I Shot a Short Film With a Minimal Kit. Here’s What Worked.

The shoot is done. I directed and DP’d a short film, and I want to talk about what I used and what surprised me, because some of this gear performed way above its price point.

If you read my last post about breaking down a shot, you know I mentioned this project and the fact that I was nervous about shooting without permits. That was a real concern going in. I’ll get to how we handled it, because the gear choices ended up playing directly into that.

Camera and Movement

I went with the Sony FX3 (here). I’ve talked about this camera before, and it continues to punch above its weight for indie work. When you’re directing and operating at the same time, you need a camera that stays out of your way. The FX3 does that. Autofocus you can trust, a form factor that works handheld or rigged up, and image quality that holds up in a grade.

For stabilized movement, I paired it with the DJI Ronin RS gimbal (here). And here’s where the permit concern comes back in. An FX3 on a gimbal does not look like a film production. There’s no dolly track, no video village, no fleet of equipment trucks. It’s one person walking with a small camera. We did not attract attention to ourselves, which is exactly what you want when you’re shooting on a small budget. The combination is light enough to run all day without destroying your wrists, and it’s discreet enough to not announce “we are making a movie here” to everyone in a two-block radius.

The surprise of the shoot was the DJI Mic Mini (here). It as clean and had good range.

Lighting That Fits in a Backpack

This is where I got genuinely excited. I bought Neewer inflatable lights for this shoot, one bi-color (here) and one RGB (here), and I’m already buying more. That’s not something I say often about gear at this price point.

Here’s why they worked so well: they’re small. They deflate. I put both of them in my backpack alongside the rest of my accessories and walked onto set without a grip truck, without C-stands, without the usual overhead of a lighting package. For an indie short where you’re moving fast and don’t have a dedicated grip and electric team, that portability changes what’s possible.

I ran them without the need of portable battery chargers (here) that I kept on standby.  The output was solid for interior work, and the RGB unit gave me options for practicals and motivated color that I wouldn’t have had otherwise without hauling gels and extra fixtures.

I loved these lights so much I’m buying more. For the money, for the size, for the output, they’re now a permanent part of my indie kit.

The Unsung Hero: A Portable Table

One more recommendation that has nothing to do with cameras or lights. I’ve been traveling with a portable folding table (here) since 2008. I’ve taken it overseas on shoots. It sounds like a strange thing to recommend in a gear post, but if you’ve ever been on a remote location with nowhere to set up your monitors, your DIT station, or just a place to organize batteries and media, you understand immediately.

It folds flat, it’s light, and it’s saved me on more sets than I can count. Almost two decades of use and I still bring it to every location shoot.

What’s Next

The film is in post now. I can’t wait to see it finished and share it on my director page. Stay tuned for that.

What I took away from this shoot is that the gap between “network TV production” and “indie short you can actually pull off” keeps shrinking. Not because the work is easier, but because the tools are better and smaller and cheaper. The whole camera and lighting package for this film fit in a rolling case and a backpack. That would not have been possible ten years ago. You still need the eye. You still need to know where to put the camera and why. But the barrier to executing on that vision with a skeleton crew keeps getting lower.

More on the finished film soon.

—

[AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Gear links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.]

LINKS TO INSERT:

1. Sony FX3 (Amazon) — https://amzn.to/4tViFhX

2. DJI Ronin RS gimbal — https://amzn.to/4tilOIF

3. Neewer inflatable bi-color light — https://amzn.to/48bafui

4. Neewer inflatable RGB light — https://amzn.to/4vGzuie

5. Portable battery chargers — https://amzn.to/4e4iGvn

6. Portable folding table — https://amzn.to/42ko8Tw

Directing a No-Budget Short Film in LA: My iPhone + Blackmagic

Directing on No Budget: Prepping a Short Film in LA
I’m prepping for an upcoming short film and there is literally no budget. That means no flexibility for extra equipment. We’re sourcing what we can from filmmaker friends, but even with a generous network there are hurdles to shooting in Los Angeles that you have to plan around.
This post is a look at how I’m approaching the gear. Not a theoretical setup. The actual kit going out the door on shoot day.

The Permit Problem
Shooting in Los Angeles almost always means a permit, even if you’re just pointing a camera at a sidewalk. There are some exceptions. In Santa Monica, for example, I’ve been told a group of three or fewer with no tripod can shoot around the area without pulling paperwork. I don’t want to take that risk with a full cinema camera on my shoulder. It looks exactly like what the city is trying to regulate, and I’ve seen productions get shut down for less.

For the day exteriors on the street, I’ve decided to go much smaller. That means the iPhone becomes a legitimate A-camera option for certain scenes, not a backup.

The iPhone + Blackmagic App Rig
I’ve done extensive tests with the Blackmagic Camera app on the iPhone. Here’s what I landed on.
Shutter stays at a 180 degree equivalent so motion looks cinematic instead of video-stiff. Lens wide open to shallow out the depth of field as much as the sensor will give me. That’s the honest limitation of a phone. You’re fighting a tiny sensor, so every bit of optical separation counts. To keep the aperture open in daylight, I use a variable ND attached to a phone case. There are heavier, better options out there, but this one fits in my pocket and that’s the whole point of this rig.

