Production Gear

EOS 60D 

This was a great choice for our budget. It’s a DLSR that shoots video – the new wave in indie film making. We’re using it basically right out of the box as is. It came with the 18-135mm EL-S lens. We threw on a few neutral density filters when needed, and called it good! Very maneuverable aboard the boat — easy to grab, shoot, and hold on!

Description from Canon: With the new EOS 60D DSLR, Canon gives the photo enthusiast a powerful tool fostering creativity, with better image quality, more advanced features and automatic and in-camera technologies for ease-of-use. It features an improved APS-C sized 18.0 Megapixel CMOS sensor for tremendous images, a new DIGIC 4 Image Processor for finer detail and excellent color reproduction, and improved ISO capabilities from 100 – 6400 (expandable to 12800) for uncompromised shooting even in the dimmest situations. The new Multi-control Dial enables users to conveniently operate menus and enter settings with a simple touch. The EOS 60D also features an EOS first: A Vari-angle 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (1,040,000 dots) monitor for easy low- or high-angle viewing. An improved viewfinder, a number of new in-camera creative options and filters, plus HDMI output for viewing images on an HDTV all make the EOS 60D invaluable for the evolving photographer.

• 18MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
• 1920 x 1080 HD Video Capture
• SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card Slot
• Vari-Angle Clear View 3.0″ Flip-Out LCD
• DIGIC 4 Image Processor
• 5.3 fps Continuous Shooting
• Works with all Canon EF and EF-S Lenses
• ISO 6400 – Expandable to 12800
• HDMI Output to HDTV
• In-Camera Editing Options

AG-HVX200A 

Doctrine Creative provided OSQ with their HVX to use for the first month of filming. It worked well, in all situations, but the proprietary memory cards and formatting, have made “dailies” difficult.

Description (from Panasonic):The Panasonic AG-HVX200A is a P2-based camera that answers the demands of nearly any professional videographer. The camcorder builds on the overwhelming success of the original AG-HVX200, with the addition of some much sought-after revisions. The most important new feature is an updated sensor, which yields higher sensitivity, creating less noise in low-light situations. With its compact and feature-rich frame, the AG-HVX200A will never disappoint. The unit is compatible with DVCPRO HD, DVCPRO50, DVCPRO25 and consumer DV recording standards.

HD Hero

The small size, waterproof housing, incredible low price, and ability to mount this thing anywhere allowed us to make films from incredible POVs and in extreme weather. The HD Hero also lends itself well to aerial kite photography. This camera has really opened up a new world for adventure-filming… A must have.

Description (from GoPro): GoPro’s HD HERO is the world’s highest performance wearable 1080p HD video and still photo camera. Professional quality 1080p / 960p / 720p HD resolutions record at 30 and 60 frames per second (60 fps in 720p). Record up to 2.5 hours on a single charge and up to 9 hours total on a 32GB SD card (not included).

• 1080/960/720p HD
• 32GB SD/SDHC Card Slot
• 1.5″ Status LCD
• 1/2.5″ 5MP CMOS Sensor
• Fixed Focus Lens
• 5MP Still Photos
• USB or Optional Power Adapter Charging
• Mac and PC Compatible

ew 100 G3 Wireless Microphone System

The ew 100 was really useful for getting good audio while went about the boat doing various tasks, and didn’t have the capability or manpower to boom in a mic. The units were fairly robust, and survived the ocean environment, however the output cables gave us some trouble, and we eventually had to rely completely on the shotgun mic. But, with new cables, we are back up and running smoothly.

Description (from GSennheiser): This ENG set offers a great amount of flexibility for portable recording indoors or outdoors. Its SKP 100 G3 plug-on transmitter transforms XLR equipped devices (such as microphones and mixing consoles) into wireless devices by simply plugging the unit in. The bodypack transmitter, as well as the plug on, can be synced up to the receiver with the simple push of a button. A very small high-quality omni-directional clip-on microphone completes this set.

H4n X/Y Stereo Recorder

The Zoom H4n has become the industry standard for all documentary and indy filmmakers out there. It can mount on any HD DSLR Rig and provides excellent audio. We use it with both our shotgun and our lavs. It provides the interface between mic and camera, allowing us to plug the mics XLR cable into the zoom and take a stereo 1/8″ cable to the Canon.

The Zoom is ideal for recording interviews, lectures, rehearsals, meetings, and more, this palm-sized unit packs the ability to record up to 4 channels of audio at greater than CD quality.

AT875R Shotgun Microphone 

Great mic for the price – although we don’t have much to compare it to – it did a great job for us aboard Elizabeth. We used it ALL THE TIME!

Description (from Audio-Technica):The Audio Technica AT875 is a short shotgun condenser microphone that measures only seven inches in length and exhibits the sound quality and performance of larger, higher-priced shotgun microphones. The AT875 addresses the needs of videographers who prefer a short microphone that stays out of the frame, and efficiently rejects off-axis noise.

