THE FILMMAKER’S TOOLKIT

WHAT YOU WANT
WHERE YOU WANT

THE FILMMAKER’S TOOLKIT
BACKPACK
The Lowepro Orion Trekker II ($61; www.lowepro .com) has a padded compartment for your camcorder and room for other stuff in the top.
LENS FILTERS
A UV filter protects your lens and improves contrast. Keep it on your camcorder at all times, and throw away the lens cap. Opteka makes a three-fi lter kit for $25 (www .opteka.com).
LENS CLEANING CLOTH
Dust is your enemy. The $5 Dust-Off Screen Shammy is your friend.
MICROPHONE BOOM
A boom will help get your microphone closer to the sound. Either tape your mic to a section of PVC pipe, or buy this $55 collapsibleGitzo boom on Amazon.com.
EXTERNAL MICROPHONE
Camcorders often spoil their audio tracks with excessive motor noise. The easy cure? An external microphone.
The Audio-Technica ATR-55 Shotgun Microphone
($56from Amazon.com) is cheap, effective, and can pick up conversations from a hundred feet away.
CAMCORDER
Don’t forget to include its charger, an AV cable, and a FireWire cable.
8.5-INCH CLAMPLAMP WITH FULL-SPECTRUM COMPACTFLUORESCENT BULB
For cheap lighting, buy “natural sunlight” fl uorescent bulbs ($6 apiece) that have a color temperature rating of 5500K, which is close to that of sunlight, and screw theminto clamp-on refl ector lamps ($10 each). Buy several, as they’re not terribly bright, and setyour camcorder’s white balance accordingly.
INDEX CARD STORYBOARDS
3 x 5-inch index cards have almost the same shape as a 16:9 videoscreen. That makes them perfect for pocket storyboarding.A box of 500 costs only $3!
TRIPOD OR MONOPOD
A cheap, lightweight tripod is plenty for a 2-pound camcorder. If a tripod is too bulky, get this onelegged Vanguard monopod ($19 from Amazon.com)
WIDE-ANGLE LENS
Many camcorders’ wide-angle settings are still too narrow. An adapter is a must for wideinterior shots. This lens is included with the Canon Elura 90.
HOMEMADE STEADY-CAM
A homemade steady-cam looks rough, but it costs just $14 andwill give you moving shots that are smooth as silk. See Steadycam.org for construction details.
BLANK MEDIA
Always carry a few spareMiniDV tapes or DVDs.