I record audio to it, and video to my dslr and then sync in FCP. Works awesome, however you probably could do the same thing with your HDV camera, they'd be about the same size.

As always: cheesycam.com has the best reviews and whatnot on all this stuff.

Here's KEH.com's listing for the kit lens you are looking at. They have a rating system with UG at the bottom, then BGN, and up. I'd go for BGN though, they tend to be extremely conservative with their appraisals. http://www.keh.com/camera/Canon-Digital-Zoom-Lenses/1/sku-DC079990648100?r=FE

Remember, it's the glass that matters. so buy the (or borrow my) cheapest lens you can and start saving for the nice lens.

Own a LCDVF, love it and it's a great value for < 1/2 the price. I think I paid $120 shipped from Amazon.

This one looks even nicer

Pretty much all of the books in this series are great. I had to use the InDesign version for one of my classes, and it was helpful so I decided to get others for helping me with film editing. I bought one for Premiere CS5 (which is wonderful) and After Effects CS5 (which I haven't started yet.)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321704495/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0321385497&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1Y7GRWR98NVA7GAGAYFD

Much revered film editor Walter Murch's In The Blink Of An Eye is mainly about editing, but provides many insights that are helpful in other aspects of movie making. Don't know if it's the best book on film making but definitely worth a read.

I'm actually in the middle of reading this (http://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Wide-Open-Stanley-Kubrick/dp/0345437764) right now, and while it's not a biography and probably not exactly what you're looking for, it's pretty interesting.

It was written by Frederic Raphael, the screenwriter of Eyes Wide Shut. It's as much about the adaptation process on Raphael's side as it is Kubrick himself, but you get an interesting look into his creative process and how he viewed film.

Just wondering what is everyone's opinion on my situation. I own a Nikon D3100. Should I spend $300 on a Nikon 50mm f/1.4d and run a rode shotgun mic on top with a stand-alone recorder? Or should I just save my money and upgrade to a T3i or a 60D and lens? And I know the D lense won't focus on a D3100, I just want it for the aperature control ring. Just a stupid question, but any help on here is appreciated.

Not sure what your budget is exactly, but as a recent grad I would advise against anything too cheap, you'll need to replace it or upgrade soon enough. I would recommend you take a look at the Manfrotto 561B Video Monopod It seems to work great for on-the-go, single cam work (It'll be my next purchase).

Hot hands gloves. They are by far the best gloves I have ever worked with when dealing with hot lights. Very durable and comfortable, with little to no heat transfer to your hands. Expensive but worth it.

a couple of cheap 5 way bounces Great to tape in to the corners of small rooms so you can bounce lights off them. also I live off these on no budget or fast moving exteriors

If you are shooting with a dslr this is the best book I've ever purchased. It covers all the mundane aspects of filmmaking at the beginning that I am sure you already know all about but once you get into it gives some fantastic advice!

http://www.amazon.com/The-DSLR-Filmmakers-Handbook-Real-World/dp/0470876603/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1332334359&sr=8-2

A little pricey, but definitely worth it... It includes Quicktime video lectures and the materials to follow along. I used this to learn After Effects and it's MUCH better than sitting in a class. They have it for CS4 too. check here

I've read pretty much all of the books referenced here and I would say The Visual Story:
http://www.amazon.com/Visual-Story-Second-Creating-Structure/dp/0240807790

Nothing else provided as much useful information about how to make a good movie as this for me.

My favorite has always been Grammar of The Film Langauge. But you might also want The Filmmakers Handbook and Understanding Movies. All 3 are great books.

Sure, they make good stuff, too. Don't take my suggestions as the final word in what gear to get, use it as a guide for what you can get in a reasonable price range.

This one gets gets good reviews and is only $210, but you'll have to buy the power unit for an extra $250. That's why the AT might be a better buy for you.

If you want to see what it is to truly break down action into its smallest and most concise bits, you need to read this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Directing-Film-David-Mamet/dp/0140127224

You need to decide what the impact of the action is. WHY does he need to shown deciding to head for bed? Once you have that answer, you'll have the action which best correlates to displaying that decision.

If you haven't done it yet, I'd highly recommend Blake Snyder's Save the Cat!. It's the best book on screenplay structure that I've ever read.

Do you still have a copypaste of how to modify commercial glass suction cups? That would be an interesting read!

I'm aiming to film around sunset and a few scenes into the night. While driving, the vehicle will be driving away from the sun. The vehicle I'm using has a sunroof, which might be helpful. I know that lighting is going to be a pain to get right.

I'll head over to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to find a few battery lights and think of something. I was thinking about buying a few of these to help with lighting. Do you think renting one of these or these would help out?

I bought this

and it isn't going to work.