Introducing Our NEW, High-Tech Video Equipment at Nel Shelby Productions
We’re really excited about new gear at NSP.
The whole Nel Shelby Productions team is geeking out about the new cameras, lighting equipment, and gimbals we purchased in 2021. We know it’s technical and nerdy, but we wanted to share how much we can now accomplish, fully in-house, for our clients with this new technology…
Over the course of the pandemic, our team was pulled in to produce more high-caliber live-streams and cinematic digital programming than ever before. Dance artists needed to connect with their audiences without actually having a live audience.
We found ourselves renting cinema cameras pretty regularly, choosing new lenses and grip gear from rental houses to make sure we had the best possible equipment at every shoot. (Shout-out to Jesse & Lucy from Adorama Rentals — we love you!!!)
Last summer, we made the jump to upgrade our own in-house gear, since it was clear there was a demand, and now it really feels like so much is possible!
Ashli Bickford, Assistant Producer, Videographer & Editor with NSP, shared why she’s so excited about using this new equipment in a short interview:
NSP: OK, so what kind of equipment is it exactly? Let’s get into the details.
Ashli: We’ve upgraded to:
- Canon’s cinema camera, the C300 Mark III, and their L glass servo lenses;
- a smaller but robust version of that camera — the C70;
- new lighting gear; and
- a gimbal!
We’re shooting in 4K, can shoot RAW, and we now have an incredible dynamic range for color grading.
These cameras are beasts and can rock anything from a live broadcast shoot to documentary filming, cinematic dance films, and more.
Working with this equipment really elevates the finished video product — it’s just higher quality overall!!
NSP: When you think of filming with the old equipment vs. with this new gear, what’s different?
Ashli: We just filmed a set of lessons for Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) for their Tracing Footsteps curriculum…
NSP: This project was the first time we’ve shot something like this for DEL, but it was in a space we’re really familiar filming in. Like any rehearsal studio, the space itself can feel or look a little drab on camera… And that’s totally fine when you’re documenting a process, or capturing archival footage! Not everything has to be fancy! But…
Ashli: With the new cameras and lighting equipment, we were able to produce something for these curriculum videos that is more dynamic and visually exciting. And on an incredibly tight turnaround! As a team, we can quickly create a game plan for a shoot and execute at an even higher level now that we have this upgraded gear on hand.
NSP: The difference between stills from this shoot and a shoot in the same space in 2019 is huge. We can now light and stage something to have a more theatrical look, even in a rehearsal studio!! If that’s what the project demands, we can deliver.
Before!
After!
NSP: So, Ashli, why are you so psyched? What’s possible now at NSP?!
Ashli: As a camera operator and DP, it’s very exciting to have these tools to create with — it opens up so many possibilities and extends the expression of our art form. We are creating higher quality documentation of dance artists’ work, and we are also prepared to take on increasingly larger projects, like documentary films, commercials, dance films, live multi-camera recordings, hybrid events, and so much more.