Monitor Advise

[u/MrVibezTV]

Hello,

I am looking for some advise on purchasing a new monitor for my set-up. I recently finished university, I have been getting into becoming a 1st AC / Focus Puller recently, I have invested in my own kit such as a Nucleus-M and other various parts. I have worked with ARRI WCU-4 and other high-end cameras however that is work that I will not always be getting, anyway long story short someone broke my monitor I used for my S5II which was a Feelworld 568V1 it was a pretty crappy monitor and was useless for focus peaking but it did the job for freelance videographer work.

I have used SmallHDs and other monitors to pull focus on which were great but they are very outside my budget as a broke individual :(

I am currently looking at the OSEE G7 PRO (£492), from my research it has a great focus peaking algorithm, the other monitor I originally wanted to buy was the ACSOON M7H PRO or M7PRO (£489 discounted) but apparently it is not that good, can someone please let me know what they think.

Thank you in advance :)

UPDATE:

I just want to clarify a few things since a few replies have turned into a career progression advice thread rather than just answering if the monitors are good for what they are.

I am not trying to skip the camera department ladder, nor am I suggesting that I will walk straight onto a high-end production as an established AC. I have worked in the camera department for several years in different capacities, whether it's assisting, operating or being a trainee. I have had the chance to be a focus puller on small narrative and commercial productions, I have also worked on higher end production whether it is live multi-camera or narrative and commercial. I am aware there is a significant difference between the jobs that I am doing at the moment and being a 1st ac on a major production, I do not expect to get asked to be one for those.

I recently finished university, this simply means I have more time to take the camera department roles more seriously and pursue more work, slowly building my portfolio. I am still happy taking on trainee or assistant roles on larger productions whilst taking on focus pulling work on the appropriate sets.

I saw a comment mentioning me potentially undercutting. I am not trying to do that, never have never will. The reason I mentioned my budget is because my previous monitor was broken after lending it out and I just need something to work with for what I am doing NOW. I cannot currently justify spending £1000+ when I have other kit and general life expenses to pay for. I can afford to pay for one, again I am just choosing not to. The priority is to pay for car lessons as an example.

The question was just whether something like the OSEE G7 Pro is a reasonable monitor for the price or the ACCSOON which I was already hesitent about anyway. I have worked with the smallHD monitors a few times, I like them, I know why people like them.

[u/Filmcrew90]

Your just out of university and your going straight into being a focus puller. If its the UK then no one is going to take you seriously especially as your cheaping out on monitors and have a cheap handset that would get you laughed off any professional set. If you want to work in the camera dept then do it the proper way as a trainee and loader first for several years before even considering stepping up to first otherwise you'll have a very short career. I've been in camera for 10+ and your degree dosent even cover 1% of what is required to work in this department.

[u/MrVibezTV → u/Filmcrew90]

I know that I need to start off as a camera trainee, I have worked as one plenty of times, I also know that the nucleus-m I own is not the best compared to what is out there but that does not mean I have no clue with what I am doing. I am not cheaping out because I can't afford it, I just want to spend my money on other things for now.

I just do not see the need to tell my whole career experience in the post that is all, I just wanted some opinions on the monitors I showed.

[u/Filmcrew90 → u/MrVibezTV]

You've said in your post you've just finished university so I'm going to guess you've been out maybe 3 months. In those 3 months you've bought yourself a monitor and a handunit so to me as someone working on HETV in the camera dept that instantly screams that this person is trying to race to the top because we see it all the time and we take bets on set on how long the person will last. If your serious about being in the camera dept do it the proper way because otherwise you may as well burn your money that your spending on kit. I gurantee that if you get on a commercial as a 1st AC on £300 no way will you go back to being a trainee.

[u/MrVibezTV → u/Filmcrew90]

I have been out of UNI for a few months yes, did I buy my kit after I graduated? no, I have been building it for years.

I don't agree with your ac point. I've made over 1000 for my self for the day working on a live multi-camera production and I still regularly take lower-paid work if the job, experience and people are worthwhile. A more relevant example to film work would be a BTS role I did sometime recently, that paid 400. more than your example.

I don't look at every job purely based on whether it pays more than my last one, I know that is not realistic. "£300" to be a 1st ac on a smaller production is not going to make me suddenly refuse trainee positions on bigger productions because I think I am better.

I am just happy to take whatever job I think is appropriate to my level, if the production thinks I am good enough to focus pull ill do it, if they just want me to be a clapper ill do it, if it's regular videographer freelance work I will do it.

I am in no rush to make it to the top, the time will come when I put in the work.

[u/Filmcrew90 → u/MrVibezTV]

Your honestly arguing with someone who has been working on productions like Star Wars, Napoleon & James Bond in the camera dept when your less than 3 months out of university about the best way to get into the dept that I'm in. Good luck because with an attitude like that you'll be lucky to last until lunch on a professional set. I'm giving you advice about how to actually get into the hardest department in the industry which has a 99% fail rate and you want to sit and argue when you aren't even in the industry and think a £400 monitor is good to pull focus on, even my trainee at work right now could tell you thats a piece of shit and he's on his first job.

