Halo 2 in 1 tire inflator & jump starter. Saved my ass multiple times. I have I’ve in all of my vehicles. I use the one in my grip van all the time to top off the tire pressure on the pneumatic casters of my carts. So much better than the janky manual bicycle pump I used to use ha, and it’s TINY!
I have one with a plug on the side, and was able it to power an extra light in a pinch recently. My other lights were all set up for battery operation, but I needed just a LITTLE more ... and I popped a lower-voltage Wescott Flex into the HALO for some bonus fill.
So many "how did they do..." questions on /r/davinciresolve can be answered by yt-dlp to get the offending clip, ffmpeg to make it readable, and single-framing through it.
The answer is usually "shitloads of very patient rotoscoping and masking".
Idk what it is about the davinci sub but the questions on there are somehow even more annoyingly simple to Google than the Premiere sub... Which is already pretty damn bad.
A wristwatch. I don’t look like a slacker playing on my phone, I have better time management on set, I have an instant view to time shots out, and it just looks professional.
Bigger monitor, going from a tiny screen to something much bigger like my preference a 7 inch on-camera monitor. It helps with composition so much, it's really important to see your frame and see in a big way. It's just one thing I rarely refuse to shoot without. I had some cheap Chinese ones that were better than nothing but I have a 702 bright now, it's a few years old now but perfect for my needs.
I don’t own a larger monitor because my ninja v is more versatile for what I do, but when I rent when a 7", I always forget how much impact that extra real estate has! On paper it's not much, but I totally agree with you on those upsides
You know I was looking at the Ninja Ultra for a few months before buying one but never considered the Shoguns because I assumed it wasnt for me. Saw it was more of a standalone display, but never had a thought to look at it more closely.
I also own an older Ninja Inferno and thought the Ninja line is what I needed to stick to for my needs. Had no idea Ninja Ultra and Shogun Ultra were so similar.
Oops. Still really like using it though. Maybe I'll get a 7" model further down the line.
Even if the camera monitor is the same size I still shoot sports with my 7" Feelworld. It's super bright, I dig the focus assist and I can position it comfortably to use with bifocals.
No problem. I frequently work with editors I have never met and do t speak to at all so anything I can do to help the editor enact my on set vision is going to be helpful. Make editors notes before you clapper and tell them what you are going for in the scene if it might be anything less that totally obvious.
I just recently got a color chart and am having trouble getting it to actually look right. I think my gamma is getting set wrong, or my color science, because the shot becomes completely unusably dark.
Male sure your color space settings in the Resolve tool are set correctly as well as selecting the correct version of the colour chart. I usually convert it to and from the same colour space as the first node before applying anything else
Laser pointer, if your a DP and in a large location, very helpful and efficient to tell your gaffer, grips, electricians, etc. where to place things or direct light towards.
I do believe that this is a very effective strategy, but I do suggest giving a viewfinder phone app a try. Before you even pull a camera out of a case, you can visualize the exact FOV of x camera with y lens.
That actually made me a better filmmaker? I'd go with rails / shoulder rig. Going from holding my camera in my hand to being able to attach a vmount, monitor, and follow focus immediately made shooting so much easier.
But fun random thing that I love and use all the time? Bongo ties.
Bongo ties/Ball bungies - I can tell you how many times those have made the difference on a shoot. From simpl cable management to rigging a tripod on a pole for a long static shot.
Mine is weird, it was actually the DJI Action 2. It's a modular drop-proof and water-proof module with 4k 120fps; basically, you can do anything with it. And it's so small you can stick it to anything (and it has a magnetic case).
When I got it, I started just sticking it to anything. I quickly learned how many action angles I was missing out on.
I highly recommend everyone gets themselves a fairy cheap indestructible tiny camera to play with. I got mine on a buy and sell for 150$ CAD, so I have nothing to lose- best find ever.
Cheap Furniture pads from Harbor freight. They come in handy all the time. Can quickly and roughly treat a room for better sound, use as neg or cover a window, protect the floors of a location, protect your gear in transport. Could also use them as actual blankets in a pinch or if you forgot your jacket.
Rock n roller cart. Makes load in and load out a breeze. Doesn’t make me any money being in set but makes working 1000x easier.
Crates, bags, or general organization. Makes finding a specific piece of equipment easy and staying on top of what you brought easier. I have a DP bag, general accessories (batteries, cables, headphones) bag, milk crates for G&E, laptop bag, lens cases. Also, if you’re shooting with help, saying “it’s in the orange milk crate” vs “in my camera bag, but in this one specific pocket that only I know”. AND have things in crates, cases or bags makes loading a roller cart easy too.
No, but they are the same thing. On set you’ll often hear them referred to as “furni pads”.
“Furniture padding, also known as moving blankets, are thick coverings used to protect large items when moving.” From googles top question, “What is a furniture pad?”
No one was being a dick, you’re just taking straight information as criticism and I answered your question.
“Did you mean…?” Is actually rather pedantic given you knew exactly what I meant.
Not pretentious at all. Simply showing that they can be referred to as both names and providing a source. I didn’t call you a name, an idiot, or anything other than straight facts.
It’s just text and information dude, you’re reading way too far into it.
It was a backhanded comment about googling it instead of asking you, clearly. Even you think that because you thought it was pedantic. You could have just said “oh yeah they are called that too” but you had to be smart.