The smooth, natural audio reproduction captures every detail while a tailored low frequency response controls unwanted low frequency noise. The rugged AT875 operates on 11 to 52V phantom power, and a standard XLR output integrates seamlessly with some of the smaller professional cameras.

Orion Daypack

A decent back pack for our small rig. Amazingly, we could carry everything we needed for shore based filming expeditions in this pack.

Description (from Lowe Pro): New DSLR owners and photo hobbyists will appreciate the roomy and lightweight Orion DayPack™ 200. This camera backpack features a dual-compartment design purpose built to fit your complete camera kit and personal gear. A padded and mesh-covered backpad provides comfort and helps wick away moisture. The contoured and lightly padded shoulder straps adjust to provide a custom fit and include a SlipLock™ loop on each side so you can attach a compatible pouch or bag to the pack. Pack up your camera body with attached lens, extra lenses, flash, charger, battery or other accessories in the fully padded lower compartment—it’s built with thick foam walls and a reinforced bottom. And it helps keep things safe and organized with adjustable, padded dividers you can customize to suit the size of your kit. Load the upper compartment with all kinds of creature comforts: lunch or snacks, wallet, maps, guidebooks, manuals, and a light fleece or rain jacket. It offers ample storage space, plus a roomy mesh pocket to separate items. Additional features include: two zippered stash pockets for keys, cell phone or other quick-grab essentials; two stretch-mesh side pockets for water bottles or lens caps; daisy chain webbing loops to secure additional items to the pack via a carabiner or other attachment system; bottom compression straps to attach a compact tripod, monopod or light jacket; rainflap lids that cover zippered closure on both compartments and provide extra protection from moisture; plus easy-grip zippers and a quick-grab handle for added convenience.

1430 TOP LOADER CASE

You can’t go wrong with a Pelican case. On board a boat, getting banged up, splashed with salty water and relentless condensation that promises to ruin any sensitive equipment, this case was a life saver… a movie saver I guess you could say. We store our hard drives in them.

• Flip lid gives you easy access to your gear
• Watertight
• Fold-down rubber overmolded handle
• Easy open Double Throw Latches
• Steel reinforced lock hasp protector

G-DRIVEs were recommended by Doctrine Creative, as being the only drives they hadn’t had trouble with. Of course no drive is impervious to failure… but so far so good. We keep 4 of them in the Pelican Case.

Description (from G-Tech):G-DRIVE is the perfect high-performance solution for storage intensive applications including audio/video editing, digital photography, MP3 libraries and high-speed data backup. The system features a fan-less cooling system and the latest technology in external hard drives for Macs and PCs: 7200 RPM SATA II hard drives with up to 3TB in storage capacity and up to 64MB of cache.

When you consider the incredible investment in time energy and of course funds you’ll make into even the simplest of productions – why in the world would you ever risk the integrity of that production by trusting your data to a cheap CD card that is not reliable? These are great cards, and the best thing is that all our equipment used them — the Canon 60d, the Zoom and the Go Pro’s — well everything except the Panasonic HVX. We have 11 of these cards.

Description (from SanDisk): When speed and reliability are everything, shoot like a pro with SanDisk Extreme® Pro™ SDHC™ UHS-I memory cards. New Power Core™ Controller technology provides faster shot-to-shot performance (up to 45 MB/s*) and its advanced Error Correction Code (ECC) engine improves overall data integrity and reliability of the card during read and write. So when the unexpected happens—you’ll be ready. Get more RAW + JPEG continuous burst mode shooting and capture full HD video† (UHS Speed Class 1**) like never before. Reliable. Durable. When every shot counts, choose SanDisk Extreme® Pro™ SDHC™ UHS-I memory cards for your DSLR or HD camcorder.

Creative Suite 5 Production Premium

We are moving towards using Premiere as our editing software of choice. Since the release of FCP X, we’ve been looking at Adobe.

Description (from Adobe): Creative Suite 5 Production Premium for Mac pulls together all the Adobe professional post-production and graphics design applications necessary to shoot and edit video, create visual effects, and design interactive experiences. By offering complete integration between every component, Production Premium streamlines your workflow and advances your productivity to new levels. All of the components in this suite are designed to work together, unified by a common interface and Adobe’s Bridge application. From analyzing your video image during production with OnLocation, to editing it in Premiere Pro, punching it up in Photoshop, adding visuals in After Effects, tweaking the audio in Soundbooth, and using Encore to export it to the format and medium of your choice, Production Premium CS5 gives you an advanced, highly efficient professional production and post-production toolkit.

Final Cut Studio

Description (from Apple): Edit, animate, mix, grade, and deliver on a Mac with Final Cut Studio. It includes more than 100 powerful new features. Use new versions of the ProRes codec to edit at high quality with reduced file sizes in a wide variety of workflows. Work with clients or colleagues in real time from anywhere in the world using iChat Theater. Add dramatic 3D graphics, repair common audio problems, and automate delivery in just a few clicks. The leading post-production suite now includes significant upgrades to Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Soundtrack Pro and updated versions of Color and Compressor. It also includes DVD Studio Pro, the industry standard for DVD authoring.