A Video Equipment Checklist for Your Production

There are many reasons to create a video, from simply wanting to record a special life event to creating your own music videos to vlogging (video blogging) or doing effective marketing online. We’ll explore just a few reasons why more and more people are getting into the videography business and provide some advice on essential equipment you will want to investigate.

Or, if you want the Cliff Notes version, and to save yourself some headaches, jump to the end of the article and learn how to engage South Florida-based Media Monsters for everything from setting up a studio to incorporating special effects.

There Are Many Reasons to Create Video!

Entrepreneur.com provides 5 reasons why you want to use video today. They include:

1. The ability to create a unique emotional connection with your intended audience
2. A vital way to repurpose your marketing and educational content
3. Driving your branding efforts and supporting marketing initiatives through storytelling
4. Ability to embed video in other content like blogs and web pages with added shareability
5. Boosting engagement through a more entertaining medium

Video can be great for SEO (search engine optimization) for a website, getting more people to discover your content through search. In fact, the undisputed guru of SEO, Neil Patel, states VSEO or video search engine optimization is still underutilized and gives tips for setting goals to use video to get found online.

Getting the Best Equipment for Your Video Production

If you want to make a professional-quality video, you need certain kinds of essential equipment to get the job done right. While good images and sound can be captured on a recent model iPhone, there is still a vast difference between genuine videographer equipment and cellphone quality recording. 

Video Recording Equipment Checklist

Okay, you’ve got a script and your A-list of players. Now, here’s a list of some essential video recording equipment you’ll want to check out, along with some nice bells and whistles that will really put your production over the top:

• Camera and Lenses: Arguably the most important piece of equipment, consider at least a mid-range DSLR; you can find several reviews on YouTube of options. You will want a camera that is very portable (read compact) to grab and go. Then you can consider add-on lenses for various purposes, such as zoom lenses, a close-up lens, and your basic walkaround lens for most shooting situations.
• Tripod and Gimbal: There’s a lot to consider in the best tripod to acquire. The tripod is going to give you stability for your video. Check out these tripod selection tips. A gimbal is a device that allows your digital camera to rotate smoothly along an axis and also keeps your video camera steady. 
• External Mic: These can vary from those big, fuzzy Muppet-like attachments on a wand that you see in Hollywood movie sets to small lavalier microphones you can clip on a lapel. You could also use a shotgun mic (attached to the top of your camera) if you’re mainly doing studio recording and not moving much. If you move out of the studio, get a windscreen to reduce noise on your shotgun microphone.
• Lighting: First, learn about 3-point lighting, the traditional method for illuminating your subject in a scene, as well as the three types of lights: key light, fill light, and backlighting. This will inform you about what to look for in lighting equipment for your video. You may do well with buying a lighting kit that offers several types of light sources, plus handy things like a remote and a carrying case for transporting everything.
• Memory Cards and Capture Cards: A high-speed memory card holds your video, while a capture card will take your video feed from one device to a second device via an HDMI cable for encoding for playback or streaming.
• Batteries or Dummy Battery: Batteries to power all the gear in the field or studio. A dummy battery is basically a power adapter that plugs into your battery slot and a wall outlet on the other end, allowing you to shoot for a much longer time.

Filming Gear Extras

There are quite a few editing and production software options for basic video production that will help your video output look more polished and professional. You can also invest in video editing hardware. When you’re starting out, making sense of all the filmmaking tools available is much easier if you enlist a professional team to take you through the steps. 

Renting Filming Gear

Video shooting equipment and video editing equipment can be significant financial investments. Additionally, often different projects will be better suited to using specific gear, meaning you may not always want or be able to have on hand everything you need for a professional-quality video. Renting video equipment is a useful option that can help:

• Test out professional gear
• Make an informed decision before you buy
• See what gear is best suited to span multiple projects and what is better off for singular use

Media Monsters in South Florida rents cameras, lighting equipment, stabilizers, and more, offering everything you need to get started on your project right away. The Monster team is available for collaboration if you desire, providing professional touches with multiple cameras, long lenses, and wireless audio that provides non-intrusive virtual command of sound from every angle.

Another thing that Media Monsters can do is provide an awesome variety of special effects, custom animations, illustrations, even 3D, and other enhancements to make your video sparkle. If you’re considering video for a commercial, they are definitely the way to go.

Takeaway

Whether you’re looking to create a true video recording studio or just a bedroom YouTube studio setup, using professional quality gear can make all the difference in your video project. Renting the essential equipment from Media Monsters in South Florida can save you time, money, and energy by helping you select exactly what you need from a one-stop provider.