Reddit reviews 58MM Altura Photo Neutral Density Professional Photography Filter Set (ND2 ND4 ND8) + Premium MagicFiber Microfiber Cleaning Cloth

Okay, put the t3i in manual (M) and set the shutter to 1 second or longer - this is super important, you'll get trails on things and it'll make them look like they're moving. Get a 10 stop ND grad filter for your lens so that you can do this without the shots being super dark - they're basically sunglasses for your camera. Set the iso to like 200 (for daytime) and just put the whiter balance on auto, it doesn't really matter

Point at something like cars, or if you're filming ice, pull farther out so we can see everything that's moving quickly in the background. Google search "Your City" and a ton of great shots from photographers will pop up on google images. Go copy those locations with the same composition so you know the framing will look good (since its already been done and you can see a sample of it online)
Aim for about 100 photos a shoot, this will give you about 4 seconds of footage at 24fps
I have my intervelometer set to about every 6 seconds

Bonus: Shoot in jpeg + RAW, get Adobe Lightroom, its super easy to use. Edit the RAWs in there because they're great for color correcting/editing. Send them to Adobe After Effects and apply Warp Stabilizer if there's any wind pushing your tripod or shaking your camera. it'll look great then

Source - I just made this with the t3i
https://vimeo.com/116221371

I recently purchased these and they're great. Especially if you don't want to invest a ton of money in them at the moment.

I use them on my 50mm 1.4 for shallow DOF during the day, and you can stack them to darken them!

Neutral Density Filters for 50mm

Or if you use a really dark filter.
58MM Altura Photo Neutral Density Professional Photography Filter Set (ND2 ND4 ND8) + Premium MagicFiber Microfiber Cleaning Cloth https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007SXJ1VG/

Well I'm looking at [this](http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Photography-MagicFiber-Microfiber-Cleaning/dp/B007SXJ1VG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372630014&sr=8-1&keywords=nd+filters+58mm0 right now. I'm on a college kid budget so I was looking at this or the Tiffen ones for 45 bucks which seem to have better reviews. I don't know what the difference between a .6 stop and a ND2 is tbh.

If you're just starting out and on a tight budget, this ND filter kit might be a good choice. They're plastic, but at least they're something.

As for a polarizing filter, it depends on what you're going to be shooting. I actually just bought a CPL filter myself and I'm still learning how to use it. Basically a polarizing filter just reduces glare from reflective surfaces like sheets of paper, windows, lakes, etc. and a CPL filter lets you rotate the entire thing to choose which area of the shot is affected. So yes, a polarizing filter is also a good way to control exposure, but I wouldn't say it's as necessary as an ND.