How To Rig Your Cinema Camera

Getting a new cinema camera is super exciting for any documentary filmmaker, but right out of the box they might not be ideally configured for run and gun shooting. In this video I’m going to get into some of my favourite accessories for getting the most out of your camera on your next shoot.
#filmmaking #documentary #gear
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TV Logic Monitor - tiny.cc/li4yuz
IDX Vmount 98 Batteries - tiny.cc/ki4yuz
Velcro Tape: amzn.to/3AJlZnq
📸 Thumbnail photo by Marcos Rocha - marcosdp.com/about
CHAPTERS
0:00 - Intro
1:12 - Difference between Camera rig vs just a camera
2:33 - External Monitor
5:47 - Batteries: V mount and Gold mount
8:39 - Grip
10:11 - Top Handle
12:32 - Secret hack: Velcro
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[@DroseMr]

Amen! After 3yrs this week i got tilta light weight shoulder rig. Refreshing to see this video. Thank You

[@fluffybuht5936]

Thanks for all your content and I find your tips and opinions very genuine. I absolutely love the velcro tip! I primarily shoot weddings and when I am using a wireless lav, often found myself struggling with where to put the receiver. Real estate is tight on my camera but velcro is the absolute answer instead of an oddly placed cold shoe.

[@nataliefrohmann5715]

Your channel is GOLD!! Thank you for creating such simple and informative content. So glad I found your channel and there isn’t a single video I haven’t watched and haven’t gotten useful info on💪🏻 Great work!

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks Natalie, that’s really nice to hear!

[@TreverSantora]

Amazing content per usual, Luc! You set the bar high and I'm consistently learning from your straightforward, real world approach.

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks man, appreciate that

[@MrAlbertein]

Thanks for all theses tips, you definitely deserve more subscribers. Watched a lot of your videos, you're a great inspiration.

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks, appreciate that!

[@ibrahimvisuals6745]

I never get tired watching your videos!

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks man!

[@OccidentalonPurpose]

You've got one main rig and that's all you can afford. But you'd benefit from a couple extra angles and you've got people who can help. A video about how to incorporate random, off-the-shelf tech like iPhones and GoPros into the mix could be excellent.

[@tnfilmmaker]

Another great video! Your videos do a great job of balancing the obsession with buying new gear (GAS, gear acquisition syndrome) with the economic realities of purchasing gear you don't really need. I have not been a model citizen in this regard but I've come up with some creative solutions with gear I already own (and probably forgot I owned) to solve problems I may or may not really have. Jack Black talks a lot about looking for ways to make his life difficult as a performer because he feels those challenges are what inspires creativity. It's a great outlook that we would all do well to consider before purchasing the next new bit of pricey electronic kit.

[@LucForsyth]

Thanks for sharing Michael, and glad you're liking the videos! And totally agree - both with you and JB!

[@nicksince9487]

Love how calm/well spoken you are. Found you via AOD and I'm glad I did. Keep up the great work on here man.

[@LucForsyth]

Thank you, appreciate that…can I ask how via AOD?

[@nicksince9487]

@@LucForsyth yeah it was your AOD review video! It was a big investment so I tried doing as much research as I could before committing to it. I haven't gotten too deep into the content yet, but even just the membership in the Facebook group is providing so much value.

[@moniquebeastie]

Solid tips. Thank you for sharing.

[@LucForsyth]

No problem!

[@mauricioli3901]

Luc, the velcro tip is awesome, I will start to use it. Thank you. ☀️👍🏻🌴🏝🌊📸☕🌋

[@LucForsyth]

Órale! Saludos Mauricio!

[@pizzomedia7261]

Great video Luc! What would you recommend for lenses that are good for both for doc work and commercials? Currently I have a full set of vintage primes. I really love them, but they can flare too much in certain light situations and not great for more corporate stuff. I also have 24&50 g-master primes and a sigma 24-70. I feel like I have some redundancy in my kit and I’m considering unloading either the sony primes or the sigma and replacing with a couple cine primes. I do prefer to manual focus almost always. The sigma is my most uninteresting lens, but I can certainly knock out a lot of shots with it. Any thoughts?

[@Plaughrey]

Yes! Velcro! My Camera friends thought I was crazy for keeping a roll in my fx6 bag 😂 I’ll try to use it on my wireless mics, I’ve only really used it for timecode or other small accessories

[@LucForsyth]

It’s the best!

[@nevinsanchez9112]

I’ve been thinking of getting a Ninja Shinobi or the Port Keys PT 5 ii as a beginner. I have the og bmpcc. I would love to see how you rig the bmpcc with a small run n gun for casual shooting and a full rig set up for a project.

