[Eric Richards]

Thanks very VERY much guys!

While at first I didn’t appreciate the recommendations discouraging purchasing equipment I have come to appreciate the wisdom.

I am not in the business of being a videographer.

The cheapest camera at $8k will likely buy me more professional crew half days than I will need. And the end product will be of way better quality than I could ever produce.

It will be enough for me to coordinate the interviews and have them go off smoothly and quickly without me fiddling with strange buttons on a sophisticated professional camera.

So thanks for setting me straight!

To that end, perhaps you pros can advise on what rates I might expect for half and full day crews (video and audio vs one man band) from local outfits.

Also, any advice on selecting the right people and what to look for both good and bad.

[Eric Richards]

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply.

Indeed I know enough to know I don’t know enough!

The hiring of a crew from the production house would work fine locally, but a lot of the field interviews are going to be spontaneous and incidental to my normal day to day business over the period of a year. And all over the US and Canada.

For known shots I would certainly use my local crew. If I know in advance or an important spot out of town I’d find a local house to provide me with a crew for a couple hours.

But I have a reasonably solid background in photography and to a lesser extent videography such that I can compose, light and get the sound pretty close that I would be more than comfortable on less important stuff that may or may not be used. My friend owns the production company and has invited me to hang out on shoots to get some observational experience and learn a bit.

And yes, it is an excuse to buy a cool toy!

So, to my question… any suggestions of the best machine around $2k? Maybe used?