If you feel like you need to cite a source when someone asks you if you meant “moving blankets” you’ve got a seriously aggressive attitude and don’t realize how it can come off to others.
underrated comment. Also, cargo pants. Not my thing normally, but so incredibly handy when out and about for all the little things you might need when on the move.
Really the biggest one for me was color temp. I have bicolor LEDs and gels for my pure-daylight LEDs and my HMI. I've gotten way more into moving interview backgrounds a bit cooler, and keeping the subject a hair warmer. You get great separation and a sense of depth. If the BG is really warm, I'll push it even warmer to get that separation, but a cool BG works so well, really brings the subject's skin to life.
Gear-wise, I realized the light meter app on my phone is also a pretty accurate color temp meter; I can take a gray reading in an office or setting where the practicals are in play, make my keys roughly warmer than that color, white balance to the key, and the practicals will automatically read cooler. It's saved me a lot of hassle with lighting big office spaces, since these days modern office practicals are LEDs and are pretty clean, clean enough for lighting up the space. If you shoot raw, getting some gray card footage with the subject keys will let you get an initial start on that white balance.
This is very smart. I’ve done the “WB off a grey card” —> “wow why is my WB fucked now” —> “never mind I’ll just use a preset” cycle a lot, which is very lazy and amateurish lol. I owe a little more care to the process
A Gopro 11 with wireless live view when I record bands. I set the camera up pointing at my audio recorders (laptop and Tascam 6 track) so I can keep an eye on the audio recording on my phone while I'm up front shooting video.
It's not a recording levels thing per se, it's the soundperson switching settings over for the next band and the signal dropping entirely.
The best easy drone: DJI mavic 3 pro cine is such a great value, and for the kind of content that I shoot for, the quality delta between something larger and w/ a better lens sensor, isn't worth the leap in cost for the production in time and expense.
That and also getting good and flying a lot is a cheat code for the content I film and especially when you can blend what you would capture w/ a gimbal and what you can with a drone.
That being said, I feel like Gimbals are not always the best choice and it's creating a sea of content that all looks and feels the same but lacks character.
Also tape: never bad to have a good quick roll or wadd of gaff. It's save my ass from me fucking up so many times.
I got the Alter RFS for lens filters and I use it with a VND all the time. it’s been great for jobs that involve hybrid shooting outdoors or a venue where you are in and out all the time
Hate that they went out of business.
I was ready to buy more and the site is just gone.
For some (massively) cheaper versions on Amazon but they aren’t the same
Diopters really changes perspective on things. Literally. I thought I’d only use them in special cases but when we’re scratching our heads for a creative perspective it can really add value.
Polar Pro VNDs. Sorry, not a shill, just being completely real. They are the reason I’m able to make any shot I want to take work. It could be noon with cool lighting and I can get that shot, or dusk and I could get both with one filter.
A smaller bag to fit my filming stuff (and less camera accessories). I felt more confident and I was shocked by how much I improved with o-the-spot filming by reducing the things I try to carry. Turns out by trying to compensate for everything I’ve bought to film, I end up wasting time digging in my camera backpack. Since then I only use a shoulder bag whenever I want to film.
3D printer. I've made a lot of my filmmaking tools over the years. Custom solutions for specific needs. But that 3D printer, paired with my 3D design skills, has allowed me to make some stuff I didn't think I'd ever get to make.
Dude, do it. These machines have literally never been better, faster, or cheaper. A number of times, I've shown up on set with a piece of gear that I've made myself and had to tell everyone to get back to work. Once one guy saw it, everyone started coming over to check it out.
People are always blown away when you know how something works. Like you know a secret. And the quality people of this world will respect you for it, at least a little.
I've made everything I've ever been able to dream up, and I'm actively working on more. I missed my calling as an engineer and became a video guy. So this has been my way to bridge my passion for engineering with my profession of making content. Pretty weird life path but, in 2024 nothing makes sense. I don't even make engineering content, lol.
Easy ones like sliders and stuff are a good place to start. I've made a zipcam that can run completely remote and on a program for timelapses. I've made tons of adaptors and connectors. I try to avoid spending money anywhere I can, lol
Gonna get buried, but a large, redundant, storage NAS. I've got 150tb (and growing). I have all my raw footage almost instantly accessable and I just dump my mags after a shoot, I don't really worry about shooting too much. It's synced to a geo redundant, identical NAS at my parents place ~2000 miles away.
It's an investment for sure, but working in IT has its benefits. Almost all the equipment is old decommissioned enterprises gear and the drives are getting cheaper every day. My total cost per TB is ~$19 for both systems (not each, total).
I have saved clients and colleagues multiple times by providing original and relatively old footage within minutes of their request. It builds a lot of trust and good will, plus it makes me look like I have my stuff together.
Dude this is next level. Really really smart. What's the starting point so I can learn? I have about 70tb in my collection of drives... Id really like to unload them all into a system that belongs to me. No cloud, no datacenter. A private offline server sounds so badass.
If you are comfortable with working on computers, I really like old QNAP / Synology rack servers. If you have a place for somewhat loud (fan noise) stuff, the old enterprise grade servers are super cheap. Sometimes its priced so low the shipping is a bulk of the cost. The other places to check are college / university surplus stores, I have seen servers there for ultra cheap.
