Production Equipment You Need For Your Business – Over the last few years, the production industry has dramatically expanded, generating a lot of revenue each year. Thanks to technological advancement, you can share your work with your target audience anywhere in the world.
However, it’s crucial to understand that to make some bucks from this ever-changing industry, you need to step up your production game. You should know that, in this highly competitive digital-focused world, the best work wins. And, one of the ways to improve your production game is to invest in quality production equipment.
This article discusses all you need to know about production equipment and the type of production equipment you may invest in. Read on!
Table of Contents
What Is Production Equipment?
Production equipment refers to gadgets and attachment units other than spare parts directly and exclusively used in a production process. In a production business, the quality of the production process will play a huge role in ensuring the success of your business.
What Is The Production Process?
It’s vital to understand that the production process may vary from one business to another. Some factors that may influence the difference include the timeline, budget, content, experience, etc.
With that in mind, the following are the basic building blocks for a typical production process:
- Pre-production: This is the first stage of the production process. It involves preparing and setting the groundwork for the production process. Some of the activities conducted at this stage include planning, understanding the target audience, stating goals and objectives, etc. This stage will determine the success of your project.
- Production: This involves the actual process of capturing and recording the storyline of your project. Some of the activities conducted in this phase include interviews, setting up the production equipment, recording voiceovers, etc. It’s best if you have the necessary pieces of production equipment to ensure you capture every aspect of your project.
- Post-production: This is the final stage of the production process. Your team will organize, plan, and edit the captured raw materials of your project. This will lead to the delivery of quality work that satisfies the clients’ needs and expectations.
What Production Equipment Do You Need For Your Business?
There are many categories of production equipment you can use in your business. You can either purchase or rent the equipment. Some factors that may influence your decision include the cost, availability, personal preference, etc.
If you decide to purchase your equipment, do note that the process may be costly. But, on the brighter side, the equipment will always be at your disposal, and you can also rent it out to earn a few bucks, recovering your money in the process.
On the other hand, hiring production equipment may be favorable for new businesses. You may access high-quality equipment at a cost, but it’s lower than purchasing the equipment yourself. But it’s crucial to understand that you may end up paying more in the long run through renting. So, ensure you conduct extensive research to identify whether you should purchase or rent production equipment.
Here are some of the production equipment you need for your business include:
1. Camera
This is one of the pieces of production equipment you need for your business. Most clients and customers base their needs and expectations on the latest advancement and fads, such as a 4k video or higher. However, it’s best to understand that the camera itself won’t capture a good image or video. Instead, the one behind the lenses (content creator and filmmakers) will ensure that the camera captures quality images/videos.
With so many options out there, it’s important to understand the different types of cameras available. They include smartphones, super chip cameras, professional cameras, pro-consumer cameras, etc.
Additionally, here are some factors to consider when choosing a camera
- Resolution: Due to the high demands, most companies want their work to be 4k or higher. Thus, it would be best to choose a higher resolution camera to ensure you capture high-quality images and videos.
- Cost: This is another factor you should consider before choosing a camera. Choose a high-quality camera within your budget to increase your profit margin.
- Ergonomics: If the camera is too heavy or doesn’t fit well in your hands, it might be hard to carry it with you. While it may be easier to shop online, you may end up with a camera that doesn’t meet your expectations. Thus, shopping in a physical store may be the right move as you can assess the ergonomics.
2. Quality Editing Tools
You’ll use this hardware for the other half of the project: the post-production phase. With creativity and the right technical knowledge, this equipment will help you deliver a high-quality product.
Here are some of the editing tools you need for your business:
- Audio editing tools: These tools are responsible for analyzing and converting the recoded audio into any desired format. It’s important to choose high quality audio analyzers to ensure you produce a high-quality product.
- Editing software: Over the last few years, editing software has been available on a wide range of devices. When it comes to editing software, consider the following:
- Price: It’s important to understand that expensive software doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll receive a quality package. So, it’s advisable to reach out to several developers to get an insight into the average price of editing software. Ideally, purchase an editing software that best suits your needs and is within the set budget.
- Ease of use: Complicated software may lead to low-quality work as editors may spend a lot of time figuring it out. It may also lower the profit margin as you’ll be forced to train the editors to use the software. Rather, you should purchase simple, quality software to simplify the production process.
- Capability: The software you choose should have a wider range of capabilities to ensure it meets your needs and expectations.
- Quality Computer: Since you’ll be using a computer to edit and store the captured raw materials of a project, it’s best to opt for a high-quality one. Consider factors such as storage, speed, availability of replacement parts, and more.
3. Lighting Kits
It may be a tricky activity to find the best lighting kits for your business. With so many options available, it’s important to conduct enough research to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each option. Before you start, ensure you understand the different forms of lighting and how they can differ from one environment to another.
Here are the forms of lighting you should consider:
- Tungsten lights: This lighting is suitable for interior production setups. Advantages of using this lighting include affordable prices and have a balanced Color Rendering Index (CRI). However, tungsten may have a shorter shelf life and may increase fire risks.
- LED (Light-emitting diodes) lights: This type of lighting is suitable for low-budget projects. Also, they can be easily transported from one point to another as they’re lightweight. Another advantage of using LED lights is that they offer high-quality exposure as their color remains consistent even during dimming. One of the major drawbacks of this type of lighting is that it may be expensive in terms of cost per lumen than other alternatives.
It’s important to understand that camera can’t respond to light the same way the human eye does. Thus, additional lighting will help the camera pick up finite details and lighting contrasts to capture a quality image or film.
4. Tripod And Gimbals
These pieces of equipment will help maintain the stabilization of your camera. For instance, if you’re moving while shooting, the gimbal will be the right equipment for you. On the other hand, a tripod is favorable when your camera is in a still position.
Both gimbals and tripods come in different types and sizes, too. In other words, you can find a gimbal and tripod that fits small cameras, such as smartphones, and for large ones, such as professional cameras. Visit several sellers or stores to ensure you get the best deal on the market.
5. Audio Recording Bundle
You should understand that sounds may influence the quality of your films. For this reason, it’s crucial you utilize available sound recording tools. While people may tolerate grainy footage here and there, hearing terrible voices may force them to stop listening to your work. The bundle should be functional, lightweight, and easy to set up.
Although audio needs will change from one client to another, some of the common tools include a boom mic, LAV kit, multi-channel audio recorder, and headphones.
6. Transcription Tools
Adding texts to your work is one of the ways to increase engagement, regardless of where you’re posting your project. For instance, if you’re posting your projects on social media platforms, you may lose traffic if they don’t have subtitles. Even if you aren’t posting your work on these platforms, ensure you provide captions, which is helpful for viewers with hearing challenges.
If you’re working on many projects, it might be hard to provide captions for each video. Using transcription tools and services will simplify the process, as they can generate captions faster than you do yourself.
Takeaway
As mentioned above, the production industry has greatly expanded over the last few years. Production tools are involved in planning, recording, and editing projects. There are several production equipment categories, including cameras, editing tools, lighting kits, tripods and gimbals, audio recording bundle, as well as transcription tools.