Help me build my studio!

[PegLeg Media]

So i work for an elearning company and we do a ton of simple 2 camera shoots as well as photos, green screens and interviews.

We are re building our office and they want a nice 25x20ish studio with an infinity wall and new equipment (but will probably turn down most my requests). If anyone can throw in some input or suggest affordable gear for any of the following topics I will break them down into categories.

1. The Setup
So I am trying to come up with ways to build this. I am thinking a white infinity wall with a green screen/blue/white/black pull down backdrops on the opposite side of the studio. Would most of you recommend a green screen infinity wall? We have 2 departments within our company, the other uses a lot of green screen and i barely use it so feel like it could go either way.

2. LIGHTING
So right now we have a room we film in. we have 4 came-tv LED lights that are bi-color and probably the equivalent of 400-500w each. When trying to blow out the background white and keep the subject lit separate, these lights don't spread wide enough to blow out the background. With an entire white infinity wall i'm not sure if there is a good 4 light kit we could get? I assume kino flo's would be best but dont know which ones are good and which aren't (ive never actually used kino flos). Maybe 2 kinos to add to the 4 lights we already have which dial up to 5600? Anyone have links to good lights for this? Anyone have a small studio and a light kit they recommend?

3. CAMERAS
I don't think we will have a big budget. Right now they use a cheap vixia handheld camera and 2 t3i's. I am thinking of suggesting the panasonic gh4 or g85 to future proof the work with 4k, but I actually prefer the shallow depth of field and having video auto focus of a simple canon 70d over the gh4. I would love sony but in a 3 hour shoot you bet an a6300 will overheat. Anything new about to come out i should look at? any other suggestions?
I am also thinking a dj osmo for our b-roll camera. A lot of times i am filming interviews and someone else goes out to film b-roll who is not an actual videographer so the footage is always shaky with quick movements. I assume this will allow someone new to still get good b-roll.

4. AUDIO
We have the zoom h4n with the ntg-2 and 2 senn g3 lavs so i dont think they will buy us a new mic. In a studio like this do you recommend throwing down a bunch of sound blankets? I was thinking maybe some to the right of the wall as well that would dampen sound and also work as a black backdrop?

5. TELEPROMPTER
We currently use the ole ipad and the $150 teleprompter holder. Is there a somewhat affordable teleprompter we can get that also hooks up to a computer so we can control the text from across the room? And a cheap software/program to do this?

6. DOLLY/SLIDER
I have seen a lot of the second shooter sliders that go back and forth on their own for interviews. I have also seen one that is affordable that lays down on pvc pipes which would allow a longer travel. Anyone have a suggestion for a cheaper motorized second shooter?

7. ACCESSORIES
c-stands, backdrops, apple box, mirror... Any accessories we would need and might forget?

thanks for the help

 

[clang]

Yes, definitely think about some sound dampening - far easier and cheaper to plan for now, than try to fix afterwards.

You haven't mentioned including a green screen wall? (Or lighting to illuminate it properly)

And make sure all the walls have nice sturdy rails mounted along their tops, for hanging equipment, curtains, whatever.

 

[PegLeg Media]

I am looking into wall mounts and backdrops. I currently have a 10x20 green thick backdrop and plan to get a couple more colors. This thing is very heavy so I want to get a nice triple wall mount to hold these backdrops and the only ones i see are the cheap cowboy studio ones : http://amzn.to/2fW71zb

Does anyone have a recommendation for a nice way to hang 3 color backdrops to a wall that is going to be sturdy?

 

[Wes.]

I would definitely say white infinity wall with pull down green screen option. The green bleed from a green infinity wall will get frustrating when shooting anything, especially something that isn't intended to be green!

 

[clang]

I would definitely say white infinity wall with pull down green screen option. The green bleed from a green infinity wall will get frustrating when shooting anything, especially something that isn't intended to be green!

Good point, you'll need some way to cover/hide the green screen.

One other piece of kit occurs to me - a mini-crane jib. An easy way to get some unusual camera movements.

 

[Design Media Consultants]

The studios I have worked in all have high ceilings with a grid system for hanging lights and other equipment. This helps avoid light stands getting in the way, etc. And sound dampening is vital. Nothing ruins a shoot more than unexpected noise at a critical moment.

Sound dampening does not have to be expensive, but it can be. I have done some sound dampening for my own company and it can be complicated in some buildings. I had a high rise office constructed of solid cement wall, ceilings, and floors. I thought this would be excellent for sound insulation. However, the sound would travel and be conducted through the cement. Professional sound suppressing companies will actually create a false floor and place it on vibration proof dampeners, etc. But that is expensive. I created my own system. To stop sound you want a dense material. I used pressed wood to cover windows, and build false walls an then covered them with foam insulation, and old carpet. It was not perfect but really made a difference.