Studio equipment

[Les Wilson]

I set this up for a church recently. You cannot get video production by buying equipment. Ultimately, it takes someone with experience (not someone handy with technology, they are the worst).

As everyone else has told you, after you buy this stuff, you will be nowhere without someone who knows what they are doing to set it up, use it, know how to conduct interviews, light, mic and film b-roll, set it up on location, film in the field, organize the footage, bring it all home without losing any and edit it together into something somebody will watch. What you want is a video producer, not a studio. A good producer for you will come with the necessary equipment. That's what you should spend the money on. Enthusiastic executives and directors are plainly delusional thinking they are creative ones thinking up all the ideas. Ideas are free. Execution costs.

But, if you want to go spend some money and keep the equipment companies in business, minimum for the studio:
2 Lowel Pro lights with barndoors and gel holders with diffusion gels
2 Lowel Tota Lights
2 Photoflex PHSDMZ SilverDome NXT, Medium Softbox , 24x32x17"
2 Photoflex PHSRLTQ Speed Ring for Lowel Tota Light
2 250w lamps for Lowel Pro lights
2 500w lamps for Lowel Tota lights
4 Lowel O1-33 stands or other of your choice. If there's a hung ceiling, then 4 Lowel CM-20 scissor clamps
1 Rode NTG-1
25' Whirlwind XLR cable
1 large boom stand
1 Libec TH-650 or equivalent
30" Reflector

Any of the following cameras under $3500 as long as there's an XLR audio block, stores video on solid state media (no tape) and DOES NOT have interchangeable lenses.
Camcorders| B&H Photo Video

iMac Desktop or Macbook Pro 15"
Final Cut Pro X or iMovie

[Steve Varnell]

I didn't see this thread was from April, but hopefully my points are helpful.

From what I am seeing, without knowing the experience of the staff running the show and matching gear to them is quite important. I think most of the advice is pretty good. The major things I have found are if there are folk who don't know how to run the equipment there to me should be a push for less expensive gear. Most of the pro stuff "is for pro's" and you might as well have amateur camera's for instance.

For instance; microphones a quite important, but you need the right mic's and recorders and of course someone who can figure that out. Since most interviews are with 2 people you need at least 2 microphones. How are they going to be used? In my experience the lapel microphone Sennheiser G3 are pretty much an industry standard, but are around $600 each. You can save and use 2 shotguns (I do like the NTG2) or 2 interview microphones and frankly either would be much more durable and easier to use. I don't like most of the consumer microphones and I don't think the risk (even with amateurs is worth it).

Since we are talking interviews here, you really want 2 cameras. 1 camera either means repeating an interview or filming both the interviewer and interviewee at the same time. 1 camera setups are very boring to watch and there is little to get around it. I know the Panasonic AG-AC90 would work well at $1750, but if you have someone how knows how to light well (and you invest into lights) you could get away with 2 consumer cameras and an external recorder. You might really be looking at wanting 3 cameras too.

I agree on the Kino-flo or Coollight clones. Really good to work with studio lights, but you are looking @ at least 2k in lights for those. You are quite likely looking at diffusion in addition to whatever lighting you get.

One thing which should also be included in the budget is a backdrop/set,

[Gustavs Repse]

Hey guys

They got the Canon 550D, as one camera, but they will be getting another one since they want to record full events in their full glory with no stops (550d 12 min filming limit).


I gave them the lists of your recomendations, and threw in my comments as well on what each of the equip does more or less.

I also stated my and your thoughts on how this process should be done, via local specialist/consulting with people who will actually do the job, filming etc.

Filming equipement is so diverse with so many different features in each individual model, that one needs to be very certain on what he actually needs for his production before buying equipement. Otherwise all the money will go into features that one might never use, as an example, buying a camera with expencive night visios/infra red capabilities :D So at this point im very reluctant to recomend anything above 1000 price point as they can't define what they specifically need and any shortcomings or missunderstandings will come back to me



I thank you all for your generous contributions to my question :)
I read them all