For the past six years, we have produced a feature film every year. In the same period, we have made 12 short films as part of our Life Improvised series. This high output is resource and wallet intensive. But a big reason why we can produce so many films and keep costs down: we own and use our own film gear.

I recommend all aspiring independent filmmakers consider this approach. I didn’t always think this way. Initially, I rented equipment or hired cinematographers with their own cameras for my first short films and even my first feature.

But gradually, I started investing in gear — a cheap boom pole, microphone, made in China redhead lights, and a secondhand JVC GY-HD101 camera. 

I didn’t really know how to use any of this gear properly. I remember filming something at the Melbourne International Film Festival for a film producer and my footage being shaky and out of focus. But though I was inexperienced, owning gear allowed me to practice, learn, and slowly improve. It was an investment in myself and my craft and what I wanted to do as a career.