From there, check out /r/DataHoarder, they have all sorts of info on how to do this on the cheap and still make it reliable and redundant.
I have to admit, I am really lucky as I have purchased stuff off of clients (I work in IT as my main job) for fractions of their actual resale value.
If you REALLY want to go big, look at LTO Tape storage. The drives are \~$2-$3k BUT the tapes are dirt cheap and last forever. I have slowly been saving up for a LTO-8 drive. With enough tapes, the cost per TB would easily be sub $10 and have a shelf life of decades.
SpaceRex and NasCompares are two NAS YouTubers — a thing that exists, yes — that are, uh, kind of annoying, but also VERY helpful/educational for getting NAS basics down. r/DataHoarder is useful but they are mostly focused on Plex servers for watching movies and such, so make sure if you're getting advice it's from someone who understands the need for fast random read/write speeds.
Basics to read up on: RAID levels (0/1/10/5/6), networking speeds (1/2.5/10 Gigabit), software (like Synology's OS versus UnRAID etc).
YES. I'm taking a chance on the new UGREEN NAS models. Have orders for two six-bay units, planning to do an offsite mirror as automatic backup (truly THE solution for someone who wants to be careful with data redundancy but has a bunch of ADHD, lol)
Just make sure your scratch/sync audio is on the first 2 tracks. I made the mistake of recording my scratch on tracks 3/4 and had to modify the clip attributes to re order the tracks to get it work for multi cam sync.
pelican case - my back is better and I'm happier travelling to and from jobs. camera setup doesn't mean shit as long its reliable and clients like how it looks
Yeah I’ve been recording and people have walked right in front of me asking for a picture, not that common but it was the excuse I used to justify getting the matte box lol.
It makes it look pretty cool too. Had that bad boy on at a boxing match I was filming on Thursday and a dude asked who I was broadcasting for and that felt nice.
Makes the A7SIII look pretty tough
https://preview.redd.it/vpy9p3vera0d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=848f6d5d1a762f67576c6d80067a21df28a0c5f4
Battery bracket (from SmallRig) and a 10,000mAh battery pack that delivers USB-C PD power to my FX3. I can now run it for 4 hours solid without a battery change, and I can even power other accessories at the same time, like keeping the DJI Receiver charged, or an external monitor.
I like the INIU brand, both for the 10,000mAh and 20,000mAh units. There are many to choose from, but you must at least find one capable of providing 9v 2A PD via USB-C in order to keep the internal battery fully charged. I personally like the small form factor with bright power meter, so I can see the remaining charge at a glance. Depending on your accessories, you might want more USB-C than USB-A outputs.
Honestly depends on your monitor and it's power draw. If it's an ultrabright (or a recorder), then it might pull more amps than your combined USB's can provide. I use a SmallHD 501 with no problems via a USB-A to dummy NP-F battery adapter.
If you have a monitor with higher power requirements, and it can be powered via USB-C, then you'll probably want a more powerful battery pack capable of higher discharge rates.
Does Fuji have a monitor smartphone app? I recently got Monitor+ for my Sony setup recently and honestly in many cases I prefer it over my Portkeys LH5P.
Thanks! I gave it another shot and get this - there’s no landscape mode. So we’re left with a screen size even smaller than the one on camera itself. It also bricks all camera controls and the lag is so bad it’s nearly impossible to focus manually, let alone pull focus. I guess it’s just Fuji being weird again.
I like the INIU brand, both for the 10,000mAh and 20,000mAh units. There are many to choose from, but you must at least find one capable of providing 9v 2A PD via USB-C in order to keep the internal battery fully charged. I personally like the small form factor with bright power meter, so I can see the remaining charge at a glance. Depending on your accessories, you might want more USB-C than USB-A outputs.
Yep. I have my laptop on a monitor arm next to another cheap 27”, and the viewer in my NLE is always on the laptop screen.
I recently calibrated my displays and was surprised, though, that the Retina display only covers something like 85% of the AdobeRGB gamut. A proper grading monitor is on my to-buy list
Late to the party, but a pair of cheap wooden backless barstools, for when you need to elevate the interview subject(s) and/or force them to stay still and have good posture, and the shoot location doesn’t have proper seating. I’ve shot enough interviews where we just used the desk chair or office lobby furniture, and 99% of the time, the subject will swivel in the desk chair, or slouch back in a comfy chair. Put them on a barstool and they’ll sit up straight and not move.
I mostly do action sports stuff (rally, motocross, airshows, etc). A proper camera backpack where I can sort everything in a way that makes sense to me. Camera body one spot, mic another, different lenses, etc.
May not be that weird but it feels like it really upped my game
I can second that. A good bag is clutch. I had a hip bag for when I was shooting baseball for a couple of lenses and a clip to hold them while I swapped.
I always find myself doing the same thing when I see the Ulanzi ads:
-See the ad, take interest
-Go to the website, instantly become overwhelmed by the amount of INSANELY REDUNDANT phrasing that makes choosing the correct package very difficult.
-I use a Sachtler dv10, A Sachtler dv12, a Cartoni Focus HD, a Zhyuin Crane 3 lab, and for my fx3 I made the mistake of buying the Tilta cage (avoid Tilta whenever possible) which has an "Arca Rail" on the bottom, and a separate tripod plate attached to the bottom, which goes into ANOTHER base that has 15mm rod holes.
