Help Me Spend $4000 on a Video Setup

[DougoMan]

So the company I work for wants to create some videos in house, mostly indoor videos such as interviews and programs but there is the possibility of outdoor stuff and needing to handhold the video camera. I'm a total amateur so ease of use is important, though I am pretty good at figuing this stuff out.

This is what they were looking at before I came onboard. Should I make any changes?

Pearstone - VT2500B Video Tripod System - $150

Panasonic AVCCAM Handheld Camcorder AG-HMC40 Kit - $1800

Sony UWP-V1 Wireless Lavalier Microphone Package (30/32 - 566 to 590MHz) - $600
(Do I need two of these for a two person interview)

Microphone
Sennheiser SKM300-845 G3 Omnidirectional - $400 (is this appropriate for anything??? Wouldn't a boom mic make more sense? )


Memory cards, extra battery, bag - $500

So that is about $3500.


Anything missing or that is a better value?

 

[nboy22]

I would scrap the boom mic and omnidirectional if you are going to be doing just interviews. If you think you might need to catch some ambient noise I would just go with a cheaper boom mic.

Speaking from experience, I deal with video/green screen/white screen/on-location work every day. We hardly ever use our boom mics any more. It's all about the lapels, especially during the interviews.

The other thing I see is that you have no lights. Lighting is extremely important especially when you are indoors. If you could scrap the mics that would give you around $900 to play with lighting options.

 

[SickBeast]

Man, that stuff is expensive.

One comment I will make is that my consumer grade Panasonic GF3 probably shoots better video than that camera as it's capable of a higher bitrate with a firmware mod. I realize that you'll need a camera like that to look like you know what you're doing; I just think it's crazy that they charge that much considering what cheaper cameras are capable of.

 

[nboy22]

Man, that stuff is expensive.

One comment I will make is that my consumer grade Panasonic GF3 probably shoots better video than that camera as it's capable of a higher bitrate with a firmware mod. I realize that you'll need a camera like that to look like you know what you're doing; I just think it's crazy that they charge that much considering what cheaper cameras are capable of.

I know that feeling. We have a Panasonic HPX-300 at my workplace that is probably about an $8,000 camera these days. My Canon t2i DSLR shoots better footage than that, and the t2i is only like $600. There are different ups and downs to both pieces of equipment though. The Panasonic has grainy footage but can shoot for hours at a time and has a motor-driven zoom. The other downside to the Panasonic is that the P2 cards are insanely expensive and proprietary so the price is locked down by Panasonic.

The t2i has a great picture and runs off of cheap SD cards, but its downfalls are that it can overheat easily, it is more for cinematic filming rather than live broadcasts. It doesn't have autozoom.


I suppose it is all about what you can deal with, and what you are willing to deal with within your budget. Personally I love filming on the DSLRs because they have a nice style, but there are some things I would never consider using a DSLR for, like live broadcasts.

 

[sswingle]

Yes you would need two of the Sony mics for two people ideally. However you can't plugin two at once to that camera. They have an optional XLR adapter that lets you record two channel though:

Panasonic AG-MYA30G

Also while on the subject of mics, I would recommend doing the Sennheiser EW112-p G3 instead of the Sony wireless. They are $629 at B&H so just a tiny bit more than you have budgeted.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...era_Mount.html

Also agree you should forget the handheld omnidirectional. If they are insistent you should get one then maybe one that is much cheaper like this:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...i_Dynamic.html

Then you have the budget for the two wireless mics plus adapter.

 

[Kaido]

So the company I work for wants to create some videos in house, mostly indoor videos such as interviews and programs but there is the possibility of outdoor stuff and needing to handhold the video camera. I'm a total amateur so ease of use is important, though I am pretty good at figuing this stuff out.

This is what they were looking at before I came onboard. Should I make any changes?

Pearstone - VT2500B Video Tripod System - $150

Panasonic AVCCAM Handheld Camcorder AG-HMC40 Kit - $1800

Sony UWP-V1 Wireless Lavalier Microphone Package (30/32 - 566 to 590MHz) - $600
(Do I need two of these for a two person interview)

Microphone
Sennheiser SKM300-845 G3 Omnidirectional - $400 (is this appropriate for anything??? Wouldn't a boom mic make more sense? )


Memory cards, extra battery, bag - $500

So that is about $3500.


Anything missing or that is a better value?

So to summarize:

1. $4,000 budget
2. Primarily indoor recordings of interviews and programs
3. Secondary outdoor stuff
4. Require audio & video equipment

Video:

Camcorders definitely are nicer than dSLR's for long interviews and handheld stuff where you need really good autofocus & long recording times. I like the look of dSLR's better, but you have to deal with recording time limits, overheating, not-great autofocus, etc.

If I can make a suggestion - take a look at some of the nicer "consumer" camcorders like the 3MOS Panasonic X900:

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-X900...dp/B0072B5E2Y/

The results are pretty nice:

http://vimeo.com/44890811

At this price point, you can buy a second one for backup, to get two angles, and to do two recording jobs at once with different operators.

