Someone hands you $10k, you can only spend it on accessories. What do you buy?

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sonofaresiii

Well-known member
Just for fun, how would you spend $10k on accessories? I don't have $10k, I'm not looking for a discussion on what kind of work you do/asking for advice on how I should spend my money, I'm just bored* and think it would be fun to talk about how to spend a lot of money on random stuff (you're not allowed to buy a new camera!).

*yeah, speaking of, couple projects canceled on me, anyone need a good DP/Cam op in NYC?

Anyway, here are my thoughts, in order:

$3k on (used) lenses
$200-$300 various camera accessories (new cards, new batteries)
$1k new light meter
$2.5-$3k new tungsten lights (until prices are WAY lower, I will probably never bother buying LED/Flourescent lights)
$2k camera rig-- shoulder mount, counter weights, follow focus, etc.
Any leftover on more professional looking carrying cases-- bags for my camera and lights, slick looking card wallet, basically just cosmetic stuff. I hate spending money on cosmetics, but I can't deny that people take you more seriously (and are more likely to hire you back) when you LOOK more professional.

I don't have any specific items in mind, that's just generally how I would allocate the money.

How about you guys? Any thoughts on how you would spend some money on stuff you probably don't NEED but would make your life easier?
 
I'd spend $5K on a new drone and the other $5K on water tight public liability insurance for when the drone falls out of the sky and kills someone.

BTW when did lights become an accessory?
 
Spend it all on craft services. Isn't that the currency of independent film these days anyway? If you look at Craigslist and the local film boards you'd think that the only thing anyone is paid in is craft services and credits.
 
Am i allowed to buy a Recorder? if so:

$ 4k Odyssey 7Q plus accessories and media
$ 1,5k DJI Phantom
$ 1,5k lighting accessories, gels, flags
$ 500 audio recorder
$ 2,5k Lenses
 
As it turns out, I have spent $10800 in gear in the last three and a half years:
(all in net terms: when I sold my first camera, I counted that money as negative expense)

* cameras: $1000 (the number is really low because my current camera is a very cheap NEX-5N; same sensor and codec as the EA-50)
* lenses: $4000 (my current set is made of vintage Leitz glass for the Leica-R glass: 24+35+50+90+135+180) (also includes filters)
* support: $1300 (decent tripod, DIY igus slider, cheap flycam, super-cheap shoulder mount, etc)
* lights: $1200 (some small LED panels, and a set of cheap tungsten fresnels)
* audio: $1300 (videomic, lav, H4n, H1, etc)
* others (including software): $2000

My next buys probably will be an a7s, a new set of NDs (probably Tiffen IRND 77mm), a LED beauty ring light, a small crane and/or a dolly, a movi-like contraption (probalby not more than $1000, I use light cameras and I can wait for the good, cheap clones to come out; in fact, a 1-axis thing to put on top of my flycam would probably be enough for what I need), a new shotgun mic, a green screen, a fog machine, software updates, that kind of stuff.
 
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Given my own set of equipment and what has been money making machines I would say:

1. A high quality tripod
2. Lenses
3. Camera slider
4. A set of microphones

Everything else comes and and goes but the things above will keep on working and generate income for years to come. It's to bad I already have all of that so I guess I would spend $10k on some useless piece of crap.
 
I would put it toward a used Sprinter Van, giving me a second one so I could roll in with all my gear reconfigured into 2 vehicles.
 
Well first I'd get a decent Wireless Focus System, and then... oh wait, that just used up all the damn money... and some of my precious savings...

**sigh**
 
sonofaresiii said:
Just for fun, how would you spend $10k on accessories?
Click to expand...

I'd spend most of it on audio, whatever I had left over on lighting. Right now I'd be looking at a Sound Devices 633, a Schoeps CMC 641 supercardiod mic (arguably the best dialog mic ever), and a nice pair of Lectrosonics wireless, and maybe some Matthews lighting controls.

So easily 90% on audio.

I'm really surprised that no one (besides me) appending to this thread is advocating for audio. Lack of good audio can be a death knell for your work. I read somewhere (probably someone's sig, I don't know the original quote -- anyone?) that audio without picture is called radio, while picture without audio is called "dead air". In my experience, people just won't forgive bad audio. They'll forgive all kinds of picture problems, but a few minutes of bad audio will have them walking out.
 
- $1000ish on a new tripod
- $2000 on updating various rig components
- $1000ish on hard drives/memory cards
- $1000ish on a good monitor
- The rest on lenses
 
Bruce Watson said:
I'm really surprised that no one (besides me) appending to this thread is advocating for audio.
Click to expand...

Eh, don't read too much into it. It's a cinematography forum, so the audience is likely skewed more to people who either A) Don't work with audio at all, so audio equipment wouldn't bring them in any additional revenue

or B) already have the minimum they need for their job, so again extra audio equipment won't bring in any additional revenue.

Personally I'm in column A, with a few rare instances of column B. The very few-and-far between times I get a job that needs me to run audio as well, quality only needs to be as good as a couple lavs or a camera-mounted shotgun mic into my zoom h4n. Much more than that would be overkill.
 
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