Looking to get into videography? Whether you plan to make your own independent film, shoot marketing videos for businesses or become a wedding videographer, you’ll need to invest in the right tech first. Without the right tools and gadgets, your films won’t be as high quality and may fail to capture your intended audience. Below are just a few different forms of tech that every budding videographer can benefit from buying.
Camera
Your most important piece of tech is of course the camera. You could just record videos using a smartphone (in fact, there are music videos and movies out there shot entirely on a smartphone), however if you want greater flexibility then it pays to invest in an actual specially-designed camcorder. Such video cameras are easier to grip and you can add various lenses and hardware to them more easily, plus you’ll look more professional than you would shooting with a phone.
Macro lenses
- Telephoto lenses
- Wide angle lenses
- Speciality lenses (e.g. infrared lenses, fish-eye lenses)
You can buy lens kits – these tend to be cheaper than buying individual lenses and can be ideal for beginners. There are specialist kits out there for certain types of videography such as night vision videography.
Tripod
A tripod can help you to take more steady footage rather than having to hold the camera still in your arms. They can be particularly useful when it comes to still shots, as well as helping you to take more steady pan shots and tilts.
When choosing a tripod, consider the height and the weight. How easy a tripod is to set up could also be important when filming events, wildlife or spontaneous footage. You can find a great guide to tripods here.
Gimbals/stabilizers
Gimbals and stabilizers can be useful for steadying your footage while taking motion shots. If you’re vlogging, you probably won’t need one, but if you’re filming action footage then they could come in handy.
You can find an array of gimbals and stabilizers online for all different kinds of shots. Smaller gimbals are better if you’re on the move, while larger gimbals can be useful for productions on sets. You may be able to buy gimbals as part of a film-making tripod set to save money.
External microphones
Many cameras have in-built microphones, however these aren’t always decent enough to pick up all the sounds in your films with clarity you may desire. External microphones can be positioned where you want, allowing you to pick up sounds of actors, live musicians, wildlife or even ambience more clearly.
External microphones fall into three main categories: shotgun, lavalier and handheld. You can find more information on all of these microphones here at Street Bounty. A decent microphone should be able to eliminate background noise while giving a crisp audio quality – it could be worth reading reviews of various microphones to find the best ones.
Lighting
When shooting a film or advert, the way you use lighting can have a huge impact on the quality of the results. While there are creative ways to use natural lighting, most film-makers require some artificial lighting to help put the focus on certain objects or people. Lighting can be particularly essential when filming at night or indoors.
There are all kinds of different types of lighting including key lights, fill lights, backlights and side lights. It’s often best to buy a lighting kit. This should contain all various types of lighting that you need.
Drone
Drones are remote-control flying cameras that can allow you to take stunning aerial shots. These gadgets have only really become popular in the last decade – before they were widely available commercially, videographers had to hire a helicopter to take aerial shots.
Drones could be a way of seriously boosting the production value of your films, while also giving you greater flexibility when it comes to shots. While a decent drone isn’t cheap, there are many discounts that you can grab up online – the likes of this DJI Air 2S sale show just what you can get. More complex and expensive drones may require more training to get to grips with.
Video production software
Video production software will help you to edit your video and piece it together. It’s important to find something that is affordable and right for your needs.
Video production programs are available in a range of different prices depending on how complex you need them to be. If you’re vlogging at home, you may only need basic software. However, when making a film, it may benefit you to buy something more advanced. Learning how to use video production software can take a long time – you may already be used to a certain brand of software, in which case you may want to stick with their software. By reading reviews, downloading free trials and checking out walkthroughs, you can determine whether a program is right for your needs.
Make sure that your computer is also powerful enough to run this software. Video production requires a lot of processing power so bear this in mind.
