The gear:

• Sony VX1000E digital video camera with 16:9 anamorphic lens (pixel-stretching)
• Off-the shelf PC video editing software with capacity for various special effects
• The usual PC 3D modelling and animation software
• Standard lighting equipment for small studio work and most locations
• Standard sound equipment for use on location
• 18-track digital recording studio (original music and sound tracks)
• Access to DVD/VCD mastering facilities

We at nondogDV don't see technology as a ladder to climb to get to the stage of making 'real films'. At any level of technology there are technical constraints and limits to what can be reasonably achieved. I always have to laugh when I hear someone say of an up-and-coming artist, "Just think what they could do with an 'unlimited' budget".

The truth is that artists need limitations to cut down the possibilities to manageable numbers. Many artists will make up additional parameters to limit choice further as a part of the creative process. Some of the best ground-breaking innovations come from new ways of working within technical limitations to do something previously thought impossible.

Another thing about using the Mini DV format is that our audience will not see us as part of a technological elite. If they are inspired by what they see, or think they could do better, they are free to give it a go themselves. Entertainment becomes less of a passive 'do it to me' consumption and more of an interactive process. The artist cannot rely on big-budget, high-tech special effects to hide a thin and implausible plot - that may even have started out a kid's comic-book!