Audio:

First rule: The cheapest $10 audio cable is better than the most expensive wireless rig. Unless you absolutely *need* wireless, I'd suggest going the cabled route. You can get really long XLR cords if you need to. The bonus is, if someone tries to leave an interview before you're done, they're stuck trying to get the mic off and you can record them saying some pretty funny stuff

Boom mics are still used today, but they typically require an operator since people tend to move around, so you'd need a second guy to help you record stuff, which is a pain if you don't have a second guy Boom mics do have better sound quality than lav mics, but lav mics are pretty dang good. My personal favorite lav mic is the Sanken COS-11D (same mic they use on movies & TV shows like Inception), which you can get with all kinds of connectors. B&H has an XLR version for $470:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._Lavalier.html

The nice thing about lav mics is that they are easy to hide - in hair, under collars, pockets, bras, ties, etc. You can also hide them in plain site - behind objects! Like in a planter, taped to the back of a mug, etc. Just grab some moleskin to attach to skin. They also have different colors if you have the budget for that. The only downside is that they pick up noise easily, so you have to be careful about where and what you attach them to (types of material, location, etc.)

For headphones, I'd recommend the Sennheiser HD-280's ($100). They are getting a lot more popular the than the traditional Sony models. You absolutely, always, always, *always* want to check sound, so at least keep a pair of earbuds handy.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...D_280_Pro.html

A really good primer is Ty Ford's Audio Boot Camp book ($25). It explains pretty much everything you need to know about the basics of using audio:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...amp_Field.html

I would also recommend a really good recorder. Audio is 80% of video, so the better sound you have, the more professional the video you'll have. You don't want to spend hundreds on a great microphone setup and then record it on the cruddy onboard video sound jack. At bare minimum, get a Zoom H4n: ($280 with remote)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...order_Kit.html

If you can fit it into your budget, the Tascam HD-P2 ($700) is pretty much the cheapest broadcast-capable recorder on the market: (max 24-bit/192kHz)

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Stereo_CF.html

I run a COS-11D lav mic and an HD-P2 recorder for my personal setup, along with the HD-280 headphones (about $1270 plus cables & bag). Sounds awesome. I use it with my Canon T2i & iPhone 4S all the time. Here's a sample recording off my system - really quiet, no hiss, no static, just nice & clean:

http://www.hollywoodinyourpocket.co...one-4s-hd-recording-sample-sync-in-post-using

The easiest way to sync a separate audio recording is with PluralEyes (plugin) or DualEyes (standalone software, $150) software, which auto-syncs the camera audio to the audio recorder audio:

http://www.singularsoftware.com/products.html

I also use a Zoom H2 (now the H2n, $152) for backup. It has a pretty decent onboard microphone and is tiny, so I can get a second copy of audio "just in case". It's also nice when I don't want to lug around my big setup - I can record audio samples pretty much anywhere, which is great for doing voiceover work. The Zoom H4 is the bigger brother and lets you jack in an XLR mic natively, if you want to go that route.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._Portable.html

So make sure you think about your audio needs. You can go as simple as onboard camera mic recording (bleh), get a nic basic lav and jack that into the camera (the ones with onboard XLR jacks usually have decent records), or go with a full-on separate system. Depends on how much work you want to do and what quality level you are aiming for. Oh also, a really good inexpensive lav mic is the Audio-Technica ATR-35s ($30) - has a minijack plug and sounds really really excellent for the price, I keep one for backup to my Sanken:

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica...dp/B00006I51V/

Lighting:

As nboy22 mentioned, lighting is super important for indoors. You can get a super-easy 3-point LED lighting kit for $750:

http://www.amazon.com/Dimmable-Video...dp/B0047ENR4G/

Those are basic 500-LED models and throw out plenty of light for interviews, won't blow your wall sockets out, and are fairly portable. There are some cheaper and larger kits available with CFL bulbs, as well as 1200-LED lights and the professional stuff. Just something to think about.

Workflow:

The one thing I always caution people getting into video is to nail your workflow down. You don't want to get into crunch time and not have your path to the finish figured out. Get your workflow figured out before you even place your order. There are basically 3 big ones to worry about:

1. Shooting
2. Editing & Delivery
3. Storage

For shooting - make sure you have all your cables, a nice bag(s) to carry everything in, spare batteries, and practice. You basically want to be a ninja when you show up and pop everything out like you're tying your shoes, instead of fiddling with stuff. For editing & delivery, make sure you know what format you are going to convert to for editing and how to output to a DVD with menus, to Youtube format, to iPad for video training, whatever. For storage - well, HD video footage adds up, so make sure you have a good storage plan for what to do with the footage you shoot and the projects you work on. Everyone loves to shoot video and has a ton of footage, but not many people follow through and actually edit anything and make a final video to watch.

Sample Setup:

If I were in your shoes, here is the kit I'd suggest starting out with:

Panasonic X900 camera: $900
Tascam HD-P2 recorder: $750
(2) Sanken COS-11D lav mics: $940
Sennheiser HD-280 headphones: $280
3-piece LED lighting kit: $750

Total - $3620

Use the rest of the budget for a tripod, a stool for people to sit on while being interviewed, a cheap backdrop, batteries, memory cards, extension cables, audio/video cables, card readers, etc. This will give you 3 things:

1. Awesome HD video (in a small, portable size with good handheld image stabilization)
2. Amazing audio (with mics for 2 people - ex. interviewer & interviewee)
3. A great little lighting setup for interviews

You can easily replicate the look & sound of a professional TV interview with a setup like this.

Edit: Forgot to add DualEyes software to the budget. So $3770. Plus if you need a PC, editing software, etc...