Getting funding, need help picking out equipment

[budha]

Hey everyone,

Before I get started, I know a lot of people will say do a search, so if you know of any good threads that cover this already, I would love the link.

My boss and I are putting together a list of equipment we want to buy to show a donor exactly what he is putting money into.

We already have an XH A1 Camera, a wireless lav, and a hand held mic.

We want to start doing documentary/reality based video shoots.

I was thinking that we will need the following items (keep in mind we are on a budget of sorts, so any medium level equipment will work nicely too...we aren't making feature length films):

1. A light kit

2. A boom/shotgun mic

3. A good set of headphones

4. A receiver that can have multiple mic inputs for multiperson panel shoots

5. Possibly a secondary camera (possibly an HV30?)

6. A steadicam (I was thinking possibly a pilot)

If you guys have any suggestions on products/prices, that would be most helpful. I really appreciate everyone's help.

 

[2jaded2care]

Maybe you should do a search...

For starters, if I understand correctly and you plan to shoot interviews, I think before you buy a light kit, you should spend $40 on a DVD called "How to Setup, Light and Shoot Great Looking Interviews":

http://www.ascmag.com/store/product.php?productid=9050&cat=314&page=1

It details how to get together a basic light kit for that purpose for around $1500... A lot of people will advise against buying a pre-packaged "kit".

As far as a Steadicam, do you have experience using one? Do you think you'd use one that often? Might be better to take a class first, and rent one when needed. There's a reason there are people who make a living as a Steadicam operator.

You'll definitely need a second camera.

My 2¢.

 

[KeithPratt]

There are a lot of options and combinations, so a budget and a more detailed idea of what your shoots will entail would get you far more accurate recommendations.

Do you have a decent tripod? That should obviously come before a Steadicam.

For good value shotguns, look at the Rode NTG1/2/3. For headphones, a pair of Sennheiser HD25s will take a lot of kicking and dropping.

For interview lighting, Lowel are pretty popular. A fresnel, a soft box, a lower-wattage kicker, and some reflectors, flags and silks would make a good basic kit. And budget for stuff like C-stands and Magic Arms.

If you need to mic up several people at once, you'll need a mixer with as many inputs. These are not cheap. If you don't have a second camera you'll need one that can record as well.

 

[budha]

We have a crappy tripod...so that would definitely be on the list. I was thinking about getting a spiderbrace rather than a steadicam for now.

What would be a decent/budget friendly WIRED lav? I would need 2-3 for multiple person interviews.

Ideally we want a nice light kit that we can do 3 point lighting with for interviews. Eventually we may want two for multiperson interviews.

The budget is in teh 5k-7500 range right now.