If I hear someone open up with “In this economy…” one more time, I’m going to hurl a shoe at them. For me, the Economy has only helped fuel the inevitable. The Internet is now oversaturated with promises of Cohen Brothers-like video artistry from every moron with a camera willing to work for scraps. So, when I got the call for a shoot in Utah with no budget for a crew or equipment rental, I couldn’t turn it down. Everyone needs their scraps.
So how do you get from Florida to SLC with a backpack and a couple bags of sufficient video production gear? It’s an indoor interview shoot on location in the client’s corporate office. What to bring?
1. Microphone – George Lucas was right. Sound is 50% of the show.
Camera mics are NOT an option. Bring a decent external directional mic & cable. In most situations, you can mount it on a little floor stand out of camera-view and get a nice clean signal. Be sure to wear headphones whenever recording. Ever. Sound loves to drop out, distort, or find interference once you take the cans off. These mics are sturdy. You can bury it in one of your checked bags.
2. Green Screen – It’s not a panacea.
Green screen compositing usually looks awful. Unfortunately, it’s often the quickest solution to get your shots in the can. Be sure the screen is far enough away from the subject to avoid shadows and spill. Grab a 5×7 flexible pop-out green screen that you can collapse and squeeze into one of your checked bags. I once wrestled with collapsing one for 30 minutes after a shoot and I finally gave up and shoved it into the truck all bent to hell. But once you get the twist-and-bind technique down, it’s cake.
3. Lighting – Sturdy & Simple
Let’s face it: you’re loading a soft bag with heavy glass to be carefully maneuvered by professional baggage handlers. Choose wisely. With heat-resistant clamps and a roll of parchment paper, you can make yellow construction work lights work – but they look like… well, yellow construction work lights. Clients will frown upon this. Instead, use halogen soft boxes. They look professional and have similar durability to the yellow bastards. Wrap them in clothes or towels for the trip. Stick to 3-point lighting. Try to bring at least 2 lights – one as the point and the other as the rim. You can usually muster enough of a fill from whatever other light source they’ll have in the room.
4. Video Cameras – Bring 2
You can get great results from small cameras these days. However, you don’t want your tripod looking like it cost more than your camera. I bring 2 cameras: an XH-A1 and a Vixia HFS10. I bring 2 because clients rarely have a spare HD camera lying around the office and if something breaks, I dislike looking schmucky.
I can fit the Vixia in my pocket and the XH-A1 in the carry-on.
Fold-out LCD displays and viewfinders are cruel liars. Monitor your video on a laptop either before or during the shoot to get your settings dialed in.
5. Laptop – not just for emails!
There’s no end to the usefulness of a laptop at the shoot. Adobe OnLocation is great for monitoring and recording your shoot live via firewire. You’ll need a machine capable of keeping up with quality HD video capturing which can get stuttery if your system’s outdated, so be sure to record to the camera as well.
Free teleprompter software can be downloaded all day long for those camera-shy subjects.
In the end, great results can be achieved with a small footprint and it’s getting easier all the time. Stick to these basic guidelines and you’ll be a one-man Swiss army knife of video badassness in no time.
