My Advanced Camera Assistant Kit

My beloved and trusty 7-inch monitor of choice. When pulling focus, this is my go-to monitor because it's bright enough for every gig I do and the SmallHD operating system is just miles ahead of every other manufacturer's.

In my opinion, the touch screen is the best way to navigate the PageOS menu system. SmallHD's "peaking" function has been the best and most reliable way to assist me when pulling focus (this is the same peaking function that RED cameras offer internally as well).

It can even control ARRI, RED, and Pro Sony cameras with the proper license and control cable. Unfortunately, this monitor is very power-hungry and gets very hot, so be sure to pack plenty of batteries!

A wireless focus system that is reliable and easy to use has been the hardest to come by on a budget. That's why I prefer to rent professional wireless focus systems like the ARRI Hi-5 (and the ARRI WCU-4 until the Hi-5 is more widely available) and cmotion cPro systems.

For most of my jobs, the production company rents a complete camera package that includes the wireless focus system. ARRI WCU-4 has been my personal favorite because the hand unit feels so comfortable holding. And when paired with LBUS-powered cforce motors, rigging a camera becomes such a joy.

I have never had one of the ARRI systems fail on me (which I definitely cannot say about budget systems like the Tilta nucleus and others in this price range). The last thing I want is for my main tool to fail!

In certain situations, I still get to use a manual follow focus which I love because, in my opinion, it's the most intuitive and direct way to pull focus. There is a lot of good follow focus units available nowadays that don't break the bank but I especially like the Wooden Camera Zip Focus because of its simple and lightweight design, and great value for money.

PRO TIP: When pulling focus on longer lenses (zoom lenses and some longer prime lenses), it's good to use aluminum or steel rods instead of carbon fiber rods. Carbon fiber looks fancy but it flexes a lot more than aluminum or steel and this can cause the teeth of the gear on the follow focus (and also wireless focus motors) to disengage while applying torque.

I fell in love with the original ULCS arms because they offer multiple points to lock the arm. When using conventional friction arms, it might be faster to unlock all joints with just one knob, but many times I want to only adjust one joint without unlocking the whole arm.

Wooden Camera has made a great version of the ULCS arms called the Ultra Arm which is more easily available. I still prefer the double-winged ULCS arm knobs though. The Wooden Camera Universal Ultra Arm Ball 1/4" & 3/8" combo is incredibly ingenious and I can't wait for mine to arrive. These combo balls offer you the chance to quickly switch between 1/4" and 3/8" mounting screws and you can also choose to install locking pins.

Bonus points for the thumbscrews which can actually be fastened without tools or breaking your thumbs. SmallRig also makes a version of these arms but I didn't find them to be very practical because I don't seem to get gear securely fastened without having to use tools.

When I use wireless follow focus, I have to rely on a wireless video system that works without problems and noticeable delay. There are a few budget wireless video solutions available but none of the ones I have used were as reliable and easy to use as the Teradek Bolt.

The non-4K version of the Bolt was relatively compact to mount on my hand unit + monitor combo but the Bolt 4K receivers are HUGE. The Teradeks just work! And they always work (as long as you have enough batteries :))

Setting down marks for actors, marking empty batteries, securing full media mags - these and many more of my on-set duties require the use of tape. Multiple colors are ideal for properly communicating why you apply a strip of tape (green tape on a memory card means something COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than red tape!)

It's also important that you try a few different brands that are available to you to find a brand that has the perfect "stickiness". This is also dependent on your ambient temperature and how hot your gear gets. When your camera/monitor/etc. gets hot and the tape comes off because the glue was not made for hot temperatures, then it's useless. Same deal with residue when removing tape - I occasionally have to tape filters to the front of a lens and I don't wanna have to spend extra time after a long day cleaning tape residue from filters and lenses.

I usually carry gaff tape in several colors (it has many different names, depending on where you live but it can leave fabric-like strands when you rip it). Also in my kit, is some really strong tape which lighting techs like to use and also a roll of paper tape (for the filter-to-lens action for example).

A laser distance meter lets me quickly take measurements before and in between takes. This gives me reference marks and lets me easily map out the room in my head. It's also much faster than using a regular tape measure. This is not a specialized tool for filmmaking so you can easily get one from your local hardware store. Just keep the laser out of your talent's eyes!

I typically prefer using the above laser distance meter but in some instances, like very bright environments or long distances, I have to resort to using an old-school manual tape measure. I can recommend tape measures with wide and strong blades that don't bend right away - this keeps you working autonomously.

I love quick releases and have tried quite a few of them but they are usually quite expensive like the Cine Lock by 16x9 Inc. There are plenty of companies that are copying the Cine Lock design but many have the issue of bad manufacturing tolerances. When manufacturing in bulk, not every part is the same size and for quick releases that are this small, it's very hard to get a tight fit.

Lenz Camteratools is a small company from Germany and they make one of the best quick-releases I have tested (apart from the original Cine Lock). The Lenz Mini Quick Release Adapters have advanced the original design though, with several versions of both the bottom and top plate, depending on where you want to use the quick release.

A bigger but even stronger quick-release system is the V-Lock system that V-Mount batteries utilize for mounting. The wedge-shaped design provides excellent fit and security.

This is purely a convenience product for me but I find all sorts of uses for these cup holders. The RoboCup is a cup holder that is designed to quickly attach to light stands, MagLiners, or other camera carts.

The fixture is spring-loaded so you can fit them around poles of pretty much any size. You can put your brewsky or water (very responsible) in there, your Allen keys or any other tools for quick access. It's usually one of the first things that goes in my camera cart during prep.

