Shooting video with Canon 5D Mark III

<p>I'm looking for advice! I may have an opportunity to help a local company by shooting short video clips (15-20 seconds each) of random people who agree to perform musically. I would use my Canon 5D Mark III. Details of the shoot are not yet set. But I assume we'd be outdoors in a public space - could be noisy. Camera on a tripod with light(s) and wired microphone. All subjects would stand/sit an equal distance away from the camera. Except for the people, all clips would need to have similar qualities ... sound level, lighting, background, etc... Aside from the camera, I will need to get proper equipment. So, what kind of setup would you recommend in terms of lighting, microphone, lens, editing software ... etc?</p>

 

<p>It'd be nearly impossible to make any useful suggestions without knowing exactly what you, the producer, have in mind, and what the recording process will be. </p>

<p>If you don't have much experience shooting video with audio, then I'd recommend looking through some of the "Playing for Change" videos such as the one linked below to get a sense of setup vs. results:<br>

<a href="

- 5:27</p>

<p>Lights will require power; mic levels will need to be adjusted properly while anticipating unexpected transients from random musicians, so the gear is the easy part but using it effective becomes the challenge. </p>

<p>Maybe we can offer better suggestions if you can communicate more details such as the outdoor setting, natural light condition, camera field of view, etc.. </p>

<p>Michael ... wow, what an amazing video. Thank you for that link. I will be watching others, as you suggest. The setting of this shoot is expected to be an outdoor plaza surrounded by businesses such as restaurants. There are no musicians. The only noise I'd anticipate would be from people walking nearby. Subjects will be asked to sing a cappella. They'll need around 50 different subjects to do this. The timing is expected to be late afternoon/evening. There may be natural light early on but because the clips will all need a similar "look," I'm thinking artificial lighting is necessary. Field of view will be small ... just the person from about shoulders up and an uncluttered background. This obviously won't be a Hollywood production and the budget is small. But I was thinking of at least two constant lights (maybe LED panels?) and a shotgun style mic on a boom and out of sight. We should have access to power. I was considering something like a Beachtec DXA-SLR Pro to improve audio quality recorded by the camera. Sound good/bad? </p>

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<p><em>"But I was thinking of at least two constant lights (maybe LED panels?) and a shotgun style mic on a boom and out of sight. We should have access to power. I was considering something like a Beachtec DXA-SLR Pro to improve audio quality recorded by the camera. Sound good/bad?"</em></p>

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<p>Sounds good to me, David. <br>

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Even those cheap eBay shotgun mics are very effective and great bang for the buck. Check out the quick demo below. I bought a couple more out of curiosity and was knocked over backwards by the low cost; something like $25 shipped from China.<br>

<a href="

</a><br>

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There aren't too many alternatives to what you've named so it'll probably come down to how the gear is used, and I hope you'll have an assistant/helper. <br>

<a href="

</a></p>

<p>Thank you for the feedback!</p>