Earlier in Blogmas I gave you tips for 12 Christmas gifts for the photographer. Today I want to follow up with tips on Christmas gift for the filmmaker!
Quarantine – let’s hope I haven’t gotten COVID for Christmas this year
But first; I won’t be able to make daily posts for the rest of Blogmas. The reason is as easy as this; I’m in quarantine due to a heavy cold and waiting to get tested tomorrow.
I knew all along that I wouldn’t be able to fill 24 days with interesting content if I was quarantined during these days, and I’m a bit bummed that I have to take a brake now. When I’m out of quarantine and feeling a bit better, I will be back. No later that Christmas Eve, as I have something special planned for you then. So please stick around, I’ll make it worth it! Now let’s move on to the gifts!
For the beginner
These days a lot of photographers find themselves transferring to also making videos due to the great capabilities of our hybrid shooter cameras. Most photographers have cameras that more than capable of making good quality videos. However that doesn’t mean that you can transfer your knowledge of photography directly to filmmaking. That’s why I think the perfect gift for a beginner filmmaker is an online course in filmmaking. Here’s a few to choose from;
- For the traveller; How to document your Trip
- For the content creator; How to Make Short Form Videos for the Internet
- For those who want to learn it all; Skillshare
Something for the enthusiast
If your filmmaker in question have already started making a few decent videos, but are at a point where they want to step it up a bit, some new pieces of equipment might come in handy. Generally I think pieces that will either improve your exposure, sound or stability is crucial to take the next step.
- To nail the exposure; Variable ND filter (expensive) or Variable ND filter (not as expensive).
- To improve sound quality; Rode VideoMicro
- To increase stability; Zhiyun WEEBILL S
Let there be light
When filming you need enough light. To make an interesting scene or studio, light design is crucial. This is and area where I’m just not that invested yet, but I do know which direction I would go if I was to invest.
- Bringing out the big guns (or bucks or dollars or whatever); Aputure LS C120D ii
- Nice to have on the go; Aputure Amaran MC Mini
And a place to save it all
With the increase in video quality even if you’re shooting with your phone or a GoPro, footage takes up a lot of space on your hard drive. External hard drives will always be a great gift for the filmmaker, and here’s a couple of my favorites.
- Small, portable and fast; Samsung T5
- Big and rugged; LaCie Rugged 5TB HDD
It doesn’t have to cost anything
As I mentioned in my post about gifts for the photographer as well, a Christmas gift for the filmmaker does not have to cost anything. Starting out as a filmmaker you’ll need people in front of your camera to practice. A gift card where you offer your time can be a perfect gift. As we all know time is the most precious gift we can offer. And maybe in participating you’ll come to find a better understanding of why this filmmaking thing excites your filmmaker in question so much as well?
I hope you found some helpful tips on Christmas gifts for the filmmaker. If you did, please give this post a thumbs up and consider subscribing to my blog! Stay safe and I’ll see you back later for at least another day of Blogmas. Christmas is almost here folks!