I love micro V-Mount batteries. They offer so much flexibility for almost the same footprint as NP-F batteries and I especially found the FXLion nano micro V-Mount batteries to tick all of my boxes.

Not only can they power any camera through the V-Mount interface, but you can power cameras and accessories through P-Tap, USB-A and USB-C (PD - power delivery compatible). These batteries can also be charged via USB-C. I have not found a device that couldn‘t be powered with these.

I even carry a nano ONE everywhere as a power bank for my iPhone and iPad. The FXLion nano is available in three models: nano ONE (50Wh), nano TWO (98Wh), and THREE (150Wh). 

A multitool is the one item that I always carry with me when I‘m on set (apart from my phone). Cutting tape, opening, or tightening screws - the multitool is your friend.

I especially love Leatherman multitools because they are easy to come by, don‘t cost a fortune and they are very hard to break (I still use the one I bought 10 years ago).

I found this tool to be extremely handy because everything you need is stored inside this little package. I use an earlier version of this which didn‘t have the option to store all the attachments inside the handle.

Included are the most common torx, hex, Allen and Philips attachments and you can simply buy single attachments from the hardware store and replace the ones you don‘t need. You can also look for an alternative at your local hardware store.

I like to carry an assortment of permanent and non-permanent markers with me. This way I can permanently write on tape and non-permanently write on a Slater/Clapperboard.

Honestly, I‘m still relatively bad at slating but thankfully most productions have somebody else to do this, which also speeds up the process. I still carry my own slate in my bag because sometimes the production forgets it or you need a second one when shooting b-roll.

There is nothing fancy about this slate but I advise to try and avoid slates with plastic sticks at all cost!

It took me a while to appreciate the Dual-Lock Tape but now I almost exclusively use it over conventional Velcro. Both sides are the same and you don‘t have to worry about which side to put on your device in order to interlock.

It is a bit on the pricier side compared to Velcro and because the base is a bit stiffer, it also cannot wrap around corners as well as Velcro. That‘s why I still carry both in my bag.

A very smart guy at my favorite ARRI Rental location once told me, „The best way to clean a lens is not having to clean it at all“. That’s why I put on lens caps as soon as the lens comes off the camera. Try to avoid cleaning lenses as much as possible since every time you rub the glass, you remove some of the lens coating.

When I do have to clean a lens I like to use the ROSCO cleaning fluid, but Tiffen, Zeiss and many other brands sell some variant of this as well. Just be sure to only apply the cleaner to the lens cloth and not directly to the lens.

From my days as a camera rental tech, I have grown to love the big Giottos rocket air blower. You don‘t have to look like you‘re checking your blood pressure while cleaning the dust off your lens.

I also prefer to use blowers instead of compressed air because I feel like I push dust further into the lens compared to a blower, which can be fully controlled.

For keeping a clean, yet easily modifiable camera build, coiled BNC cables are a dream. They give you room when you have to quickly reposition something on your rig but it still looks clean.

Just be aware that many cheap coiled BNC cables cannot transmit 4K signals. This is perfectly fine for connecting monitors but when you have to connect to a Teradek Bolt 4K, then you should check for compatibility.

When I build a camera that doesn‘t have to be modified constantly, I still like to use regular, non-coiled cables. A good friend of mine has actually started to fabricate and sell his own BNC cables in a bunch of lengths, tailor-made for rigging a camera (see the prisma.film shop link below).

Just be sure to learn about SDI standards (3G, 6G, 12G) and which cable length can transmit which video signals in order to buy the right cables.

Depending on your preference you might want to start using a single battery for all your accessories and therefor you need matching power cables. I prefer to use cables with a P-Tap connector on the battery side for all of my accessories.

I also make my own power cables because the P-Tap connectors are just so easy to solder. If you‘re not into soldering, Wooden Camera offers a very handy Cable Customizer which you can use to have all sorts of custom cables made. It‘s also a great resource for learning about all kinds of connectors and what they are used for.

Occasionally I find myself in a situation where I need to integrate HDMI devices into an SDI environment or vice-versa and the Blackmagic Micro Converters are a joy to use. You can power the converter via USB-C and I even made some custom USB-C to P-Tap cables for powering the converter from V-Mount batteries.

The connections are very well made, I just wish there were some 1/4“ mounting threads in the housing for rigging. I also loved using the one-directional HDMI-SDI and SDI-HDMI converters from Atomos because they had a built-in NP-F battery plate but unfortunately they're not being sold anymore.

When you have to film in very cold temperatures, you will see a drastic decrease in battery life. Emergency blankets are a great hack for using the battery‘s own heat to keep it warm.

Just cut out a small sheet of the emergency blanket and, with the help of some tape, create a little „diaper“ to put over your battery. Secure it to your device and you have just greatly extended your battery life.

I have tried multiple bag styles over the years and since I started to have back problems, I looked into what kinds of roller bags I could use. That was around the time the Pelican Air cases were introduced and I decided to give them a try.

I opted for the 1535 because of its carry-on size and it also forced me to optimize my loadout since this case is smaller than my previous AC bags. I chose to use the padded dividers for the versatility and protection.

You can also use the TrekPak divider system but you have to stick with a single layout because the dividers need to be cut to size.

For the lid of my Pelicase, I chose to use wide Velcro strips with strong adhesive on the inside and outside, so I could use the Velcro pouches from Blueridge Overland Gear.

I love tose pouches because they have the zipper in the front and not on top of the pouch, which greatly helps with longevity. Also you can access the pouch while it‘s fastened to the Pelicase. I have a pouch for power cables and accessories, one pouch for cleaning products, one for BNC cables and one for tools.