Here’s a list of basic low budget filmmaking kit for film students and new filmmakers. Don’t spend too much on gear when you’re starting off: buy basic, buy used and hire anything you won’t be using regularly. See Cut the cost of filmmaking gear.
What do you need?
All you need to get started is a camera and a few accessories, a tripod, a microphone and a computer with an editing program.
If you want to keep it even simpler, you can film and edit on an iPad or iPhone.
The best camera for low budget filmmaking: Canon T5i/700D or EOS-M
There isn’t ONE best video camera. Different cameras are good for different kinds of filmmaking. But a DSLR or mirrorless camera is the cheapest way to get good images. These still cameras are mainly designed for photographers. They’ve got bigger image capturing sensors than basic camcorders. That makes them much better in low light and for beautiful shallow focus shots. You can fit different, high-quality lenses and they give you a lot of creative control.
The T5i/700D is Canon’s entry-level video SLR . Older versions, from the T2i/400D onwards, also shoot good video and are worth buying used.
The little EOS-M is basically the same camera without a mirror at about half the price. It’s discontinued, but you can still find it new. Battery life isn’t good – you’ll need plenty of spares – but apart from that it’s a great choice for filmmakers.
Memory cards and batteries
You need good, fast memory cards. Sandisk Ultra are the most respected brand. It’s better to get several smaller cards (say 8Gb or 16Gb) so that you don’t lose too much work if a big card fails.
Get a spare battery as well. Canon’s own replacements are expensive. Check the user reviews as some are much better than others.
50mm lens
Start with the 18-55 ‘kit lens’. This comes with the camera, unless you buy it body-only.
For creative shallow focus, get a 50mm lens next. Canon’s own 50mm 1.8 is affordable but isn’t designed for manual focusing. A cheaper, better option for filmmakers is to get an adapter so you can fit an old manual focus lens like the Olympus Zuiko 50mm/1.8.
Kamerar QV-1 viewfinder
You’ll need a viewfinder to help you focus the image on the camera screen. Kamerar viewfinders are reasonably priced.
Slik or Velbon tripod
You’ve got to be able to keep the camera still. Shaky video is really hard to watch. You need a tripod that is fairly tall, with a ‘pan and tilt head’ so you can adjust it accurately. Slik and Velbon make good entry level tripods.
Rode VideoMic Pro microphone
The built in microphone in most still cameras isn’t great. You really need a separate one. The directional Rode Videomic Pro is designed specifically for SLRs. For shooting outside, you’ll need a Deadcat windshield as well.
Audio Technica ATH-M30 headphones
You should be listening as you record if possible. Get a reasonable pair of headphones like the Audio Technica ATH-M30. Connecting headphones to some Canon DSLRs and other cameras needs special leads and adaptors – details on this page.
21.5 inch iMac
Laptops are nice, but a desktop computer gives you more for your money. The iMac comes with Apple’s neat iMovie app for video editing, or you could add the pro Final Cut Pro X.
Other gear
Here’s a list of cheap accessories that can make a big difference to the quality of your films.
Different kinds of video camera
DSLRs are great for creative beginner filmmakers, but they aren’t right for everyone. Below is some information about the pros and cons of different kinds of video camera.
You might need more than one camera. If you shoot events, it’s useful to have a pro camcorder (easier to use, and better sound) and a DSLR for the more creative shots.
Small cameras (particularly phone cameras and compact still cameras) get you hassled less, and people act more naturally around them. But big cameras are usually easier to handhold and use, and better in low light. If you’re charging for your work, they may get clients to take you more seriously.
DSLRs and mirrorless cameras
Still cameras with interchangeable lenses are the cheapest way to shoot really good quality video. The best beginner options are the Canon T5i/700D and the mirrorless EOS-M as I’ve described above. Professionals will want something more solid like the Canon 7d, the full-frame 5d MkIII or the mirrorless Panasonic GH4.