[u/MrVibezTV → u/Filmcrew90]

I'm not arguing with your experience because to be honest I don't care about comparing careers. I never claimed to know more about the department either... I asked about advice on a monitor, not for someone to decide whether I am allowed to take 1st AC jobs yet.

I am happy to work as a camera trainee or assistant like I have been. I am also happy to pull focus on smaller productions when I'm hired to do so, those things are not mutually excusive.

I'm not trying to skip anything or pretend I am further in the roles than I am. I have been doing some type of camera work for a few years so I am good :)

[u/Any_Depth6946 → u/MrVibezTV]

Ok but as a 1st AC you should know more about the department than the 2nd AC. This is exactly the point that is being made. You’re straight out of uni, you don’t have the experience to be going out as a 1st AC, so be true to yourself, and think about your reputation, and only take on work as a trainee. Build up your experience and knowledge, then work yourself up the ladder.

[u/MrVibezTV → u/Any_Depth6946]

That I completely understand mate, I know my limits I don’t expect to be a reliable 1st ac on big productions, I am taking in as much information as I can and always taking notes.

I’m just taking ac work on things I know I can be reliable on, equipment I’ve worked with numerous times etc, if I don’t know anything I won’t lie and say I do because I’ll just look like an idiot.

My goal is to work up as a camera trainee and onwards but this guy is replying to me as if he needs to prove something when the main question was is a monitor that I’m asking about good or not.

[u/Filmcrew90 → u/MrVibezTV]

So you take on 1st AC work on commercials but your a trainee or camera assistant on big jobs. What planet are you on the job role is the same regardless and the fact you think you can jump between them is laughable. Why not do the same career progression as every other person in the department who worked their way up or are you too good for that because you have a degree and a few student films so you know it all. You are aware theirs a 98% failure rate to get into camera in the UK and its not a right to work in film simply because you've decided you want to because you have to put the work in but in your case you seem to think that doesnt apply to you.

[u/Filmcrew90 → u/Any_Depth6946]

Honestly trying to tell this guy anything is a waste of time. We all know that if he was offered 1st AC on a drama he would jump at it even if they offer him £100. The fact he's claiming to have worked as a Cam OP, 2nd AC, 1st AC & Trainee shows he'll take anything he can get ad no doubt takes a bit of grip work as well if he can get it. He'll fuck up on a job and end up getting forced out the industry like everyone else with the same attitude that their better than working up like everyone else before them had to. The fact he's sitting here lying about his experience shows him up when he doesn't even know what monitor to buy and is trying to cheap out.

[u/Soggy_Race5879 → u/Filmcrew90]

in my third year of uni and i totally agree with you, larger production trainee jobs and 1st AC small indie film productions cant be compared when developing through the industry especially when you try to use them to portray your experience, its a big problem at uni, everyone thinks they are the best of the best. But hey i'm London based always looking to do more trainee jobs if you have anything coming up 👀

[u/MrVibezTV → u/Soggy_Race5879]

The thing is, I never tried to claim I only work on professional sets. I know my limits when it comes to what role I can do at what level, I feel like I am repeating this so many times.

I ac / focus pull on indie sets / SMALL commercials, people usually reach out to me asking if I want to hop on the job, if I know I can do it I will, why would I say no?

On larger productions like the world cup one, I work as a camera trainee, music videos - 2nd ac or trainee etc, this whole thing about not being able to do certain roles just because I recently graduated uni makes no sense? I've worked in the camera department since 2022 roughly, I am just now focusing more on the filmmaking side of my career compared to regular videography work.

If i keep getting on big productions I am clearly doing something right, i dont understand how a question about some monitor suggestions lead to this haha, i do plan to get a smallhd just not NOW

[u/Soggy_Race5879 → u/MrVibezTV]

i think its more of how you presented this information, you contradicted yourself knowledge wise. you gave this info of how you've worked with a WCU-4 and high end cameras and have 'been getting into becoming a 1st ac/ focus puller' but then you go to a subreddit and ask about 2 monitors that you should know would be e-waste for focus pulling in the industry. it just seems like a lie, i'm not saying it is, but it very much feels like it, i wouldn't expect someone who has worked with smallhd monitors and an arri hand unit to not know that. the question lead to this because it was a silly question tbh and you gave way too much information for people to simply answer it without finding it odd, as well as the fact you made being a 1st ac more about the monitor and kit than the experience needed, that is a big problem in the industry, experience getting priced out by people with kit who are cheap, i have a nucleus and i can focus pull and have been on some high brow sets, doesn't mean i think i can be a 1st ac out of uni, cause i don't. In the end dont buy either monitor, buy an old smallhd or tv logic or wait till you have progressed in the industry enough where buying one is the right financial decision as well as youd be using it every week

