Ambitious newbie

[Culprit]

Howzit All

I’m obviously very new to this forum but from past experience I have learned that these sort of places is normally a great source of valuable information and years worth of experience.

I am very involved in Pro Bass Fishing in South Africa and lately I have gotten this urge to start working on a fishing DVD. (not very exciting for the purists probably but I am trying to stick to my core)

The thing with a fishing dvd is you need a LOT of footage to get 45-60 min of dvd out of it. That throws out the idea of getting a professional cameraman involved (costs are ridiculous!!) and besides I am planning to do this on a beggars budget.

Ok, the basic questions I would like to beg your expert’s opinion on are the following:

1) Technology on smaller cameras have improved significantly but is the standard good enough that footage of that nature can be used in a basic dvd? Part of the same question would then be what would the cheapest quality camera be that I should be looking for.
2) I am thinking a digital video camera would be best as the editing abilities should be greatly improved? Would I be sacrificing quality again and is this truly the case.
3) As far as video editing is concenred is there any reasonable quality affordable editing software that can be recommended.
4) And my last question……am I biting of more than I can chew??

I would really appreciate your inputs and harassment on my ambitious plan.
Thanks to all in advance.

[Skyman]

Welcome to the forums!

If your budget allows for it i would be pointing you to one of the semi proffessional digital video cameras. Given that you would be outputting to dvd you really don't need to look at the high definition models. Have a read of the mini dv vs dvd thread as it explains a lot of the differences technology wise between the different camera formats available. One thing you will need to realise is that a steady shot with good audio is vital to producing a decent video. Fishing is going to test the audio component to the limits with windy conditions etc. and you will probably want to record atmos sounds (sounds from around you) as well as the vocals from anyone who might be narrating / talking to the camera. a good boom mic or better yet some lapel mics and a good boom will be a must have (so your camera is going to need to support xlr microphone inputs unless you want to record your audio separately and synch it up later. your other big issue is going to be getting steady footage in a rocking boat. some sort of steady cam rig might be an option, I really don't know. unfortunately a tripod won't work on a rocking boat, although you might want to look at one anyway for your land based shots, and you might find that it is easier to get some of your footage from shore as you will get a steadier shot. let us know how you go and post some sample videos on our video sharing site if you want some feedback.