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[It doesn't matter if a director wears one hat, or six, a feature film is NEVER, EVER a "one person show."]

I never said we were shooting 180 days in a row. Don't make ridiculous assumptions.

Great...then you can rent and don't have to buy.  Unless you are just looking for an excuse to buy.

You accuse me of being incompetent as a producer, but you "don't really care what the answer is" to your questions? Wow. Nice... that's really a great way to deal with people: judge them first, and walk away before the truth has a chance to correct your prejudices! That way, you can never be wrong! 

Nope...never said you were incompetent.  You read into it what you chose to.  Probably on the defensive from previous posts on this thread that also pointed out some things you seemingly don't want to hear.

Actually it's fine that you "don't care" what the answer is, because frankly I don't feel the need to explain myself to a stranger on the internet who knows absolutely NOTHING about the circumstances of this production, but feels entitled to criticize anyway. The proof is in the pudding, and I'll let the film speak for itself when it's completed.

If I had a dime for ever time I have heard that one...seriously.  I am just going to attribute this whole response to the hubris of the young. 

First of all, I didn't come to the ML forums asking technical and specific questions so that someone who's opinion has not been vetted by an impressive list of IMDB credits, could talk down to me about the "beauty of filmmaking" as a collaborative art form.

Fair enough.  But your reactions to previous folks when coming on a forum...asking for opinions on your "feature" and then dismissing all of the opinions given to you about the problems at hand only serves to show your lack of experience.  You have shown that you don't really want to know what people think but just want some stranger "permission" to go buy some cameras you have already decided to buy.

Second, perhaps you have heard the word "auteur." Arguably the greatest directors of all time wore multiple hats across departments, as DP/director, Producer/director, writer/director, director/editor, director/composer, director/lead actor, etc. Orson Welles and Charlie Chaplin among many others.

Trust me...your responses show you are no Orson Welles or Charlie Chaplin.  But maybe your ability to make a silent film with your $10 grand will be somewhat of a comparison.  It is the movie BUSINESS...not movie art. 

ok...THAT was a snarky response.  But the best way to avoid snarky from those you have asked opinions of is to show some humility. 

Third, your presumption that if a film maker directs and produces, or directs and is behind the camera, they have somehow failed to leverage the "team" aspect of film making, is a gross injustice to the dozens of actors, crew, assistants, set designers, costumers, special effects people, technicians, and community supporters involved in any feature film. It doesn't matter if a director wears one hat, or six, a feature film is NEVER, EVER a "one person show."

It does matter...if you want to climb the ladder in Hollywood at all.  No bond company would approve a single person being the head of every major dept.  Doesn't work that way. 

No kidding. Everything you've said has been away from the point of this forum's focus.

Not really...your feature film's budget (especially with all of the folks you listed saying my comments were doing an injustice to) is woefully inadequate.  That says a lot.  Here is a tip.  Find a way to pay your people and get the stuff for free.  Not the other way around.

And again, I am really not interested in being dressed down by a stranger because "so many film makers" fail to properly budget for post-production or don't understand the importance of sound. Please don't assume things about me, or this production without actually having ANY facts. Good manners would be first asking a question ("how are you doing your sound?" or "how are you doing your post production?") not presuming I am an idiot because you've run into some idiots.

ok...I did make some assumptions.  Enlighten me.  How much of your $10 grand is locked away for Post-Production? 

I'm not going to waste what little free time I have answering your implied questions/points, because I am not on trial here for how I'm co-producing this film. Frankly, if you were in my shoes, I doubt you could shoot a 30 second commercial for $10,000, much less an indie feature.

Is it week 1 of American Idol here or what.

I've personally had friends who shot no-budget features for a mere $3,000 over the course of 2+ years, and another year in post, and won festival awards. I can't IMAGINE what you might have told them had you run into them before they got started. The world would have never enjoyed the beauty of their work. #indiepride

No one gives a crap about festival awards.  Seriously.  They give a crap about your ability to handle a team...not squander someone else's millions of dollars, and make money.  Filmmaking is a highly mechanical, industrialized process. 

People have given you some great ideas about why you should not use the 7D with ML....or shoot raw...or that your feature budget appears inadequate.  At least taking some of those responses into some self-reflection might do some good. 

Have fun with your $10k.

Aria,

I applaud you for asking questions.  That is a good start.  But in your responses to suggestions offered, it seems clear to me that you might want to re-think exactly how this no-budget, under $10k feature is going to work from a producing perspective.  In my opinion...with the budget you have, you are setting yourself up to fail.  And as a producer...you always should be setting yourself (and your team) up to succeed. 

Some have suggested to you ways to acquire more expensive cameras for shorter periods of time that would give you better results.  1 was to rent.  Which you suggested was not possible due to a 6 month shoot time.  As a producer, when I hear 6 month shoot time my eyebrow gets raised.  Some hundred million dollar tent-poles don't have a 6 month shoot time.  Why is that necessary?  Is this a documentary where you are following someone down the amazon river for half a year or something?  Or is this a scripted feature? 

I don't really care what the answer is...I am just posting things to think about.

I also think that in general...the best person to answer your questions are your DP.  Or are you shooting, directing, producing, editing this whole thing yourself?  If you are doing the one-person show here I would strongly encourage you to reconsider that as the beauty of filmmaking is that it is a team effort and the sum of the many creative parts will always make something better than any one part can do on their own.  To know which camera is best to use...one really should read your script...have meetings to discuss shots and then decide which equipment can best capture what is needed.  If your script is all shot in the bright sun in a desert setting...one camera might to.  If it is all inside...perhaps a different one.  If it is all on a green stage...then something else.  Just looking at specs and dollar amounts alone will not get you the result you are hoping for which will lead to much frustration in Post. 

Which leads me to Post-production. 

So many filmmakers today fail to properly budget for post-production.  They think once the film is shot and they get through production...that is all the money they need.  Then they spend months in post-production hell learning that post production is usually MORE expensive than production.  Especially with regards to sound.  It is a fact that sound is more important to the audience perception of a film than picture.  Our brains will forgive not-so perfect images (almost rationalizing them as creative choices)...but WILL NOT forgive poor sound.  You could shoot on an iPhone and if the dialogue is clear and the sound design is massive and enveloping...people will be wowed, entertained and moved.  But then again...sound is getting away from the point of this forum's focus. 

My point is...you may need to re-think from a producer perspective how you are going to solve the problems in shooting your script.  That may lead you understand that a $10k is not adequate and was not put together with proper research.  Perhaps other fundraising efforts might need to be approached.  (Do they even teach how to raise money to young filmmakers any more??)  It may also lead you to decide that more people need to be involved in the process...like a DP you are close to and not an internet forum of folks you don't know.  And it may also lead you to re-thiking how to shoot this feature on a timeline that would allow you to rent equipment and not have to buy it.  Which means re-thinking a 180 day shoot.

I wish you the best on this project.  Know that I share these thoughts not to discourage you...but to stir thoughts about possibly looking at things a bit differently.  As a director, one is all about the creative process and guiding the ship.  As a producer, one should be about solving problems, understanding limitations and figuring out what you have to give up on one side of a budget to get what you need on the other.  But don't get yourself into a corner where the "budget" is all spent in production and nothing is left for post...promotion (a website, festival submissions...screeners, etc...).