The Beginner Filmmaker’s Toolkit

Since I started making films, technology has rapidly advanced, democratizing the ability to capture high quality content on almost any budget. High end miniDV cameras like the DVX-100 gave way to the digital SLR revolution (Canon 5D, 7D, etc). Now proper cinema cameras are available. Even late model iPhones (14 Pro Max/15 Pro Max) combined with the BlackMagic app can shoot 4K images in professional codecs.

If I were to start my filmmaking journey now, I would use at least a BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K with a MetaBones Speed Booster or something comparable. The camera and lens adapter combination would allow for MFT (micro four-thirds) and EF (digital SLR) lenses to be used with the BMPCC4K. There’s lots of used DSLR glass around that can be purchased or rented for cheap. Alternatively, you could go for a BMPCC6K, but do your research and get what will serve you and your project the best, which is not necessarily the most advanced (and expensive) technology.

The first lens I’d buy with this setup remains the first lens I bought in 2010 when I picked up the Canon 7D that I used for all of my short films and Mr Misfortune (my first feature). That lens is the Canon 50mm prime lens, commonly referred to as the “nifty fifty.” I love the look of this lens and the thin depth of field it affords with the aperture is wide open.

Now that you have a camera, it’s time to consider sound. The gold standard audio recorder for indie filmmakers has been the Zoom H4N. If you’re only working with a boom mic, this is a great option. If you need to plug in some combination of wireless lavs and a boom, the Zoom H6 is a better option. If you’re doing anything more advanced than that, then you should probably just hire a sound person with their own equipment or rent a more advanced portable mixer/recorder.

A lot of aspiring filmmakers falter in the same way aspiring anythings do. They mistake owning and collecting equipment for doing the work. If you are beginning your filmmaking journey and have never shot anything, then go make something using the phone you’re probably reading this on. Try to spend nothing. Think of a commercial. How does it tell a story with a minimal amount of shots? How can you tell a story with the resources available to you?

This is not to say that something you shoot on your phone is going to magically evoke high production value, but it’s a great tool to practice with on a low stakes project. Filmmaking is an expensive, collaborative endeavor, but the more prepared you are when you enlist help or hire professionals, the greater the chance of success you’ll have when the stakes and budgets are higher, and when the product will contribute to your reputation and ability to put your next project together.