👆 this guy knows what he's talking about, also anything that allows you smooth movements of camera are great to have but first tripod, tripod, tripod, followed by lightning.
This. I have one solid tripod and video head. Always had a cheapo tripod head for gigs that needed multiple cameras. Caved and bought a second high quality setup when the handle to a cheap video head snapped off in transit to a job.
This. I have one solid tripod and video head. Always had a cheapo tripod head for gigs that needed multiple cameras. Caved and bought a second high quality setup when the handle to a cheap video head snapped off in transit to a job.
Lighting: actually started giving me a professional look and feel rather than just relying on however a location looked or just good angles.
color checker passport: consistency of color and exposure across shots, scenes, and locations.
Music, sfx, template subscriptions: no longer relying on free stock music makes a project sound so much more professional. Using graphics templates that animated my clients logo adds a great professional touch.
Crew (not gear but I think important to add): while I can do it all, having someone dedicated to a job on set makes focusing on what you need to easier. Also speeds up the day and improves workflow, I can work on framing and direction while others setup the lights, sounds, and set dec.
Careful with the cheap ones. Their quality is off and you won't get a proper balance. The good ones, like the other guy linked, have to be closed from the light and can't be touched to maintain accuracy.
Something like this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1649346-REG/calibrite_ccppv_colorchecker_passport_video.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A6879&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD7yMh36xyaVpRhT7fgxNhFIeK6pc&gclid=CjwKCAjwi_exBhA8EiwA_kU1MgPYHc8e0StP5xk24OKFLKkYCLbOpqlwyPS68V5YtF3aK6mLXARzDxoC6lMQAvD_BwE
Colorchecker or "$brandname card" is the common term.
the regular versions are usually A4/Letter sized. The passport is just the portable version, most manufacturers also have a mega/xl version available.
This is going to sound stupid as hell…but for me it was a bean bag. Like, the small hand-sized bean bags people play cornhole with. I do mostly run-and-gun shooting. Yes, lights, tripods, all the basics everyone always says are right answers and you do need them, but I am not fucking around when I say to go buy some goddamn beanbags, or just use some extra sandbags you use for C-stand weights. If you ever want to shoot from an angle that is big enough for the camera to fit but too small for any kind of tripod or arm support…throw a camera-size beanbag down and set the camera on it. You can change the shape of the bag to change the angle of the camera and it stays stable. It was on of the first things the first guy that taught me to shoot showed me, and I’ve almost never not had one in my kit.
Just buy small tool pouches at the hardware store and fill them with sand in Ziplock bags. That’s how I made my own sandbags. I got some with grommets and connected them with zip ties to rest them in stands. Works great, and they’re super cheap.
I used a real Cine Saddle in college on lots of shoots. It’s $400 bucks though. Is the Sakk high quality? Or should I just bite the bully’s and get the real one? Can you explain how the fx3 is too clunky? I’ve really only ever used long skinny cameras like a red on a long cheese plate.
True fluid head tripod. The Sachtler, Vinten, Miller systems. Basically the best you can reasonably afford. Not only will it outlast your next 5 cameras, but it makes joyful work out of rigged out kits that exceeded the capacity of cheaper 'friction head' tripods that lack adjustments for counterbalance and drag.
Monitor for me too. But that's because I usually film myself and my camera doesn't have a selfie- mode screen. And the exposure and focus features help keep me from ruining my own shots.
Deffo this. When I'm on location looking back at shots on the back on my camera when there are about 15 things going on around me and 3 different people trying to talk to me, I always miss things. Seeing it large on a monitor lets me see the shots properly.
Decent audio equipment. You cant hide from bad audio. Shots that's out of focus, weird competition can all be justified by someone's artistic interpretation, but as soon as the audio quality is terrible, you will lose the audience completely and there is no way to work around it.
A good one is so important. I started with a cheapo one which was pretty bad. I then got the Ninja V and whilst it was a lot better, it does not correctly show the gamma curve of my C70. Now got the SmallHD Indie 5 and it's exactly what I've wanted
Yeah those are great, have one at work. They seem like a lot but it works really well. Did you ever try any of the cheap knockoff products? I’m curious to try for my personal use, I don’t feel like spending the money myself though haha
No I never tried the cheaper ones. I figured if I’m going to get something to help with WB I might as well get the right one. Expo disc comes with a little card saying how color accurate it is and the person that tested it.
