First of all, I use a Canon Rebel T3 for filming. This is a great camera, and it is older and therefore cheaper. I have never had any problems with it, and i definitely recommend it! At the moment, you can pick one up for less than $300! (it may not seem like it, but that is a great price for this camera. Other newer versions go for way more than that, and I think that this one is perfectly capable of filling the needs of a stop motion-er.)
Next, my tripod is a Dolica. It has legs that can bend way down to the floor with no restraint, and you can get right down to the level of your American Girl doll, clay figure, etc.! It is nice, but definitely not essential. For a couple years, I literally taped a stack of books to the ground and taped my camera on top... this was a surprisingly perfect and very adjustable makeshift tripod!
Now, let's talk about lighting. If you want, you can buy some nice lighting online for a very reasonable price. I think that this could be a good way to go depending on your preferences, but I prefer to just use desk lamps. I have a couple normal, bendable lamps, and a few ones that can clip on to things. I typically use 2+ lights to achieve nice lighting, and that works for me! But do you, boo.
Finally, sets are an essential part of filming. Here, i'm going to focus on American Girl productions. Instead of having a big, permanent wooden dollhouse, I made some walls from cardboard. Essentially, they are giant pieces of cardboard painted to look like walls. I punched holes in the corners so I can suspend them from the wall with string... this means that I can make the set as big or as small as I like it! I much prefer this method, and it is also a much cheaper way to go. If you take a look at my Instagram (@glittabomb_fefe), you can find a post a few years back of me painting the walls.
Got any questions? Comment below! I hope this helped some of you!!!
