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Essential Documentary
Filmmaking Gear For 2023

6 essential gadgets & top picks for documentary filmmakers in 2023

Welcome to 2023! Is your filmmaking gear ready for the adventure?

We know gear isn’t the whole picture buuut good, reliable gear makes filmmaking a lot easier.

(Note: good gear ≠ expensive gear)!

This is especially true for documentary filmmakers, who are often tasked with stretching their tools and putting everything to work with just two hands.

So, we’d like to help you have a happy new gear (year) by sharing our pick of the 6 essential gadgets for documentary filmmakers in 2023.

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ESSENTIAL FILMMAKING GEAR FOR 2023

1. Backpack Strap Camera Clips 

The reality is, camera straps can be uncomfortable or downright “in the way.” 

So, when you’re on the go, you end up carrying your camera around in your hand quite a bit. 

Luckily, there exists a happy medium!

Check out these cool backpack strap clips for your camera.

Rest between handheld shots without having to hang a strap around your neck - a dream!

2. A Powerbank to Charge on the Go

If you don’t already own a powerbank, now is the time to get one.

Imagine you’re preparing to shoot in a remote location. What’s your battery plan?

Powerbanks are invaluable, not only in situations of limited electricity, but also while on long shoots.

Imagine you’ve got a full day of shooting with some travel time between locations.

With a powerbank, you can charge up your gear while you take that precious time to pass out in the window seat or take notes for your next shots!

3. A Waterproof and Drop-Proof Hard Drive

If your new year's resolution includes the extreme sport of documentary filmmaking, you’ll be thankful for a hard drive that resists wear and tear.

These hard drives from Sandisk offer up to 2 meter drop protection and are tested to withstand water flow at 3 minutes!

Hard drives are notoriously fickle… why not give yourself a little more peace of mind with a hard drive that’s down for adventure!

The price tag on these Sandisk Portable SSDs might send you running, but, truthfully, they’ll last forever (and so will all of your footage).

4. A Wireless Mic System

The upgrades to audio tech just keep surprising us. And luckily for documentary filmmakers, those upgrades are arriving at lower and lower prices.

No matter what the scenario, you can’t risk your audio when working on a documentary.

Some of your best interviews might happen on a windy beach, or in the backseat of a rickety, old car. There will be times that you need to grab sound on a subject far away from your camera. And the reality is, you won’t always have a sound assistant to hook everything up.

A few great options on the market for seamless audio recording (without the hassle of wiring) include the new DJI Mic, the RODE GO, and the Tentacle Track E wireless mic system.

These newer models come at half the price of the sought-after Sennheiser system!

5. A Dual Battery Charger

Disclaimer - you’re going to need to buy a second camera battery to make this purchase worth your while.

But once you’ve secured a backup battery for your DSLR or pocket cine camera, check out the options for a multi-battery charger.

Because you can’t expect one battery to power an all-day shoot!

6. An Indestructable Camera Bag

We love this last recommendation from filmmaker Luc Forsyth.

Documentary filmmakers truly have no idea where their films will take them. Like seriously, sometimes you don’t know if you’ll even have a proper mattress to sleep on!

Your bag should be built with that in mind.

And no, it shouldn’t just be able to double as a pillow.

Check out these (expensive) yet trusty camera bags from F-stop.

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These 6 essentials are sure to elevate your filmmaking in 2023.

Happy New Year!

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