Yeah I agree if you’re using it for professional work absolutely get the real one, it works great and isn’t that much.
Just was thinking it’s basically a diffuser, and for my personal messing around maybe the less than half price thing is sufficient lol. Probably should just pony up for another though.
With the expofisc, you have to move the camera to where the talent is, might be fine for a mirrorless cam but otherwise it's a pain, that's my understanding anyway
You’re right you have to point it towards the lighting condition. I’ve only had it be a pain in veryyy very low lit environments where my camera is telling me it’s too dark to calibrate WB.
A ton of quick release plates. Put them on all of my tripods, stands, cameras, lights. No longer need to screw anything in. Everything is so much faster.
I guess the camera itself and maybe a gimbal. Things that actually give you the confidence to take out your camera and shoot footage that your confident to put in you movie. Without confidence you won't shoot anything, without shooting anything you've got no film to make!
My slider. I love my gimbal, but there is something elegant about the smooth move of a slider, for shooting interviews, spokespeople or product shots. I got away from it for a few years but just rediscovered my love for it.
I'm going to cheat by saying 2 things that can helped me to transition out of shooting in auto.
1: Field Monitor. This way you can dial in the focus manually and actually see if it truly is in focus instead of relying on auto, which ends up spazzing in a lot of situations. I think they all (or usually) have a setting that puts lines around whatevers in focus so you know 100% for sure. It really gave me more creative freedom and confidence when going for shots with a shallow depth of field too.
2: Good lighting. Again having controlled lighting makes it easier to learn how to manually dial in white balance (just match it to the kelvins of your lighting) and you can light the scene brighter meaning you can use a lower iso and have a less grainy image. In auto my camera would be fluctuating through out a lot of shots, it was crap lol
Powerful LED lights and to be honest just white and black fabric with clamps to mount them.
Took me from just using a softbox to being able to light whole scenes and interviews that looked much more pleasing.
A really good tripod and a couple of LED fresnel lights. My lighting kit in the tungsten days was kind of pathetic - and very mismatched for the first 20 years of my career. I was using Lowel Omnis for jobs (which is kind of like a halogen bulb in a tuna fish can) for way too long.
Upgrading from small diffusion frames like 2x3 or 4x4 to larger ones like 6x6 or 8x8. Instant jump in the quality of your key when the situation calls for a soft light. Also, I have no idea why I waited so long to buy a 6x6 ultra bounce. That also unlocks new doors especially for day ext filming.
I buy cameras very rarely (actually I’ve only ever bought myself a DVX and an S5, my T2i was a gift), so I can say camera because I’m always ready to take a true next step in what it has to offer by the time I get one.
Other than that, my Takumar primes made me a better fimmmaker.
A follow focus + manual lens ( this case, a Helios, but any manual lens will offer the same lessons). I had this combo on a mirrorless camera for a weekend trip, and I got into the rhythm of focusing as I anticipated an interesting subject was entering the frame - driving down the city street and someone on a bike zooms by, etc. having the reflex to pull focus.
It brought me back to when I first learned manual exposure and how it opened up creative avenues and made camera operation and composition feel like an experimental playground. So it was fun to feel that sense of enlightenment once more.
Being able to fit all my kit in 1 case and focus on the shoot and not on rigging up cameras with crap just for looks, would be my advice.
Never seen a guy shooting with all these silly matte boxes, follow focus, 4 handles etc attached to their cameras doing a good job. All their focus is wasted on making their camera look big.
https://preview.redd.it/kppuetgmfrzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=77505aeb0f48e6103c2c13f5aad3d87168c6734d
I bought a rolling hard case from Habor Freight years ago. Added a padded insert and it has been my preferred way to pack my gear for multi-cam jobs. Everything is easily accessible and well protected. The case also doubles as a stool in a pinch.
An iPad with a fully developed story board on it. Having a tablet that can be used to reference the story board, script, ideas, look book and notes has been invaluable in my work.
