Video Camera/Film Editing Software Recommendations

[clairedelune]

Hi all,
So I want to experiment with film making a bit but I don't have any of the equipment, and if any of you are knowledgeable on this matter I'd love your input. I'd like to spend between $150-$300 on the digital video camera itself. Portability and such is not really important to me, I just want something that has a fair amount of capacity and produces decent quality film (DVD format).
I have a mac, and was thinking about investing in final cut express but that's a bit expensive for me. I would really like some guidance in what to look for, but don't worry about suggesting software that requires a lot of time to get to know. A lot of the point of this experience is to learn how to use film editing software, and I will have a lot of time on my hands.
Thanks

 

[Jon Etheridge]

Try a HD flip camera for the camera. Small, but has a great resolution. For the editing, I really can't suggest anything but Final Cut, preferably Pro. Best get saving!

Gotta agree with Furburt on final cut pro. But if your looking for something a bit more light try and get i-Movie. It comes with the i-life package and a lot of macs already have this built in. Look for it, you might get lucky.

http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/

I've been to film festivals and seen shorts edited in i-movie that have been really good. You won't have as many options and tools as you would in Final Cut Pro but if you're starting out and trying to learn non-liniar editing then it's not a bad choice.

I cant really help you on the camera cause I'm not familiar with the lower end models but I would really stress that you invest in good audio equiptment. Nothing can ruin a film like bad audio.