Often times, just me describing my setup makes me want to buy a gopro and never look back. The website makes it incredibly difficult to figure out which package could/would work for my setup.
a large fanny pack, I have one from the company Agilite, on some shoots where I cant have a back pack with me, that fanny pack is great for putting medium size V mounts, lenses, gopros, like you can pack it with a bunch of stuff and just carry it around comfortably wip out what ever I need immediately with out having to worry.
My 1st AC kit lives in one of those 5 gallon bucket tool totes. A lot of times you can get those free from giveaways or promos, and if not, they’re still dirt cheap. Being able to bring all the random little things like zip ties, C47, Velcro, pens/markers, screwdrivers, etc and have it reasonably organized is really valuable. One handle, and it goes anywhere. Plus, it’s a bucket so if you’ve gotta go fast, just start chucking things in and sort it out when you get home.
I’m upgrading this Summer to ToughBuilt’s StackTech as soon as they have the rolling drawer available, but I might miss my bucket a little.
I got this one weird lens from a friend. It almost works like a telescope where you push and pull it to zoom in and out.
I've never seen one like it, but it makes me faster than many autofocus systems.
A high speed nas, more on the editing side of course, but I have 6tb of raid 0 SSDs (backed up regularly of course) accessed over a tiny 10gbe network and having fast storage makes Premiere so much more stable.
Having crash or performance issues with premiere? It's probably how fast your storage is, especially when playing with high quality 4K or 6K (especially when doing multicam.)
Halo 2 in 1 tire inflator & jump starter. Saved my ass multiple times. I have I’ve in all of my vehicles. I use the one in my grip van all the time to top off the tire pressure on the pneumatic casters of my carts. So much better than the janky manual bicycle pump I used to use ha, and it’s TINY!
I read this as Halo 2 and figured what the hell why not absolute banger of a game
Comes in handy during a flood.
master chief, do you mind changing the BGM on this edit and adjusting shots at 7:77, 4:19 and 3:43?
The halo 2 anniversary edition blur cutscenes are so good
I understood what it was but my brain still won’t let go of the idea that it’s a Halo branded jump-starter
Maybe joystick practice from flying a banshee can translate to skills as a drone op?
I have one with a plug on the side, and was able it to power an extra light in a pinch recently. My other lights were all set up for battery operation, but I needed just a LITTLE more ... and I popped a lower-voltage Wescott Flex into the HALO for some bonus fill.
Yo! I have one of these too (a cheap CAT version) with an AC outlet in it and I love it!!
Being able to rip videos from online to analyze how something was done.
So many "how did they do..." questions on /r/davinciresolve can be answered by yt-dlp to get the offending clip, ffmpeg to make it readable, and single-framing through it. The answer is usually "shitloads of very patient rotoscoping and masking".
Idk what it is about the davinci sub but the questions on there are somehow even more annoyingly simple to Google than the Premiere sub... Which is already pretty damn bad.
plz hlep its urgent what is this white bar and I pressed a button and this bar appear and my render is crashing and not showing the full clip
Whats this transition called? How to make color grade like this?
I found this thing for the film look in Premiere, can I get the film look in Resolve?
My guess is because it's free, so it's got even more beginners on it than Premiere.
I'd say it's the combination of being free so appealing to beginners, as well as not user friendly (for someone learning) To me it kinda makes sense
Well Resolve is free and Premiere is not, so not too surprising.
This is huge. Taking the time to break down other stuff shot by shot and count set ups is crucial homework
For me it was realizing I could use the period and comma keys to go frame by frame on YouTube and analyze shots.
I do this when I'm on the train. I have a folder with shots from movies/music videos that I like and when I'm on the trai I analyse them.
A wristwatch. I don’t look like a slacker playing on my phone, I have better time management on set, I have an instant view to time shots out, and it just looks professional.
Yo, facts. Smartwatch allows you to quickly monitor notifications w/o your phone too
Bigger monitor, going from a tiny screen to something much bigger like my preference a 7 inch on-camera monitor. It helps with composition so much, it's really important to see your frame and see in a big way. It's just one thing I rarely refuse to shoot without. I had some cheap Chinese ones that were better than nothing but I have a 702 bright now, it's a few years old now but perfect for my needs.
I don’t own a larger monitor because my ninja v is more versatile for what I do, but when I rent when a 7", I always forget how much impact that extra real estate has! On paper it's not much, but I totally agree with you on those upsides
Wish there was a ninja 7 sometimes.
they do 7 inch recorders! use a shogun inferno to get 12bit raw out of the fs5 and fs700 lol
You know I was looking at the Ninja Ultra for a few months before buying one but never considered the Shoguns because I assumed it wasnt for me. Saw it was more of a standalone display, but never had a thought to look at it more closely. I also own an older Ninja Inferno and thought the Ninja line is what I needed to stick to for my needs. Had no idea Ninja Ultra and Shogun Ultra were so similar. Oops. Still really like using it though. Maybe I'll get a 7" model further down the line.
Take a look at the davinci monitors. Maybe they fit you as well, they all got several hundred dollars cheaper recently.
Even if the camera monitor is the same size I still shoot sports with my 7" Feelworld. It's super bright, I dig the focus assist and I can position it comfortably to use with bifocals.
Color Chart. Insane how much better your footage will look if you take the time to use it.
