GoPros and other small action cameras are increasingly useful to indie filmmakers and documentary filmmakers as they become higher quality and more durable. Action cameras like GoPros are especially useful for filmmakers because they can provide a unique point of view and since they’re cheap to the point of beingRead More →
Today women make up just 11% of movie directors, 7% of cinematographers, and 14% of screenwriters. But that’s changing. Every year a new generation of female filmmakers presses the record button for the first time. It’s time to speak out and stand up for the future we want to see:Read More →
Teleprompters used to cost thousands of dollars (and the really high end systems still cost that much), but today teleprompter cost has fallen dramatically to the point where you can get a good quality cheap teleprompter without much trouble. In this article we’re going to look at several different typesRead More →
Bounce cards, bounce disks and reflectors are extremely useful but often neglected tools for shooting video or photos. They may not be sexy or high tech but they can make a huge difference in the quality of your image by adding additional fill light. Plus because they’re not electric theyRead More →
Documentary filmmakers are a unique breed–I’ll admit it. Often we aren’t quite the same as other filmmakers since our interests lie in translating reality to film and telling true stories. That sentimentality means we aren’t interested in the kind of gifts fiction filmmakers and screenwriters might enjoy. There is someRead More →
If you’re looking for help picking the best wired or wireless lavalier microphone you’re in the right place. In this mega-guide we’re going to walk you through what you’ll want to consider when choosing a lav mic and present several options that are suited for your particular needs. We’ve gotRead More →
If you’re looking for the best handheld microphone for interviews, you’re in the right place. In this article we’re going to run down some of the best “reporter microphones” and ENG microphones (Electronic News-Gathering microphones), the type you see reporters using on television. We’ll also look at some accessories youRead More →
Getting great sound for documentary style sit down interviews is extremely important and if you’re reading this article you’ve probably already realized that on-board (on camera) microphones just don’t cut it. Generally speaking there are two common ways to mic a documentary interview: either with a lavalier microphone (skip downRead More →
Whether you’re shooting still photos or video, using a tripod can improve your results quite a bit. But if you’re carrying a bulky tripod around with you all day it can sap your energy and slow you down. Plus, traveling with heavy tripods can be a real drag. We’ve scopedRead More →
On camera video lights are extremely useful when you’re shooting with a DSLR or other video camera in a dark environment. We’ve rounded up the best on camera lights for video below. Candidates for best on camera lights for video: Neewer Dimmable LED on Camera Light for Video This onRead More →
Let’s say you’re looking for a photo tripod or a video tripod that’s under $100. There are a lot of cheap tripods to choose from but are any of them good? We’ll go through the top candidates below: Candidates for best tripod under $100: Manfrotto Compact Advanced Tripod Manfrotto isRead More →
Professional video lighting kits are often large, heavy and bulky which can be extremely inconvenient especially when you’re traveling to a video shoot or have limited space to pack all your video gear in. Thankfully there are now a slew of small and compact video lights available which take upRead More →
Videos with white backgrounds are a popular aesthetic choice that’s clean and simple. It used to take a movie studio to film a scene with a white background like in the Hollywood movie “The Matrix” or as seen in Apple commercials. But shooting a video with a white background isRead More →
B-Roll is footage that documentary filmmakers use to make watching their films more interesting or watchable. B-Roll can range from being used to cover up an edit or cut in the middle of an interview soundbite to re-enactment footage to footage visually explaining what is being talked about. Amateur documentaryRead More →
LED video lights can be tremendously useful for videographers and indie filmmakers for two main reasons: they’re small and often light so they can fit into tight spaces and small lighting kit bags, and they’re also often dimmable, which saves you from fussing with sheets of diffusion or external dimmersRead More →