Avoiding Problems: What to Do, What to Take

In this section, we give you a few ways to avoid problems in the first place, by having the right gear along or by planning ahead.

Emergency Items

These are some “make the shot work or die” items for your kit:

Camera Remote If you find yourself rigging your camera in an unusual place (in a tree, under a car, and so on), then having a remote to start and stop your camera can be helpful.

Zoom Lens Shooting with prime lenses is the most common choice for most feature films. However, in tight spots with limited time, having a zoom lens that you can snap into a framing and hit Record is priceless.

Variable ND Filter If you are shooting outside in a sunlight/shade mixture, then moving back and forth between different ND filters can really slow down the shoot. If you have a variable ND filter, you can just dial into the proper ND amount and hit Record.