Two rigs

Gear = what we own. This page = how we use it on shoot day. Two configs we rebuild every session.

At a glance

2 people: FX3 + 24–70 (guest) · FX30 + 16–35 near 35 mm (host, 35 GM later) · Pocket 3 wide master
Solo: FX3 + 50 Art (front) · FX30 + 24–70 near 35–50 mm (profile 45–60°)
Sound: 2 × SM7DB → FX3 XLR (sofa) · DPA 4061 + UWP-D27 (solo)
Light: 2 × Godox SL60II-Bi (key + fill) + Godox TL30 (background / rim)

Sofa interview

Long two-person talk: guest and host (sofa + armchair). Three angles: guest hero, host, Pocket 3 wide master.

Top view · set

              ┌── BACK / TL30 ──┐
              └─────────────────┘

   KEY ●                              ● FILL
        ╲                            ╱
         ╲                          ╱
          ╲                        ╱
   FX3 ●    ╲   ┌──────────┐    ╱    ● FX30
   A cam      ╲  │   SOFA   │  ╱     B cam
   24–70       ─►│  GUEST   │◄─      16–35
                 └────┬─────┘       ~35 mm
                      │
                 ┌────┴─────┐
                 │ ARMCHAIR │
                 │   HOST   │
                 └──────────┘

                    Pocket 3
                       ●
                    C cam
              wide master ~3–4 m
              (guest + host in frame)

Set
Sofa and armchair facing or in an L. Guest and host off the wall; background slightly darker than the faces.
Cameras & lenses
A cam · FX3 + Sony 24–70 mm f/2.8 GM II on guest: chest or tight shot, often 50–70 mm, f/2.8 for depth without fragile focus. B cam · FX30 + Sony 16–35 mm f/4 PZ G near 35 mm (~52 mm APS-C equivalent): slightly wider host; 35 mm f/1.4 GM will swap in when it is in the kit. C cam · Pocket 3: fixed wide master of both, safety cam, not the main beauty angle.
Distances (ballpark)
A cam → guest: ~2 m · B cam → host: ~2 m · Pocket 3 → set: ~3–4 m · subjects → background: ~1.5–2.5 m. Fine-tune on the monitor.
Light
Key (SL60II-Bi + softbox) → faces ← fill (second SL60II-Bi, lower). TL30 behind sofa or frame edge. Faces first, background slightly behind.
Sound
Guest SM7DB → XLR 1 · host SM7DB → XLR 2 · FX3 XLR handle → FX3 recording. No wireless on this rig while booms hold the frame.
Rig
FX3 / FX30 cages, AD-01 tripods, Feelworld F5 Pro, V-Mount on long sessions.

Solo face cam

Guest alone in the armchair: rapid questions, storytime, confessional. Two deliberately different angles for natural cuts.

Top view · set

              ┌── BACK / TL30 ──┐
              └─────────────────┘

        KEY ●              ● FILL
             ╲            ╱
              ╲   ┌──────┐   ╱
               ╲  │ GUEST│  ╱
     FX30 ●──────►│ chair│
     B cam         └──────┘
     24–70            ▲
     ~35–50 mm         │ lens axis
     45–60°            │
                       FX3 ●
                     A cam · front
                      50 Art

Legend: top view · arrows = shooting direction

Set
One armchair, solo guest. Minimal set in frame; subject pulled forward for blur and separation.
Cameras & lenses
A cam · FX3 + Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 Art: front, mostly f/1.8–f/2, NiSi ND if needed, Pro-Mist 1/8 only when we want the look. B cam · FX30 + Sony 24–70 mm f/2.8 GM II near 35–50 mm: 45–60°, not a flat 90° profile. We do not match focal lengths; the two shots should feel different enough to edit.
Distances (ballpark)
A cam → guest: ~1–1.5 m · B cam → guest: ~2–2.5 m on the side · guest → background: ~2 m minimum when possible.
Light
SL60II-Bi key on the face (A cam side), light fill, TL30 to lift off the background. Same rule: face first, background behind.
Sound
DPA 4061 → UWP-D27 transmitter → receiver → FX3 mic input. DJI Mic backup if the lav fights the frame.
Rig
AD-01, cages, Feelworld, CFexpress on FX3, slate on A cam for multicam.

Shared settings

Picture
4K · 25p · shutter 1/50 · S-Cinetone (or S-Log3 when the session is graded in post) · manual white balance, matched on FX3 and FX30 · ISO as needed, not auto · AF-C, face/eye detect.
Audio
48 kHz / 24 bit on the FX3 (reference). FX30 and Pocket 3: picture first, slate or waveform sync in post. Tentacle Sync E when it joins the workflow.
Media
Lexar CFexpress on FX3, SD cards on FX30 depending on the day · capacity and backup checked before the guest arrives.

Before REC

Check
MDR-7506 on · SM7 or lav levels with no clipping · both channels tested (sofa) · exposure and focus on Feelworld monitors · slate · Color Passport chart · ~10 s room tone.

Session checklist

Before the guest
Batteries / V-Mount · cards formatted or free space · cams and lenses built · light and background · audio · monitoring · Pocket 3 charged if wide master.
After wrap
File check on every cam · card backup · quick voice listen · hero shots and wide master confirmed.