If you’re looking at gifts for your significant other, or for someone in your family who is the next budding Kubrick, Spielberg or Kathryn Bigelow, there is an abundance of tools out there to get them on the road to self-sufficient filmmaking. It seems that, nowadays, there is absolutely no need to go to film school, so let’s give you some tech ideas…

Camera Cage

For those budding filmmakers that are carrying so many tools that it weighs the camera down, a camera cage can hold the light, microphone, monitor, and acts as a rig. There are plenty out there, but the Movo Photo SCG-30 Universal Aluminium DSLR Camera Cage is good value for money.

SD Card Holder

One of the perils of modern filmmaking is not having enough SD cards to hand, after all, you don’t want to miss out on an amazing shot because you don’t have enough memory in the camera! There are numerous SD card holders out there but go for the shockproof and water resistant models, like this one so they can go filming in all weathers and have the storage capacity.

A Drone

It’s easier than ever to get breathtaking aerial shots, which is a lifesaver if you’ve got vertigo! A well priced drone is difficult to find, but there are plenty under $300, such as the Force1 Drones camera. Getting expansive bird’s-eye view shots or a vast landscape is easier than ever thanks to drones.

Camera Video Light

Don’t leave home without this. If the recipient is doing their own documentary style film, or even setting up a wedding photography business, a decent amount of light really comes in handy during sunset.

External Audio Recorder

It’s not a good idea to rely on the microphone on your camera to capture the sounds unless you want the final product to feel like some sort of home video. The great thing with audio recorders is that they come in many different shapes and forms, and are affordable. the Zoom H1 is a very popular example and has various functions to get the quality you need.

Lenses And Filters

A real auteur needs a collection of lenses and filters. You can get various starter packs such as the ones provided by LEE filters so they can begin to get a feel for the styles, approaches, and perspectives that the best directors of photography have.

Light Reflector

The bane of every amateur or professional filmmaker out there is getting the shot before it gets dark. For every filmmaker out there, a handy light reflector can transform the aesthetic from a shoddy home video to a piece of mise-en-scene that looks beautiful.

A Clapboard Slate

We have to mention this! While it’s not strictly a piece of tech, there are electronic equivalents out there so you can easily get the audio and visuals to sync up in post-production.

As you can see, there’s a lot of tech that you can get for any aspiring filmmaker. Please note that we haven’t gone into the post-production side of things! But for any filmmaker wanting to start out, you can’t go far wrong with these!