[@LucForsyth]

Great idea - if I get my hands on one I’ll try and make it happen

[@AndieNow]

Of course Velcro! Gonna use this tip from Now on

[@LucForsyth]

It’s so good!

[@leoquesto9183]

Nice video. I’d recommend an upgrade to an appropriate-sized shock mount w/suspension for your 416, a great boom yet on the heavy side. Noticed some serious play there which suggests you may experience handling noise transfer.

[@LucForsyth]

Haven’t yet, but that’s a good tip! Thanks!

[@BenPhanStudios]

Awesome! Im going to buy one of the shape handles - they have a telescopic version ($593) and standard one ($351). They look exactly the same except you get an extra 1.5 inches with the telescopic one. What do you recommend? Thanks!

[@bluedun9816]

Great tips, I am somewhat dismayed I didn't think of using Velcro more liberally. I shoot with a A7S III with a VCT plate so I have somewhat of a Frankenstein rig. I have a shoulder pad I can pull off and land the rig on a tripod was well. Being older my vision is not as good so I purchased a used Zacuto EVF but I still want to have a 5" monitor as well. Do you have any tips on switching between a monitor and EVF?

[@LucForsyth]

These days I mostly use the monitor. The evf I save as a backup or for when it’s going to be super bright. I like both, but I think monitor is the most generally easy to shoot with

[@davidmorefield]

I have been searching for a mount solution for my 502!! Your configuration looks so nice and compact. Do you have any issues with it holding the monitor straight? I see you have a bubble level on it. And last question, can you easily rotate it without adjusting a tension knob? Thanks Luc… always learning from your insight.

[@LucForsyth]

Took me a while to find it, but it’s from wooden camera. Ridiculously expensive, but it works the best for me. Rotates really well

[@davidmorefield]

@@LucForsyth Thank you for the insight!

I have everything for my fs7. Monitors, evf, vlock batteries, vct shoulder plate, etc. But in the end, for doc shoots I always strip it down to its OG config with stock monitor. Bpu batteries, plastic loupe and sony top handle. The monitor is good enough. Lightweight and durable. Sometimes more stuff is just more problems.

[@LucForsyth]

Funny how that works!

[@followthefocusofficial]

Do you use autofocus most of ths time then or manual focus with the lens?

[@banderlust]

hi Luc , I finally depart for my Van-Middle east-Crazy experience. I'm having quite trouble shooting all the time and edit. Are you collecting all the material and waiting the end of the trip to edit?

[@LucForsyth]

I generally don’t edit myself as it’s an art form and I’m not a master of it. Usually I’ll work closet with an editor

[@jrncreative5306]

Hi Luc! What kind of weather sealing do you use for your camera?

[@LucForsyth]

I have a rain cover from porta brace that works pretty well

[@Ryan-Payne]

Great video once again, I do notice most seasoned professional are running shoulder rigs! I think it's important to also point our that shoulder rigs work best for cameras that are designed for it from the beginning. The fx9 there has great physical buttons on the operators side of the camera, having it on your shoulder is ideal. A mirrorless on the other hand is designed with you positioned behind the camera, so it often leads to undesired results in my experience due it inoperability of the cameras buttons and menu items. I've found myself keeping everything very light and leaning into the mirrorless strengths or utilising a monopod. Which leads me into a spin off question. What are your thoughts on rigging mirrorless cameras to replace the role of a traditional cinema body? Mostly this is done as a budgetary option but other times I've seen it done to easily move from a gimbal back to a tripod or handheld in a single system. Is there any case where you'd leave the FX9 behind and grab the FX3 only or is getting a camera similar to the FX9, FS7, c300mkiii simply an inevitability for someone striving to become a camera operator or documentary DoP? Sensor technology is moving so quickly that comparing the image from the FS7 to the FX3 has the FX3 winning in a land slide but lacking many of the professional connections, although being available at a similar price used vs new.

[@jeremykishminatrea1892]

