The bad news is that there is no such thing as a "one size fits all" when it comes to equipment a videographer should have.

What I have that works for most interview and general shooting situations is:

ARRI Lighting Kit with 1K openface with "small" Chimera/ two 650w fresnel with speedring (in case I need a chimera on a smaller unit) / one 300w fresnel. I also carry an extra 500w OMNI in case I need just one more light.

The 1K with chimera gets used as the KEY. The 300w is my backlight and the 650s are for background lighting.

I also have four C-stands and a small assortment of flags as well as sandbags. The backlight (300w) is put on the end of one of the C-stand gobo arms to extend over the frame so the stand itself is just out of frame.

I also have a pelican case full of "stingers," cube taps, grip clips, black wrap, c-47s, a couple of dimmers, and any other useful grip/electric bits I can use.

All that goes on a Magliner cart and all of that fits in the back of my Chevy Avalanche.

I don't own cameras and I don't necessarily advocate that someone new goes out and invests in one. The reason why is that you want your clients to hire YOU for your skills and personality, not because of the camera you have. What happens if you run out and purchase a $60,000 camera and an $18,000 lens but your clients decide they want a different format? Now you're stuck with a camera you can't use.

So instead, find clients and let the projects determine the cameras you use then RENT THEM either from rental houses or from other Owner/Operator Videographers you know who have them ( I do the latter quite a bit ). Then, IF you are getting consistent work from a client and you feel reasonably safe in purchasing a camera, then go ahead and make that investment KNOWING that at some point in the future, it will become obsolete and you'll have to buy a new camera.

The lighting/grip/electric/support gear that I mentioned first is not something that a client will be specific about in the way they will be regarding recording format.

Back to the lighting quickly, that was MY list of gear that I like to use. Other people I know prefer to use KINOFLO Divas and the like as their KEY and FILL. They also might carry a few more or fewer lights or different brands. That list is merely what I have grown comfortable using which suits the clients I work for.

You added a bit on the end there about also wanting to do short films with this same equipment package. That is completely unrealistic. If you've ever actually worked on a true short or feature FILM, you'll know that most scenes in movies must be lit and shot in a completely different manner than the standard "interview" setup requires. There just isn't any such thing as a small lighting package that can fulfill the requirements of an interview situation AND properly light a movie. And most cameras that are used for "corporate" type work are woefully unsatisfactory for any type of narrative motion-picture work... certainly anything that isn't truly professional grade... like the ARRI Alexa for instance.

What you SHOULD think about doing is going to work in ANY capacity that lets you observe working professional Cameramen(women) in all of the situations you're interested in. There's nothing like observing how other Cameramen solve problems.

You might also consider reading through the archives of posts at Cinematography.com and Cinematography.net where you'll find wisdom from working professionals all over the world.

Brian Dzyak
Cameraman/Author
IATSE Local 600, SOC
http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
http://www.realfilmcareer.com