Hello Everyone!
As I’m sure you all know, the holidays are fast approaching! If you celebrate Christmas, or any other holiday that involves gifting this season, you might still be deciding on what you want to ask for. To help make your decision a little easier, I wanted to provide you with a short selection that you can add to your filmmakers wish list. I’ve included a variety of items, mostly useful things for small budgets, so have a look and see if there’s anything you like!
- Mini lens kit for your cell phone: Priced at $28.99
https://www.amazon.com/Apexel-Telephoto-Fisheye-Samsung-Laptops/dp/B01N1INMPI/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1513117207&sr=8-4&keywords=cell+phone+lenses
I recently received a similar cell phone lens kit to this (mine only has 3 lenses and no tripod) and I find it a really neat accessory. If you take a lot of photos, or if you want to start filming short videos on your phone, this kit will definitely increase the quality and crispness of the images/videos. While I don’t personally use my cell phone for filming all that often, this is still just a great option if you can’t afford a larger camera or large lenses for a camera. - Editing software: $19.99 – 49.99/month
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html?promoid=4SC998JB&mv=otherA few Christmases ago, my grandma sent me money for a year’s subscription of editing software. I signed up for the student deal that Adobe offers on their website (which is currently priced at $19.99 per month for access to all their apps) and got a lot of use out of it! If you are looking to try out Adobe Premiere or any other Adobe products, this is certainly one way to do it. I still pay for a monthly subscription to use all the apps (which is $29.99 per month for me) and I swear by it because I think it’s the best. If the pricing is still a bit much for you, definitely check out options like iMovie (which is FREE for Mac users) and VEGAS Movie Studio (which is a one time fee of about $50 for the basic package). http://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/us/vegas-movie-studio/
- Mini, flexible tripod: About $8
https://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Lightweight-Tripods-Bendable-Adjustable/dp/B06ZZ2GYWB/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1513187016&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=bendable+tripod&psc=1My dad got me this flexible tripod a few years ago and I think it’s a nifty gadget that can come in handy. I wouldn’t recommend putting huge cameras on it, but for your cell phone or small DSLR, it works well. If you are filming on the go and don’t have a full sized tripod with you, this one will do in a pinch because you can wrap it around things and it will stay attached.
- Film School Book: Priced at $12
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/101-things-i-learned-in-film-school-neil-landau/1100298242#/
This book is great to leave on the coffee table or bedside table. It isn’t a huge book, so it makes it one that is easy to read casually. It is full of illustrations and useful advice, almost like a quick go to when you need a refresher on the basics of movie making. - Camera lens mug, clapper board, movie posters: Various prices
Lens mug- https://tinyurl.com/y7cyqn2x
Slate/clapboard- https://www.amazon.com/PMLAND-Professional-Photography-Clapboard-Director/dp/B071HG9Z4Y/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1513192892&sr=8-5&keywords=slate+clapperboard
Movie posters- https://www.amazon.com/27-Moonrise-Kingdom-Movie-Poster/dp/B00GYP0HVM/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1513192958&sr=1-1&keywords=Moonrise+kingdom+movie+poster
The last few items are just for fun! The dry erase clapboard and the lens mug can come in handy if you want to or already work on movie sets. The movie poster that I linked is one that I purchased for myself a few years ago and it is really high quality and is a great size for putting up on the wall. Check out the Amazon link here for other types of movie posters by the same seller: (https://www.amazon.com/Movie-Posters/b/ref=w_bl_hsx_s_ho_web_8504237011?ie=UTF8&node=8504237011&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Movie+Posters)
That’s it for my holiday gifts for filmmakers! Check out the website below for additional gift ideas for yourself or for that special filmmaker in your life: https://www.filmsourcing.com/best-gifts-filmmakers/
Happy Holidays!