Understanding production equipment and software are vital for beginners as well as experts, and if you want to excel in video production and execute the production processes smoothly, then this read will going to be a jackpot for you!
Beginning with video production means understanding every little detail about it. What are you going to do? What do you need? What equipment do you need? What software is perfect? and much more.
Video production equipment comes first because it helps you understand what quality can be achieved through what tool. You can begin with an iPhone or a professional photography/videography camera along with a video editing tool like Adobes.
But all of the above depend upon the video creator because every video maker is different and follows distinct approaches to create a “successful video”. Due to the distinctive approaches, each video creator requires different video production equipment.
The market is full of appealing video production tools, but before rushing into buying something, you must give this guide a quick read. Undoubtedly, videography equipment can be useful in every way, but buying something that is worth way too much is not ideal when you can get the same video quality from a little less expensive tool.
Always invest in the equipment with keeping your ultimate goal and budget in mind. It will help you get the right equipment that fulfills your need and fit your budget.
Here are some questions that you should ask yourself before buying video production tools:
- What video resolution are you looking for?
- What format do you aim to create? (The video style like animation or live-action)
- If you are a company: where do your fit into your buyer’s journey?
- What is your or your team’s skill level?
- What is your budget?
All these questions will help you understand what your video production needs are and how efficient you need to be while making production-related decisions.
The Video Production Team, Budget, & Skill
Things that can influence your equipment purchase are your team size, skillset, and budget. Your team consists of how many people, or will you only be running this production? Is this video production being your team’s first project, or is your team frequent in such production?
There are three types of video production teams that you can make according to your production need and budget:
The Beginner
This team is for those who have a limited budget and want to create cost-efficient videos. The beginner team includes producers who usually are one or two people.
The Intermediate
The intermediate is preferred by the stable organizations that have a moderate budget for video production. This team includes a video producer (one or two persons), a copywriter, and a cameraman.
The Expert
You can call this team a “production house” because the expert team has video producers, video writers, copywriters, storyboard artists, directors, sound technicians, makeup artists, cameramen, video editors, animators, and graphics designers. Teams like this need professional-level equipment due to their skillset and bandwidth.
P.S: If you are in need of a 3D animated video, pick from the best 3D animation production company for your 3D video production.
Video Equipment & Your Need
Understanding video production need is vital for every business. In this article, you will see some of our recommended equipment but what equipment will suit your need should be decided by you only.
The best way to choose your equipment is to watch and read customer testimonials on the product’s website or read reviews on various review platforms. Buying a piece of equipment is a one-time investment, and none of the buyers wish to waste their money.
You can pick some equipment from our recommendation list or look for your own. The internet is flooded with tons of video production tools that can serve you in various ways.
We have collected some video production tools that are the easy-fit for every video production objective, and you can pick one for your processes according to your need.
A Right Video Production Equipment Pick for You
To begin producing your own video content, you really don’t need much at the start. You can see countless remarkable video projects that have been just made from smartphones.
Suppose you go a little far for video quality and professional video touch. In that case, you can use DSLR cameras for your project, and if you have money, instead of wasting time on a video production experiment, simply hire a video production company.
P.S: If you have considered our last suggestion, then here are the top video production companies in NYC that you can hire and get your video done in no time.
Let’s walk you through some scenarios that will help you choose equipment based on your production skills, resources, needs, and video types.
1. Video Equipment for Beginners
As a beginner, you don’t need hi-fi video production equipment and get professional quality with a few necessary things. If you are a company and making a video for sales outreach, even then, these tools are beneficial for you.
As these video tools are necessary for recording a video and do not require much space, they can easily be set up anywhere.
Camera
The standard smartphone comes with cameras that provide 1080p resolution are best for video shooting. If you go a little high on smartphones, then some come with 4K to 8K resolution cameras to give you video a sharp look.
You can easily shoot a high-quality video if your phone camera has a double lens. One camera is used for the zoom-in purpose, and the other is for the wide shots, which help you make your image look exactly the way you want.
If your phone does not have a double lens camera, you can always go with a clip lens that will help you zoom in & zoom out without any image distortion.
Mic & Audio
Two things are important in a video: the video and the audio. If your video has a visual glitch, it will turn your audience off, and if your audio is not proper, the audience will quit watching the video; this is where you need a quality mic so that you record clear audio.
