Best Gear for Small Spaces
Filming in hotel rooms and on the trade show floor have one thing in common: small spaces. Hotel rooms are not designed with filmmaking in mind - of course. Also, the Realestate at say, CES, is very expensive! When you're not in a studio or wide open spaces, the right gear is crucial for success. Here are some of our favorite "small spaces" items:
Cinevate Duzi 4 slider. This amazing item gives you a 24 fantastic inches of sliding glory. It's light weight, and unassuming.
Edelkrone Slider Plus. Another awesome solution for motion, this item is great with DSLR cameras. The addition of the Steady Module was a game changer; adding much needed tension for smooth slides.
DJI Ronin-S. One of our favorite items, the Ronin-S immediately increases production value. DSLRs are easy to balance, and the Ronin is so simple to operate.
Sound Devices 633. While great in the studio, the 633 is really compact for how much versatility it gives you, and how many channels of audio you can capture. (Make sure to have a harness so you don't wreck your back!)
Litepanels Gemini 1x1 LED. You can do Man-on-the-Street interviews and b-roll all day with just one of these lights. They output a tremendous amount of light for their size and weight. Four batteries should get you through the day.
Canon 5D Mark IV or Sony a7S II. Both of these cameras are easy to use, capture great images, and can be used with all the above listed gear. The only caveat is audio capturing; however, if you have the 633, you can just record audio to your mixer. Less cables, more smiles.
Anytime you're here in Fabulous Las Vegas, make sure to hit us up and get the video production rental gear you need to succeed.
Matching cameras on Multi-camera shoots.
How important is it to match cameras (make and model) on multi-camera shoots? Like everything in production, that depends on your end goal. Generally speaking, you always want to match not only brand (make), but also the model of camera. There are differences for instance, between the image produced by a Sony FS7 MkII and a Sony a7S II, but it's not a huge difference. You could dive into the specs of the processors, image sensors, color space, etc., but when push comes to shove, they're very similar. Let us hypothesize a few scenarios:
Two-subject, three-camera interview. Budget is always the driving factor in production. Using a DSLR as your lock-off wide shot for a two or three person interview is great. You can easily match shooting specs, and shoot without a color profile. Additionally, run audio to your nicer cameras capturing the singles, and you're great.
Event coverage with interviews. If you have the budget to have a Sony FS7, Canon C300 MkII, or similar, you want to take advantage. However, getting smooth gimbal or slider shots is much easier with a DSLR and Ronin-S or Cinevate Duzi (think small and light). The b-roll that you're using to compliment your interviews will look great as long as you're matching camera makes (Canon with Canon, etc.)
Different cameras, same assignments. If you have two crews capturing similar content, but using different brands of cameras. The common viewer may not notice, but an experienced client probably will.
All in all, while the world won't end if you mix camera brands or models... life will be easier if you don't.
Best Gear for Filming the Convention Floor: 2019
Conventions and trade shows are big business these days, and that's especially true here in Las Vegas. With well over 10 million square feet of convention and meeting space, Vegas constantly ranks among the top host cities in the world. Gear requirements of course depend on the project, but some of the best gear on convention floor are as follows... The Sony FS7 Mark II is great for ENG-style shooting, has a 17-110mm servo lens, and can shoot up to 4K. Couple the FS7 with the Sony a7S II and the DJI Ronin-S; b-roll shot over-cranked will really up your production value. Either the Astra 6X or Gemini 1x1 LED kits provide more than enough light, run on batteries, and have a small footprint. If you have an audio technician with you, the Sound Devices 633 is perfect. If you're a one-man-band, an on-board shotgun mic and lavalier is usually more than enough. Finally, the Cinevate Duzi is a great, compact slider to really take your video over the top. F11 Rentals is happy to provide all your Las Vegas video production rental gear for your next convention gig!