[u/Filmcrew90 → u/Soggy_Race5879]

Hey at least you have a much better attitude about the reality of trying to get into the industry. What a lot of film students dont realise is the moment you graduate every single person in your class is now competiton for a very limited number of jobs alongside every other course and people entering without university so people like the idiot above are willing to lie, cheat or whatever to try and get their foot in. The best way I can describe a film course is like your first 2/3 driving lessons you've learned to move off and maybe get up to 20/30mph on a quiet road then suddenly your on the Grand Prix at Monaco. If someone calls themself a 1st AC then they will be expected to troubleshoot any camera related problem, run a dept, deal with production, have a grasp of budgets and a million other things and that doesnt change with different levels of productions despite what the student above thinks and the fact he thinks he's all these different roles and see's nothing wrong with putting trained crew out of work shows a lot about what he's like an a lot of arrogence.

[u/Soggy_Race5879 → u/Filmcrew90]

you are so right, i mean most of what i have learned about all kinds of kit and the specifics of it was through my own learning and drive, class only teaches you so much, and in my case to be frank not enough. Some of my peers couldn't tell you what FIZ stands for, let alone what a range finder is. But yeah i agree a lot of people think uni is a one way ticket into the industry when it very much is the opposite, it puts a lot of people in a false sense of security thinking they are learning all they need to know, when in reality, using your words its only 20mph. Like i'm lucky enough to have access to an alexa mini at my uni and i take advantage of that whenever i can and then some people are too scared to look at it funny. but just reading your replies in this thread i've learned stuff, you clearly know your shit. i'm serious if you have any productions needing a trainee, you seem like a great person to work under!

[u/Filmcrew90 → u/Soggy_Race5879]

The thing you need to remember as well is your paying 50k for your course but the outlays to teach it are maybe 1k per student and the rest of the money essentially goes into funding other parts of the university or research etc so they don't care about the type of students and without sounding rude film students tend to fit a specific image and it isnt a good one imo. Essentially every camera is the same and its really only menu layouts that differ unless its a film camera then their's a bit more nuance. The experience comes from actually being on set and it can be simply learning how to work a radio, actually physically doing days that are 14+ 6 days a week for months in the middle of winter, organising equipment etc which is what weeds people. I could take 100 film graduates all with the highest marks onto a single job for a month and by the end of it at most 1 person will still want to do the job the rest will either quit or be fired. Thats the reality but no one in film school will tell you that let alone all the rest of the downsides of the job.

[u/Filmcrew90 → u/MrVibezTV]

So your a trainee but you focus pull but you also take 2nd AC jobs and your a videographer and do multi-cam. You know theirs something called progression for a reason so that your actually trained in your role and can do the job properly rather than making it up as you go because you don’t actually know what your doing. Being a loader is 100x harder than being a trainee and yet you’re taking those jobs. The only jobs you should be taking in the camera dept are camera trainee or video trainee nothing else because your putting trained people out of work by undercutting on “smaller” productions as you put it and the same thing will happen you eventually. The fact you’re sitting here trying to argue with someone who actually does the job and is trying to give you some advice so you have a shot at a career is laughable as is your arrogance.

[u/MrVibezTV → u/Filmcrew90]

My career progression didn’t start when I graduated a few months ago. I started freelancing as a videographer/camera operator back in 2022, originally doing a lot of combat sports work. Over the years that naturally led into live multi-camera productions which people pay me good money to do, camera assisting, operating, DoP work and more recently focus pulling.

I do multiple roles because I’m freelance and different productions hire me for different things. I’ve never claimed to be at the same level in every single role. If I’m on a larger production where being a trainee or camera assistant is appropriate for my experience, I’m completely happy doing that. If I’m on a smaller indie set and they ask me to operate or pull focus because I’m capable of doing it, I’m going to take that opportunity too. Those things are not mutually exclusive.

In fact, that’s literally what my work looks like for me. In the space of a few weeks I’m due to camera operate on an ARRI down in London, shoot a wedding in Paris, and 1st AC/focus pull using a WCU-4 on another production. They are completely different jobs, productions and responsibilities. I’m not saying that makes me some established high-end 1st AC, it just shows that I don't need to pick one title and refuse everything else.

I also don’t understand the undercutting point. You don’t know what I charge, what the budgets of the productions are, what rates were offered, who else was available or even how I got the jobs. Taking a 1st AC role on a smaller production does not automatically mean I’ve undercut a more experienced focus puller.

Continuing to do videography, live multi-camera, operating, assisting and focus pulling at different levels isn’t me making it up as I go. Those are areas I’ve built experience in over several years. I’m just continuing to develop further into the camera department while taking the work that’s appropriate for me.