Guides

Shoot smarter

Straight-talking advice on renting the right gear — and how-to videos for getting the most out of it.

Stuck on set right now?

Skip the reading. Tell Gaffer which bit of kit you're wrestling with and it'll talk you through the setup step by step.

Renting

Camera hire in London: the complete 2026 guide

How to rent cinema cameras, lenses and lighting in London — costs, delivery, deposits and how to pick the right kit for your shoot.

Read guide

Choosing gear

Guide 02

What camera gear do you need for a music video?

The exact camera, lens, lighting and movement kit to rent for a music video shoot in London — on any budget.

Read guide

Guide 03

RED vs ARRI vs Sony FX: which cinema camera should you rent?

A plain-English comparison of RED, ARRI and Sony FX cinema cameras to help you rent the right body for your shoot in London.

Read guide

Guide 04 Video

Choosing camera lenses: focal length & aperture explained

How focal length, aperture and prime-vs-zoom change your look — and which lenses to rent for your shoot. With video.

Read guide

Gear how-to

Guide 05 Video

How to balance a gimbal (DJI RS) — step by step

Balance a DJI RS-series gimbal correctly so the motors run cool, the battery lasts and your footage stays smooth. A clear step-by-step with video.

Read guide

Guide 06 Video

How to set up a drone for your first flight

Set up a DJI drone safely for the first flight — firmware, calibration, RTH and UK rules — plus cinematic moves to fly. With video.

Read guide

Guide 07 Video

Variable ND filters: how to nail exposure outdoors

What a variable ND filter does, how to set the 180° shutter rule, and how to avoid the cross-polarisation 'X'. With video.

Read guide

Guide 08 Video

Wireless audio for film: lav and mic setup

Get clean interview and dialogue audio with a wireless lav system — placement, levels and avoiding dropouts. With video.

Read guide

Guide 09 Video

Three-point lighting: the setup that flatters everyone

Key, fill and back light explained — the dependable interview and portrait setup, plus how to shape it with the gear we rent. With video.

Read guide

Technique

Guide 10 Video

Exposure for video: shutter, ISO, aperture & white balance

Master the exposure triangle for motion and set white balance properly so your footage is clean and gradeable. Two videos.

Read guide

Guide 11 Video

Shooting Log & picture profiles (and how to expose them)

What Log and picture profiles do, when to use them, and how to expose S-Log3 correctly so it grades clean. With video.

Read guide

Guide 12 Video

Cinematic camera movement: gimbal moves & when to use them

The core gimbal and camera moves that make footage feel intentional — and how to pick the right tool for the shot. With video.

Read guide

Guide 13 Video

How to film an interview: framing, audio & lighting

Set up a clean, professional interview — camera framing, clean audio and simple lighting — start to finish. With video.

Read guide