With any medium you choose, you're still going to have to learn how to light and record sound. Badly lit video will still look as bad as badly lit film. The mic's on video cameras? They're all horrible, you'll end up using a boom mic or another recording system. What matters though when you're first starting out is how often you practice filmmaking.
JoshuaRyan wrote:The one consistant thing that filmmakers tell us newbies for advice is Make movies and lots of em. Mini-DV just does that alot easier. But dont forgot to Super 8 a little along the way.
I agree with JoshuaRyan on this... I'm not sure of your filmmaking background, but if you're just starting, focus on getting the basics of storytelling, shot composition, editing, etc. down first. With film, you can be hindered with all the technicalities that get in the way of finishing a project. Granted, all the technicalities are part of the process of learning/filmmaking, it'll make things easier to finish your projects with the least amount of stress... I find that getting a project actually finished and then learning from the overall experience very important (and helps as an ego boost for whatever's next).
With video, you get the most bang for your educational buck. Like others have said, it's the most forgiving of the mediums you mentioned. For what you're focusing on, dialogue and story, video lends itself for multiple takes of a scene. Especially when you're starting out, and just working with actors, this helps out a lot. With film, you worry about how much stock you have left, and while people may argue that this may lead to a bad habbit, video gives you the chance to keep on shooting <i>if you have to. </i>
This of course works the other way around too. With film, you <i>have to </i>be better prepared before you shoot. This doesn't mean that you're allowed to be lazy when you're shooting video, but with film, storyboards & outlines become more important, as the time to setup and rehearse scenes eat up more time. You're constantly aware of the fact that you have "two or three takes for this scene." However, with this sort of background, you'll come out with a better discipline that can carry on to both in video and film.
Some quick things to consider before buying a camera in either medium.
--Technology for video is constantly improving. At the current rate things are going, camcorders get replaced with a better model in 2-3 years. The biggest thing for miniDV was 24p for a while, but now it's HD. Who knows, maybe in another 2-3, there will be native anamorphic cameras at consumer prices... With a film camera, there are less things that change. The most you worry about is whether or not Kodak will continue producing your favorite film stock.
--On the resale level, video cameras drop in price after better models are released, so I would recommend picking up an older camcorder that's in good condition instead of buying a new one. The resale on film cameras from what I've seen, stays the same. The amount you spend to buy a film camera, is usually what you can sell it for later.
--If you choose to continue making movies/films/etc. Eventually you'll want a different camera more intune with the features you want. Try to choose something that'll help you feel things out and not splurge on getting "the best."
Eww. This post became super long. I hope this helps in some way.
