Thanks.
No rig. This was ultra-low budget. I had a deadline by which I needed to wrap it. So, my production budget wasn't what I was willing to spend, but how much I could save up, before production began. I was able to save just enough to pay my actors (flat-rate $250/wk), and one crew member (B-Cam/boom-op; same flat-rate as actors), all the random productions costs (props, etc.), camera, audio equipment rental (H4n, boom, shock-mount, Rode NTG-2), and that's about it. A rig would've been nice, but I didn't move the camera that often, and when I did, I found handheld to be not that difficult if I walked slowly. For the faster moving shots, I have a DIY track and dolly, and a DIY steadicam. I used the track a handful of times, and the steadicam just once.
For follow focus, I rarely needed it. I kept as wide a depth of field as possible, for most of my shots. I think all-in-all, I probably had one or two shots with follow-focus, and I think I remember only two with rack focus. If you want to move the camera a lot, or if you have lots of people moving around all over the place, or if you want a relatively shallow depth of field, a rig with follow focus would probably be a good idea, if it's in your budget. I haven't been shopping for them, but I've heard that a lot of new companies are entering the market, and that prices have recently begun dropping like flies.
For sound, we used the Zoom H4n and Rode NTG-2, with boom and shock-mount. For the money, I think this combo produced good quality. We've got a couple audio geeks on this forum. Alcove, ROC and a couple others would graciously dole out some advice, I'm sure.