Recording settings: Apple ProRes 422 HQ, max bitrate, 4K, Apple Log for HDR. With those settings, there is zero chance of keeping the files on the phone. So I shoot to an external SSD.

Why I Built My Own Enclosure

Lexar Lexar makes a slick MagSafe SSD that a lot of people use. It’s small, it’s sexy, it works. I went a different direction. I bought a separate ACASIS SSD ACASIS SSD enclosure and dropped my own SSD SSD into it. The enclosure is bigger, which is the obvious trade-off, but it also gives me HDMI out, an SD card reader, and extra USB-C ports.

Why that matters on a no-budget shoot: at the end of the day I can dump the main camera’s footage onto the same drive and hand a single unit to the editor. One drive, everything, gone. Convenience beats sleekness on a set where I’m the DP, the director, and the DIT.
Small snag: the enclosure is MagSafe and clicks right onto the phone. But the phone case phone case with the ND filter on it doesn’t have the magnet, so I had to buy an extra ring ring to attach it. Tiny detail, would have been annoying to figure out on set.

Bonus: I put another magnet magnet on an existing Samsung T7 SSD Samsung T7 SSD I already owned. Now it snaps onto the back of my laptop during offloads. Small quality-of-life win.

Sound
For audio I’m running the DJI Mic Mini DJI Mic Mini. I monitor through AirPods Pro AirPods Pro so there are no cables dangling off me while I’m running a shoulder-mounted phone rig through Santa Monica. Wireless mic, wireless monitoring, nothing for a pedestrian to trip over. Keeps the footprint invisible, which matters if we’re shooting low profile and trying not to look like a production.

The Real Camera: Blackmagic Pocket 4k Blackmagic Pocket 4K
Everything outside of the run-and-gun street scenes is going on the Blackmagic Pocket 4K with a Sigma 18-35 Sigma 18-35 and a speed booster Speed Booster. It’s an older camera. It’s not as slick as a Sony FX3 Sony FX3. But I chose it for a reason. Color. If the B unit is iPhone footage graded in Apple Log, keeping the A camera in the Blackmagic family gives me a better shot at matching the two in post. I ran tests. There’s still a difference, but it’s a manageable difference. The Sony might look prettier on its own, but the grade across a whole short film is what actually lands with an audience. Consistency beats prestige when the budget is zero.

What I’m Really Doing Here
This whole setup is about removing excuses. No budget used to mean no film. It doesn’t anymore. Between a phone that can record ProRes, a used Blackmagic Pocket, and a roll of gaff tape, there is no honest reason not to shoot. The hard part isn’t the gear. The hard part is the story, the performances, and the dozen decisions a day that will make or break the thing.

I’ll post more as we get into production. If you’re prepping something similar and have questions about specific settings or workarounds, find me on Instagram at @munwalkr.

[AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Gear links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.]

Gear Links
Fotga Black Shockproof Phone Case Smartphone Case for iPhone 16 Pro Max + 58mm Variable ND2-ND400 ND Filter: https://amzn.to/42bn8B4

ACASIS 10Gbps Magnetic M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure With 4K ProRes Recording M.2 EnclosureCompatible IPhone 17/16/15 Pro/Pro Max Magnetic SSD Enclosure with Cooling Fan For Video Editor/Blogger/Videographer: https://amzn.to/4tpPYJS

1TB M.2 2242 Gen3x4 NVMe PCIe SSD, Up to 3500MB/s Read, 3D NAND, Compact SSD for Ultrabooks, Laptops, Intel NUC, Lenovo ThinkPad, Dell Latitude, HP EliteBook, Mini PCs, Embedded Systems: https://amzn.to/4dKyX8t

Samsung T7 Portable SSD, 2TB External Solid State Drive, Speeds Up to 1,050MB/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2, Reliable Storage for Gaming, Students, Professionals, MU-PC2T0T/AM, Gray: https://amzn.to/4tHOWZI

Hagibis MagSafe Magnetic Patch, Magnetic Adapter Ring, Universal Magnetic Conversion Kit for Power Bank, SSD Enclosure, Docking Stationg, Hub, Car Mount, Phone Stand (KM30 White): https://amzn.to/4tQ11w2

TENOC Universal Metal Ring Sticker for Magnetic Charger Compatible with iPhone/Samsung/Android All Cellphones, Magnetic Mount/Phone Holder Conversion Accessories, 3Pcs, Black: https://amzn.to/4tpQMOU

DJI Mic Mini (2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case) Wireless Lavalier Microphone, Ultralight, Noise Cancelling, Up to 48-Hour Battery Life Bundle with 2 x Deco Gear Lapel Microphone and 5″ EVA CaseAirPods Pro: https://amzn.to/4vt3QVv

