Are you ready to become an amazing storyteller through movies, television shows, documentaries, and more? Before you get started, you’ll need movie making equipment to improve your video distribution system. That all depends on your budget and specific needs. If you’ll be doing documentary-style filming, you’ll need wireless microphones to capture dialogue. If you’re filming for live broadcast, you’ll need a video switcher to mix and cut before you release the final product.
If you’re just starting out, you might want to consider renting media and entertainment equipment before you buy. Everyone’s definition of necessary production equipment is different and that’s fine. Once you know where you’re shooting, you can decide what film equipment you need. No matter what type of filming you’re doing, here is the basic necessary production equipment for broadcasting and movie creation.
High-Definition Video Cameras
You can use anything from footage captured on your phone to a professional DSLR for broadcasting. Your skill will always be more important than the type of camera you buy. When it comes to cameras, you will want to invest in different lenses to fit varying situations. Live broadcasts and other movie creation typically requires multiple cameras to capture multiple angles. Lenses like the wide angle, polarizer, and macros all perform different functions.
Additional equipment can include a DSLR shoulder mount rig to enable the camera operator to take smoother-looking run-and-gun film shooting. Need more camera stabilization? Rigs and dollies provide superior shot stabilization, but can be expensive. Tripods are useful in movie production to stabilize the camera for creating smooth pans. DIY alternatives to dollies and rigs are available online. In order to capture aerial shots, drones are an excellent option. With any camera option, you’ll want multiple memory cards and batteries to record as much footage as you can.
High-Definition Audio
When choosing movie making equipment, high-quality audio is a must-have. Lavalier microphones, also known as lapel mics, are perfect for capturing dialogue and can be hidden within clothing to reduce distraction. Other sound-capturing equipment includes shotgun microphones, boom microphone stands, and shock mounts. Shock mounts keep microphones steady and reduce bumping sounds caused during filming.
When it comes to microphones, opt for XLR directional, cardioid, or omni microphones to capture sound from all directions while you film. For more post-production control, opt for a preamp so that sound will be recorded directly to your camera. With a portable audio recorder, you can have an affordable field recorder and clean sound, but you will have to sync your audio and video in the post-production process.
Lighting
Part of your movie making equipment arsenal will include light sources to add or remove shadows. Three-point lighting can be helpful when filming inside to provide lighting from all angles onto a subject. Lights can be mounted on a ceiling grid (or a DIY version of it) to provide effective and easy-to-control lighting. Need to redirect light to your subject or create a shadow? A light reflector or flag can be used to increase light exposure to your subject. A lighting board can provide faders and dials to control the level of lights during your filming.
Cables
Your video distribution system is only as good as your cables. Specifically, you’ll need XLR cables to balance signals and reduce noise. XLR cables can also be long to connect your gear effectively across great distances. Since most every piece of your filming equipment will require an XLR cable, it’s important to label each cable when you use gaffer tape to secure them to a surface.
Live Video and Audio Editing
Your video production equipment isn’t complete with video and audio editing software. For live video and audio editing you’ll need multiple mixers, monitors for each video source, and an audio mixer. A video switcher enables the director to mix and cut between multiple camera footage to create a completed program. A mixing board enables you to perform live audio mixing, provided you have enough inputs for all of your audio sources.
For audio editing, you’ll need comfortable, full-sized, over-ear headphones so you can edit with minimal outside noise. When you’re done mixing and editing your video and audio files, it’s important to keep them in a safe place. An external hard drive enables you to save your work and share it with other collaborators or transfer it to different systems.
None of your editing is possible without a powerful video editing software like the Adobe video editing software or Final Cut Pro X. For your desktop or laptop, get as much processing power and memory as your budget allows. When sharing your files and collaborating with teammates, you’ll want to invest in a cloud service or network secured storage to share files easily wherever you are. Contact MelroseTEC to find your unique media production solution.
