Want To Take a DIY Approach To Video Production?

So you’re not sure you want to hire a freelancer, agency, or CommonHouse Productions? Was it something we said? Just kidding! We’d still love to help! Here’s a short list of some of equipment we’ve used over the years as well as some budget friendly alternatives. 

Cameras. We use several different cameras depending on how much we’re moving on a shooting day, what type of lighting we’re working with, and the overall feel of a project. 

Our current favorites: 

  1. Blackmagic Pocket 6k Pro +/- $2,500 

  2. Sony A7S3 +/- $3600 

Budget Friendly Options for DIY:

  1. iPhone. Yep, seriously. 

  2. Go pro. $200 - $300 

  3. Canon T Series - sub $1000. 

Lenses. The CommonHouse Productions team recently went on a benge buying vintage lenses. Yes, it is true they don’t make them like they use too. But there’s still a ton of great lenses made today. 

Our current favorites: 

  1. Ziess Contax Lenses $500 - $2000 

  2. Sigma Art Series - $1000 - $2000 

Budget Friendly Options for DIY

  1. Canon (nifty) 50mm (f/1.8) - $200 (you can buy an adapter if you’re shooting on Nikon or Sony) 

  2. Your iPhone…yep, it’s back on the list! 

Lighting. While lighting can tend to take a backseat when you’re first starting out, there’s a reason why professionals will spend a lot of money on great lighting that lasts. 

Our current favorites: 

  1. Aperture P300c - $1700 

  2. Ameran (also made by Aperture) makes several budget friendly lights. Just be cautious because they’re not built for everyday use and won’t hold up if you’re tearing them down and setting them up daily. $500 - $1000 

Budget Friendly Options for DIY 

  1. Aperture 120d - $300 

  2. Some of the Neewer stuff can be ok. It just won’t last long 

Audio. Typically when we begin working with a business that has tried video before, we’ve found their teams frustrated because of audio. If someone has experience taking pictures, they can get an ok video. But will cuss when they get into audio in post production. 

Our current favorites: 

  1. Tascam DR-10L - $250 

  2. Rode NTG2 - $450 

Budget Friendly Options for DIY

  1. Amazon iPhone LAV microphone - $20 

Miscellaneous. Here’s a list of some other items that can help you SD Cards, Backdrops, Bounce cards 

We hope that you choose to work with CommonHouse, but if you don’t, we trust this list will benefit you. 

Casey Combest