Many years ago I made some money (being a film student in my final year myself) by teaching amateurs in a public institution on Super-8 (yes, I'm that old). Even if they were asked in the announcement to bring their movies if any, they all brought their cameras instead and the usual pissing contest started (all male). My zoom has so-and-so much reach, I have time-lapse and overcrank and yadda, yadda, yadda.
There was only one guy who didn't' bring his camera but had his film with him. When the others asked about his camera, he said it's nothing special, a cheap model from mailorder. I knew the model, we had some of that brand for the first year at the university: just 24 fps, very limited zoom, no special features.
He asked to have a look at his film together after the course, but I didn't have the time. I commanded the whole group to bring their films next time and I that I don't want to see any camera around. They did so and we screened, first without any discussion. The usual, boring stuff with what you torture family and friends after your holiday. Some of them were so long that I had to set a time limit for screening from the start after looking at the reels.
But one film stood out, with decent camera movements, sensible framing, and good editing, even telling a small story. And just about the right length. Guess who made it? When the group found out it was the guy with the simplest camera, I could hear the sound of a few jaws dropping. After all, they could perceive it was more cinematic than all the rest!
Well, to apply this to our thread again: get a second-hand HD pocket, some cheap lenses in C-mount and start filming. You can throw it in the bin after those three years, but I bet you'll keep it as a B-cam if it still works. You'll have to know the function of the buttons without looking by then, since the writing will be non-existent, though