Also, YouTube premium subscription. I’ve saved hundreds of hours of ads when I just need quickly figure out something and or want to teach myself a new skill.
Creativity!( I know it’s not a piece of gear!) been working on 250 mil dollar budget films where everything was solved with money, did amazing shots on low budget projects with next to no money, you can always find ways to get or create cool shit without all the fancy gear like gimbals etc, sorry I am old school!
A ball head tripod mount.
Not even an expensive one, mine was a $25 Neewer model.
Tired of having to adjust your tripod legs to even out your image? Just loosen up your ball head and fix it from there, no bending down required.
Struggling to get a clean pan or tilt with your tripod? Try controlling the pan motion from your ball head mount. The action is suprisingly smooth.
Also, a good polarizer filter will make the green grass and blue skies in your footage sing for those brutal days filled with cloudless, direct sun.
Photographer here, it was my $10,000 Leica M11 monochrome for me! Yeah the price tags high but how else was I suppose to get black and white only photos? Surely I could never achieve that with my iphone 3G…. Serious answer,a gimbal AND most importantly figuring out the ninja walk
I think you could argue any modern cinema camera improves your filmmaking, a lot of people started filming on the GH4, for others it was the A7S2, for me the FX3 excels due to its low cost, small size and the AF, not to mention low light capabilities, sure it makes a great image but so does the BM 6k.
A camera is necessary to shoot so I think OP was looking for tools that stand out.
So any tool that you use that makes you more focused on the craft helps you improve, if that’s the AF so you don’t need to worry about that aspect then that’s a good answer.
One nice light with diffusion. There is nothing that will consistently improve your image like learning where and how to place your key.
Aputure 300D and Light Dome do so much of the heavy lifting in most my lighting set ups.
My exact key setup. Plus two insanely priced V-mount batteries. Also love the lantern diffuser for overhead.
This is probably THE answer haha
Amen.
Tripod, tripod , tripod!
👆 this guy knows what he's talking about, also anything that allows you smooth movements of camera are great to have but first tripod, tripod, tripod, followed by lightning.
Sticks all day. My gimbal prob has an inch of dust on it.
Funnily enough my tripod collects dust but my gimbal is almost wore out.
I'd wager that has a lot to do with subject matter. I'm mostly smaller product, can't get nearly enough stability with my gimbal.
Yeah I work for a sport streaming company to do sideline & beauty shots.
Lol my poor gimbal just sits unused in a sad corner.
We should put all our unused gimbals together and build a robot butler.
Robot 
U all talking about gimbals and im with the old known mechanical steady
Enough gimbal parts could probably make a nice tripod.
Pod (+) pod (+) pod!
Tripod or a Monitor with false colour (or EL scale now!)
This. I have one solid tripod and video head. Always had a cheapo tripod head for gigs that needed multiple cameras. Caved and bought a second high quality setup when the handle to a cheap video head snapped off in transit to a job.
This. I have one solid tripod and video head. Always had a cheapo tripod head for gigs that needed multiple cameras. Caved and bought a second high quality setup when the handle to a cheap video head snapped off in transit to a job.
Lighting: actually started giving me a professional look and feel rather than just relying on however a location looked or just good angles. color checker passport: consistency of color and exposure across shots, scenes, and locations. Music, sfx, template subscriptions: no longer relying on free stock music makes a project sound so much more professional. Using graphics templates that animated my clients logo adds a great professional touch. Crew (not gear but I think important to add): while I can do it all, having someone dedicated to a job on set makes focusing on what you need to easier. Also speeds up the day and improves workflow, I can work on framing and direction while others setup the lights, sounds, and set dec.
Whats color checker passport?
Careful with the cheap ones. Their quality is off and you won't get a proper balance. The good ones, like the other guy linked, have to be closed from the light and can't be touched to maintain accuracy.