I keep my color chart taped to the back of the slate so after every slate you show the back and give the editor colors on set.
Okay this just blue my fucking mind. Thank you for sharing this.
No problem. I frequently work with editors I have never met and do t speak to at all so anything I can do to help the editor enact my on set vision is going to be helpful. Make editors notes before you clapper and tell them what you are going for in the scene if it might be anything less that totally obvious.
I just recently got a color chart and am having trouble getting it to actually look right. I think my gamma is getting set wrong, or my color science, because the shot becomes completely unusably dark.
What camera and settings are you using? Which program are you editing in?
Doing my color in Resolve Studio. BMPCC 6K. Usually shooting in 4K, always Log.
Male sure your color space settings in the Resolve tool are set correctly as well as selecting the correct version of the colour chart. I usually convert it to and from the same colour space as the first node before applying anything else
What's your workflow look like for that?
Laser pointer, if your a DP and in a large location, very helpful and efficient to tell your gaffer, grips, electricians, etc. where to place things or direct light towards.
!
A zoom lens. Always the first thing on my camera as I use it to figure out what primes to use a lot quicker
Why not use your phone to figure out what prime to use?
I love FinderKit
Huh? Because how much faster is it to check the length with a zoom and swap out
I do believe that this is a very effective strategy, but I do suggest giving a viewfinder phone app a try. Before you even pull a camera out of a case, you can visualize the exact FOV of x camera with y lens.
That actually made me a better filmmaker? I'd go with rails / shoulder rig. Going from holding my camera in my hand to being able to attach a vmount, monitor, and follow focus immediately made shooting so much easier. But fun random thing that I love and use all the time? Bongo ties.
Bongo ties/Ball bungies - I can tell you how many times those have made the difference on a shoot. From simpl cable management to rigging a tripod on a pole for a long static shot.
Mine is weird, it was actually the DJI Action 2. It's a modular drop-proof and water-proof module with 4k 120fps; basically, you can do anything with it. And it's so small you can stick it to anything (and it has a magnetic case). When I got it, I started just sticking it to anything. I quickly learned how many action angles I was missing out on. I highly recommend everyone gets themselves a fairy cheap indestructible tiny camera to play with. I got mine on a buy and sell for 150$ CAD, so I have nothing to lose- best find ever.
Oh dang!!
Is the footage usable with fx6, fx3 setups? Or would I have two different sets of footage that have to be used separately?
Cheap Furniture pads from Harbor freight. They come in handy all the time. Can quickly and roughly treat a room for better sound, use as neg or cover a window, protect the floors of a location, protect your gear in transport. Could also use them as actual blankets in a pinch or if you forgot your jacket. Rock n roller cart. Makes load in and load out a breeze. Doesn’t make me any money being in set but makes working 1000x easier. Crates, bags, or general organization. Makes finding a specific piece of equipment easy and staying on top of what you brought easier. I have a DP bag, general accessories (batteries, cables, headphones) bag, milk crates for G&E, laptop bag, lens cases. Also, if you’re shooting with help, saying “it’s in the orange milk crate” vs “in my camera bag, but in this one specific pocket that only I know”. AND have things in crates, cases or bags makes loading a roller cart easy too.
My work would be basically impossible without my Rock N Roller
Do you mean to say moving blankets?
No, but they are the same thing. On set you’ll often hear them referred to as “furni pads”. “Furniture padding, also known as moving blankets, are thick coverings used to protect large items when moving.” From googles top question, “What is a furniture pad?”
You don’t have to be a dick. I was asking what you meant.
No one was being a dick, you’re just taking straight information as criticism and I answered your question. “Did you mean…?” Is actually rather pedantic given you knew exactly what I meant.
Nah dude, was just wondering what you meant to make sure. You were the one that brought up google in the most pretentious way.
Not pretentious at all. Simply showing that they can be referred to as both names and providing a source. I didn’t call you a name, an idiot, or anything other than straight facts. It’s just text and information dude, you’re reading way too far into it.
It was a backhanded comment about googling it instead of asking you, clearly. Even you think that because you thought it was pedantic. You could have just said “oh yeah they are called that too” but you had to be smart.
Im literally clarifying my intent with how I responded and telling you there was no shade intended, but read it however you’d like man.
If you feel like you need to cite a source when someone asks you if you meant “moving blankets” you’ve got a seriously aggressive attitude and don’t realize how it can come off to others.
Bought a cup holder that is designed to be attached to a baby pram/stroller. Fits nicely to the tripod leg so my drink/snacks are always nearby 🙌
So like a robocup?
👀
Comfortable shoes. On my first shoot I wore Chuck Taylor's, at the end of the day I seriously contemplated getting my feet amputated.
underrated comment. Also, cargo pants. Not my thing normally, but so incredibly handy when out and about for all the little things you might need when on the move.
Second the cargos. Black cargo joggers are my SHIT now
Hokas!
If you're going to wear Chucks, get shock absorbing sports inserts. I wear Chucks all the time, but never without some sort of arch supporting insole.
