what kind of camera should i use to make a movie?

Not a family video, a real film. Any info would be great.

Obviously you're not going to be someone who'll buy or rent a million-dollar 35mm setup like the movie studios use, so I'll presume by "real film" you pretty much just want to be able to put together a script, get some actors, and shoot a sequence of scenes.

Simply put, the more you pay, the better the quality of the image you get, but you can still shoot crap with the most expensive equipment while on the other hand someone with enough talent and skill can make something compelling with a $300 camcorder. Money's important, but it only goes so far.

If you're serious and you've got a decent enough purse for it, sink some money into a "prosumer" camcorder. You don't need to go high-def, but a "three-chip" camera is ideal for great color fidelity and "professional-looking" images. Note that you'll NEVER be able to duplicate the quality of film--you can fake it to some extent using a variety of physical and digital tools (and people spend thousands doing so), but a video camera will never completely convincingly look like film to someone with a decent eye.

The upper-tier prosumer camcorders include the Canon XL line and the Panasonic DVX line. These guys start at around $3500 each. The lower-tier prosumer camcorders include the Canon GL line and the Panasonic DVC-30. These go from about $1900 to $2500 or so. Prosumer camcorders will provide you with the power and flexibility to shoot some decent-looking footage--some actual theatrical movies like "28 Days Later" and "Time Code" were shot with prosumer camcorders.