Spec me a filmography kit!

Post by **Grimmie** » April 21st, 2010, 10:13

Sup bitches and hoes!

We're going to be doing some filming at work to produce some interesting videos about safety, either things like interviews with questions posed by the public at a desk, or walking around a car and pointing out all the things you need to take into account if you're carrying a child or baby.

To this end I've been asked to procure equipment for said filming. The stuff will go on the web, so we're not in desperate need for any super duper 1080p mega high-definition ultracam, just something that produces a steady picture and is easy to use. Price is not necessarily an issue, but seeing as we want two of these (there's lots to film) then keeping the costs down would be nice.

We'll also be filming some of these video interviews indoors, possibly in offices that are lacking proper lighting - so some sort of cheap and cheerful lighting rig would be beneficial - maybe a sort of telescopic spot-lamp with a soft-box on it.

Lastly I'm aware that most of these hand-held cameras dont have the best sound setup. May it also be known that I have no idea what's available when it comes to microphones. Do we need lapel mics, if so I suppose they need to be wireless? Would a monodirectional affair that goes on the camera be alright? For indoor use, would an omnidirectional microphone work better?

In short:
Two cameras for web-video output
Lighting rig to illuminate indoor shots
Microphone for higher sound quality

THANKS! :D

Post by **ProfHawking** » April 21st, 2010, 10:46

i dont know enough to go into any kind of detail, but i think you should be looking at HD cameras anyway. hd video just looks better even when small. it compresses better or something, gives a crisper image.

the other thing that is important i guess is budget. have they given you a limit or anything?

mrbobbins · Post by **mrbobbins** » April 21st, 2010, 11:49

There are some very good cheap HD cameras around so I'd definitely go for HD even if you don't need HD.

Some of the cheaper cameras may not have mic inputs either so look out for that.

mrbobbins · Post by **mrbobbins** » April 21st, 2010, 11:55

This is a pretty decent price for a Pro camera, quite big though but the smaller pro ones are more expensive.

You probably wouldn't need an external microphone either for normal interviews.

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/822889/ ... er-advices

Post by **Grimmie** » April 21st, 2010, 14:04

Probably about £1,000 for the whole kit, so that one's a bit over-budget, Bobbins

Thanks for the suggestion though.

mrbobbins · Post by **mrbobbins** » April 21st, 2010, 15:04

Grimmie wrote:Probably about £1,000 for the whole kit, so that one's a bit over-budget, Bobbins
Thanks for the suggestion though.

I reckon it'll be pretty difficult to get 2 cameras with audio inputs for less than £1000, you're probably better off making do with any ~£350 camcorder without an additional microphone.

Akiakaiu · Post by **Akiakaiu** » April 21st, 2010, 15:45

When the company I was in did something like this they got one of the nearby school's film classes to work something up. Not sure what you have for time limits, or if it's even possible for you guys, but they did a good job and had all the equipment already. And it helped some poor students.

But I'ma go with Bobbins otherwise, wireless mics are still rather expensive and along with 2 cams, lights, reflectors... gonna cost a pretty penny. Is it possible to rent this stuff maybe?

Post by **deject** » April 21st, 2010, 16:36

I say get some Flip mino HD type cameras. The quality is more than good enough for web video. You can get two for not too much, leaving plenty for the other bits. I have no idea how much that stuff would cost though. The cameras cost about $200 or so here, so at most two of them should be half your budget.