What I pack when filming solo

Packing the right stuff is always somewhat of a challenge. Especially if you’re on your own as a film maker and you stubbornly want to take your RED Helium with you everywhere you go. So I thought I’d give you a tour of my Tamrac backpack and what I bring if I’m filming alone.

Let’s start with an item most people tend to forget: my laptop. I currently use a 2014 MacBook Pro (needs updating soon). Why bring a laptop? I use it for backing up my shots in the field, checking scripts, and sometimes even making quick edits to see if a shot works or not.

Then on to the batteries. I use the V-Lock expander I/O on my RED Helium. My V-Locks of choice are from Blueshape and I would normally bring 3-5 90Watt batteries with me for a day’s worth of shooting. I tape all of my batteries with velcro on the back, so I can mount my audio receiver directly on to the battery. With the batteries comes one V-Lock charger for on the go charging.

Lens wise, if I’m shooting solo, I’m normally shooting on a Canon 24-70 2.8 II. I’ll take one backup lens with me, like the Canon 16-35 4.0 IS (stabiliser on this thing is great) and a Vari ND screw on filter for maximum flexibility.

The camera toolbox I bring with me has all the important tools and screw to help me fix little issues on the camera. No matter how fast you tighten everything, things will always come undone on moments you didn’t expect.

Lighting wise, I’ll bring 2 or 3 small USB chargeable Aputure AL-M9 LED lights, to use on the fly and use as an eye light.

Audio: my trusty Zaxcom ZMT3.1 transmitters I bring with me everywhere together with the Sanken COS11D microphones.

On to the small stuff: I bring a fair amount of extra SDI, power (D-/ P-tap) cables as they will fail you at some point. Lens cleaners, a REDMAG Reader, earbuds that are lightweight, and a few hard drives. Preferably the G-Technology R-Series for their ruggedness, speed and small form factor.