These were really good questions. I like where you were going with this. I know for me, I have a full SmallRig shoulder rig to rig up any of my camera bodies whenever necessary. But often times I don’t. It’s really just kind of what’s needed for the specific project. My cheat though is an Edelkrone Pocket Rig rather than the shoulder rig. For a mirrorless setup it works brilliantly. I do have a BMPCC 6K Pro that I can rig up when needed, but rarely do that. I find myself shooting more frequently on my LUMIX S5 bodies. I do have cages for everything. Monitors. Handles. Follow focus. Lights. A variety of mics, both lavs and shotguns. Batteries. ND filters and polarizers. And even Sound Devices/TASCAM audio mixers/recorders. I literally just returned home from the jungles of Guatemala hours ago. I’ve been there many times over the years. The gear that goes to those tropical places have to handle the moister. And that typically isn’t the BMPCC the majority of the time. When it rains, I need a more versatile option. I typically will use Sigma or Canon L Series lenses that are weather sealed. I’ve had really good luck shooting on them over the years. Admittedly the Sigma Art 18-35mm f/1.8 is ALWAYS in the bag. No, there’s no stabilization and no it isn’t weather sealed, but it’s just such a dang good lens for run and gun shooting. LOL! I’ve been shooting for quite a few years. My camera choice will vary depending on what final specs are that’s required and also the budget of the project. There’s always flexibility here, but typically I’m not bringing out $50,000 worth of gear for a $1000 shoot if that makes sense. But I’d love to hear Luc’s thoughts! I too love watching his videos. He does such an incredible job of sharing his own experiences.

[@LucForsyth]

I think that can totally work. It’s obviously not as easy as just having a shoulder cam right out of the box, and you’ll need to find a solution for good audio and time code, but the image should be great. I don’t think you ever really NEED to get a big camera if you can’t or don’t want to. I own them because I need them for work and I can rent them out, but if it’s working for you then it’s the right solution

[@LucForsyth]

Makes total sense - and that setup sounds great. I shot my first projects on a Nikon dslr, and no one complained!

[@checkadam42]

10:25 I'm cursing the FX6 having no audio inputs in the body itself. I'm stuck with the stock top handle until I can afford a solid external recording option.

[@LucForsyth]

Yeah, I used to have an fs5 so I know all about that. Still the fx6 is such a great camera though

[@terangikaiwhiriakemara]

Interested in the way you are mounting the monitor onto that rod. What is the connector you are using? It looks like a nato rail to rod? updated: all good, I found it. Looking for a cheaper version now.

[@LucForsyth]

It’s wooden camera - as you say stupidly expensive, but it works well. If you find a good cheaper option, please let me know!

[@Justin_Sullivan]

Hey brother, what arm are you using for your external monitor? I see it has an easy 'tilt' function like the standard monitor that comes with the FX6 - something I've been struggling to find. I'm shooting with an FX6 :-) Thanks so much!

[@zwheels654]

I've been looking into the Zacuto ACT, but I haven't been able to bring myself to pull the trigger. Looks great for my small setup, though.

[@LucForsyth]

Yeah, it’s not cheap..but I’ve liked mine

[@zwheels654]

@@LucForsyth For sure. I keep thinking that for my purposes, a DIY wheelchair mount might be more effective. Just haven't had the time to build one out.

[@tamont]

Hey Luc! How do you mount the monitor to the FX9? Exact model number for the mount would be great… thank you!

[@LucForsyth]

Wooden camera universal monitor arm. Don't know the model number!

[@thatsamuellu]

Hey, Luc, what's the monitor mount on the top handle 15mm rod?

[@LucForsyth]

Wooden camera universal monitor mount

[@thatsamuellu]

@@LucForsyth It's like 500 bucks.... and doesn't come with the configuration that you have, it's like a EVF extension bracket

[@AustinWestbro]

Is there a reason you don't use a follow focus?

[@EXITOPHELIA]

What's your default ENG lens?

[@illogicalcookie]

As for using one arm handle on one side rather than two, one on each side what are the pros of only using one?

[@LucForsyth]

Weight mostly. I feel like my left hand is generally on the focus ring anyways, so I prefer to save the weight

[@NewYorkerPEACE]

another excellent video

[@LucForsyth]

Thank you kindly!

[@mortystation]

Would you still rig a Fx3 for the shoulder?

[@LucForsyth]

I don't personally, but that's not to say it's not possible!

[@mortystation]

@@LucForsyth I was so undecided. Txs!

[@Brandon4Weiss]

🤘🏻 What are your thoughts on matte boxes?

[@LucForsyth]

I use one a lot, but mostly just for lens and flare protection rather than for filters

[@LeeHarris]

If like me you are 6.2 foot aren't you almost always pointing down if using shoulder mount, this has to be the worst angle no?

[@LucForsyth]

I’m 6’1, so I know the struggle…I find I do a split a lot to get down, but there’s no easy way around this I know of. Still worth it for stabililty IMO

[@thepropolys]

What about an easy rig? I know it’s big and another piece of gear but I’m super happy with mine.

[@LeeHarris]

@@thepropolys They ain't cheap!

[@errolvanzie4765]

Or like the nx line from Sony 😂

[@sammorganmoore]

a cinema camera is one that can shoot 12bits. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Cinema_Package

[@LucForsyth]

The more you know!