Oh, yay! Welcome to the holidays! Are you sick of Christmas music and eggnog yet? Or your family? Of course not! And with Christmas less than a week away, it's time to put our lazy, procrastinating keisters into high gear and procure some creative gifts for our creative loved ones. Luckily, our annual Holiday Gift Guide covers all sorts of great filmmaking gift ideas no matter what your budget looks like.
Also, be sure to check out these 5 Mirrorless Cameras to Consider Buying These Holidays too!
Under $100
Subscriptions
Listen, we all know it's been kind of a bad year for our beloved indie film streaming services. I mean, the front page of FilmStruck's website is basically a tombstone. However, other sites, like Fandor, MUBI, and the favorite among horror film fans, Shudder, are still around (for now at least), and not only have they all simplified their membership tiers but their specially curated selections are well-worth the money. You also can't go wrong with a good sub to a magazine, data management service, or Masterclass, so your favorite filmmaker can learn from their heroes.
- Fandor: $5.99/mo. or $49.99/yr.
- MUBI: $8.99/mo. or $71.88/yr. (You can get your first 3 months for $1.)
- Shudder: $4.99/mo. or $47.88/yr.
- BFI's Sight & Sound Magazine: $95/yr. for print or $45/yr. for digital (international rates)
- ASC's American Cinematographer: $30/yr. or $50 for 2-yr.
- Masterclass: $180/yr.
Crowdfunding: You know, supporting film projects on IndieGoGo, Kickstarter, and Seed&Spark is a total win-win: support a filmmaker and send your perks to your favorite filmmakin' buddy.
You can also get your favorite editor some subs to music licensing sites, collaborative/file management platforms, and a host of other things listed here in our Gift Guide for Editors.
MUBI
Tools and Accessories
Be you (or your friend) a screenwriter, director, or cinematographer, there are plenty of cool gadgets and tools out there that are not only super handy, but also super cheap.
- Storyclock Workbook is a great resource for screenwriters trying to mine their story ideas and get their hands dirty: $25
- Think Tank's Emergency Rain Covers protect your camera from, well, emergency rain: $35/small, $40/medium
- Fangs Film Gear has some great homemade gear, including its weatherproof, "lens-cleaning" Panther lens bags: $20/small, $23/medium/, $25/large
- Lumapod is the "world's fasted tripod" and is super portable. Unfortunately, it's still in the pre-order phase: $90/Go85, $130/GO120
- HOOP is a ring light that stabilizes your camera: $79
- Pocket Tripod Pro is, you guessed it, a pocket tripod for your smartphone, but it looks like a credit card: $25
Lumapod
Apparel and Fun Stuff
- 100 Movies Scratch Off Poster: $15
- WTF (What the Film) game: $25
- 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (7th Edition): $34
- Andrei Tarkovsky screenprints by artist Nicolas Delort: $50
- Mila Matveeva creates some awesome film-themed swag that make perfect gifts for filmmakers:
- Apparel from Film Leader is making the list again because it's just that good.
'Ghost World' bath mat
$100-$499
- iKan PL74 Piatto 7x4" Accent Light: $100
- Matthews The BabySitt'r Mini Wooden Base for mounting baby plates: $129
- Lilliput A7S 7" Full HD Field Monitor: $150
- Mevo Live Event Camera by Livestream: $199 in black and white
- Moment Smartphone Lenses are well-made and priced to prove it. Also, they just came out with their new anamorphic lens!
- GoPro 7: $179 (White), $229 (Silver) $399 (Black)
- Aputure Lightdome Mini II: $129
- Aputure Lightdome II: $220
- DJI Osmo Pocket 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal: $349
- Tilta Handheld Camera Cage Rig: $399
- SmallHD FOCUS 5" On-Camera Touchscreen Monitor: $479
DJI Osmo Pocket Handheld Gimbal
$500-$999
- Moza Air 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal: $500
- DJI Ronin S 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal: $549
- SmallHD 501 5" HDMI Full HD On-Camera Monitor: $600
- DJI Mavic Air Drone: $688
- Atomos Ninja Flame 7" Monitor Recorder: $795
- edelkrone HeadONE Motion Control: $900
- edelkrone SliderPLUS Portable Slider: $500 - $900
edelkrone SliderPLUS Portable Slider
$1000 and Up (basically, cameras)
We all know nobody's buying their buddy a friggin' brand new camera for Christmas, okay? However, it's good to at least be aware of a few of the relatively affordable pieces of gear that have been making a lot of noise this year. a lot of attention over the last year.
- Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K: $1295 (body only)
- Roland V-1HD HD Video Switcher with Atomos Ninja Flame Monitor: $1785
- Columbia's Limited Edition "Empire Strikes Back" Crew Jacket: $1980 (These things are sold out in-store and online...probably forever.)
- Sony a7 III 4K Mirrorless Camera: $2200
- Canon EOS R Mirrorless Full Frame Camera: $2300
Columbia's Limited Edition "Empire Strikes Back" Crew Jacket
What are some other gift ideas for filmmakers? Let us know what you'd like to receive as a gift down in the comments!