Pros
Good in low light
Good shallow focus effects
Lots of creative control
Cons
Sound recording can be awkward
Awkward to handhold
Some image quality problems in some situations
Limited recording time
Best for
Making creative short films on a tight budget
More about choosing a system still camera
Video camera vs DSLR
Consumer camcorders
Cameras like the Panasonic V250 and V550K are easier to film with than iPads or still cameras. They’re good for schools and families. They have reasonable built-in microphones.
Pros
Small and unobtrusive
Good controls
Easy to handhold
Image stabilisation is usually better than DSLRs
Cons
Image and sound quality won’t be as good as prosumer or pro cameras, especially in low light.
Good for
Families
School students
Prosumer camcorders
The Canon XA20, Sony AX100 (which shoots 4K) and similar cameras have better image and sound quality than consumer camcorders. They give you more creative control and you’ll get better results in low light. Most of them will let you plug in separate microphones and headphones. But they don’t have all the features of a professional video camera.
Pros
Good image and sound quality
Fairly easy to use
Better handling than DSLRs
Cons
Bigger and more complicated than basic camcorders
Image quality may not be as good as system still cameras
Image quality may not be accepted by broadcasters
Best for
News, documentaries and events on a budget
Videos for online use
Pro camcorders
Professional camcorders give you a lot more creative control than basic or prosumer camcorders. Most of them will let you plug in pro XLR microphones. Most of the controls are dials and buttons rather than menus. This lets you can work faster once you’re used to the camera. The Sony X70 looks really good: it’s got a fairly large 1″ sensor. You’ll be able to install a firmware upgrade later in the year that will let you film ultra high definition 4K video. But Sony haven’t yet released plugins for using its high quality XAVC files in Final Cut Pro X and Premiere.
Pros
Good image and sound quality
Lots of creative control
Quick to use once you know what you’re doing
Cons
Can be big
Fairly expensive
Take time to learn
Image quality may not match cheaper system still cameras
Best for
News, documentaries, and events such as weddings where you need to be able to set up and make adjustments quickly
Pro camcorders with interchangeable lenses
These large sensor cameras have the advantages of both pro camcorders and system still cameras. The big sensors and interchangeable lenses make for really good image qua lit. Most of them also have pro sound features, and they handle better than system still cameras.
They are expensive. The Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Pocket Cinema Camera are the most affordable, with great image quality and a choice of lens mounts, but poor handling and audio. The Panasonic AF105 takes the same 4/3 mount lenses as Panasonic’s mirrorless cameras, and the Canon C100 takes Canon still camera lenses.
Pros
Excellent image quality
Lots of creative control
Good in low light
Cons
Most are big
Expensive
Best for
Serious filmmakers who can afford them.
Smartphones and tablets
You can shoot and edit on iPads and iPhones. With the right accessories they can be really useful. There are more filmmaking accessories and apps available for Apple devices compared to other phones and tablets.
Pros
Easy to use
Small and portable
You can shoot and edit on one device
Cons
Sound and image quality won’t be as good as a dedicated video camera, particularly in difficult conditions
Tablets are awkward to handhold
Good for
Families
Schools
Researchers, scientists and journalists who need to collect and edit information in the field
Compact still cameras
Lots of compact still cameras can shoot HD video. Cameras like the Panasonic ZS40 (TZ60 in Europe) have a great zoom range and are ideal as a take-anywhere travel camera. But if you’re buying a camera specifically for filmmaking, you’re probably better off getting a camcorder or DSLR.
Pros
Small and unobtrusive
Cons
Sound quality won’t be great, and you probably can’t connect an external microphone.
They’re a bit awkward to use for filmmaking.
Good for
Families
Photographers
Journalists and documentary makers who need a discreet camera
Action cameras
These little cameras are small and tough. You wouldn’t want to use one as your main camera. You can mount them on bikes, helmets, cars, your body, or even animals. Most of them don’t have screens. The more expensive ones let you monitor the image with a wireless monitor or an iPhone or Android app. The best is probably the GoPro HERO4 Black, with its wide angle lens, and there’s now an entry level version.
