Here are my main big questions.
I have blocked off my schedule to dive deep into this world - I know it is going to be frustrating but it will be fun at the same time.
To begin with learning and becoming even semi expert on a non-linear editor like fcp or avid will suck more time out of your life than 4 years in jail, so just be prepared to go into your suite turn on the computer at 8am and don't leave until 4am the next morning. Repeat this process for a few months (minimum).
You can learn fcp through a variety of sources online and in classes, some of the best classes are in LA and though I don't discourage anyone from learning the basics of editing, because it will make you give you a better understanding of shooting and directing motion, I do suggest once you learn the basics to align yourself with a good editor or editorial house. Good, to great editors can make or break a project (just like in stills with good to great retouchers) and few photographers, directors or dps, are good (or care to be) good at editing, timing/grading, titling, effecting all the way to finish out.
As far as cameras, in the prosumer range none of the hdv, videocams work that well in low light, or with dark backgrounds if the gain is pushed at all they will snow storm up quickly.
The chips are tiny and and the sensor is packed so it takes very little to lose detail and require a lot of post work correction to kill the noise and adding filters to moving footage is much more time consuming than stills. The 5d2 or the Nikon n90 will work much better in low light than any prosumer high def.
If you really need autofocus and low light look at the older xl1/2 canons as though they shoot a standard def frame they go to high iso very, very well.
If your shooting dialog, then you defineatly need either lav's or a good boom operator and for anything manual focus you might be able to learn to pull focus by yourself on moving subjects, but good fluid head, a follow focus system (even prosumer grade like red rock) an external high def monitor that is closely calibrated to the computer and if the budget permits an added crew member to pull focus is required or will make for much more professional imagery.
Motion is a much different animal than shooting stills. It's not just pretty pictures with slight movement, but it's should be a cohesive piece that tells a story, even if it's a visual story and sound, focus, jerky movments, excess noise, bad color, rough editing, will cheapen the look. Any one of those elements out of place and the piece is ruined.
The one thing most still photographers forget when shooting motion is the story telling part. You must, let me repeat this, you must have a script, storyline or storyboard, even if it's rough even if it's drawn with stick figures and you must make it cohesive. The story doesn't have to be exactly linear, (see pulp fiction) it's should never be predicatable (see 99% of every movie, tv show and you tube video) but it has to be more than pretty pictures.
You also have to get it through your head that walking out with a shoulder or hand mounted handy cam and just shooting a lot of low lit footage will not please anyone (or at least shouldn't) and learning how to shoot motion is up there with relearning how to become a photographer. It's that big of a leap.
There is a reason even small productions have sound technicians, gaffers, swings, grips, focus pullers and once shot, color experts, effects houses, title design and usually multiple editors in dedicated suites.
Now the good news is, apples final cut pro will do just about anything from color correction, effects, titles, even some basic masking, but the bad news is it will do all of these things and to master every one takes huge volumes of time.
Even something that seems as rough and real as this adidas commercial takes a large crew and a huge volume of preproduction, planning and editing.
And it requires a story.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT3Jj9OGMA0Once you add dialog the story and the cohesiveness is even more important.
http://ishotit.com/SixMan4.movBoth of these two simple projects takes a lot more than one or two people and not good but great editors.
I guess you can do everything yourself and do it well, (it has been done before) but for even a small compelling motion piece you need to dedicate months.
