Crew bag

Everything our critics would pack for a small documentary shoot, stage by stage, from the microphone to the backup drive. Some links here are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

How we chose: from published specifications, makers’ documentation and the long record these models have on small crews. We have not tested these exact units, and we check every listing about once a month and drop anything that slips.

Sound

Sound is the part of a documentary viewers never forgive. A wireless kit for interviews, a shotgun for everything else, and closed headphones so you hear what the recorder hears.

  • DJI Mic Mini wireless kitTwo clip-on transmitters, one receiver and a charging case; the small, light option for a sit-down interview or a walk-and-talk.Amazon listing
  • DJI Mic 2 wireless kitTwo transmitters, a receiver and a charging case; each transmitter can also record its own backup track.Amazon listing
  • Hollyland Lark M2 wireless kitA compact two-person wireless set that works with cameras and phones.Amazon listing
  • DJI wired lavalier for DJI transmittersA small wired lav that plugs into a DJI transmitter, so the transmitter can hide in a pocket and only the capsule shows.Amazon listing
  • Rode SmartLav+A wired lavalier for recording straight into a phone.Amazon listing
  • Rode VideoMic NTGA camera-top shotgun mic that can also go on a boom pole.Amazon listing
  • Rode VideoMicroA tiny on-camera mic with a shock mount; better than the camera's built-in mic for ambience and run-and-gun shots.Amazon listing
  • Samson MK10 boom standA light boom stand that holds a mic just out of frame during a seated interview.Amazon listing
  • Zoom F3 field recorderA two-input recorder with locking XLR/TRS sockets and 32-bit float recording, so a sudden shout does not clip.Amazon listing
  • Sony MDR-7506 headphonesClosed-back monitoring headphones that have been a location-sound standard for decades.Amazon listing
  • Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphonesClosed-back studio headphones that also travel well for checking interviews in the field.Amazon listing

Light

Most interviews need little: one soft key, something to bounce or block light, and panels that run on batteries when the sockets are in the wrong place.

  • Neewer 660 LED panel kit (two lights)Two bi-colour LED panels with stands: a key and a fill for a basic interview setup.Amazon listing
  • Neewer 480 LED panel kit (two lights)A smaller pair of bi-colour panels for tight rooms and travel.Amazon listing
  • Godox SL100D COB lightA 100-watt daylight COB light with a Bowens mount, bright enough to push through a big softbox.Amazon listing
  • SmallRig 35-inch Bowens softboxA quick-release Bowens-mount softbox that turns a hard COB light into a soft, flattering key.Amazon listing
  • Neewer 43-inch 5-in-1 reflectorA collapsible disc with white, silver, gold, black and translucent faces for bounce, fill or negative fill.Amazon listing

Check mains flicker with the shutter angle calculator

Camera support

A gimbal earns its place on walk-and-talks and following shots. For everything else a tripod and a steady hand still do the job.

  • DJI RS 4 Mini comboA three-axis gimbal sized for mirrorless cameras with small lenses.Amazon listing
  • DJI RS 4 gimbalA three-axis gimbal for heavier camera and lens combinations.Amazon listing
  • DJI Osmo Mobile 7PA folding three-axis phone gimbal for filmmakers who shoot on a phone.Amazon listing

Cards, drives and backups

Two verified copies before any card is formatted, and a third that leaves the building.

  • SanDisk Extreme PRO 128 GB SD cardA UHS-I V30 card, the common baseline for 4K recording on mirrorless cameras.Amazon listing
  • SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 2 TBA rugged USB-C SSD for offloading cards and editing from on the road.Amazon listing
  • Samsung T7 Portable SSD 2 TBA palm-sized USB-C SSD, a common choice for a second backup copy.Amazon listing
  • WD My Passport 5 TBA portable hard drive for the third copy of everything you shot, the one that leaves the building.Amazon listing
  • UGREEN UHS-II SD card readerA USB-C reader for SD and microSD cards, so offloads are not limited by a slow built-in slot.Amazon listing

For an office archive that several editors share, a network drive (NAS) keeps the second copy in one place. See at UGREEN

Size the drives for your shoot with the video file size calculator

Power

Count batteries per shoot day, then add one. Away from the wall, a portable power station keeps lights, laptops and chargers running.

  • Anker 20,000 mAh power bankA power bank with a built-in USB-C cable for wireless mic kits, phones and recorders.Amazon listing
  • Neewer NP-F970 batteries with chargerTwo large NP-F style batteries and a charger for LED panels and monitors that take them.Amazon listing

EcoFlow makes portable power stations in several sizes, from carry-on units to whole-day packs. See at EcoFlow

BLUETTI makes power stations in similar sizes, many with solar inputs for long days off the grid. See at BLUETTI

Books for the long nights

Long reads for the edit suite and the train home, each one tied to a guide on the site.

  • In the Blink of an Eye, by Walter MurchA short, much-quoted book on film editing from the editor of Apocalypse Now.Amazon listing
  • Voices from Chernobyl, by Svetlana AlexievichOral history built from interviews with people who lived through the disaster.Amazon listing
  • Touching the Void, by Joe SimpsonThe climber's own account of the accident that became Kevin Macdonald's documentary.Amazon listing
  • Alone on the Wall, by Alex Honnold with David RobertsHonnold's account of his climbing life, from before the film Free Solo.Amazon listing
  • The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, by Steve BrusatteA palaeontologist's history of the dinosaurs, a good companion to any dinosaur documentary.Amazon listing
  • 1776, by David McCulloughA narrative history of the war's pivotal year.Amazon listing
  • Five Days at Memorial, by Sheri FinkReporting on what happened inside a New Orleans hospital after Hurricane Katrina.Amazon listing
  • The Looming Tower, by Lawrence WrightA history of the road to the September 11 attacks.Amazon listing
  • On Photography, by Susan SontagThe essays that still frame most arguments about documentary images.Amazon listing

Watching

The best training for a documentary maker is other people’s documentaries. Your library card and the NFB’s free collection at nfb.ca go a long way; each of our Film Notes ends with where to look for the film.

For history, science and nature documentaries on demand: Watch on CuriosityStream