You need a mic that cancels the unnecessary noise and captures your voice nice and clear. There are so many mics available in the market, but the most highly recommended are Lavalier’s microphones.
In our recommendation:
- Lavalier’s Audio-Technica ATR3350iS stands among good quality mics.
- When we talk about a better choice, Lavalier’s Shure MVL mics are something you should consider.
- Lavalier’s Rode smartLav+ is one of the best microphones in the Lavalier’s mic range.
If you are considering audio recording on your PC or laptop, then you surely should pick USB or Bluetooth mics.
In our recommendation:
- Samson Go mic is considered as a good choice when it comes to an audio recording on the PC.
- Blue Yeti stands among the better mics category.
- Shure MV7 is our best choice.
Tripod
Whether you use a smartphone or a camera, a tripod is an essential accessory for video production. It helps you record video with stability. When we talk about tripods, AmazonBasics are a good choice.
Lighting
If you are planning to shoot a video indoors, you will need enough lighting that helps to capture the surrounding clearly.
Note: Lighting does not mean too much illumination. Make sure you put sufficient lighting for clear video and better capture.
You can go with the ring light if you want the video props or elements in focus. Here are some ring light recommendations that help you pick the right option for your project.
- Whellen Selfie Ring Light is a good option when it comes to picking an efficient ring light for video production.
- For a better option, Emart’s 10-inch Selfie Ring Light is the one that you need.
- And if we talk about the best ring light, you should definitely consider Neewer Ring Light.
2. Video Equipment for Intermediate
Now, you have a clear idea of what equipment will be needed when it comes to beginner-level video production. It’s time to talk about the intermediate-level video production equipment kit.
With intermediate-level equipment, you can shoot HD-quality customer testimonial videos, brand videos, promotional videos, and low-budget commercials.
Let’s understand what you need to include to complete your intermediate-level tool kit.
Camera
Let’s begin with the camera, as it is necessary for all levels of video production. A DSLR camera is a perfect match for intermediate-level production. They come with various video, photo, and cinematography functionalities and settings that you can customize according to your need and choice.
While searching for DSLRs, we come across the following three cameras that are marvelous in their own unique way.
- For good, we have Canon EOS Rebel T7.
- A better option can be Canon EOS Rebel SL3.
- And for the best, you can use Canon EOS Rebel T8i.
You can pick cameras with a 50mm portrait lens when it comes to wide lens video shooting. These cameras soften the video background and focus the faces/objects for a clear shot.
Cameras with these specs are best when you plan to shoot an interview or an About Us video. Canon DSLR cameras with a 50mm lens are the best pick for your intermediate kit.
Mic & Audio
Lavalier mics can fulfill your intermediate-level needs as well and can be a good addition to your kit. We have listed our top Lavalier mics that you can choose for your step up.
- For good audio quality, use Lavalier’s Rode Wireless Go.
- Lavalier’s Rode RodeLink FM Digital Wireless Filmmaker System is a better option than the previous one.
- Sennheiser EW 112P G4 is the best option when it comes to an audio recording.
You must have heard about Shotgun mics. These mics work with directions and only pick the sound in the direction they are pointing in. Shotgun mics are excellent in canceling unnecessary audio and noise while recording.
In our recommendation:
- Audio-Technica AT897 is a good option.
- For better sound quality, you can use Rode NTG4+.
- And if we talk about the best sound quality, Rode NTG3 should be your top pick.
Tripod
Stabilization is necessary for all levels of video production, and a tripod is the one accessory that provides stability to phones & cameras. Here are some tripod options that you can consider picking for your next video project.
- Manfrotto BeFree Live Level Kit is a good choice for a camera tripod.
- Manfrotto 502AH Video Head & MT055XPRO3 Aluminum Tripod Kit is a better choice than the good one.
- Manfrotto MVH502A Fluid Head and 546B Tripod System is an excellent choice for intermediate-level video production.
Lighting
The quality of a video also depends upon the lighting. As we are talking about intermediate video production, you need a three-point lighting kit to pop the scene and make the elements visible. While placing the setup, you should place the key light on one side to give your scene a primary light source and place the softer light on the opposite side to subdue shadows. In the end, put a backlight for contouring.
