Extra video gear and how to carry all of it

Welcome to the Wedding Video Boss Podcast, where we talk about the business of being a wedding creative and also a peek into my world as a wedding videographer. I am your host, Paul Santiago. Please, please come in… lay your weary head on the couch, put yer feet up and let me give you and extra serving of a warm bowl of additional video gear… Yes! We’ll talk about the hardest part of being a wedding videographer, carrying extra shit. We’ll talk about the most commonly used ones, which ones we kept, and how I solved the problem of carrying all of it around, in this segment that I’d like to call… “Carry on, carry on"

I'm not a geek about equipment, I just know what I like. Adam Jones

"Buy once, cry once” - Ning Wong

If you’re a photographer listening to this podcast, this is exactly why videographers need a little bit more time to follow you around when you’d decide to be creative and do an impromtu shoot with the couple. If you’re a new videographer, you better be pumping iron because getting that perfect lighting setup or the steady camera movement involves moving around at least 30lbs of crap. So the next time you decide to do an impromptu photoshoot in the dark… you need to wait. Too aggressive? With that in mind, here are the common video equipment:

Monopod - this will be your best friend. Perfect for maneuvering in tight spaces and helps you become pretty much invisible

Tripod - the staple in all of wedding videography. Getting a really good tripod will definitely help you in having smoother footage

Lights - we use 2 kinds of lights in every shoot, which I’ll discuss in another episode but you’ll need these for sure. Just like when Lady Galadriel gives Frodo a phial of starlight, she said “a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out”

Light Stands - need. You can have your lights just running around the reception area. Actually, we’ve put led lights on our cameras before and every single one, whether is was expensive or not, always popped out to the tiniest camera movement. Plus it looks horrendous whenever you get in the photographers shot and you have that thing on there.

Mic Stand - ah, the savior! We use mic stands for toasts! Why? So that the speaker won’t move around like a freakin maniac when doing their speech!

Gimbal - it comes in different types and the smaller you go the better.

Drone - I’m so happy that drones are smaller now! I remember years ago, drones literally looked like super villains or at least the tiny henchmen. Now, it’s all about portability and it’s amazing!

Slider - If your camera has not image stabilization and you insist in doing everything handheld, you at least need to have this because you’ll never know when you’ll need to do steady shots for establishing and details.

Sand bags - Use Sand Bags because you won’t believe how many people trip on light stands that are tucked away in safety. Face palm. There should be like a sound that corresponds to face palm. Like Krusty the clowns groan...

Now, I’ve been seeing more and more women getting into videography and I know that this next part will help you in carrying extra gear. Not that I’m saying you can’t carry it or anything but whenever I see my guys grab a bag and go “arrrrghhuhhhh” I know it’s a pain. So these are my problem solvers! I included affiliate links to them so you can visualize what i’nm talking about.

The problem solvers:

Camera bag with wheels - https://amzn.to/2SM1Tnu Backpack - https://amzn.to/2WVM0tM Tripod bag - https://amzn.to/2tb7iWR Foldable wagon - https://amzn.to/2I0lYlH

My equipment in an affiliate list:

Monopod (2X) - https://amzn.to/2TpdrKm Tripod (2X) - https://amzn.to/2WE4OO7 Slider (2X) - https://amzn.to/2WAtRl8 Gimbal (Zhiyun) - https://amzn.to/2D7FpDk Big Lightstands (3X) - https://amzn.to/2MMoWci Small lightstands (2X) - https://amzn.to/2MOO6af Mic Stand (1X) - https://amzn.to/2MNf2XX Lowel Lights (3X) - https://amzn.to/2MWf8fX Two Way Radios (3X) - https://amzn.to/2BlWc5N make sure it has headsets with it Headset (3X) - https://amzn.to/2WStCSs Drone (1X) - https://amzn.to/2MXas9x Comer lights (2x) - https://amzn.to/2WPW6fL Battery - https://amzn.to/2MVR7po Sand bags - https://amzn.to/2Id65sq Tripod Bag - https://amzn.to/2tb7iWR Foldable Wagon - https://amzn.to/2I0lYlH Lowepro Backpack - https://amzn.to/2SOkoHX Lowepro xRoller - https://amzn.to/2GImd2D

There you have it! I know this might be the most extreme case of pack ratting you’ve ever heard but this is the value I bring to the client. I hate it when they ask questions and the only answer we can give is… "yeah, my bad.” So now thinking of being a wedding videographer you should know that it includes this part. There are no film crews around here my friend. It’s just you and and two more people if you’re lucky. If you’re not lucky, you’ll be carrying all of this by yourself. Always make sure that you pack smart.

I hope this episode was helpful, also if you have any questions or suggestions, just feel free to reach out! I’m throwing all these information goldness for free so I’d really appreciate if you help me by subscribing, rating or leaving a review, Thanks so much to those who already did it, thanks for listening it means the world to me, watch out for Monday masterclass and I’ll see you on the next Wedding Video Boss podcast. Till then, play nice if you can’t win, be nice if you’re good looking. Bossman out.

Credits:

The Wedding Video Boss Podcast hosted by: Paul Santiago

BossIG: www.instagram.com/weddingvideoboss

BoffoIG: www.instagram.com/boffovideo

Website: www.weddingvideoboss.com

For comments & suggestions email me at: [email protected]

Special thanks to Ning Wong (@NingWongStudios) for the sexy headshot

Music credit: Isaac Joel - Azophi from www.SoundStripe.com Caleb Etheridge - New Heights

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