For those of you in America, happy Thanksgiving/Black Friday. In the spirit of retailers slashing prices to engender consumer stampedes, I went searching for Black Friday deals specific to filmmakers. I discovered, however, that most pro camera stores don't participate in such an event, which is apparently constrained to the consumer world. So instead, here are some deals that might apply to filmmakers, at least on the low end (for example, you won't see someone like RED slashing prices on a $25k camcorder).
If you're putting together an editing PC (or Hackintosh), NewEgg has a whole list of Black Friday deals
on computer components like graphics cards, hard drives, etc.
If you're interested in Google TV, the Sony NSZ-GT1 Internet TV Blu-ray Player with integrated gTV is $100 off ($299.99 with free shipping) at SonyStyle.
While it's not Black Friday-specific, B&H Photo has a number of holiday specials on camcorders, tripods, and more, including the Canon Rebel T2i for $699 (you have to add it to the cart to see the discount price).
Most Black Friday deals are to be had in person at brick-and-mortar stores, however, so Gizmodo has you covered with an exhaustive list of deals if you're looking to flex your purchasing power at your local megastore.
Amazon has a number of video-specific deals for the holiday, including a 2TB hard drive for 66% off (note that it's 5900 RPM, which is fine for storing backups, but is not the best for HD editing) as well as a 240Hz 1080p HDTV for 50% off:
More on Amazon's Black Friday page, and even more specifically their Camera & Photo Black Friday page.
However, while 50% off deals are great, I'm finding as a poor independent filmmaker that I'm managing to save 100% on the stuff I already own! It's amazing.
Finally, while it's not Black Friday-specific, Tony at NextWaveDV.com let me know they're offering a discount to No Film School readers on their HDSLR training videos. Here's episode two of the 12-episode series, which retails for $19.99:
Discount code: No Film School
Savings: 20% off any order
Link: store.nextwavedv.com
If you've found any good deals on filmmaking equipment for this "special" holiday, please share in the comments. Let's boost that Consumer Confidence Index!