In our recommendation:
- Neewer Photography Studio 600W Softbox Lighting Kit is a good kit to pick.
- For better video results, use Neewer 3 Packs Advanced 2.4G 480 LED Video Light Photography Lighting Kit.
- Ikan Lyra 1 x 1 Bi-Color 3-Point Soft Panel LED Light Kit is an excellent choice.
3. Video Equipment for Experts
To make television commercials, large-scale promotion videos, movie trailers, or commercials-level videos, you need an expert-level video production kit.
Camera
The camera need at an expert level is way higher than the rest we have discussed yet. Here you need cameras that are specifically designed for video and cinematography. Video cameras have multiple SD cards and audio input slots, and uncountable settings.
You can shoot 4K to 8K videos at different frame rates. They offer multiple lenses and provide neutral density filters, which save shots from overexposure.
We recommend:
- For good video quality, Sony A7S III.
- For a little better video quality, Sony FS7 Handheld Camcorder.
- And for best quality, use Canon C300 Mark III.
Mic & Audio
Just like a beginner and intermediate-level mics, Lavalier is always the best pick for audio recording. You should also invest in shotgun mics as well because they are perfect for large-scale video production. They are not portable but provide awesome audio and sound recording.
Tripod
You can go with intermediate-level tripods because they also work well with expert-level video production. However, if you have a big budget, you can buy expensive tripods for video shooting, but in our recommendation, even intermediate-level can fulfill your expert needs.
O’Connor tripods are best if you are considering upgrading. They are expensive but highly efficient when it comes to camera stability.
Lighting
Just like above, you can go for intermediate-level lighting options. Ikan Lyra and Neewer 3 Pack Advanced Kit are best if you go with intermediate-level lighting recommendations. But if you still want to upgrade, you can search for yourself.
The Video Editing Software
Now, you have all the equipment that you need to produce a video. After video production, the challenge you face is video editing.
You have put your 100% into video production but didn’t focus much on editing; your project will be a total failure. After production, video editing is the final step that fixes and smooths your video.
If you are interested in video editing software, must give a look at our software and applications list down below:
Video editing is quite a challenging task, but with the help of various editing tools, it can become fun to do. You can use iMovie if you are willing to perform video editing on iOS devices.
Just like iMovie, QuickTime is also considered as the best video editing tool for various devices. But both of them work fine for beginners.
Adobe Premiere Rush, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Camtasia are best for intermediate-level video editing and provide a number of features that are not accessible in beginner-level tools. You can add graphics, do animation, and include audio into your videos.
Adobe After Effects can also be used alongside Adobe Premiere and add the element of animation & graphics to your video. After Effects are best for VFX and transitions that lift your video scenes up.
Understand Your Video Production Equipment & Software
After knowing all the equipment and software, it’s time to understand and start practicing on them. Knowing software are not enough to become an expert video editor; you need to spend time with them and learn their shortcuts.
In short, practice makes the man perfect!
If you are new to video editing, read our comprehensive guide about video editing tips. It has all the information that you need to become a pro-editor.
Once you have crafted a video but you are not sure about your editorial skills, you can always hire a video editing company. If you look on the internet, there are numerous video editing companies that claim to be the best in the business but apparently know nothing about editing. In the time of cyber fraud, it is quite difficult to trust a company with money and a project.
We recommend the top 16 video editing companies that you must consider before searching for your own. These companies have proven themselves to be the best of the best.
The Writer’s Choice
Just like painting, video editing is also an art and only professional & expert artist can create artistic videos through their magnificent video editing skills.
Here comes BuzzFlick – a US-based video animation company – to your rescue! BuzzFlick is one of the top video production and editing companies in the USA that has worked with numerous companies and famous personalities.
The studio is best in explainer videos, whiteboard animation, 2D animation, motion graphics, and video editing services.
You can trust BuzzFlick with your money, time, and project. The studio’s sales reps are 24/7 available to respond to your queries and help you out with various video production services.
Hopefully, you have found all the valuable information through this article and if you still have some questions, feel free to ask BuzzFlick!
Happy Animation!
Sophiea Ank is an animator, but her passion for reading and writing made her Content Head at BuzzFlick. She loves to educate people through her blogs about technologies, animation, videography, and games. In her free time, she watches "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and reads Paulo Coelho.
