Nedd help with the budget

Ted Hinkle · July 8, 2006

I'm shooting an instructional video for a home appliance. There might be some tight shots inside of the appliance. The video will be shot in the company's showroom. My budget has been drastically reduced and I'm not sure where to put the money. I need to keep it simple. There will be some shots of someone introducing the product and then most of the video will be explaing how to use care for and clean the appliance. My budget is $1400 and this is what I'm thinking:

1 Sony VX-2000 (all ready own)

1 Sony PD150 $150/day = $300

1 Tripod $20/day = $ 40

1 Mic $20/day = $ 40

1 Mic boom pole $20/day = $ 40

1 Mic windscreen $15/day = $ 30

3 Kinoflow 4' 4bank $65/day = $390

1 Dedo 4 light Kit $125/day = $250

5 C-stands $5 ea./day = $ 50

Misc cables/cords flags/scrimms = $250

Total = $1400

I'm renting the dedo kit because there might be some tight little angles shooting inside of the appliance, and I was told that would be a good light to use.

David Mullen ASC · July 8, 2006

Aren't you going to pay yourself anything?

With a budget that tiny, do you really need to rent a second camera if you've already got a VX2000? You can't borrow a tripod from a friend?

Ted Hinkle · July 8, 2006

I chose not to put down how much myself or my other two crew members were being paid. And I also have a tripod of my own that I'll be bringing.

But for the sake of argument if I had an extra $340 what would you put it towards? Or how would you change the equipment list based on the info I've entailed about the shoot? With a budget of $1400 to $1740?

Edited July 8, 2006 by hitmanhink

Chris Keth · July 8, 2006

I'm shooting an instructional video for a home appliance. There might be some tight shots inside of the appliance. The video will be shot in the company's showroom. My budget has been drastically reduced and I'm not sure where to put the money. I need to keep it simple. There will be some shots of someone introducing the product and then most of the video will be explaing how to use care for and clean the appliance. My budget is $1400 and this is what I'm thinking:

1 Sony VX-2000 (all ready own)

1 Sony PD150 $150/day = $300

1 Tripod $20/day = $ 40

1 Mic $20/day = $ 40

1 Mic boom pole $20/day = $ 40

1 Mic windscreen $15/day = $ 30

3 Kinoflow 4' 4bank $65/day = $390

1 Dedo 4 light Kit $125/day = $250

5 C-stands $5 ea./day = $ 50

Misc cables/cords flags/scrimms = $250

Total = $1400

I'm renting the dedo kit because there might be some tight little angles shooting inside of the appliance, and I was told that would be a good light to use.

Why is this all for 2 days work? You can easily shoot this in one day, I would be willing to bet. Also, you don't need a windscreen if it's all shot in the showroom.

David Mullen ASC · July 8, 2006

Seems pretty basic, not knowing what he will be lighting. If I were on a tight budget, I might have to forgoe the Kinos (or just get one 4-bank) and the Dedo kit and get a Lowell Kit and some bounce cards. Some of the video lighting kits (often four lights to a suitcase) are more like $50 rentals. On the other hand, if he's dealing with a lot of daylight-balance, Kinos may be the best way to go.

I don't know if the PD150 is enough of a leap in funtionality / features that it's worth spending the rental on if you own the VX2000, which is basically the Mini-DV version of the PD150 without the XLR inputs. I'd either spend even more money on a significantly better camera, or none at all and use the VX2000.

Ted Hinkle · July 8, 2006

Why is this all for 2 days work? You can easily shoot this in one day, I would be willing to bet. Also, you don't need a windscreen if it's all shot in the showroom.

It's over a span of 2 days because of the availability of the client and people involved, but it's possible we could finish in one day maybe I could return the equipment early, or maybe I could get all the tight shots done in one day and return the dedo kit early?

What would be a good mic set-up? We'll probably only use a little bit of sound from the shoot since most of it will be voiced over in post.

Ted Hinkle · July 8, 2006

I don't know if the PD150 is enough of a leap in funtionality / features that it's worth spending the rental on if you own the VX2000, which is basically the Mini-DV version of the PD150 without the XLR inputs. I'd either spend even more money on a significantly better camera, or none at all and use the VX2000.

Ok so if I go with 1 camera that saves me $300.

1 Sony VX-2000 (all ready own)

1 Tripod $20/day = $ 40

1 Mic $20/day = $ 40

1 Mic boom pole $20/day = $ 40

1 Mic windscreen $15/day = $ 30

3 Kinoflow 4' 4bank $65/day = $390

1 Dedo 4 light Kit $125/day = $250

5 C-stands $5 ea./day = $ 50

Misc cables/cords flags/scrimms = $250

Total = $1100

What else should I do???

Leftover =$300

David Mullen ASC · July 8, 2006

If it's a big space to light mixed with daylight, perhaps a 1200w HMI PAR and a 6'x6' frame with diffusion (like Light Grid Cloth) and bounce (like UltraBounce).

Or if it's a tungsten interior with no daylight, then some tungsten fixtures, like two 1K fresnels?

Power strips / boxes, 4'x4' diffusion frames, sandbags...

Do you have a portable color monitor?

Or how about you lose some items... and get a break on renting a Panasonic SDX900?

Or what about a dolly and some track?

Just remember that you need a large enough crew to handle more equipment.

Hal Smith · July 8, 2006

Or what about a dolly and some track?

Dolly and track seems to be one of the things that distinquishes professional work. For instance, I love the look of slow sideways dolly moves where the lens stays focused on the actor but there's some life in the shot. For a small video or film camera like an Arri 2, what would you normally rent in the way of track and dolly for interiors no larger than maybe 20'X30'? Would you even consider a skateboard dolly?

David Mullen ASC · July 8, 2006

Would you even consider a skateboard dolly?

Sure. In fact, I did all of the feature "Jackpot" with just a doorway dolly. There are mini-dollies that fit into duffel bags and have rubber track -- there was a product called the Focus Dolly that did that.

A jib arm could also add production value too, especially if it allowed some remote operating.