Awhile back I shared a video with some of the tools we use to shoot the Hop Cast. Since then a few things have changed and I wanted to give a update on the tools we’re using today to help us get two to three episodes out each month.
Currently we have a Canon T2i that we use most of the time; it’s our main camera and we usually like to have a second camera going as well for close ups and cut aways. We have a couple different options for our second camera. Sergio and Ken both have DSLRs that look better than the T2i; Sergio has a Canon 5D and if we can rope him in with the allure of free beer, he’ll sometimes let us use it and help us out. Ken has a Nikon and I’m not sure the model there. If we’re not using the 5D or Ken’s Nikon then we have a Canon HDV that we use for our second camera. The trouble with using an HDV is in getting the cameras to match since ones a DSLR and the other is an HDV camera that records to tape. Its not as easy to get the white balance to match correctly when using different format camera’s. For the audio, we use an iPhone with a Blue Mikey. Most of the time the audio sounds pretty good and we’re able to sync it up when we start editing. The main advantage to using the iphone as a mic is that it doesn’t take any set up. Since we’re often shooting at bars and events, its easy to shoot right there with just a DLSR camera and an iPhone mic. Sometimes we’ll also set up a couple lights, depending on how much time we have and where we’re at. We try to keep it small and light, which makes it easy to get an interview done at a brewery. Finally for editing, we’re still using Final Cut Pro 7 but we’ve been slowly making the transition over to Premiere. Which hopefully will make things go smoothly since all the graphics are done in After Effects and the footage won’t need to be converted from the DSLR cameras.
As you can see, doing a podcast or web series doesn’t have to be complicated and you don’t need a ton of fancy equipment to make something entertaining. We started out doing the Hop Cast with much less. As you grow and contuine doing episodes, you’ll add more gadgets to up the production value.
