The 1st AC Kit List: What You Actually Need (And What Can Wait)

by David “clean” Berryman, 2nd AC

Every 1st AC eventually has to answer the same question: what do I actually need in my kit?

Ask ten working ACs and you’ll get ten different answers. Everyone’s got strong opinions, everyone’s got their one indispensable thing, and everyone’s got a story about the one time they didn’t have it and paid for it.

This isn’t a definitive list. There’s no such thing. But after years of working on set and building the accessories that show up on professional camera carts across the country, here’s how I’d break it down, what’s essential on day one, what you should add as your career builds, and what’s genuinely optional.

Tier 1: Day One Essentials

These are the things you need before you take your first job as a 1st AC. Not nice-to-haves. Non-negotiable.

A Camera Cart

This is the one. If you’re doing any kind of narrative or episodic work, you need a cart. Period.

A Magliner Senior is a good starter cart: it folds flat, fits in most vehicles, handles serious weight. Buy one used if budget is tight. A clean used Mag is better than a cheap new alternative every time.

If you’re buying new and want something purpose-built for AC work, the YaegerProand YaegerFlex are worth a look, they come with built-in organization that a stock Magliner doesn’t have.

Whatever you buy: get the cart first, then build the accessories around it. Don’t spend $2,000 on accessories for a cart you haven’t bought yet.

Quick Release System

Once you have a cart, the single most important thing on it is your quick release base (QRB). This is how the camera docks to your cart, and if it’s not right, every interaction with the camera dock is slower and more stressful than it needs to be.

The industry standard is the Ronford Baker-style quick release base. Our Clean’s QRB is machined from 6061-T6 aluminum in the USA, compatible with O’Connor 120mm euro plates, Sachtler 35 camera plates, and the Arri BP9 bridge plate. It’s the one I’d recommend to anyone starting out, reliable, well-priced for the quality, and it’ll still be on your cart in 20 years.

Pair it with a Touch and Go Plate, that’s the plate that travels with the camera while the QRB base stays on the cart. Together they’re the fastest camera dock system in the business.

Spinner Plate

This goes right underneath your QRB and lets you rotate the camera 360° on the cart. You need it the first time you try to access a lens mount on the wrong side of a docked camera with a full crew watching.

Our Spinner Plate integrates directly with the QRB system and stacks cleanly, no wobble, no play. 54 five-star reviews from working ACs who use it daily.

Cart Pins

Your tripod attaches to the cart via cart pins. Make sure you have the right size for your head, 1″ covers most professional fluid heads (O’Connor, Sachtler, Miller). Our Yaeger Cart Pins come in 1″, 3/4″, and baby sizes.

A Good Monitor

You need a way to see focus. What monitor you buy depends on what cameras you’re pulling on, but for most narrative work, a SmallHD 1303 or 703 covers the majority of situations. This will be one of your biggest single purchases early on. Don’t cheap out here.

Focus Pulling Tools

At minimum: a good follow focus (Preston HI*6 or MDR4 are industry standard for wireless; Nucleus-M is a solid budget entry point), lens support, and a set of focus charts. If you’re not yet at the point where you own Preston gear, you can rent it, but know that owning it eventually makes you more hireable.

Basic Hand Tools

• Speed handle and torso bag (or a solid AC bag, many 1st ACs use a Porta Braceor Petrol bag)
• Multitool
• Set of Allen keys in both metric and imperial
• Sharpies (always three, you’ll lose two)
• Stain-free gloves for magazine handling
• Gaffer tape (always)
• Expendables kit: hairties, rubber bands, small bungees, zip ties, velcro strips

Tier 2: Add These As Your Career Builds

You don’t need these on day one, but you’ll want them within your first year of serious 1st AC work.

Riser

If you’re working with large camera packages, ALEXA 35, Venice 2, big lenses, matte boxes, a riser on your cart dock gives you the clearance to mount without the camera overhanging or hitting the shelf below. Our Riser is machined to integrate directly with the QRB system.

Mitchell Plate Adapter

Certain heads, particularly older Mitchell-mount fluid heads, require a Mitchell plate adapter to work with modern quick release systems. If you’re working on shows that use vintage or specialty heads, you’ll eventually need one. Our Mitchell Plate Adapter is machined to fit the QRB system directly.

Mini-QRB

If you’re running multiple camera setups or want a dedicated quick release for a smaller B-camera package, the Mini-QRBgives you the same reliability as the full-size version in a smaller footprint.

Cart Hooks

You’ll hang cables, mags, and accessories constantly. Cheap hooks that spin or fall off are a slow-burn frustration. We carry Backstage cart hooks and Yaeger cart hooks depending on your cart.

Arri / Preston Brackets

If you’re consistently working with Arri cameras and Preston wireless systems, purpose-built monitor brackets and MDR brackets save you significant rigging time on every setup. We make several, browse the Arri and Preston lines.

Lens Caddy or Magazine Cart

Once you’re regularly handling large lens packages, a dedicated lens caddy or mag rack on your cart becomes essential. You’ll know when you need it.

Tier 3: Nice to Have, Not Required

These come up constantly in AC forums and gear threads. Worth knowing about, but don’t let anyone pressure you into buying them before you’re ready.

Wireless video transmitter (Teradek, etc.): Useful if you’re doing a lot of handheld or Steadicam work where the director needs a clean feed. Often provided by production on bigger shows, rent it until you’re booking enough work to justify owning it.

High-end monitor (SmallHD Cine 7, etc.):More resolution and color accuracy are always better. Upgrade your monitor as your rate increases and you’re working on shows where it matters.

Steadicam accessories: If you’re crossing over into operating, this is its own rabbit hole. Start with the Steadicam categoryand work from there.

Color-anodized gear: Okay, this one isn’t strictly a performance consideration, but there’s something to be said for a cart that looks like you take your job seriously. Our QRBs, Spinner Plates, and Touch and Go Plates come in 8 anodized colors. Just saying.

The Honest Answer on Budget

People ask all the time: “how much does it cost to build out a 1st AC kit?”

Here’s a realistic breakdown for a solid working setup:

That’s real money. Build it over time if you have to, the cart and QRB system first, monitor next, wireless system last (or rent until you can own). The camera gear you need day-to-day is almost always on the truck. Your job is to have the infrastructure to handle it.

The One Thing I’d Tell My Younger Self

Buy quality once instead of cheap twice. The gear you buy when you’re starting out, if you buy it right, is the same gear you’ll still be using a decade into your career.

Everything we make at Clean’s Camera Support is machined from 6061-T6 aluminum in Burbank, CA. It’s not cheap compared to import alternatives, but it’s also not going to strip, fail, or embarrass you on set. We’ve got working ACs who have been using the same QRB for 10+ years. That’s the point.

Shop the full line →

If you’ve got questions about what fits your specific setup, reach out. We’re camera people. We’ll give you a straight answer.

David “Clean” Berryman is a Texas-based camera assistant with credits across film and television. He founded Clean’s Camera Support to make professional-grade, USA-machined camera accessories available at a price that doesn’t make a camera assistant cry.