Big Monster Studio LLC
Studio / Resources
Big Monster Studio maintains an in-house production and post-production toolkit for efficient shoots while scaling camera, lighting, grip, audio, and specialty equipment around the needs of each production.
Not every project needs the same package. We choose our tools based on the story, location, crew, deliverables, and production requirements.
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In-House
Our in-house cameras are built for compact, efficient professional productions — and configured differently depending on what the project calls for.
Big Monster Studio’s primary in-house cinema camera.
The Sony FX30 allows us to build compact professional production packages for interviews, events, branded content, music videos, social content, narrative work, and other client productions.
It can be configured differently depending on the production and paired with additional rented cameras when a larger or multi-camera setup is required.
Compact camera available for action, behind-the-scenes coverage, specialty angles, small mounting positions, and situations where a traditional cinema-camera setup may not be practical.
In-House
Dialogue-focused audio we carry with our own packages, and how we scale when a production needs a dedicated sound department.
Big Monster Studio has a DJI wireless lavalier microphone system available for interviews, presentations, corporate productions, events, and other dialogue-focused work.
Available for directional dialogue recording, camera-mounted audio, reference audio, and production setups where a directional microphone is appropriate.
Our in-house audio package is built for dialogue-focused coverage — it is not a replacement for a complete professional sound department.
For productions requiring a dedicated production sound mixer, boom operator, larger wireless package, timecode workflow, or specialized audio equipment, we can bring in additional crew and equipment.
Experience, Not Ownership
Our capabilities are not limited to the equipment sitting on our shelves. Our team has hands-on experience working with additional professional cinema-camera systems across narrative, corporate, interview, and other productions.
Luisa Bott has hands-on professional experience shooting multiple productions with the Sony FX9.
This experience allows Big Monster Studio to comfortably build or source FX9-based production packages when a project calls for a larger professional cinema-camera system.
Big Monster Studio does not own an FX9. It is listed here as operating experience, and would be sourced through a rental partner for a production that calls for it.
In-House
Our in-house production resources include the supporting tools our normal camera packages and smaller productions need to run — the everyday equipment that keeps a compact shoot self-sufficient on location.
We publish specific items here only once their ownership is confirmed, rather than listing a spec sheet of equipment we would have to rent. Anything a production needs beyond our own kit is sourced through our rental partners and identified as such during planning.
The categories above describe the kinds of supporting equipment involved in our productions. Individual makes and models are added to this page as each is confirmed.
Built Per Production
Lighting is selected around the needs of each production rather than forcing every project into the same package.
Our team has hands-on cinematography, lighting, and grip experience across interviews, narrative productions, events, music videos, and commercial/client work.
For productions requiring larger lighting packages, modifiers, stands, grip equipment, power distribution, or specialized fixtures, Big Monster Studio can source the appropriate equipment through professional Chicago rental partners.
This allows us to build anything from a compact interview setup to a more extensive production package without claiming that every piece of equipment is permanently owned in-house.
In-House
Editing, color, and finishing happen in-house on the systems below.
Professional editing, color correction, color grading, color management, shot matching, look development, finishing, and delivery.
Our DaVinci Resolve workflows can include:
Editing and post-production workflows for corporate, event, branded, social, documentary, music-video, and narrative content.
Supporting tools for graphics, media preparation, asset creation, production documents, and other creative workflows.
Scaling the Production
Owning equipment is useful. Having access to the right equipment is more important.
Big Monster Studio does not believe every production should be forced into the same camera, lens, lighting, or audio package.
For larger or more specialized productions, we work with professional Chicago rental houses and production partners to source equipment based on the creative and technical requirements of the project.
Depending on the production, we can source additional:
This also allows us to scale from a small, efficient production setup to larger crew-based productions.
People
Equipment is only one part of a production.
Big Monster Studio can build production teams around the requirements of individual projects.
Depending on the production, this may include:
Crew is selected based on the needs and budget of each production.
These roles are filled per production by collaborators from our professional network; they are not all permanent Big Monster Studio positions. Our own team is listed on the Team page.
Why We Scale
A corporate interview, live event, music video, social campaign, and narrative production all have different technical requirements.
Rather than building projects around whatever equipment happens to be available in-house, we determine what the production actually needs and build the package accordingly.
For some productions, our compact in-house setup is exactly what is needed.
For others, we expand the camera, lighting, grip, audio, and crew package through our production network and rental partners.
The result is a production approach built around the project—not around an equipment list.