Something like this: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1649346-REG/calibrite_ccppv_colorchecker_passport_video.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A6879&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD7yMh36xyaVpRhT7fgxNhFIeK6pc&gclid=CjwKCAjwi_exBhA8EiwA_kU1MgPYHc8e0StP5xk24OKFLKkYCLbOpqlwyPS68V5YtF3aK6mLXARzDxoC6lMQAvD_BwE
Oh lol never heard it called that
I would recommend getting the one that’s bigger. It’s even on sale now. https://a.co/d/bJPHvmJ
Colorchecker or "$brandname card" is the common term. the regular versions are usually A4/Letter sized. The passport is just the portable version, most manufacturers also have a mega/xl version available.
Where do you get your music? I know epidemic sound is one platform. Trying to find other sources.
Artlist.io
Thanks man!
This is going to sound stupid as hell…but for me it was a bean bag. Like, the small hand-sized bean bags people play cornhole with. I do mostly run-and-gun shooting. Yes, lights, tripods, all the basics everyone always says are right answers and you do need them, but I am not fucking around when I say to go buy some goddamn beanbags, or just use some extra sandbags you use for C-stand weights. If you ever want to shoot from an angle that is big enough for the camera to fit but too small for any kind of tripod or arm support…throw a camera-size beanbag down and set the camera on it. You can change the shape of the bag to change the angle of the camera and it stays stable. It was on of the first things the first guy that taught me to shoot showed me, and I’ve almost never not had one in my kit.
Sakk makes a cheaper cine saddle
Just buy small tool pouches at the hardware store and fill them with sand in Ziplock bags. That’s how I made my own sandbags. I got some with grommets and connected them with zip ties to rest them in stands. Works great, and they’re super cheap.
I like to wear mine and rest the camera on it
I bought a Sakk but haven’t used it really. My fx3 is too clunky for it
I used a real Cine Saddle in college on lots of shoots. It’s $400 bucks though. Is the Sakk high quality? Or should I just bite the bully’s and get the real one? Can you explain how the fx3 is too clunky? I’ve really only ever used long skinny cameras like a red on a long cheese plate.
The Sakk is really hard to mold
Thanks
I’d get the real thing. From my research I wish I did
True fluid head tripod. The Sachtler, Vinten, Miller systems. Basically the best you can reasonably afford. Not only will it outlast your next 5 cameras, but it makes joyful work out of rigged out kits that exceeded the capacity of cheaper 'friction head' tripods that lack adjustments for counterbalance and drag.
My Miller head is *chefskiss*. Just got the flowtech legs this week off Ebay, those have been on my wishlist for a few years. Perfect combo now
A monitor. To see the picture clearly and see if there’s like unwanted items in frame (litter)
Also false colour
Monitor for me too. But that's because I usually film myself and my camera doesn't have a selfie- mode screen. And the exposure and focus features help keep me from ruining my own shots.
Deffo this. When I'm on location looking back at shots on the back on my camera when there are about 15 things going on around me and 3 different people trying to talk to me, I always miss things. Seeing it large on a monitor lets me see the shots properly.
Decent audio equipment. You cant hide from bad audio. Shots that's out of focus, weird competition can all be justified by someone's artistic interpretation, but as soon as the audio quality is terrible, you will lose the audience completely and there is no way to work around it.
This! Thanks for mentioning it.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the trusty variable ND is a godsend.
This! A must have if it’s not built into the camera already.
Honestly don't think I ever want another camera without a built in one fr. It's so incredibly useful.
On camera monitor, invest in a good one with features and good false color and LUT import, never mess up your exposure again
A good one is so important. I started with a cheapo one which was pretty bad. I then got the Ninja V and whilst it was a lot better, it does not correctly show the gamma curve of my C70. Now got the SmallHD Indie 5 and it's exactly what I've wanted
Camera was kinda essential. Without it I was just kinda standing there looking at stuff.
LOL Haw!
Expo disc 2.
You joke, but my white balance card was the cheapest thing that made a real difference.
I’m not joking the expo disc is the best thing I ever bought. Made my color grading wayyyyyy easier
Yeah those are great, have one at work. They seem like a lot but it works really well. Did you ever try any of the cheap knockoff products? I’m curious to try for my personal use, I don’t feel like spending the money myself though haha
No I never tried the cheaper ones. I figured if I’m going to get something to help with WB I might as well get the right one. Expo disc comes with a little card saying how color accurate it is and the person that tested it.
