Gear Review: Canon C300 Dual Pixel Cinema Camera

With the advent of DSLRs, many videographers just don’t know what they are missing by not using a ‘big boy’ camera like the C300.  One of the more practical features it possesses is dual XLR inputs so you don’t have to sync audio in post.  Likewise, it can push phantom power to your microphones.  The sensor itself is a gorgeous super 35mm CMOS.  If you are performing

Gear Review: IKAN LED Bi-color Light Kit – 3 Piece

An LED Light kit is great to have for shoots where an ARRI kit just isn’t necessary. LEDs weigh less and put out a lot less heat than their tungsten counterparts – making them excellent choices for on-the-go shoots and simple interviews. Seek First Productions will often use them to even fill out light where the ARRI kit falls short.

Gear Review: Sennheiser G3 Laveliere Microphone System

The G3 lav by Sennheiser is an all around excellent wireless system for recording crisp interview audio, product demonstrations, and even reality television.  We’ve used these mics on hundreds of production shoots over the past few years – at one point Seek First Productions had up to 7 of these on a pitch-tape shoot.  The entire Road to Nashville series was recorded using Senheisser G3s.

Gear Review: DJI OSMO

The OSMO is what I would typically describe as a gimmick that works.  It’s basically an inspire camera (like on the drone), but mounted to a handheld gimbal. It’s compact, very light, and easy to use.  The stability it offers gives filmmakers tremendous flexibility in use.  Seek First Productions loves using it for events, weddings, and broadway broll in Nashville, TN.  It

Gear Review: ARRI Light Kit

There are two main companies I know of that have been name-brand film lights forever.  Mole-Richardson is one of them, and a couple DPs have told me they are the best, but quite expensive.  The other is ARRI.  An ARRI light kit comes stocked with multiple lights (ours comes with 4) – typically of varying wattage.  Usually you can get away with having either a 750W or 1K in

Gear Review: Pop-up Green Screen

One of the funnest items you can have on set is a pop-up reversible green/blue screen.  Why? Because typically this means your film calls for visual effects or stunts.  For example, watch this fun commercial Seek First Productions produced for a video-game controller company.  Every one of the ‘baddies’ in the initial shootout sequence was filmed, on location, on a pop-up green screen.

Gear Review: Dana Dolly

Once you’ve gone Dana Dolly it is hard to go back to any other type of slider or dolly. Doorway dollies begin to seem too bulky, and are only good on level ground unless you want to spend precious time setting up blocks and track.  The Dana Dolly, on the other hand, sits on rails which are locked into grips on lowboy stands.  It then rolls

Gear Review: EZFX Jib

A jib or crane can be used to increase your production value substantially. The EZFX jib is one of the most portable and easiest little jibs to work with.  You’ll want to watch this video if you have any questions about setting it up. Once set up, you’ll be able to achieve ‘booming’ or ‘craning’ or ‘vertical’ shots easily. The counterweights on the back (which

Gear Review: C Stand

No one really knows where the name “c-stand” came from.  Many proclaim the ‘c’ stands for ‘century’ stand – thus there is a joke about it which says it would take a century to learn all the uses of a C-stand. In reality, there are a few key uses for C-stands on sets that we want to go over.  This list is not exhaustive by any stretch of