I film A LOT of b-roll. I’ve used several different setups over the years and recently found this to be one of the best rig configurations to shoot with.
When you are building a rig for b-roll or run and gun shooting you need to keep these things in mind:
- Keep it Light – Keep your setup light. Giant rigs are only going to slow you down and wear you out.
- Keep it Simple My Friends – Don’t over complicate your setup. If you don’t use 4×4 filters don’t setup a matte box, if you don’t need a ton of power don’t mess around with battery grips etc. Your goal should be to keep removing gear until you can’t remove anymore. K.I.S.S.
- Be Fast – You need to make sure you have a quick way to transfer your rig from your tripod to a monopod, slider, jib etc. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on a tripod or slider and needed to move fast to catch some good b-roll. Content moves fast, make sure you are able to keep up.
All that said, here is the tutorials showing you how I build this quick little rig.
Rig Parts
Manfrotto Monopod $239 after rebate (Check out the Benro alternative).
Camera Baseplate $54+ (here is a link to the Wooden Camera Cage I used).
50mm $99-399 (You could alternatively use the 50mm F1.8 model for $99 instead of the F1.4 version) Click here if you need the Nikon version.
Kamerar Follow Focus $100+
6″ 15mm Rods $15+
Lens Gears $18 (LOVE my set. Very minimal).
Photos of rig in use
