So just when did we decide that gear comes before craft?
I only ask this question after recently spending time with a second shooter (no names mentioned) who had more gear than he knew what to do with. The internet has been a revolution for our industry, it's democratised film making... it's also begun to burden us with gear. You can't hide from gear online, it's everywhere, manufacturers, reviewers, user groups all seem to obsess over the gear rather than the craft. I can quite honestly state that no piece of gear is going to make you a better filmmaker... it might help improve your shot but won't make you better at your craft. The thing is we've become Magpies, excited by shiny new toys that manufactures tease will magically make us more gifted. Sad truth is that a badly crafted shot will remain a badly crafted shot regardless of the camera you use. Don't get me wrong, I'm as guilty as the next DoP of buying some gear that I don't need (my wife can attest to that), but I also ensure I double check myself when it comes to spending too much money. Ultimately if I can give a small piece of advice to any new filmmakers, videographers out there it would be to spend more time researching and talking craft and less time on the gear, otherwise you might end up looking the real deal but not have a clue.