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This lighting setup will save you hours in set-up time

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I love these Frankenstein setups for supporting our gear. Whether it’s for cameras, lights, microphones, whatever. It’s rare that a single commercial option offers us everything we need, and sometimes we just have to mix it up. It’s why products like the Manfrotto Magic Arm exist, because a straight up light stand or tripod on its own just doesn’t give us what we want.

In this video, Caleb Pike from DSLR Video Shooter shows off what he calls “the best light stand setup I’ve ever used”. Which is essentially a regular light stand, an articulated microphone boom arm, a ball head, a 1/4″ spigot and a couple of washers & wing nuts. It’s repurposing gear to work in a way it was not originally intended. But work it does, and very well, according to Caleb.

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How to build your own DIY camera jib for overhead shots for less than $35

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We’ve shown you a few overhead camera rigs before. This one, though, has to be amongst the least expensive DIY solutions I’ve seen. Based around a square metal tube, the construction is about as simple as it gets.

The video comes from YouTube user Energy Researcher. He goes through the build step by step, although there’s just really not much to it. Even if you’re not that great at DIY, this should pose no problem.

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How to turn your tripod into a hands-free boom arm holder for only $15

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Unless you have a dedicated boom arm, or a voice activated lightstand (an assistant) to do the job for you, booming microphones and lights overhead can prove to be a little tricky.  Good boom arm stands can be expensive, especially if you want stability.

This solution from the Frugal Filmmaker couldn’t have come at a better time for me, as I’ve been in the market for something to hold my microphone boom pole for a little while now.  Being able to utilise a tripod I already own and would already be taking on shoots with me anyway will make life much easier.

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Chimera’s new self levelling lighting boom will set you back at least $550

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Chimera have just announced a pair of new self-levelling lighting boom arms, allowing you to quickly raise and lower your lights without having to adjust the hight of your light stand, or readjust the angle of your light & modifier.

If your first thought, like mine, was “Awesome, cheap camera jib!”, then I would suggest you brace yourself.  The “Compact” version costs $550 and the “Standard” version has a price tag of $700.

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