Top Ten Tips for getting good school videos. Part 4- smaller is better.

When you are attending school functions open to all grades it tends to get a little crowded in hallways, stairwells and classrooms.   Over the past 5 or 6 years of elementary school videos I have downsized my gear to a compact and efficient setup. I actually use two different setups depending on the function and the venue. If it’s in a classroom or small cafeteria I will use my one camcorder kit. It contains one camcorder, one small add on light, an extra battery, lens cleaning kit and a tripod. To the tripod I attached a strap that was a camera neck strap. I fastened it to the top just below the tripod head and the other end to the bottom on one leg. Then when the tripod is folded up I can carry it over my shoulder. The rest all fit in a medium size camcorder bag. It travels well and maneuvers through tight hallways and isles without tangling too many people.

I always make sure that I have batteries charged up and extra tapes with me. There is nothing worse than running out of battery power or tape before the function ends. I also like to clean the lens before starting to make sure no dust or dirt is on the lens. I use a kit that has a little blower and soft brush on it to get any particles off the lens and it has lens cleaning paper and solution. A drop or two of solution on a piece of lens cleaning paper and then wipe in circular motion around the lens to get any fingerprints or spots. There are also lens cleaning pens that work good also.

I use a mini dv tape camcorder for most all of my videos. It is a few years old but still a very good quality camcorder. It is small but not tiny. It won’t fit in your pocket but fits in a small to medium size bag fine.  I also have a small battery powered add on led light for the camcorder. It fits on a bracket that attaches to the bottom of the camcorder in the tripod hole and has a tripod mount hole on the bottom to attach a tripod.  It’s a very clever design that works well and a little extra light always helps.

This kit has everything I need and is still in a small manageable package.

Have fun.