Just a word of advice to younger filmmakers: YOU DON'T NEED TO BUY ANYTHING. Focus on building your storytelling skills, set etiquette, communication and persistent hard work, the rest will follow. If you're well off to begin with, then half of your worries are already taken care of in your career. Most professionals RENT.
Great advice - less gear and more time on craft and you'll go much further, agree 💯. I would say that renting gear for each shoot is more common in commercials and narrative, and at least when I was starting out it would have been hard to get gigs in the doc world without a camera. Even today there are some gigs I wouldn't get without my own gear, but in general I think this is the kind of advice I fully support!
I disagree. It takes time to learn your equipment. One doesn’t need to buy a red monstro, but you need to own something to practice. If you have a consistent workflow that requires the same gear frequently, purchasing makes more financial sense.
@@Indo_chef 15 years ago as a 17yo boy, I bought a HPX171 with a RedRock Micro mini 35, some Zeiss Prime lenses, Follow Focus, Mattebox, Sachtler Tripod,…undescent amount of money for a 17yo. But man I learned sooo much ! Yes, it was a « waste » of money at that time, but I learned way more than at my film school. I could « make movies » and focus on the story. It was the best decision I made.
I recently bought a lot of gear because I won like 10,000$ in a lottery. I'm glad I have everything I would ever want, but most of the time I still shoot with close to no gear because it's just easier. Plus I can buy legos now that I'm done with buying gear lol
I also use tons of tape, and you probably know this, but i have recently discovered double-sided nano-gel tape. That sh*t is just fantastic. Doesn't leave residue, can hold a tank to a ceiling and can be moved around on set if it's not to dirty... And it's pretty cheap Great channel btw. You got a new sub 👍
Solid tips. As a traveling filmmaker, a good portion of my job seems to be Macgyvering less than ideal set conditions with random items found around the location we fly into. All of these items are simple and cheap ways to fix a lot of the reocurring issues that we run into. Thanks for making this video.
Good video and great tips. I have found that translucent shower liners from the dollar stores are great diffusion and I've been using them for 45 years now. One of the few products that have gone down in price too!
Blue painter's tape is ideal for not damaging a wall. Using the glue of a post-it note, it won't hold up much, but it also won't give you a wall repair job later.
Foam core bounce cards, from the dollar store, for sure. At least one piece of Black foamboard negative fill, or a piece of black felt, for sure; great to hide window reflections. I used to fold up a big piece of black cinefoil and stash it in my kits; useful so many times, from extending a matte box to cut some glare, to shaping a light with an extra barn door or snoot, or, punched full of holes with a bic pen, it's a wonderful instant gobo or cookie to pattern a wall.
Just a small piece of detail but I love the finger snip sound at the appearance of a text you did in the video. Adds bigtime in the ear candy aspect. Love the list too of course!
You got a like just for that relatable Christmas story, lol I just try to avoid anything filmmaking related for Christmas requests, because the only thing they can buy is little stuff, but the only way they’ll know it’s useful is if I specifically tell them. At that point it just feels like I’m telling them what to buy.
Nice tips. You have a backing music track at low level. Its nice but I'm like, "Did I really stop Radio Paradise? Let me check" lol You could add little doorbell chimes and maybe some would run to their doors.
Awesome ideas! The overcovers are blowing my mind too. I'm just starting to dabble in audio and mic'ing up people causes me a lot of stress. I always feel uncomfortable when I'm attaching microphones to people, especially if it involves going under the shirt. Also working with women can be tricky. How do you approach this? A video about different ways to attach a lav mic would be awesome!
game changers! For mic'ing women, just have to be professional and tell them what you need to do most of the time. If you're trying to put it very far down their shirt or need to hide it in a bra, maybe talk them through what you need and let them do it themselves. But I love this video idea - will add it to the list!
I just hit like in the first 10 seconds or so because I know it’s gonna be valuable. Keep up the great content. And yes we’re always looking at our next purchase and researching new gear when we’re not editing or planning.
Good show -- I use many of those. I also like zip ties when I need a really strong tie down. Her in Saigon a big bag of 100 costs about 1.50 USD ... Clothes pins, cheap plastic carpenter clanmps and other stuff is in my bag too. Great info, great presentation.
If you use something on a daily or at least weekly basis, it's good to buy it. A decent basic setup probably, but it depends on what you do. And it's also a good idea to buy (or even lease!) pro gear that you can take with you and let the production rent from you. Like if you're a 1st AC, it's good to have your own monitor, Teradek, wireless follow focus, etc. and besides your daily rate you can get a fair price for your gear. Or a freelance DP should have a camera, mattebox, sticks, lens kit, after seeing what most customers demand. If most of them want Sony, buy that, and rent an Alexa or RED for the few others, just do the maths before.
