Have you ever wondered what it takes to come up with that alluring video which captivates both money and audience?

Well, it’s the strategic move of the impeccable video creator, who’s on the nose balance between tasks and tool, lets him filter out the champagne quality taste.

Therefore, after immense research on the sum of perspective and experience of varied videographers, we are here to baptize your video creation task for that extra amount of shapeliness.

“Technology is nothing, what’s important is that you have a faith in people, that they are basically good and smart, and if you give them tools, they will do wonderful things with them.”
– Steve Jobs

Set Design Software

Exceptional quality set design software is the fine line which differentiates a good video from the best one.

You need not be an AutoCAD expert to become a professionally proficient designer who uses 3D software to sketch the blueprint of his ideas and results.

Here we may exemplify Sketchup For Film Stage as the niche software which in a way introduces you to your video way before you step at sets.

Through this software one can, visualize the ideas, storyboard and execute the camera shots, virtually, thus saving time and money.

Alan Hook, the production designer of the famous Hollywood flick Iron Man 3, is one of the users of this software.
So even you can substitute your tag of amateur video creator with that of a proficient one.

Camera Slider

No one, not even the amateur mobile phone videographers prefer a shaky or blurred video as part of their recording.

So never should a professional tolerate even the absence of a camera slider from his toolkit.

Camera slider also referred to as rails ensure the stability in video production when zoomed in or zoomed out.

You have amongst your options, a basic set of rails on which you might need to push the camera, or a much fancier option wherein the camera moves automatically.

The amount spent on them is worthy of the result they deliver.

You can also take them on rent because every time you are not required to shoot at heights.

Many budget video creators go for this rent option to save money.

Shoulder Rig

Avoid those extra blurry videos all because your content demanded the camera movement throughout.

Make use of shoulder rig which allows the video creator to wipe out the flaws of hazy visuals and captures unsmudged videos without giving up on the motion of the camera.

Since shoulder rigs are costlier than a camera, there are several tutorials online under the DIY umbrella, which you may experiment with.

External Sound Recorder

The video is not worth applaud if it does not grip in the best quality audio.

Therefore it’s a mandate to opt for a great quality sound recorder, which if clipped to the DSLR camera, will produce preeminent quality results for both audio and video.

The quality of an audio is a big time determinant of whether the video receives red flag or green flag from the audience.

Stock Footage

To elevate the level of videos and films from ordinary to extraordinary one also needs to use stock sources.

And this need becomes a mandate if the graphic designer is on leave or absent from the crew.

3 Point Lighting System

A 3 point lighting system is the spine of every great video irrespective of its nature.

The three essential points – key light, fill light and backlight might vary in size and bulb type, but their sturdiness is something which should never be compromised upon, as they are subject to high level of mobility.

Tripod

Tripod ensures steady shots and smooth camera moves for the professionally proficient production.

And the video creator should keep in mind that the tripods vary according to the need.

So sincerely opt for the one which is for videos and not still photography.

External Microphones

Camcorders do have built in microphone fixed in front of cameras, with a standard quality Omni-directional sound pickup attribute.

But is that sufficient? NO.

External microphones are needed for that clarified audio which elevates the quality of your video.

Handheld stick mics or clips on lavalieres are some of the popularly used examples.

Headphones

A good quality and comfortable set of headphone are essential if you are amongst those video creators who are inclined towards perfection.

A good quality earphone which can be positioned on your ears throughout your shooting duration allows zero or minimal level disturbance from sounds which have no role to play in your video and ensures your ears intake only the needed sound.

Bounce Card/Reflector

To illuminate your video scene, one does not need to carry a truck full of lights.

Reflector or bounce card serve the purpose well. These are the white, silver or gray colored pieces of cardboard, wood or cloth to illuminate the shadowy areas.

These can either be bought or even be created on your own.

The professional reflectors are flexible, circular and shiny with a golden or silver surface.

However, there are several pros, which prefer foam cards as the alternative. These foam cards are no burden to your pockets and are also easily accessible.

