Becoming a professional is all about learning from the mistakes of the past. After all, filmmakers make plenty of novice mistakes in their early days, hindering what could be top-tier work. Inexperience with equipment is a significant factor in making mistakes on set early in your career. So, to help you grow, we’ll lay out the essential video production equipment for filmmaking students. Read the list below to learn how to change your set in a powerful, professional way.
High-Quality Headphones
Audio and video are two very different things, yet they’re equally vital to each other during shoots. If either the sound or visuals in your film are off, they’ll become instantly distracting. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take an expert to notice that an actor’s dialogue is too muffled, loud, or otherwise wrong. For this reason, great headphones are invaluable on set.
With a solid set of headphones ready, you can monitor sound quality on set and adjust accordingly. Suffice it to say, that’s a more efficient tactic than constantly going back during post-production to re-shoot or re-record scenes.
Camera Support
Running around with a handheld camera is a fun way to begin your filmmaking career. However, having more control over the camera is essential when trying to become a true professional. For instance, some of the most critical professional video accessories we carry are tripods, pedestals, jibs, and other tools that keep cameras stable and secure.
Each of the aforementioned tools differ in ways, but they all help filmmakers capture clean shots. That said, camera cages can bring flexibility to your production, offering a reliable way to shoot handheld video without it looking shaky and unprofessional.
Equipment Bags
When it comes to essential video production equipment for filmmaking students, lights, microphones, and cameras should be a given. However, one piece of gear that’s easy to forget is the equipment bag. When you’re a new filmmaking student, the equipment bag probably isn’t the part of the process you’re focusing on the most.
Unfortunately, a lackluster bag won’t provide a suitable defense for high-quality equipment. Lights, camera gear, and other crucial items should have safe, secure storage spots on and off set. That way, you won’t have to constantly replace broken lenses, stands, and beyond. So, invest in a professional-grade bag with durable padding and enough room to keep everything in impeccable condition.