Hey guys,
I am beginning to take the plunge into doing video production as a more serious side job, and was hoping to get some insight in how I can rig up my GH2 (I've had the GH2 for over a year now, so I'm not a complete newbie with all of this, but just looking to take the next step).
My end goal is to do narrative shorts, but I want to be able to do some side work first (entry level interview/documentary/commercial/wedding/etc) to help grow my skill-set and fund the equipment. My first "paid gig" is helping out a neighbor with videos for his construction firm. He wants me to interview some past customers for a video for their website as well as potentially create some showcase videos for the homes they've worked on (at the moment, they only have a picture gallery up).
I have a very bare-bones set of gear surrounding the GH2, and I'm trying to get suggestions on what else I would need to get through this first gig. I'm trying to figure out what my next purchases should be (if any) in terms of filling out my gear, but I want to make sure I'm building it up in a smart way. (In terms of future proofing for projects down the road -- eventually leading into narrative shorts).
What I have now:
Panasonic GH2 body
Lumix 14-140mm
Lumix 20mm 1.7 pancake
Canon 50mm 1.4 w/ M4/3's adapter
Weifeng 717-AH Fluid head
Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 sticks
Tascam DR-100MKII recorder
Now that I have a tripod/camera/sound recorder, I'm beginning to try and figure out how I should best hold it all together. I've started researching baseplates/rods/shoulder rigs/etc, but have gotten a bit confused by it all.
It seems like I can either piece something together, or go out and buy a full shoulder rig (not to mention something like the HaloRig or numerous other options). For now, my main need (as far as I can tell) is to attach the Tascam to my GH2 on my tripod, but I'd like it to be future proof. This way if I decide to go the piece-by-piece route, and eventually invest in a follow focus/monitor/shoulder rig for future work, I might already have some of the components I would need and I can simply grow into it. Or if just buying a full shoulder rig and only using parts of it for now is the better approach, then I welcome all of those suggestions as well. In addition, it looks like the Weifeng 717AH head uses a proprietary QR plate, so I don't know if that muddles up plans.
How would you all recommend proceeding from the point I'm at? I'd say I have a budget of around $400 that I could use, but don't know how to proceed with it. Would you just go out and buy a Gini rig? Or maybe a cage and baseplate? The options seem endless. Thanks in advance for your help!
I am beginning to take the plunge into doing video production as a more serious side job, and was hoping to get some insight in how I can rig up my GH2 (I've had the GH2 for over a year now, so I'm not a complete newbie with all of this, but just looking to take the next step).
My end goal is to do narrative shorts, but I want to be able to do some side work first (entry level interview/documentary/commercial/wedding/etc) to help grow my skill-set and fund the equipment. My first "paid gig" is helping out a neighbor with videos for his construction firm. He wants me to interview some past customers for a video for their website as well as potentially create some showcase videos for the homes they've worked on (at the moment, they only have a picture gallery up).
I have a very bare-bones set of gear surrounding the GH2, and I'm trying to get suggestions on what else I would need to get through this first gig. I'm trying to figure out what my next purchases should be (if any) in terms of filling out my gear, but I want to make sure I'm building it up in a smart way. (In terms of future proofing for projects down the road -- eventually leading into narrative shorts).
What I have now:
Panasonic GH2 body
Lumix 14-140mm
Lumix 20mm 1.7 pancake
Canon 50mm 1.4 w/ M4/3's adapter
Weifeng 717-AH Fluid head
Manfrotto 190CXPRO3 sticks
Tascam DR-100MKII recorder
Now that I have a tripod/camera/sound recorder, I'm beginning to try and figure out how I should best hold it all together. I've started researching baseplates/rods/shoulder rigs/etc, but have gotten a bit confused by it all.
It seems like I can either piece something together, or go out and buy a full shoulder rig (not to mention something like the HaloRig or numerous other options). For now, my main need (as far as I can tell) is to attach the Tascam to my GH2 on my tripod, but I'd like it to be future proof. This way if I decide to go the piece-by-piece route, and eventually invest in a follow focus/monitor/shoulder rig for future work, I might already have some of the components I would need and I can simply grow into it. Or if just buying a full shoulder rig and only using parts of it for now is the better approach, then I welcome all of those suggestions as well. In addition, it looks like the Weifeng 717AH head uses a proprietary QR plate, so I don't know if that muddles up plans.
How would you all recommend proceeding from the point I'm at? I'd say I have a budget of around $400 that I could use, but don't know how to proceed with it. Would you just go out and buy a Gini rig? Or maybe a cage and baseplate? The options seem endless. Thanks in advance for your help!
