I was also given another suggestion that I dont neccesarily need to get the idea patent but start working on this project and then get my name and the project copyrighted and/or trademarked?
You had mentioned that your idea involved creating a video? Do seek to understand the difference between patent law, trademark law, and copyright law.
Utility patents protect ideas. Technically, they protect the "utilitarian" products/services that result from relevant ideas...utilitarian meaning the product does something other than, say, looking pretty (or the service/method has an actual purpose other than to look pretty). Meaningful patent protection isn't necessarily cheap.
Design patents protect the ornamental, non-functioning design of otherwise utilitarian products...i.e. the shape of a video camera (as long as the shape of that camera does not affect the camera's function). They are cheaper than utility patents but do not provide the same sort of protection.
Copyrights protect against the copying of sufficiently creative works of art and such - like literature, music, video presentations, etcetera. It tends to be automatic, but registration is often both recommended and affordable.
Trademarks protect branding - they protect names/logos/etc from being copied by the competition or used by the competition to mislead consumers.
Lastly, when all is said and done, all of this stuff - patents, trademarks, copyrights, are just things that affect marketing and marketability. Note that, along with Richard's advice.