Apple AirPods Pro 3 Wireless Earbuds, Active Noise Cancellation, Live Translation, Heart Rate Sensing, Hearing Aid Feature, Bluetooth Headphones, Spatial Audio, High-Fidelity Sound, USB-C Charging: https://amzn.to/4tjVfmo

Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (CINECAMPOCHDMFT4K):https://amzn.to/4myEBwS

Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 Art DC HSM Lens for Canon, Black (210101): https://amzn.to/4sG6Pav

VILTROX EF-M2II 0.71x Speed Booster, EF to Micro 4/3 Focal Reducer Booster Adapter Auto-Focus for GH6 GH5M2 BMPCC 4K GH4 GH5 G100 G95 G85 OM-1 EM-1 E-M1X E-M1 iii E-M5 iii E-M10 iv E-M10 iii(EF to MFT): https://amzn.to/4tm14zW

Lexar SL400 2TB Portable SSD with Hub, Black: https://amzn.to/4crkDPL

Sony FX3 Full-Frame Cinema Line Camera (V2): https://amzn.to/4tViFhX

The Difference Between a Camera Operator and a DP (And Why It Matters)

People outside the industry use “camera operator” and “DP” interchangeably all the time. I get it. Both jobs involve cameras. Both people stand near the lens. But on a network television set, these are two very different roles, and confusing them will get you sideways looks from the crew faster than showing up late to call time.
I’ve spent 25+ years working in the camera and electrical department, with 60+ credits to my name. I’ve operated on network shows like Station 19, and I’ve also sat in the DP chair on independent projects. The two jobs require overlapping skills, but the day-to-day reality is completely different. Let me break it down.
The director of photography, also called the DP or cinematographer, is the head of the camera department. They’re responsible for the overall visual look of the show or film. That means lighting design, lens choices, camera placement strategy, and working closely with the director to translate the script into images. On a network TV show, the DP is in constant conversation with the director, the gaffer, the key grip, and the showrunner about the visual tone of every scene. It’s a leadership role. You’re making creative decisions and managing a department.
The camera operator is the person physically running the camera during a take. You’re executing the shots. You’re finding the frame, adjusting composition on the fly, following actors through blocking, and making split-second decisions about when to push in or hold wide. On a multi-camera network show, there might be two or three operators working simultaneously, each covering different angles. The DP has designed the overall look. Your job is to deliver it, shot by shot, take by take.
Here’s where it gets interesting, and where most people outside the industry get confused. On smaller productions, especially independent films and low-budget projects, the DP often operates the camera themselves. One person, both roles. That’s how a lot of us come up in the business. You learn to light a scene AND frame the shot because there’s nobody else to hand the camera to.
But on a network television set with a full crew, those jobs are separated for a reason. The pace is relentless. You might be shooting seven or eight pages a day. The DP can’t be looking through a viewfinder while also managing the lighting setup for the next scene. They need to be free to walk the set, talk to the gaffer, check monitors, and plan ahead. The operators need to be locked in on performance, on blocking, on the mechanical precision of the shot.
On the last season of Station 19, the leadership wanted to try a new approach to the show’s already established visual language. They were looking for unique framing choices beyond the traditional shots, including short-siding, extra headroom, off-framing. Working as the C camera operator, I had even more freedom than A and B camera. Traditionally, the A camera holds wider shots and tells the story of the scene as a whole. B camera goes for closer coverage. C camera might complement B with additional angles. But that last season, I was assigned to play around more. Dig for the gold, that moment that neither A nor B could get based on their positions. Find unique angles and framing that added texture to a scene. It was freeing and challenging to come up with a different approach every setup, and it only worked because the DP was handling the big picture while I was free to hunt.
I think the confusion also comes from the fact that, on paper, the camera operator’s job sounds simple. Point the camera, follow the action. But anyone who’s operated on a network drama knows it’s anything but simple. You’re on a dolly or Steadicam, hitting marks within inches, adjusting for actors who change their blocking mid-take, keeping focus with the 1st AC, and doing all of it while the director is calling adjustments in your ear. It’s a physical and mental endurance test that runs eight, ten, twelve hours a day.
The DP’s job, on the other hand, is more about vision and management. You set the look. You build the world with light. You’re thinking about continuity across an entire episode or season. You’re balancing creative ambition with the production schedule, because on network TV, there’s always a clock ticking. A great DP makes it look like you had all the time in the world when you actually had about forty minutes to light a four-page scene.
So why does this matter? If you’re trying to break into the industry, understanding this distinction will save you from embarrassing yourself in meetings and on set. If you want to be a camera operator, know that it’s a craft role that demands precision, stamina, and the ability to disappear into the shot. If you want to be a DP, know that it’s a leadership position that requires you to think about the entire visual story, not just what’s in front of the lens right now.
And if you’re already working in the business and somebody at a party asks what you do, just say you work in camera. It’s easier than explaining all of this over a drink.