Pros
Small, tough, robust
Cons
No viewfinder
Basic sound
Good for
sports and outdoor activities
science experiments and product testing
news and documentaries
Tripods, stabilisers, cranes and tracks
Tripods and monopods
You need to be able to keep the camera steady and move it smoothly. Unless you are very good at keeping still, and you always shoot wideangle, you really need a tripod or monopod. For serious use you should look for features like
a quick release plate, so you can quickly take the camera on and off
a fluid head for smooth movement,
a bowl head to help get it level quickly.
Watch the height: some cheap video tripods don’t even reach normal eye level. Pro tripods are usually either aluminium alloy or carbon fibre: aluminium is cheaper and tougher, but carbon legs may go higher.
Slik and Velbon make decent entry-level tripods. Manfrotto make some affordable mid-range tripods. Sachtler and Miller are supposed to be better designed and better quality.
A video monopod with feet is another option. They’re quicker to set up and take up less space, though of course they won’t stand up on their own. They’re really useful in some situations, but not when you need to change lenses singlehanded.
For more elaborate movements you can ‘fly’ the camera on a stabiliser. Professional Steadicams are extremely expensive, but you can get affordable lower-end models. Stabilisers are tricky to use: like riding a bike, you’ll need a lot of practice.
Tracking
You could use a track system to get smooth tracking shots.
Cheap tip: For basic tracking shots on smooth floor or ground, you can just find something with wheels: I’ve used wheelchairs, office chairs, shopping trolleys and even a tripod on a tea trolley.
Crane shots
If you want to get crane shots, you’ll need a jib system. Professional jibs are expensive but you can buy surprisingly cheap ones on eBay.
Sound recording
If your camera has the right sockets, you can get much better sound by using a separate microphone, and listening with headphones as you shoot. (If you don’t have this option, you might be better off just creating the soundtrack on your computer when you edit.)
You can use a directional (supercardioid) microphone. This will mainly pick up sound from in front, cutting out sound from other directions. Some, like the Rode Videomic Pro, are only designed to be mounted on the camera, but others like the NTG 2 can be held above the action on an extending boom pole. This gives you more flexibility but you’ll need someone to hold the boom.
Lavalier or ‘tieclip’ microphones – worn on a presenter’s clothes – are a cheaper way to get good sound quality if you don’t mind having the presenter attached to the camera by a cable. (You can avoid this by using a radio mic or separate audio recorder). The Audio Technica ATR3350 is quite cheap and has a long cable, but the output level is low; the Rode lavalier mics are more expensive but better quality.
Serious pro microphones use a special three-pin XLR cable which improves the audio when you’re using long cables. Only pro cameras these sockets, though you can get adaptors to use XLR microphones with minijack inputs.
If your camera only has basic sound recording options – like many still cameras – you may be better off recording sound with a separate audio recorder like the cheap Zoom H1 or the more professional H4n then syncing the sound up in your editing program. You could even connect a lavalier mic to a recorder in an actor’s pocket, which is much cheaper than using a radio mic.
When you film outside, you’ll need something to cut down wind noise. Foam covers are useless for this: you need something furry. You can get basic wind gags like the Redhead for small microphones and audio recorders, but for anything above a gentle breeze you need to fit a furry cover to a proper blimp: a tube-shaped enclosure with the microphone suspended inside it on elastic support. These are quite expensive.
Cheap tip: Put an audio recorder on a mini tripod in an IKEA Fyllen laundry basket for recording ambient sound outside – it makes a handy windshield.
Lighting gear
Don’t buy film lighting unless you have to. It’s expensive and awkward to carry and use. If you do think you need proper film lights it’s better to hire them.
You can buy professional lighting in sets, either as tungsten lights (‘redheads’) or as cold LED lights. LED lights are more expensive and cooler; LED ‘arrays’ are good for producing even, soft lighting. You can get ‘softboxes’ to produce this kind of lighting with tungsten lights.
