Whether you are a film school student, a newbie into the filmmaking world or are a professional, choosing the right filmmaking equipment is very important. Making the right filmmaking equipment list can be quite exhausting especially if you are on a tight budget. While a list is important, it also varies from one person to the other given that every filmmaker tells their story uniquely, which impacts on their budget, location, production needs among others.
Ask any filmmaker, and they’ll tell you how expensive filmmaking is given that the equipment don’t come cheap. While a film school student might need to own their own gear, a newbie might consider renting the equipment first as it is a lot more affordable this way and you can save money. Along the way, you can gradually start acquiring the gear you need in order to start brushing up on your skills a lot faster. Besides, you can rent them out and make some extra cash.
Depending on your skill level and needs, we have put down an essential filmmaking equipment list for beginners and professionals alike. Read on to see some of the essential filmmaking equipment you will need for your filmmaking venture.
Camera
The camera is usually the first gear that most filmmakers invest in. Today, there is a new digital camera being launched in the market almost every other month making the digital camera market a very competitive one. When looking to buy a camera, ensure you get a state of the art camera. While the investment might be expensive, you won’t regret it years down the line. Ensure you do proper research on the different cameras that are available, factor in what your projects will be before deciding on the type of camera to pick. While today’s smartphones can be used to take dope pictures and videos given that some of them come with 4K HD resolution, they still have a long way to go and long term, they may not be the best solution for you.
Lens
By now, you must have heard that a camera is a zilch without a lens. The lens is the most important part that gives color and depth to images taken. Although lenses are expensive, it’s important that you invest in a zoom and prime lens. Wide lenses are great for maintaining a uniformed focus throughout the shoot and establishing scenes while long lenses help in making the visuals more cinematic while adding more character to the screen. As mentioned lenses are expensive, however, their prices don’t depreciate as fast, and you can sell it at a reasonable price when you need to upgrade your lenses.
Sound recorder
Fifty percent of the film is made of sound. This means that sound is very important in the film as it has the ability to engage the audience. While it’s okay to make great visual videos, it’s not enough to make them with crappy sound. Bad sound has the ability to alienate the audience from the story you are trying to tell ruining the whole viewing experience. While most of the DSLR cameras can record sounds, they are weak. It’s important to, therefore, invest in quality sound recording devices which you can find online. In the event, you settle for an external digital audio recorder that will let you record audio separately from the video, ensure that you sync the video and audio properly in post-production.
Headphones
Headphones may seem like a luxury to other people but not to filmmakers as they have a very important role when one is shooting. When recording sound, it’s important to do so while wearing quality headphones. Although your camera comes with a microphone, you cannot assume that the sound your microphone is catching is flawless. Microphones have the ability to pick mediocre sounds that your ears may not be able to recognize once the filming is done. With good quality headphones, you are able to catch any noise that disrupts the critical sound you need for your film. Get yourself a good set of headphones and always use them when you are recording sound.
Laptop
There are quality laptops out there that you can buy for your editing needs. Once you have your footage, you will need to edit them using whatever program you enjoy using to edit your film. Whether you go for a laptop or desktop, ensure that they have a fast processor, enough storage space among others. Several brands produce the best editing laptops for filmmakers so ensure you find one that works for you.
Lighting tools
Depending on what kind of projects you are working on, you might need to invest in lighting tools. If you are shooting outdoors and the weather is nothing short of amazing, you won’t need the lights. However, you need to consider that the weather won’t always be favorable and investing in lighting tools will allow you to shoot indoors on days you can’t shoot outdoors. Different gears make up your lighting arsenal so choose wisely.
Tripod
For you to get excellent shots, you can’t rely on your arm to always be your tripod. Your camera needs to have the right support that allows you to tilt and pan smoothly and that is what tripods are built for. Tripods are also excellent for beginners especially if you are not a professional with experience in using your arm as your tripod so to speak. Quality tripods not only provide lots of stability to your camera when shooting but are also durable.
Camera bag
Filmmaking equipment doesn’t come cheap. And when you work and save to buy your gear, you want to be sure that they are protected and safe at all times. A quality camera bag or backpack can hold lots of accessories besides the camera and has several compartments for your items. Besides, depending on your style, camera bags come in different sizes, shapes, and styles and you can pick one that fits your needs and can accommodate all your filmmaking arsenal without causing any damage.