I recently came across the shower curtain light diffusion trick and gave myself the facepalm.... It's such a great hack. I feel dumb not putting 2+2 together sooner!
I want to say be careful about the type of paper tape you get. I used some of that tan masking tape to keep some cables together and it left a huge sticky mess on the cables
If you are just starting out as a hobby and don't actually know how much you are into this, go to a public access station in your area. It should be free and they should have all the gear you need. I run one in Connecticut.
Masking tape and painters tape are not the same. Masking tape can be almost as nasty as gaff tape. Proper painters tape leaves no residue at all and will not peel the paint off a wall. Also obviously not a strong but like you said sometimes this is a good thing. Thanks for the tips. Definitely getting some bongo ties!
Definitely different. Traditional "Masking Tape" like the tan/beige 3M stuff generations have used may be OK for a day or less but it hardens up and is a bear to remove. It will come apart in shreds and then need a petroleum base solvent and scrubbing to remove the rest, buggering up whatever it got stuck too. Suppliers to the automotive body shop businesses and to sign makers have good tapes that some folks might look into, at least to know options are out there.
I also do that but I pay for all that gear in a slow process but I end up paying for it mostly I watch eBay for years and years when auctions at really good prices and I get all the gear I need
Uhhhh. Be Careful with the chinaball Idea if using some videolights. especially when the light gets very hot. Because then the paper lanterns go up in flames
I use the grip head and clamp that comes with the matthews mini grip system - www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/227714-REG/Matthews_350598_Minigrip_Mounting_Kit.html
Joyce Meyer (Christian evangelist) got started video recording in front of a shower curtain. Now her TV show is in many countries (I forget how many) around the world. So the tip Luc gives you just isn't theoretical. It can get you started.
Why would you buy something you can't pay for? How would you achieve it anyway? Or did you mean "recoup the money after purchasing the gear"? Asking in regards to the first sentence of the video.
Thanks! There's actually an insane amount of traffic right outside my window so the intense audio effects are to blame. Wish I had a more quite space, but that's what I'm dealing with at the moment 🤷♂️
Producer interviewing Gaffer: Pro, "do you or don't you have a shower curtain in your kit?" Gaffer grinds his teeth coz he doesn't know which is the correct answer to get him the jo. Pro, "I need an answer now....Do you Shower or Not???!!! Gaffer: "okay okay.. I do, but I keep it under the drivers seat soo no-one can know...."
I prefer C-47s over Bongo Ties. Much cheaper, If you lose one, who cares? Easily to clip onto your shirt or work pouch. Equally as versatile, if not MORE versatile. Bongo Ties seem like they were trying to improve upon C-47 and just didn't nail it. You sure can't use them for gels on the lights but you can use C-47s. Cable Management? C-47. Holding a hot light onto a China lamp onto a C-stand? C-47. Quickly Bookmarking a page in a script? C-47. Need to hold that shower curtain up? C-47. Want to make a funny face to amuse your buddy on set? C-47. Want to pinch yourself to wake up? C-47. The possibilities are endless. I don't think the Bongo Ties are nearly as versatile and less bang for your buck.
Two killer tips for film makers . . . for free! Slow down - pace your commentary, it's not a race to the finish. Give your audience a chance to absorb the information. Avoid jump cuts. Especially if you are doing a piece to camera. They are disconcerting and smack of amateurism.
A lens blower was one of the first accessories I ever bought years ago, and I still use that on nearly every shoot. Gets rid of dust from most places in less than a second.
Another cheap option for lighting is getting a foam insulation board used for home construction. One side is white and the other a metallic reflective material. Super cheap but quite effective.
I know the feeling when your family asks you what you want for Christmas 😆 Pro Tape Tip: If you need to stick cables to the ceiling for let's say a paper lantern - put a wide strip of paper tape down first then stick the cable to it with a piece of gaff tape. That way the paint and the cable stay where you want them.
OMG a good pair of socks have kept my feet warm while filming underwater and on land while on long shoots. More warmth = less shaking .Hail to you mother! Good socks are almost essential film gear 😁
For light diffusion, I sometimes use sheets from old LCD screens. (Or you could scuff up some plexiglass) Also, might I suggest electrical tape (PVC) as another gaffer / duct tape alternative. It's stretchy, and sticks tightly, but comes off pretty easily too and without residu (provided it didn't get too hot) Perfect for temporarily tying things together too (much like those elastic bands in your list)