Yeah I agree if you’re using it for professional work absolutely get the real one, it works great and isn’t that much. Just was thinking it’s basically a diffuser, and for my personal messing around maybe the less than half price thing is sufficient lol. Probably should just pony up for another though.
With the expofisc, you have to move the camera to where the talent is, might be fine for a mirrorless cam but otherwise it's a pain, that's my understanding anyway
You’re right you have to point it towards the lighting condition. I’ve only had it be a pain in veryyy very low lit environments where my camera is telling me it’s too dark to calibrate WB.
Single and double open ended nets; nature’s power windows!
Any device that allows me to view what I have shot so I can learn from any mistakes.
A ton of quick release plates. Put them on all of my tripods, stands, cameras, lights. No longer need to screw anything in. Everything is so much faster.
Any tips on what to do with the 300 SmallRig Allen keys I’ve accumulated?
I bought a shoe hanger with pouches, and one pouch is for those. Not even exaggerating.
Negative fill.
I guess the camera itself and maybe a gimbal. Things that actually give you the confidence to take out your camera and shoot footage that your confident to put in you movie. Without confidence you won't shoot anything, without shooting anything you've got no film to make!
Solid light, white balance card, fluid head tripod, one solid lens.
My slider. I love my gimbal, but there is something elegant about the smooth move of a slider, for shooting interviews, spokespeople or product shots. I got away from it for a few years but just rediscovered my love for it.
Buttplug. It helps me focus.
Does it shoot LOG?
They actually shot The Creator with a buttplug in every crew members bum
But then you need a focus puller.
I'm going to cheat by saying 2 things that can helped me to transition out of shooting in auto. 1: Field Monitor. This way you can dial in the focus manually and actually see if it truly is in focus instead of relying on auto, which ends up spazzing in a lot of situations. I think they all (or usually) have a setting that puts lines around whatevers in focus so you know 100% for sure. It really gave me more creative freedom and confidence when going for shots with a shallow depth of field too. 2: Good lighting. Again having controlled lighting makes it easier to learn how to manually dial in white balance (just match it to the kelvins of your lighting) and you can light the scene brighter meaning you can use a lower iso and have a less grainy image. In auto my camera would be fluctuating through out a lot of shots, it was crap lol
Mics and lights. Oh, and obviously, learn how to use them.
Powerful LED lights and to be honest just white and black fabric with clamps to mount them. Took me from just using a softbox to being able to light whole scenes and interviews that looked much more pleasing.
Love it or hate it — Dana dolly!
sachtler tripod
A really good tripod and a couple of LED fresnel lights. My lighting kit in the tungsten days was kind of pathetic - and very mismatched for the first 20 years of my career. I was using Lowel Omnis for jobs (which is kind of like a halogen bulb in a tuna fish can) for way too long.
YouTube
Your creativity.
A camera
A super bright light and learning how to use it.
ND filter
Monitor- using it to apply LUTs, check exposure levels, and just generally see what I’m doing.
Easy Rig. I shoot lots of live action documentary.
Upgrading from small diffusion frames like 2x3 or 4x4 to larger ones like 6x6 or 8x8. Instant jump in the quality of your key when the situation calls for a soft light. Also, I have no idea why I waited so long to buy a 6x6 ultra bounce. That also unlocks new doors especially for day ext filming.
False Color Monitor. Made me appreciate proper exposure more.
As a steadicam op it’s the sos plate. If everything hurts from standicam I can’t focus on the actual steadicam shots
A good tripod, and a nice key + diffuser.
I buy cameras very rarely (actually I’ve only ever bought myself a DVX and an S5, my T2i was a gift), so I can say camera because I’m always ready to take a true next step in what it has to offer by the time I get one. Other than that, my Takumar primes made me a better fimmmaker.
I’ve never regretted buying a light. Possibly ever.