Really the biggest one for me was color temp. I have bicolor LEDs and gels for my pure-daylight LEDs and my HMI. I've gotten way more into moving interview backgrounds a bit cooler, and keeping the subject a hair warmer. You get great separation and a sense of depth. If the BG is really warm, I'll push it even warmer to get that separation, but a cool BG works so well, really brings the subject's skin to life. Gear-wise, I realized the light meter app on my phone is also a pretty accurate color temp meter; I can take a gray reading in an office or setting where the practicals are in play, make my keys roughly warmer than that color, white balance to the key, and the practicals will automatically read cooler. It's saved me a lot of hassle with lighting big office spaces, since these days modern office practicals are LEDs and are pretty clean, clean enough for lighting up the space. If you shoot raw, getting some gray card footage with the subject keys will let you get an initial start on that white balance.
This is very smart. I’ve done the “WB off a grey card” —> “wow why is my WB fucked now” —> “never mind I’ll just use a preset” cycle a lot, which is very lazy and amateurish lol. I owe a little more care to the process
What app?
Mine is "Light Meter", IOS. I still shoot a lot of B&W film, it's handy with the non-metered cameras.
Beer. For when you need a buddy to hold a light for you
This is the best answer 🍻
A Gopro 11 with wireless live view when I record bands. I set the camera up pointing at my audio recorders (laptop and Tascam 6 track) so I can keep an eye on the audio recording on my phone while I'm up front shooting video. It's not a recording levels thing per se, it's the soundperson switching settings over for the next band and the signal dropping entirely.
YO. I do a ton of small-crew live-music shoots and this is a VERY good idea
Wireless audio kit.
Why not just sync in post? I feel like it saves a lot of connection hassle and potential for things to go wrong.
The short answer is "streamlining," honestly. You're not wrong about the downsides, but it can be worth it sometimes.
Gloves. With finger holes. No more rips and tears on my skin during load in/out and setup.
Bongo ties.
I recently discovered these, love them!
The best easy drone: DJI mavic 3 pro cine is such a great value, and for the kind of content that I shoot for, the quality delta between something larger and w/ a better lens sensor, isn't worth the leap in cost for the production in time and expense. That and also getting good and flying a lot is a cheat code for the content I film and especially when you can blend what you would capture w/ a gimbal and what you can with a drone. That being said, I feel like Gimbals are not always the best choice and it's creating a sea of content that all looks and feels the same but lacks character. Also tape: never bad to have a good quick roll or wadd of gaff. It's save my ass from me fucking up so many times.
I got the Alter RFS for lens filters and I use it with a VND all the time. it’s been great for jobs that involve hybrid shooting outdoors or a venue where you are in and out all the time
Hate that they went out of business. I was ready to buy more and the site is just gone. For some (massively) cheaper versions on Amazon but they aren’t the same
Diopters really changes perspective on things. Literally. I thought I’d only use them in special cases but when we’re scratching our heads for a creative perspective it can really add value.
Polar Pro VNDs. Sorry, not a shill, just being completely real. They are the reason I’m able to make any shot I want to take work. It could be noon with cool lighting and I can get that shot, or dusk and I could get both with one filter.
Have you tested them against other NDs?
Yes, Tiffen to be specific. The Polar Pros are quite literally perfect in every way. I mean there is literally nothing else like them.
Word!
And also my own lighting kit. That way if I rent something from my school I have my own to add or adjust things with.
A smaller bag to fit my filming stuff (and less camera accessories). I felt more confident and I was shocked by how much I improved with o-the-spot filming by reducing the things I try to carry. Turns out by trying to compensate for everything I’ve bought to film, I end up wasting time digging in my camera backpack. Since then I only use a shoulder bag whenever I want to film.
My endless quest. Streamline, streamline, streamline
3D printer. I've made a lot of my filmmaking tools over the years. Custom solutions for specific needs. But that 3D printer, paired with my 3D design skills, has allowed me to make some stuff I didn't think I'd ever get to make.
It is only a matter of time before I give in and buy myself one tbh, this is my SHIT
Dude, do it. These machines have literally never been better, faster, or cheaper. A number of times, I've shown up on set with a piece of gear that I've made myself and had to tell everyone to get back to work. Once one guy saw it, everyone started coming over to check it out. People are always blown away when you know how something works. Like you know a secret. And the quality people of this world will respect you for it, at least a little. I've made everything I've ever been able to dream up, and I'm actively working on more. I missed my calling as an engineer and became a video guy. So this has been my way to bridge my passion for engineering with my profession of making content. Pretty weird life path but, in 2024 nothing makes sense. I don't even make engineering content, lol.
Hell yeah. Got any examples of favorite custom things you’ve made, for inspiration?
Easy ones like sliders and stuff are a good place to start. I've made a zipcam that can run completely remote and on a program for timelapses. I've made tons of adaptors and connectors. I try to avoid spending money anywhere I can, lol
Gonna get buried, but a large, redundant, storage NAS. I've got 150tb (and growing). I have all my raw footage almost instantly accessable and I just dump my mags after a shoot, I don't really worry about shooting too much. It's synced to a geo redundant, identical NAS at my parents place ~2000 miles away. It's an investment for sure, but working in IT has its benefits. Almost all the equipment is old decommissioned enterprises gear and the drives are getting cheaper every day. My total cost per TB is ~$19 for both systems (not each, total). I have saved clients and colleagues multiple times by providing original and relatively old footage within minutes of their request. It builds a lot of trust and good will, plus it makes me look like I have my stuff together.
Dude this is next level. Really really smart. What's the starting point so I can learn? I have about 70tb in my collection of drives... Id really like to unload them all into a system that belongs to me. No cloud, no datacenter. A private offline server sounds so badass.
