A while back, I tested Amazon's cheapest non-kid camera, a $20 piece of junk that was sold under various scammy names on the online retailer's site. Lowering the bar in ways I didn't think was possible, one filmmaker has decided to challenge himself by using the cheapest camera on the site to make a short film, and this time, it is actually a kids' camera.
Filmmaker Isaac Carlton isn't a stranger to high-end productions, as he worked on a few earlier in his career, but as he talks about in his behind-the-scenes video from his latest film, he's transitioned to making films that he can make easier, cheaper, and more frequently.
Enter the Loyang Kids Camera, a $9 video camera aimed at kids. Carlton bought the camera with the intention of making an entire film on it, and with a little creativity, he did just that.
Watching the process, though, I can't help but think, what the hell is going on over at Amazon that cameras like the ones Carlton and I purchased are even allowed to be sold on the site? The reviews all seem completely fabricated on all of these cameras. Nothing that I received matched the promised specifications, and it seems like the same is true for Carlton. The most important spec, which was video resolution, wasn't even close. The camera he purchased claimed to be 1080p HD but in reality was a paltry 640x480.
Undeterred, Carlton used that "quirk" of the camera as a storytelling device, weaving a tale that is shot entirely from the point of view of a home security camera, lending an air of believability to what would otherwise be unbelievably bad quality footage.
Along the way, Carlton encountered further issues with importing, random footage glitches, and date stamps that just wouldn't go away.
Despite all that, he managed to make an interesting film out of it. You can check out the finished product here.
When you intentionally buy a lemon, make lemonade, I guess?
Perhaps the same folks buying old Powershots from the mid-2000s for the aesthetic will find the appeal in the Loyang Kids camera. Me? I'll stick to my R6 Mark II.
On the face of it it looks like a pretty silly article, till you stop and actually think about it. Making a film does not have to be about having a super duper 8K camera with lens to match to shoot it on. It’s more about shooting it in a way that best reflects the story. The film and its impact may well benefit from having it shot on something very low tech and grungy. While the author has got the whole thing arse about tit, as it’s the concept that should drive the film rather than having a $9 camera in the chair, but none the less it’s still an interesting experiment. For some concepts both photographic and filmic it’s artistic vision that’s the most important thing rather than the hardware used to realise it. The moral is, if there is one, is to use what will get the job done rather than always going for new shiny tech overkill. Just watch the price of those $9 cameras go through the roof as it’s picked up by those who influence things!
Right? My thoughts as well. The tech was limited, and so the story was adjusted to fit that.
Looks like an early digital camera. I'm not sure I get the point of this.