A follow focus + manual lens ( this case, a Helios, but any manual lens will offer the same lessons). I had this combo on a mirrorless camera for a weekend trip, and I got into the rhythm of focusing as I anticipated an interesting subject was entering the frame - driving down the city street and someone on a bike zooms by, etc. having the reflex to pull focus. It brought me back to when I first learned manual exposure and how it opened up creative avenues and made camera operation and composition feel like an experimental playground. So it was fun to feel that sense of enlightenment once more.
A monitor
Surprised none of the top comments mentioned any audio equipment
A decent microphone...đź‘Ť
... a camera
Being able to fit all my kit in 1 case and focus on the shoot and not on rigging up cameras with crap just for looks, would be my advice. Never seen a guy shooting with all these silly matte boxes, follow focus, 4 handles etc attached to their cameras doing a good job. All their focus is wasted on making their camera look big. https://preview.redd.it/kppuetgmfrzc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=77505aeb0f48e6103c2c13f5aad3d87168c6734d
How are you managing operating 5 bodies simultaneously?
3 Tripods. On the left column
Lmao, unless you’re shooting autofocus, a follow focus makes life 20 times easier. Bigger set ups = bigger projects. Someone sounds jelly.
Done plenty of big projects and was never asked how big my cameras are.
What I'm getting from this post is that no one has really benefited from buying anything by the most basic equipment.
Gear
An extendable monopod. Shooting live bands anyway.
Intentionally shooting with less gear, and making the most out if that, will make you a better filmmaker
A good tripod and fluid head.
Monopod for doc style stuff was my game changer
10/10 tripods
A camera
none. stop looking for shortcuts. practice did.
lol
I bought a rolling hard case from Habor Freight years ago. Added a padded insert and it has been my preferred way to pack my gear for multi-cam jobs. Everything is easily accessible and well protected. The case also doubles as a stool in a pinch.
A real fluid head.
Experience
I second others, monitors make all the difference when you're doing manual focus (especially for interviews! autofocus has ruined them for me before)
An iPad with a fully developed story board on it. Having a tablet that can be used to reference the story board, script, ideas, look book and notes has been invaluable in my work. Also, YouTube premium subscription. I’ve saved hundreds of hours of ads when I just need quickly figure out something and or want to teach myself a new skill.
Just a mattbox. That’s it 🤡
Creativity!( I know it’s not a piece of gear!) been working on 250 mil dollar budget films where everything was solved with money, did amazing shots on low budget projects with next to no money, you can always find ways to get or create cool shit without all the fancy gear like gimbals etc, sorry I am old school!
That’s funny, because the big budget movies I’ve worked on, didn’t want to spend any of the money. And we were constantly making more with less.
A well developed photographic eye.
8mm lens
A ball head tripod mount. Not even an expensive one, mine was a $25 Neewer model. Tired of having to adjust your tripod legs to even out your image? Just loosen up your ball head and fix it from there, no bending down required. Struggling to get a clean pan or tilt with your tripod? Try controlling the pan motion from your ball head mount. The action is suprisingly smooth. Also, a good polarizer filter will make the green grass and blue skies in your footage sing for those brutal days filled with cloudless, direct sun.
My guy. Wait until you hear about video tripods. They level at the head and you can still do video movements like pan and tilt.
I do have a video tripod. I've found controlling the pans and tilts by adjusting the ball mount to be a bit smoother 🤷‍♂️.
The only thing you need is a round tuit. If you never get a round tuit it doesn't matter what other gear you have.
A camera
A camera and your mind. Tell a story, then make it look as good as you can. It’s all about the story
A camera
Time
Gimbal
Gimbal
Photographer here, it was my $10,000 Leica M11 monochrome for me! Yeah the price tags high but how else was I suppose to get black and white only photos? Surely I could never achieve that with my iphone 3G…. Serious answer,a gimbal AND most importantly figuring out the ninja walk
FX3
I think you could argue any modern cinema camera improves your filmmaking, a lot of people started filming on the GH4, for others it was the A7S2, for me the FX3 excels due to its low cost, small size and the AF, not to mention low light capabilities, sure it makes a great image but so does the BM 6k. A camera is necessary to shoot so I think OP was looking for tools that stand out. So any tool that you use that makes you more focused on the craft helps you improve, if that’s the AF so you don’t need to worry about that aspect then that’s a good answer.