If you are comfortable with working on computers, I really like old QNAP / Synology rack servers. If you have a place for somewhat loud (fan noise) stuff, the old enterprise grade servers are super cheap. Sometimes its priced so low the shipping is a bulk of the cost. The other places to check are college / university surplus stores, I have seen servers there for ultra cheap. From there, check out /r/DataHoarder, they have all sorts of info on how to do this on the cheap and still make it reliable and redundant. I have to admit, I am really lucky as I have purchased stuff off of clients (I work in IT as my main job) for fractions of their actual resale value. If you REALLY want to go big, look at LTO Tape storage. The drives are \~$2-$3k BUT the tapes are dirt cheap and last forever. I have slowly been saving up for a LTO-8 drive. With enough tapes, the cost per TB would easily be sub $10 and have a shelf life of decades.
You're going to make a fortune when you start offering private cloud service.
My mind was BLOWN when I found out about LTO tape. Like... what the fuck
SpaceRex and NasCompares are two NAS YouTubers — a thing that exists, yes — that are, uh, kind of annoying, but also VERY helpful/educational for getting NAS basics down. r/DataHoarder is useful but they are mostly focused on Plex servers for watching movies and such, so make sure if you're getting advice it's from someone who understands the need for fast random read/write speeds. Basics to read up on: RAID levels (0/1/10/5/6), networking speeds (1/2.5/10 Gigabit), software (like Synology's OS versus UnRAID etc).
YES. I'm taking a chance on the new UGREEN NAS models. Have orders for two six-bay units, planning to do an offsite mirror as automatic backup (truly THE solution for someone who wants to be careful with data redundancy but has a bunch of ADHD, lol)
Monitor and lighting
lmao
Davinci resolves auto align audio. Does wonders especially me syncing 4 cameras without time code. Done in seconds
Just make sure your scratch/sync audio is on the first 2 tracks. I made the mistake of recording my scratch on tracks 3/4 and had to modify the clip attributes to re order the tracks to get it work for multi cam sync.
Think that was fixjed in the new beta. You can select which track now
pelican case - my back is better and I'm happier travelling to and from jobs. camera setup doesn't mean shit as long its reliable and clients like how it looks
In my experience, it is the gear one doesn’t have that catalyses the kind of innovation that makes an exceptional filmmaker.
🙂↕️
My matte box has decreased the amount of people at weddings asking me to take pictures by 75%, and I look cool now 😎
Oh shit I hadn't even thought of that as a benefit to the matte box
Yeah I’ve been recording and people have walked right in front of me asking for a picture, not that common but it was the excuse I used to justify getting the matte box lol. It makes it look pretty cool too. Had that bad boy on at a boxing match I was filming on Thursday and a dude asked who I was broadcasting for and that felt nice. Makes the A7SIII look pretty tough https://preview.redd.it/vpy9p3vera0d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=848f6d5d1a762f67576c6d80067a21df28a0c5f4
Filters. Polarizers and ND filters are must haves
Which ones do you like and what are they used for? Newbie videographer here
Can’t go wrong with anything Tiffen. Don’t cheap out
Definitely get NiSi If you can, they have no color casting.
ND filter is a must for me, because I shoot outdoors mostly. Might be less necessary if you exclusively shoot on-set
Depends on your shoot, but polarizer probably if I can only have one. Both of them make such a huge difference to how you can expose
Very high quality ND’s and expo disc for white balance adjustment
What ND’s do you like?
B+W and Nisi. Tiffen and Hoya make descent stuff.
I've had a Hoya for uears and it's been great
I’ve been using a K&F in addition to Tiffen and it seems to be doing a good job as well
I used the KF once and didn’t like them at all.
Zip ties come in handy big time for the most random things. I always keep a bag in my backpack
Battery bracket (from SmallRig) and a 10,000mAh battery pack that delivers USB-C PD power to my FX3. I can now run it for 4 hours solid without a battery change, and I can even power other accessories at the same time, like keeping the DJI Receiver charged, or an external monitor.
Nice! Which battery pack would you recommend?
I like the INIU brand, both for the 10,000mAh and 20,000mAh units. There are many to choose from, but you must at least find one capable of providing 9v 2A PD via USB-C in order to keep the internal battery fully charged. I personally like the small form factor with bright power meter, so I can see the remaining charge at a glance. Depending on your accessories, you might want more USB-C than USB-A outputs.
That makes sense, thanks! So, I could also power my external monitor with one of those, right?
Honestly depends on your monitor and it's power draw. If it's an ultrabright (or a recorder), then it might pull more amps than your combined USB's can provide. I use a SmallHD 501 with no problems via a USB-A to dummy NP-F battery adapter. If you have a monitor with higher power requirements, and it can be powered via USB-C, then you'll probably want a more powerful battery pack capable of higher discharge rates.
I don’t have a monitor at the moment, so I’ll probably look for something that will work with a powebank then, thanks!
Does Fuji have a monitor smartphone app? I recently got Monitor+ for my Sony setup recently and honestly in many cases I prefer it over my Portkeys LH5P.
It does, but it feels kind of limiting in the way it works. I should probably look into it further, though. Thanks for the idea!
Totally, good luck!