For enhancing natural light, get a cheap 5 in 1 reflector, which includes a diffuser (to reduce and soften light); gold, white and silver reflectors (for filling shadows); and a black side to use as a ‘flag’ (to block out light).
Cheap tip: You can use builders’ work lights or high powered torches instead of pro lights; alternatively, put high powered CFL bulbs into standard light fittings or Chinese balls. For good colour rendition you need CFLs with a CRI of 90 or more – though you don’t need to worry about this if you’re making a black and white film.
Editing
Software
You can get free or bundled editing software for Macs and PCs. iMovie – free with every Mac – is particularly good.
For more complex and elaborate editing, you may need pro software like Apple’s Final Cut Pro X (which I use) or Adobe Premiere Pro.
Computers
I use Macs. All the recent Macs are good for video editing. If you don’t need to be portable, a desktop computer will be better value for money than a laptop. If you can, get one that will let you add more memory later (the most recent basic iMacs don’t).
Storage for editing and backup
For small projects, you can keep all your video on your main computer. But if you’re doing anything ambitious or demanding, you should be using large, fast external drives for video editing and backup (and you should be really rigorous about backing up).
SSD (solid state drives) are faster but more expensive than hard discs.
With fast hard drives, smaller drives (e.g. 500Gb) are said to be more reliable than larger ones.
I use 500Gb, 7200rpm ‘bare drives’ without housings; the one for the project I’m working on goes in an enclosure, and I can then slot the backup drive into a docking station to copy the project, then put it in an antistatic box for storage. Carbon Copy Cloner is useful for duplication and backup. I then archive each finished project onto bigger 1Tb drives which I keep in different locations.
Keeping the cost down
You can save money by buying last year’s model, buying used, or renting. Here’s how:
7 tips for cutting the cost of filmmaking gear
You could put together a powerful filmmaking system from eBay. Older gear may not have the latest features, but tape cameras like Canon’s HV20/30/40 offer good image and sound quality and creative control, and Apple’s Final Cut Express gives you a professional editing interface for the price of a memory card or two. You need to be careful about compatibility and system requirements. Don’t buy tape cameras which have had heavy use, as the recording heads wear out.
Here’s a list of cheap accessories that can make a big difference to the quality of your films.
A note on video formats
Most camcorders – and even iPads – now shoot Full HD (high definition) video, also known as 1080p. That means that the image is 1920 ‘pixels’ wide by 1080 pixels high. Some cameras shoot 1280×720 (720p HD): not as good, but still pretty good, and more than you need if you’re going to be putting your video online or on an ordinary DVD.
You can also get ultra high definition (4k) cameras. You probably don’t need this unless you’re a serious professional filmmaker and your film will be shown on really big screens. (Higher resolution video takes up more memory and needs more powerful computers for editing).
But if you can afford it, it may be worth using a camera that shoots higher resolution footage than the film you’re making. It means you can crop the footage in the editing software, turning a mid shot into a closeup or eliminating distracting parts of the picture.
Some consumer camcorders give you the option of Apple’s iFrame video format (960×540). Being half the height and width of Full HD, it should take up a quarter of the disc space, and the footage will go straight into iMovie on the Mac without conversion.
A word of warning…
Don’t get obsessed with having the latest filmmaking gear. Artists don’t waste time worrying that they’re using last year’s pencils, and that great camera you bought a few months ago hasn’t suddenly become worthless because there’s a new one out.
I used to judge a youth video competition. One entry came from two 16-year olds who used an ancient mobile phone that only shot in black and white. Instead of saying “this phone sucks, we need to save up for an expensive camera”; they thought “what kind of film can we make with this phone?”. So they made a clever parody of an old silent film – with intertitles (words between the pictures) and over-the-top physical acting – and won their category. They understood film storytelling and that was what made their film great.
Ideas, not gear, are the most important things filmmakers need.
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