Kit Advice! Please help newbie!

Timzilla

Timzilla

Member
Hi there-

I've been messing around for years with my Sony TRV-900 making promo videos etc.. and now finally have a chance to get some serious gear!

I'm off to Africa doing some work for a local NGO (humanitarian org) where I want to be prepared to do some run & gun interviews and shoot some decent footage.

The DVX100a is a given, but past thaI'm kind of confused. I was given a package quote from Safer Seas that looks interesting, but I dont know if these items are crap or not!:

http://www.eau2.org/images/quote.jpg

Could someone possibly help me make sense of exactly what I need?

Matte Box - Is the Matteblox from Cinetastic any good?

Wide Angle - I've seen footage where you can see the edge of the matte box when in wide.. really dont want this to happen!

Tripod - Really like the Miller I have used. Any other good suggestions?

Audio - Dont want to use a mixer, any recommendations on a good shotgun, windjammer / boom pole set up?

Filters - Good Polarizer, Sky1 or other suggestions?

Zoe Zoom Control?

....what about Follow Focus?

So as you can see I am barely scraping by with the borrowed knowledge I have managed to piece together from the experts here on the board. Of course I want to keep it as cheap as possible, and do want to stay out of the grey market.

Any suggestions or feedback is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Tim
 
Re: Kit Advice! Please help newbie!

First of all, I would love to know the details of what it is that you'll be shooting. That will greatly impact the gear you need.

Are you the only one who will be out there? If so, than I would get rid of the boom pole right away.

I personally don't like the me66, others will swear by it. In that price range I would say go for the AT897, or, if you budget allows it, the AT4073A.

I would suggest against a follow focus in run and gun.

For a mattebox, the only one I can comment on is the Chrosziel 44001DVXK.

Millers are great, but you pay through the nose for the name. If you want to keep it under $1000, I would go with the Vinten Pro 6.

There are no matteboxes compatible with the wide angle.

Also, I would shop with EVS rather than Safer Seas.

More answers to come once I find out more about what your doing.
 
Re: Kit Advice! Please help newbie!

Thanks TC - When I said run & gun I should have said "I want to be prepared for anything at a moments notice". The climate will be hot / arid and I will be in rural village development projects shooting the humanitarian group at work. I also plan to follow a few people in a "Day in the life of.." type of scenario. This means being prepared for every aspect of their day - waking, walking, school, chores, eating etc.. I don't expect to need a full light kit - hopefully one with decent diffusion will do it.

I will also be interviewing quite a few people (locals, workers etc..) in a sit down set up. I'll have time to prepare and set up for these, so I imagine I'll rent a gold bounce and rig up more diffusion for these if done during the day.

I dont have confirmation yet, but I've asked for a single person locally to help out with PA - this is why I had Boom Pole in my list - anticipating an extra set of hands...

Thanks for any more advice & input!

Tim
 
Re: Kit Advice! Please help newbie!

A few things to keep in mind. Batteries, especially when you are way off into nowhere. Think about how amny you need then double that. The batteries that Jared sells are great, and inexpensive. In africa a pola, and ND soft grads will be very good friends of yours. One other thing you may want to think about is a wirelell mic. It makes life so much easier if you are on your own (you get what you pay for, but a good starting range is about 500). One other thing that may help you out is reflectors. Photoflex makes a really nice 5 in 1. That along with a holder and stand wil be much quicker than lighing, if you even have that option. Good luck with it all.
 
Re: Kit Advice! Please help newbie!

I think you have to tailor your choices to the kind of shooting you're doing.  You need a basic ENG kit, not a film package.  TC and Prairie have some good reccs.  For a tripod, I'd suggest some lightweight carbon fiber sticks.  I have a set of Gitzo 1228 sticks that are really stable and portable--and much easier to deal with then a full-fledged rig.  Bogen and Gitzo both have some nice small pan heads.  Even more important, you need a good shoulder rig for your work--doing a search will bring up some good advice (we *just* had a discussion).   A good shotgun you can use on camera or on boom will be essential.  AT896, AT4073a, ME66/K6, and MKH-416 are all good choices.  I love AT, but I know you can beat the hell out of the Senns and they keep on ticking.  Get a lightwave minimount or K-tek isolation mount and a Lightwave equalizer windjammer.   As TC mentioned, the follow focus isn't necessary--unless maybe you're making Out of Africa II.  A full blown matte box is a liability for ENG work.  The Cinetactics will work fine and you won't need it with a Century .6X or .7X (better) wideangle that you're using mostly indoors.  A good multicoated Hoya UV and a polarizer (both in 72mm mounts) would be good.  Bring an extra UV filter just in case.  The ND grad is optional, and I don't even think most of them will work with the Matteblox because of the length--but if you find one that works, go for it.  Definitely call Rush at EVS--he'll work with you and give you the DVXuser discount.

EDIT: The photoflex reflector is a great idea and your focus aid is linked below and free.

http://www.rondexter.com/professional/equipment/focus_pattern.htm
 
Re: Kit Advice! Please help newbie!

Another useful accessory would be an on-camera light. I've been using a Paglight C6 lately and it highly recommend it.
 
Re: Kit Advice! Please help newbie!

Wow. My head is about to explode. But explode in a good way.

Thanks for all the info folks.

Tim
 
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