• Home
  • Courses

    About Courses

    • All Courses
    • Production Sound
    • Script Supervising
    • Filmmaking
    • DIT

    Newest Course

  • Blogs
  • Contact
RegisterLogin
Video Mantis
  • Home
  • Courses

    About Courses

    • All Courses
    • Production Sound
    • Script Supervising
    • Filmmaking
    • DIT

    Newest Course

  • Blogs
  • Contact

Mantis Discussions

Home » Blog » Mantis Discussions » Filmmaker Gift Guide for this Holiday and Everyday!

Filmmaker Gift Guide for this Holiday and Everyday!

  • Posted by Video Mantis
  • Categories Mantis Discussions
  • Date November 29, 2019
  • Comments 0 comment
There are a bunch of fun and exciting things to put under the tree for yourself this year...

Check out this gift guide to help you through this year’s holiday season! Everyone deserves a little something for themselves, or for the filmmaker in their life! Know an aspiring filmmaker? You’ll love these. Hopefully the dishes have all been washed before you trek out this year for Black Friday, or get your fingers ready for Cyber Monday!

K-Tek Stingray Hip Pack

We have written a more extensive review of the Stingray Hip Pack which can be read here. Until then, please take our word on how awesome this product is. It is perfect for any sound mixer, boom operator, or sound utility technician working in the field. It allows you to carry tons of accessories that help making your day easier. The goal of working on production is to make yourself as efficient as possible. Running back and forth to your sound cart because you forgot something is exhausting. Why not gift yourself, or a loved one, the gift of efficiency? Take it from this humble Filmmaker Gift Guide!

This will help your sound mixer to carry the things with them they always need, and think of you while they use it.

Disclaimer: K-Tek is a Video Mantis sponsor.

Zoom F1-LP

 

 

This is a perfect gift for the young sound mixer in your life. If your little creative one is shooting movies with their friends, make sure they are practicing safe sound always and using a portable recorder like the Zoom F1-LP recorder.

It is perfect for micing up a single talent and shooting loads of videos with your mobile phone or podcast DSLR setup. There are kits available that include clips as well as a basic lavalier and clip to get you started. You may hear a lot of controversy around Zoom. It’s simply because they are an innovative company that tends to create equipment that is priced in the lower tier market. This company gives you a lot of features for very little money. It is why I recommend it for beginning producers. Take this gift guide’s word for it: it’s a perfect gift to get your feet wet!

Tentacle Sync E

 

All Sound Mixers need Time Code, and Tentacle has the coolest and cutest boxes on the block. They also make Time Code easy to follow and have mobile apps that allow you to control tentacles without touching them. They are very smooth and camera operators love them because of how small they are. Small means no extra weight, which helps tremendously.

It earned a spot in our Filmmaker Gift Guide because I have been using them for about half a year now and love them so much, that I don’t find myself needing to switch back ever!

 

Sound Devices

2019 was the year for Sound Devices. They introduced their lineup of recorders, from the extreme low end, all the way to ultimate production. Our Filmmaker Gift Guide suggests that Sound Devices is a company to watch in 2020, as their wireless acquiring of Audio Limited is really starting to kick into gear as well. We should see some fantastic advancements in the future from them.

Sound Devices MixPre-3 II

Sound Devices MixPre-6 II

Sound Devices MixPre-10T II

Sound Devices 833

Sound Devices 888

Sound Devices Scorpio

Re-Chargeable Battery Sets


Something Sound Mixers run through like butter are batteries. There are a lot of misconceptions about the safety of throwing away batteries into the trash or recycle bin. Regardless of whether or not it is safe to do so, why should we be wasteful at all?

Battery chemistries are getting to be phenomenal as the years progress, and this means that “one-time-use” is not the ONLY reliable option anymore.

There are a few companies that make re-chargeable battery sets.

EBL Rechargeable AA Batteries, 16 Pack

EBL Rechargeable AAA Batteries with Charger

The great thing about the EBL Batteries is that they last a long time and are much safer than throwing so many batteries into the landfill every year.

This is a great repeat gift too since even rechargeable Batteries get used so often that they tend to degenerate faster. This means that you can remind yourself to pick up a new set each year for a quick and easy gift!

Walkie Caddie

 

It kind of speaks for itself. If you know someone that wears a Walkie Talkie all day on set, this is the gift of the season! The whole purpose of a Walkie Caddie is to reclaim your pockets! Stop storing pens, highlighters, batteries, and more in your pockets. Instead, with a Walkie Caddie you can let your pockets be free! Walkie Caddies fit most walkie talkies, especially the Motorola CP200.

Full Disclosure: Popp Sound is also owned by Thomas Popp. We hope you love the Walkie Caddie product as much as we do. By purchasing from these links you help support Popp Sound as well as Video Mantis. Thank You!

Something COMPLETELY NOT SOUND RELATED

Let’s be honest. It can get tough to purchase gifts for the the sound mixer in your life. They tend to acquire gear on a regular bases based on the productions they are working on.

If they need a “WigWag”, they will GET the WigWag so they can GET the job! What does that mean when it comes to purchasing a gift for these eccentric beings? It gets tough!

It just doesn’t really help you when you are browsing the aisles of Amazon online, you know what I mean? If you’ve already got all of the above products, then try to think outside the box. We love dinners and movie nights out, or anything that doesn’t involve putting our arms above our heads, but instead around our loved ones!

Have an awesome Holiday Season!

 

Tag:Batteries, Black Friday, Holidays, Media, MixPre, Power, Purchase Guide, Re-Chargeable Batteries, Recorders, Sound Devices

  • Share:
Video Mantis
Video Mantis

Video Mantis is an educational website created by Thomas Popp. Our goal is to create the best production resource available for all departments in the world. We are sponsored by Trew Audio. Our links are affiliated with Trew Audio and Amazon. By clicking on our links you are supporting the growth of this site so we can continue making more content.

Previous post

Review: KSUHP1 K-Tek Stingray Utility Hip Pack
November 29, 2019

Next post

Home Alone Talkboy
December 1, 2019

You may also like

Glow_Pots
Glow Pots for Sound Devices and Zaxcom Recorders
27 December, 2019
Booming Safety and the Levitate Airframe
Booming Safety and the Levitate Airframe
11 December, 2019
MantisDiscussionwithJaredElkin
IBC2019 Festival Tips with Jared Elkin from WavReport
12 September, 2019

Leave A Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • Become a Mentor

Search

Categories

  • Announcements
  • Antennas
  • Blog
  • Business
  • ENG Bags
  • Expendables
  • Firmware Update
  • First Look
  • Health
  • How To
  • Lavalier Accessories
  • Mantis Discussions
  • Microphone Accessories
  • Microphones
  • Movies
  • New in the Vault
  • Production Sound Mixer
  • Production Sound Supervisor
  • Quick Tips
  • Recorders
  • Reviews
  • Safety
  • Seminars
  • Sound Accessories
  • Sound Utility Technician
  • Time Code
  • Trade Shows
  • Vault Talk
  • Wind Protection
  • Wireless
  • Wireless Accessories
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Cookie Policy
  • Sitemap

Our Company

  • About Us
  • Blog
  • Contact

Links

  • Courses
  • Events
  • Gallery

Support

  • FAQ
  • Have a Question?
  • Become a Mentor

Recommend

  • ThomasPopp.com
  • PoppSound.com
  • TrewAudio.com

COPYRIGHT 2021 - VIDEO MANTIS PRODUCTIONS INC - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Login with your site account

Lost your password?

Not a member yet? Register now

Register a new account

Are you a member? Login now

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Bugs and Cookies

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo
Go to mobile version