So, a while ago I made a video
explaining my controversial decision
to keep using this camera,
the Canon T3i,
despite the fact that it is an entry-level camera
that was released, now, 6 years ago.
And, since then, I've used this camera on quite a few projects.
For example:
And the weird thing is,
I really can't see myself getting a better camera
in the next few years.
Let me try and explain why.
So, lets start with expensive cameras.
Now, in 2014, David Fincher used the Red Epic Dragon
to shoot his film, Gone Girl.
And, a Red Epic Dragon at that time, I think cost about $50,000 each,
and they had four of them.
So, by the time you've added all the little gadgets and accessories they need,
let's just say that they spent around $400,000 on cameras for that film.
Now, that is a lot of money.
But, the thing is, that film cost $61m to make.
So, their camera budget was only roughly 0.6% of the total budget.
So what if low budget indie filmmakers are actually spending a much higher proportion
of their budget on cameras?
Well, for example:
if you have a Sony a7S, a camera that costs, right now, around $3000,
then, in order to have the same proportion of your budget as Gone Girl,
you would need to be working on a $500,000 project.
So that means that the vast majority of filmmakers who spend $3000 on a camera
are actually using a much higher percentage of their budget on cameras.
Much higher than 0.6%.
Now, of course, we can't really compare a $60m film to the kind of projects that I'm working on,
so let's strip it back a bit.
I think it all comes down to what kind of equipment do you need
versus what kind of equipment do you want?
But I've spent a lot of time over the years reading articles
about which is the best camera to buy, and kind of just getting sucked into all of the hype around new cameras.
And I think that is what causes me to want to spend an irrational amount of money on cameras.
Because, like, I never get that excited about audio equipment,
even though that will improve the kind of general quality of the film
just as much, if not more, than a new camera.
And I also don't get that excited about renting a camera.
the few times I've rented or borrowed cameras, it doesn't have the excitement of a shiny new toy.
It's like, "no, I don't want to rent it, I want to own this thing. I want it to be mine.
I wanna be able to have it on a shelf" and, I don't know, it's this consumerist kind of attitude
And so it's really easy to hide that excitement about getting a new gadget
under this lie that "I need it for work."
And so I start thinking that it's worth investing money in equipment
because it will help my career and help my work.
And then if I'm gonna invest money, I need to make sure I invest it smartly, buying the right equipment,
so I need to invest my time as well to make sure I'm making the right purchases.
And then you can go really deeply into research, and there are so many articles to read,
so many videos to watch comparing all the pros and cons of these different cameras
and what you're going to use them for.
And what I genuinely noticed, is that I started caring so much about tiny, little, insignificant things.
And that's the kind of attitude you get, where you become a connoisseur of all tech related things,
where you know way more than your average audience member will know about the specifics of which camera is the best.
And there's nothing wrong with knowing more than the audience;
I do think you should know more than the audience,
but, what if you could apply that same level of care, that same level of research,
that same level of being a kind of a snob who really know's what they're talking about.
Rather than applying it to cameras, why not apply that to the story,
why not apply that to any of the other creative aspects?
Where, instead of your knowledge about cameras being, you know, in the top 1%,
what if your knowledge about stories could be in the top 1%?
Now, I'm not trying to pretend that this is the best camera in the world.
I'm very aware of all its shortcomings, and all of the many improvements that would come to my films
if I did spend more on my camera.
But, I think there are much more efficient ways to improve my films
Now, you've probably heard of the Law of Diminishing Returns
where, if we have price along the bottom of the graph, and quality along the top
then, to begin with, as you increase the price, the camera gets much better.
But, there comes a point where you have to spend a lot more money in order to get a minor difference.
This is just simple economics.
So, in that case, I already have a decent camera,
so before I start sinking more and more money into this inefficient kind of system,
I should look for other places where I haven't put money into yet.
Now, every year, I have the chance to decide how much money I spend on actors,
and how much money I spend on equipment.
And a lot of people, I think, will spend most of their money buying new cameras, new lenses, that kind of thing,
and then they'll end up working with actors who don't charge anything.
Often, people's friends end up being actors.
And, let's be honest, the quality of free actors/your friends is not going to be that great.
Where as, if we took that money from equipment, and put it into the actors,
because it's at the bottom of that graph,
that little bit of money goes a lot further than the same money would in making your equipment slightly better.
Now, of course, it doesn't have to be actors, although that is a really solid investment to make,
but, the point is, you can find any aspect of your filmmaking
that, A, you haven't invested much money into yet, so it'll make a big difference,
or B, it's just the thing that makes the most impact.
Like: music, or sound, or acting.
All of those things are absolutely crucial, and if you haven't spent much yet,
then you can really make the most of the Law of Diminishing Returns.
So, as much as I would enjoy the experience of buying a new camera,
and opening it up and testing it out,
I know that that experience would only last about two weeks.
And then, after that, it just becomes a tool, like anything else.
People keep telling me that I need to buy a new camera, I need to be able to shoot in 4K.
But, I think I'm just gonna stick with this camera,
and, basically, when I do invest money, I want to put it into things that make more of a difference.
Things like: the content. And I've made a t-shirt to summarize this.
It says: "High quality content has nothing to do with pixel resolution."
If you'd like a t-shirt, there's a link in the description.
Maybe that's the real reason why I've made this video.
Who knows?
See you next week.