Gaffer’s Tape

Gapper’s tape has no cousin who can play its role.

This is a cloth tape with glue on one side to be used for taping power cords, taping loose tool parts and for many more purpose.

No electrical tape or duct tape can execute the task which Gaffer’s tape can.

Backup Batteries

These mini tools are the ventilators on whom the life of your cameras depends.

Even the best of your cameras or other video tools depend on these small size lifelines.

No video creator can risk the loss suffered all because his equipment runs out of battery and he has no backup ready.

Make use of rechargeable batteries so that one set gets charged while you are using the others.

Camera

Oh, how can one miss that? But be assured that your entire camera set is a tight fit in its bag along with the lenses.

Loose fit carriage of cameras, make the cameras more prone to damage.

Follow Focus

Focus! Focus and Focus are the buzzwords while on video shoots.

Making use of hand to adjust focus rings, is not always the best option as it might bring the camera in shaky position.

Follow focus is the right solution here. Follow focus can easily be used by adding on the lens for focus.

Opt for cheaper and one size fits all considering your need.

Memory Card

Speed and space for recording the shots are very well taken care of by gigabytes memory cards.

While shooting SD cards, opt for class 10 card. They are fast enough to keep pace with a heavy data stream.

Fast cards are also advantageous since they ease the task of upload much faster.

Their only con is that they are pricey.

Light Quality Modifiers

Light quality modifiers are used to modify the hardness or softness of light.

Softboxes and diffusion panels are some of the popularly used soft light modifiers.

Fresnel Lights

Fresnel lights are used to focus the light beam. These lights are very hard and not good for people when directly focused on them.

While building video lighting kit, do make use of minimum two Fresnel lights (one for background and other for backlight).

Computer/Laptop

Computer or laptop is essential while recording videos because with the presence of these elements, it becomes easy to check the shots, edit the video, edit the audio or perform few other video creation task at the spot itself.

Editing Software

Make use of easy programs like Adobe’s Premiere Elements, which is much easier to edit.

There is multiple software available in the market with varied advanced stages.

So do make use of the version or stage parallel to your seniority in video creation, as excess complexity in initial stages might put you at unease of work.

Audio Software

Like video editing software, audio software is also one of the essentials.

With the help of this software, the video creator can delete the unwanted noise from background sound, if any, thus resulting in enhanced quality of the overall video.

Tripod Head

Fluid heads are a great option when shooting videos from DSLR.

The use of these tripod heads is highly preferable because by their use, the movement is muffled and the output is smoothened.

Moreover, these can easily rotate on flat planes, which is much more practical that ball heads.

Screen Loupe

While shooting in sunlight, glare is a big concern. At this moment screen loupe is your all time rescuer.

And if they are with eyepiece, you can even shoot with the camera held high up to the eye level which one does while shooting still, as it is more comfortable.

Black Background with Support System

Black background in form of black cloth or flex sheet is essential to add a serious tone to the video.

Apart from that, it needs a stable support system to hold the entire backdrop in place.

Natural Density Filter

While shooting videos, shutter speed tends to get tricky.

Now, to avoid the unnatural and jittery look of videos, one needs neutral density filter.

It allows using a wider aperture in bright scenarios, thus bringing you to the position similar in the case of still photography.

Additionally, it slows down the shutter speed to ensure smooth results.

There are varieties of neutral density filters which are also very expensive.

External Monitor

External monitors are needed to have a much clear view of what the shots will actually look like when projected.

This external monitor can get connected to the camera with the help of HDMI cable and might consume a lot of battery but the results it gives, are worthy of the pain involved.

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Although technology is the prefix and suffix to every technical jargon in today’s era, the mere knowledge of upgraded technology can do no wonders if the individual is not possessed with the best of tools to ensure a balance between the desired result and the final result.
And Video Content creation is no different. So do equip your baggage on your next shoot with almost all the above mentioned significant tools if you want to be exemplified as one of those flawless video creators.