Imagine if you didn’t have an iPhone (or other similar smartphone) camera in your pocket at all times. Imagine no Vimeo. No YouTube (tragedy!). Imagine a time with no internet (the horror!).
According to a 1989 NY Times article, “The average cost of a camcorder is now $940; and some weigh less than two pounds and fit in the palm of the hand”. Well, phones fit in the palm of your hand, but I’d be worried if someone’s phone weighed two pounds. It continues, “The camcorder, in effect, turns the consumer into a television cameraman, enabling him to make a videotape that he can then play on a VCR.” Can you imagine only being able to watch your videos on a VCR? Well, some of us don’t have to imagine.
“Portable home video cameras were actually introduced in the early 1980’s, but they made little market headway because of their large size and high price. Success came only when camcorders, with their miniaturized technology and lower price, were introduced.” Look at it now! Cameras of much (much much) higher quality than that are available for half the price. And the places you can put your video are easily accessible and viewable by just about anyone. On top of that, basically every computer you buy comes with a pre-downloaded video editor.
Now is a pretty awesome time to have film as a hobby.
Think about it. Drones range from $500-1000. You can get pretty amazing helicopter style shots with those things. A GoPro is in the $100 range. You can shoot underwater or on rough hiking trails or even just strap a camera to your head. To get a nice quality camera to take pictures and film with, like a Canon EOS Rebel T5i, is about $500. The costs add up, but it’s a lot cheaper than 1989’s $940 price tag on a camcorder.
Hey, you can even film with your smart phone. The camera quality of the device that we just keep in our pocket is honestly crazy. You can shoot and upload to YouTube, Vimeo, anywhere! And with websites like Twitter and Instagram you can spread the word about your videos and meet other creators who do the same thing you do. There’s also countless videos online about how to film, edit, record audio, anything.
So…why don’t more of us film? I’m not saying everyone should be filming, but those who have a passion for it. Why don’t we put more videos out there? All the accessibility can cause laziness, I think. You can get sucked into consuming and only consuming, and get stuck in a spiral of “I’ll do it later” or “when I have better equipment” or even “I can’t do it”.
I can’t do it? Look at all the things at your fingertips! Equipment isn’t the biggest part of the equation. Story matters most. So go out and do it. You have no good reason to not shoot something. Now is one of the best times to ever to have film as a hobby. But then again, why let equipment stop you? Tell a good story. Overpower those excuses. Push through the doubts. Hit that record button. You can do it!
If you want to contact me, I can be reached via Twitter @ejLadd or by my email, [email protected].
To see more from Frame Rate, check out Frame Rate: YouTube’s Growing, and so is a Problem.
