Gear you didn’t know you needed - Part 1: 5 under $10

When most people think about the gear that’s required for creating video content they think of the star players: camera, lights, sound. These are the obvious big ticket items. But what about the supporting cast? All those essential items without which you wind up in a moment  of “Oh, s&^t! How am I going to fix this?” when you get into the edit. Luckily for you, I’ve been building up my equipment cabinet for almost 20 years and have learned from those moments. I’m here to share 5 must-have video production support tools - all of them under $10 - so you can be better set up for success on your next shoot. 

NOTE: I don’t receive any compensation for recommending any of the following pieces of equipment but I do use each and every one of them. Some of the items listed below are the exact products I use and some of them are just general suggestions. Always do your own research, read the verified customer reviews, and ask your friends and colleagues for their recommendations. I am not suggesting that you run out and buy everything on this list right away. Slow and steady. Build up your equipment cabinet over time as you can afford to.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s dive in. 

In this post we’ll focus on some ultra-affordable production equipment that will save you time and headaches. If you’re looking for ideas on the best camera, microphone or lighting options for your video content creation needs, check out my free mini-course, Overcoming GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome), where I share some tips on finding the right gear for your budget, production type and skill level. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of my favorite unsung heroes of the game.

Lens Cleaning Kit - Even under the best conditions your lenses can get dusty or smudged with fingerprints. Failing to clean your lenses regularly can result in specks or flares in your footage that can range from really difficult to practically impossible to fix in post. A simple lens cleaning kit can keep your images looking their best. This is especially true for those of us using smartphones and laptop webcams for creating video content. A few extra seconds at the start of your production can be the difference between getting that perfect take or settling for second best.

Cable Ties - These little lifesavers will help you keep your editing station tidy and keep all those XLR, HDMI, USB and power cables neatly stored and ready for action. I collaborated with a musician friend for over a decade and, without fail, whenever I went over to their place to work on music we spent at least 15 minutes detangling cables just so we could plug in our guitars and mics. Been there? Get yourself a bunch of these little Velcro cable ties and watch those sour memories fade into the past. Coupled with some cable rolling TLC you’ll be up and running faster from now on. 

Smartphone Tripod Adapter - This is one of my all-time favorite pieces of low-budget filmmaking gear. With one of these tiny tools in your camera bag you can mount your smartphone onto literally any tripod or monopod, allowing you to get stable shots when the handheld look isn’t desirable or practical. No more leaning your phone against a stack of books! With the right tripod you can go from landscape to vertical video in seconds. Throw in a gorilla grip and you can mount that beautiful pocket-sized 4K camera virtually anywhere. Think of all the creative camera angles you can achieve to take your video storytelling to new heights - or lows. Check out my Better Smartphone Video for Everyone series to get schooled on this and other mobile-friendly tools and techniques for getting more from the camera you have with you every day.

Clipboard - I love my iPad Pro but sometimes I’m out in the field where there is no WiFi and less than stellar cellular service is the best that can be had. Or maybe I need to use my iPad as a teleprompter. This throwback piece is clutch in those situations and way cheaper than buying a second iPad. Shot lists, storyboards, permits and model releases are always accessible in paper form no matter where you go - as long as you remember to print and pack them back at HQ. Up the functionality with a clipboard that has storage for pens and such and you’re ready for whatever the day throws at you. 

Card Reader - For me this one’s a no-brainer. Without a card reader you’re stuck with having to connect your camera to you computer to offload footage from your shoots. With a card reader, however, you can swap cards and be copying and shooting at the same time - provided you have more than one card. You do have multiple cards for each of your cameras, right? My recommendation: 3 cards per camera. Same goes for batteries, but I’ll talk about those in Part 2 of this series. 

I hope you found these suggestions useful. Did I miss anything? What’s your favorite fun under $5 piece of gear? Let me know via email, social media or by filling out the contact form on this site. 

Now get back out there and keep shooting, rock star!