Film Production Equipment: A Look at 5 Essential Film Production Equipment and Why They're Needed

Film Production

The success of filmmaking depends on a lot of factors that include, first and foremost, the cast and crew. A good idea or story is also need to make a good movie. During the film’s production, though, film production equipment is paramount in the success of the whole process. A great story and a talented group of people may not be able to create the best movie they can if they have inferior film production equipment. Here are the necessary film production equipment that are integral in the success of the production.

Camera

Obviously, you can’t create a movie without using cameras. Film cameras are the equipment that capture the visuals of the scenes. With camera movements, different camera settings and different kinds of cameras, filmmakers can explore a lot of artistic creativity with just this equipment alone. This is the first tool that a filmmaker needs to learn how to use, so if you’re thinking of becoming a filmmaker, you better start playing with your video camera.

Camera Mounts

To add to the various types of shots you can do with cameras, you can use different kinds of camera mounts. These mounts let you shoot scenes that are otherwise impossible to shoot using regular camera stands or tripods. Crane mounts let you take stunning aerial shots. Car mounts let you film in high speed. Really creative filmmakers create their own camera mounts or modify existing ones so that it can cater to their unique visual sensibilities. Obviously, camera mounts need to be secure and durable, able to stand wear-and-tear, as well as the elements forced upon it by on-location shoots.

Audio Systems

Cameras and mounts take care of the visuals, audio systems obviously makes sure that the audio that accompanies the imagery complement it and adds to the overall feel and mood of the movie. Quality audio systems capture the necessary sounds needed in a scene, and they also block unwanted noise. It can be a little tough to get audio especially in open areas, so it is up to the filmmakers to use their audio systems in a way that gets rid of background noise while still being able to capture the required voices and sounds in a scene. Better audio equipment means a better movie watching experience for audiences.

Lighting

Lighting adds to the mood of a scene. It can make or break the feeling the is being conveyed by the visuals and the actors, so good lighting equipment coupled with great lighting sensibilities are required to have a better looking movie. Equipment that lets you adjust to undesirable lighting conditions also help your filmmaking schedule to be on time by working around the visual obstruction.

Editing Equipment

Editing the film is equally important as the process of actually capturing images and sounds. It gives the movie it’s body and soul, which is why good editing equipment is required to have a pleasant, fast and efficient editing process. With editing computer software becoming more advanced and efficient, it’s hard to make a wrong choice among the available digital audio workstation and video editing software out there. However, in the professional arena, the choice of editing software and equipment can either speed up the editing process or slow it down. It’s important that the equipment caters to the vision of the filmmaker rather than the filmmaker working within the limitations of their editing equipment.