Is this the computer I should get?

[Jungell]

sorry to bump, but I thought i'd add that the camera i'm looking at is 299.99....used...but I MIGHT just settle for SD, which would mean i could get a more average computer right? i'm fine with spending money...but i plan on getting a beefed up desktop after i work for awhile so i don't want to put a lot of un needed stuff in this laptop.

Ok, now we're getting somewhere.

But I want to confuse you even more; get a decent DV cam. Just your standard handheld family-vacation thing. As long as you are good at what you do people will enjoy it and they will most likely have quality equipment at film school.

So get a decent computer, a decent DV cam and some good editing software. Right now, it's more important to actually learn how you do things rather than owning the best equipment!

I'm not saying that the following videos are any good because they're not. But this is what I did with a simple DV cam and a dull afternoon a couple of years back:
http://www.youtube.com/user/WhiteShirtN ... VuywolepHY
http://www.youtube.com/user/WhiteShirtN ... e3n1hgZeOc

[CDink]

I added to that other post I made...info on stuff I may have narrowed it down too....That argument video was funny btw.

Anyway on that note what editing software do I go with?

[Jungell]

I added to that other post I made...info on stuff I may have narrowed it down too....That argument video was funny btw.

Anyway on that note what editing software do I go with?

Premiere if you go with a PC.
Final cut if you get a Mac.

[CDink]

Premiere Elements 8?

[Jungell]

Premiere Elements 8?

That will probably will your needs for now!

You will have to get one of the bigger asses on the market later but it could be overwhelming to start on one of those. So work your way up, earn some money and take it in steps!

[Ziggy]

You're a student, you're able to get software at ridiculous prices (most of the time). You should be able to get the full version for a fraction of what Elements costs.

[CDink]

How so Ziggy?


Also me and my father went with a sort of economy package...but i got a camera and a Laptop for like 800(will purchase monday, but it seems like it will be enough) I consider it my stepping stone...

feel free to give me extra tips

[Jrecee]

I do video editing and recently bought a new computer I'm also saving for a new camera. I didn't read through all 7 pages of this so sorry if I repeat anything.

First, assume you will be editing HD footage. You say you want to keep this computer for 4-5 years, HD is becoming the standard, and in 5 years not being able to edit HD will be a huge burden.

On the topic of building a computer, I don't know much about it, if you don't either, I wouldn't go near it. Seems like a great thing to learn but if something goes wrong you need to know what you're doing to fix it. Buying a prebuilt computer will get you a warranty on the whole thing, not just individual parts. I looked into it for the pricing reason, but couldn't beat the deal I got. . . which was:

Dell XPS 9000:
i7 920 processor
750gb HDD
8 GB Ram (expandable up to 24)
23" Monitor
Mouse/keyboard
2 year warranty

Cost with tax and shipping from Dell's site: $1150

As far as the camera goes, you say you've got $2000 to spend: Panasonic HMC40. Shoots 720 and 1080, shoots 60,30, and 24fps. Runs on SDHC cards which are dirt cheap (compared to tapes anyway) meaning no long capture times, just stick the card in your computer and drag it into a folder. I use sony vegas and it edits these files with no problem, just drag em into the timeline. I'm assuming adobe products do alright with it as well. You have to convert them if you're using a mac.

[Jrecee]

Well I decided to actually read everything after I posted. . . so disregard I guess. A laptop that is good for editing video is always going to be more expensive than a desktop for editing, so just be prepared for some long rendering times in a budget pricerange.

But if this is you're first investment into this kind of stuff, you don't need to blow it all on the best. You're going to want to upgrade no matter what equipment you start out with, so starting with cheap stuff means you'll save a lot of money in the long run. If you're school gives you access to a lot of different equipment and software you'll be able to decide what you like the best. I didn't really have that opportunity, so I just read a lot of reviews, made a final decision, and had to like what I ended up with (which I do). I LOVE Sony Vegas for editing, I have a mac and final cut and don't like either. I don't think there's many schools out there teaching Vegas though, they all do either Premiere or Final Cut (sometimes avid). But I stand by Vegas as being an absolutely awesome underappreciated program that people only knock because they got started on something else and therefore never bothered trying it, and since it's less popular, treat it as some sort of inferior product. I don't think I can think of a single thing in Final Cut that's as intuitive or logical as in Vegas. But hey, whatever works for you.

[Ziggy]

This was just on NewEgg's home page as a featured item...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... _-05232010

Core i3 330M
4GB DDR3 (supports up to 8GB)
320GB 7200RPM HDD
Win 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
All the usual bells and whistles