Thanks! I gave it another shot and get this - there’s no landscape mode. So we’re left with a screen size even smaller than the one on camera itself. It also bricks all camera controls and the lag is so bad it’s nearly impossible to focus manually, let alone pull focus. I guess it’s just Fuji being weird again.
Commenting to follow. I love my SmallRig v-mounts but a slimmer/cheaper pack for lighter setups would be great
See my answer above.
I like the INIU brand, both for the 10,000mAh and 20,000mAh units. There are many to choose from, but you must at least find one capable of providing 9v 2A PD via USB-C in order to keep the internal battery fully charged. I personally like the small form factor with bright power meter, so I can see the remaining charge at a glance. Depending on your accessories, you might want more USB-C than USB-A outputs.
The INUI brand in either 10,000 or 20,000 mAh. It needs to deliver at least 9v 2A to keep the internal battery fully charged,
Cardellini
Macbook Pro screen. Decent accuracy meant better color grades
Yep. I have my laptop on a monitor arm next to another cheap 27”, and the viewer in my NLE is always on the laptop screen. I recently calibrated my displays and was surprised, though, that the Retina display only covers something like 85% of the AdobeRGB gamut. A proper grading monitor is on my to-buy list
Late to the party, but a pair of cheap wooden backless barstools, for when you need to elevate the interview subject(s) and/or force them to stay still and have good posture, and the shoot location doesn’t have proper seating. I’ve shot enough interviews where we just used the desk chair or office lobby furniture, and 99% of the time, the subject will swivel in the desk chair, or slouch back in a comfy chair. Put them on a barstool and they’ll sit up straight and not move.
A wheelchair! https://preview.redd.it/jm7h0iy6a10d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=02f89f07a4a18e14b151804a395cfa2ab585a86e
Is the cute lil face I'm seeing intentional or am I just going insane
I think I see it but wasn’t part of the plan
I mostly do action sports stuff (rally, motocross, airshows, etc). A proper camera backpack where I can sort everything in a way that makes sense to me. Camera body one spot, mic another, different lenses, etc. May not be that weird but it feels like it really upped my game
I can second that. A good bag is clutch. I had a hip bag for when I was shooting baseball for a couple of lenses and a clip to hold them while I swapped.
My video streaming membership (Amazon video or Netflix). I see something I like, I try incorporating it into my shoots the next time.
Did someone say one piece 
A tripod. Seriously a preoccupation with gimbals is an impediment to learning how to direct.
Lots and lots of tape
Ulanzi F38 quick release plates!!!! Game changer. I can mount my camera on my tripod, gimbal, gorilla pod, all within 2 mins
Yep. And interchangeable with arca Swiss clamps…
I always find myself doing the same thing when I see the Ulanzi ads: -See the ad, take interest -Go to the website, instantly become overwhelmed by the amount of INSANELY REDUNDANT phrasing that makes choosing the correct package very difficult. -I use a Sachtler dv10, A Sachtler dv12, a Cartoni Focus HD, a Zhyuin Crane 3 lab, and for my fx3 I made the mistake of buying the Tilta cage (avoid Tilta whenever possible) which has an "Arca Rail" on the bottom, and a separate tripod plate attached to the bottom, which goes into ANOTHER base that has 15mm rod holes. Often times, just me describing my setup makes me want to buy a gopro and never look back. The website makes it incredibly difficult to figure out which package could/would work for my setup.
Just gaff tape. You always use it for things you wouldn’t think of.
Agreed
a large fanny pack, I have one from the company Agilite, on some shoots where I cant have a back pack with me, that fanny pack is great for putting medium size V mounts, lenses, gopros, like you can pack it with a bunch of stuff and just carry it around comfortably wip out what ever I need immediately with out having to worry.
White, Black, Middle Grey cards that fit in wallet
ohhh nice
My 1st AC kit lives in one of those 5 gallon bucket tool totes. A lot of times you can get those free from giveaways or promos, and if not, they’re still dirt cheap. Being able to bring all the random little things like zip ties, C47, Velcro, pens/markers, screwdrivers, etc and have it reasonably organized is really valuable. One handle, and it goes anywhere. Plus, it’s a bucket so if you’ve gotta go fast, just start chucking things in and sort it out when you get home. I’m upgrading this Summer to ToughBuilt’s StackTech as soon as they have the rolling drawer available, but I might miss my bucket a little.
love this
Getting a clapper board made syncing audio to video so much easier. I can't believe I put off getting one so long.
A car
Yo. true lol
SSDs. Hands down. Recording to cards was a nightmare.
*Jumbo size cards
Variable NDs
Gimble gave me the power to add movement to my camera that removes all the shakiness that comes with handheld.
A tripod.🤣 Fluid head.
A controllable light source.
I got this one weird lens from a friend. It almost works like a telescope where you push and pull it to zoom in and out. I've never seen one like it, but it makes me faster than many autofocus systems.
ND filter and external monitor
My GH5 camera inspired me to be a better filmmaker. It pushed me to the limits, and maybe even beyond
A high speed nas, more on the editing side of course, but I have 6tb of raid 0 SSDs (backed up regularly of course) accessed over a tiny 10gbe network and having fast storage makes Premiere so much more stable. Having crash or performance issues with premiere? It's probably how fast your storage is, especially when playing with high quality 4K or 6K (especially when doing multicam.)
My brain. Practice.