With over a decade of videography experience, we at Angela Wolf Video have devised our own standard kits and must-haves for video shoots. This week, we wanted to talk about the three pieces of gear we NEVER leave the studio without. Here are our top three must-have items when filming a video.
1) Instamic
This is, without a doubt, one of the handiest pieces of gear we have. The Instamic is a 32-bit float audio recorder (a wearable bluetooth microphone) that's magnetic, wireless, and waterproof. It records internally and can be attached most anywhere, making it perfect for placing directly on speakers or microphones at live events. For interviews, we use the Instamic as a secondary mic, hiding one under either the interviewee's shirt or jacket. The unique design of the Instamic typically prevents any clothing rustling from being picked up on the recorded audio. By hiding it under the talent's shirt or jacket, we can cut down on wind and other auxiliary noises from muddying the recording. While the audio quality isn't as crisp as a high-end lapel mic, the Instamic is clean enough for most any corporate or social media project. Our other note is that we find them a bit tricky to monitor. While they can be tracked using their phone app, we find it to be a bit cumbersome. Because of this, we never plan on using the Instamic as our primary audio. But we wouldn't dream of having a shoot without these as our a very solid backup. Check out their website here.
2) Aputure MC
At only $90, this small yet handy light is the must-have of our lighting kit. With both the full RGB and White Warm LEDs, the MC can be used in almost any situation. And because it's so compact (3.7x2.4x0.7in), it's absolutely worth being a permanent addition to your lighting gear. Use the WW LEDs to match the ambient light, making it perfect to use a fill or hair light. Meanwhile, the MC's RGB lights allow you to add a pop of color easily to your shot. Similar to the Instamics, the backs of these are magnetic and easily mountable on metal, meaning you don't need light stands. This design is ideal for anything on-the-go, saving you a tremendous amount of time, energy, and space. The battery lasts 2 hours at max brightness, or up to 15 hours on min brightness. You really just can't go wrong with these lights. Check out the listing on Aputure's website here.
3) Foldable Wagon
How will top-rate gear do us any good if we can't transport it to shoots? There are a ton of different options out there for wagons, but the key here is to get one that easily folds flat. We love our our Sekey wagon (check out the Amazon listing here) because once it's empty, we just tug upwards on the inside of the middle of the wagon, and it collapses. We take this with us on almost every single on-location shoot. Hauling heavy gear to and from the car can be tiring and time consuming, not to mention potentially hazardous to the gear itself. Using the wagon makes everything easier, faster, and safer. Then, with one tug, the wagon folds and can be laid flat back in our car. Make sure you don't need to take the wagon apart for it to fold flat--this defeats the purpose of being fast and easy to store. You also need to be attentive to weight limit and size when purchasing your wagon. Because what's the point if all your gear just plops out the bottom, or can barely fit in the first place?
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