Love your camera

For the period of its working life, the camera will be the filmmaker’s most crucial connection between the idea – the intention – and the result. That’s the connection you’re interested in. It’s really important that you treat an inexpensive camera with exactly the same respect as you would an Arriflex 35mm camera. If it breaks and you need to throw it away, fine. But while it’s functioning it has to be treated with love and respect.

If that seriousness doesn’t exist, if there’s a disdainful or disrespectful attitude to the camera, then the result will not be as good. I would extend that philosophy all the way through the digital filmmaking process and for all the tools you use – the camera, the tape, the computer. These things are yours for the period of this creation, and they have to all be imbued with the correct significance and seriousness, as befits the filmmaking process. If they’re not, then it will show.

From Digital Filmmaking by Mike Figgis.

I am guilty of not having the proper love and respect for my equipment lately. Toward the beginning of the year I lost an entire (and important) hard drive. I was able to get most of the data restored, but it was the beginning of a long chain of tech problems.

Last night, I was laying in bed reading Digital Filmmaking and it was inspirational enough that I got out of bed and checked and cleaned my camera after a days worth of shooting. As I cleaned it, I remembered how hard it was to scrape together the cash to buy it a few years ago – and also the countless hours of shooting Sex Machine it endured. It’s a first model Panasonic DVX100. Not HD. It’s had a lot of mileage. But it still makes a damn good image. And I can operate it like an extension of my hand.

Tonight, the editing machine gets similar treatment.