Helpful buyer’s guides for filmmakers by filmmakers.
A while ago, I received the book An Independent Filmmakers Guide to Preparing and Submitting to Film Festivals (Amazon link) by Anthony Straeger for review purposes. Avid FilmDaft readers might remember Anthony, the director and co-founder of the amazing Berlin Sci-Fi film festival, which I was lucky enough to be accepted into with my first …
Mounting a microphone ensures that you will not accidentally record handling noise and allows hands-free recording. There are various methods to mount microphones, but boom arms are widely considered the most ergonomic and convenient way to do so. However, often it isn’t easy to differentiate between prices and quality. Today, I have selected five of …
You cannot make professional videos without high-quality audio. And the in-built microphone, which comes with your camera, just doesn’t cut it if you want to capture the natural sound of a scene or an interview. One way to improve the quality of your audio significantly is to use an on-camera shotgun microphone, which can be …
In this article, you can see the best external monitors for video recording on the market today. If this is the first time you’re buying a monitor or want to brush up on your knowledge, I recommend you read the thorough guide after all the top picks of the monitor jungle before making your final …
The lighting kits in this article are entry-level lights, which are great for starting out and learning the basics. For portable lighting kits, we recommend our guide Best Portable LED Video Lights For DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras. For professional lighting kits, we recommend our guide Best Professional Video Lighting Kits For Any Budget instead. Are …
External video recorders and monitors are powerful and versatile tools that can assist you in filmmaking. Whether you’re shooting on cinema or mirrorless cameras, the larger screen can give you a better preview of your final project and even help improve your image quality. After all, the rear screen on many cameras is tiny, and …
The Olympus 75mm f/1.8 (also known as the M.Zuiko 75mm ED f/1.8) was released in July 2012. So this year marks its 10-year anniversary on the market. I’ve used the Olympus 75mm f/1.8 for the Micro-Four-Third (aka MFT or m43) systems for years, so I thought it was time to show this lens some LOVE. …
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K (aka BMPCC4K) was initially released in 2018 by Blackmagic Design. This camera is an upgrade to the popular Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera released several years prior. More importantly, this camera looked to be an upgrade to the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 2.5K and 4K with its functionality. According to Blackmagic’s website, …
So, you want to become a filmmaker? Maybe you’re a young dreamer like I was, maybe you’ve taken a liking to a new challenge later in life, or maybe you are somewhere in the middle. Regardless, as a newbie filmmaker, you are going to need equipment. Films use audio and video like a painting uses …
As a beginner filmmaker, choosing the right camera can be a daunting task. There is so much technical lingo that it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed. Low budget filmmaking is one of my specialties, and I have a lot of experience working with all types of cameras. The camera is one of the tools to …