Owership versus rental

[Luke Prendergast]

Heck, I only just noticed the spelling mistake in the topic title. I hate puns. Sorry.

[GeorgeSelinsky]

Being precious about gear is ridiculous. Keeping the expensive, functional equipment safe in the very controlled confines of the studio and using lesser equipment in the field where you really need the useability and reliability of good gear doesn't make sense.

I don't want to argue this to death but the point I was making was that for a "shoot and run scenario", which is what a lot of low budget films do, it's somewhat less stressful to use less expensive gear.

 

You try stealing subway footage with a $65,000 package and have something go wrong, either the transit cops take you in and confiscate your gear, or you're trying to change a lens and then the train jumps, causing you to drop or screw up the lens, or some junk dripping from the ceiling of the station pours onto your gear (I remember one DP had mud hit the face of a Zeiss zoom, cost was $700 to replace the front coating) or God forbid someone sees your gear and does a hit and run robbery, etc. Obviously if you have a permit and two AC's, then you're okay. Again, it's all about having an MOS package to suppliment a main production camera, in most cases. It's a great feeling to know that if you want to film something, you can just pick up a camera and go. Can you imagine telling a still photographer that he or she has to go and check out their Nikon at a rental place if they had a quick idea for a picture, or telling an artist that he has to go and rent a pencil to do a quick sketch?

 

I'm not saying everyone should be shooting their entire feature with a IIc using old Cookes like I am (although some great masterpieces of cinema were shot that way, so it's not exactly an unacceptable method).

 

- G.

[Eric Steelberg ASC]

Up until recently I wasn't sure if it was worth the 3K to get one. But people have shown interest in hiring me if they could "use it" on their project so it might be worth it.

The interest on those kind of projects IS usually the equipment and they could care less who it's attached to. They want to hire you with it, but won't pay you a rental fee for the camera and will want it to be a part of your rate. AND they also try to find guys with their own gear so they won't have to pay insurance. So when you're out in the desert shooting and the DVX100 goes down cause dirt flew into the heads, you get stuck with the bill.

 

Bottom line is that if you own equipment, you have to be prepared to offer it as a better alternative to a rental house but still need to act like a rental house business wise.

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

Well, I just secured a job that I've been asked to assemble the equipment for, and get a rental quote. I couldn't be happier (Well, I could, it could be properly paid) but there are so many advantages to this. I don't have to transport it. If it breaks, it isn't my problem. We can have what we need, not just what I happen to own, and if we need any extra bits we'll probably get them very cheap or even free for small stuff since we're taking a whole outfit.

 

On the other hand, I wouldn't have most of the demo reel that got me the job if I didn't own a half-reasonable video camera, so it's a toss-up really.

 

Phil

[Tony Brown]

I'ved owned my own Schneider filters for about 3 years now, about 60 items. They paid for themselves in less than a year..... wish I'd done it years ago. Last summer I bought an Arri 3 package with two other people. I tend to do most shoots with 2 x 435's and an Arri 3 as a spare body anyway, so the package comes along as backup. That will have paid for itself in around 15 months.

 

If the company dont want to pay for it, fine, they don't get it, they can hire one from the rental house or take the chance of going without.

 

I'm astonished at the idea that owning gear will get you work. Not sure how that theory works. As David said, if you are already working then why not. So long as you have a good relationship with a rental company, its their toes you are treading on after all, then it works fine. I wouldn't let the camera go out outside of the partnership however.

 

Filters are a must have for a DP in my opinion. I got sick to death of trying to find ND's / grads that were neither magenta nor green. Just stick to the essentials, ND's/Grads, Polas, .... convenience for you, quality results for the Production Company.....and money in the bank. Everyone wins.

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

Such a familiar situation. I have a shoot next Monday (the 24th) with personal gear. How professional am I? Well, tomorrow I'm going to look at costume. And why aren't I shooting it tomorrow? Because Edith's in Cannes, then Marja can't come and do the makeup until... but then I'm working on.... and the studio is booked until....

 

And the sad fact is that all this generalisation in what I do does absolutely nothing for your career at all. They all want specialists.

 

Phil

[Michael Nash]

I have yet to own any gear that I could charge kit rental for, yet I seem to be acquiring more and more stuff that comes with me standard. <_<

 

I figure the best place to start investing is with items that you will always use, no matter what the shoot. That means filters and mattebox, a good fluid head & sticks, maybe even a couple lights. If they're basic items then it's hard for production to turn it down. If it's too specialized or not applicable to the shoot, the item sits at home instead of earning you kit rental. I know a key grip who's good at talking the DP into using some specialized gear, that he just happens to own. ;)

 

The caveat to that is the items should be relatively low maintenance and reasonably affordable. Lenses are expensive and fragile, making them a more risky investment. Kinos are ubiquitous but I wouldn't want to be responsible for maintaining the ballasts.

 

Unfortunately because I cross over between film and video, some of these basic items don't cross over with me. Betacam jobs rarely use external filters so it's harder to get producers to pay for it. And that O'connor 2575 head I want is overkill for ENG. And a small video lighting kit looks pretty whimpy next to a 10 ton truck at a film shoot. :(

[Marty Hamrick]

Unfortunately because I cross over between film and video, some of these basic items don't cross over with me. Betacam jobs rarely use external filters so it's harder to get producers to pay for it. And that O'connor 2575 head I want is overkill for ENG. And a small video lighting kit looks pretty whimpy next to a 10 ton truck at a film shoot. :(

I feel your pain there Mitch.Since I've been back in the shooting saddle now for the last couple of years,I've been looking for some basic items that will cross the line.I don't shoot 35 at all or haven't in a long time,occasionally get a call for 16/S- 16 and I shoot alot of Betacam type gigs.I was just wondering about tripod heads,sticks,filter sets and basic lighting that would fit in a van and be comfortable with either a film package or video package.

The stuff I use for my staff news job is too beaten to hell to take on a client gig,unless the client is a news station from another market.Any suggestions?

Marty

[Michael Nash]

  The stuff I use for my staff news job is too beaten to hell to take on a client gig,unless the client is a news station from another market.Any suggestions?

  Marty

(this is Michael, not Mitch!) ;)

 

There are a lot of good heads/tripods out there that will support both 16mm and Betacam/HD weight cameras. Unfortunately I don't know all the model numbers since there are always new ones being introduced and old ones still in the market. But O'Connor, Sachtler, Vinten and Cartoni all make sort of "mid-range" heads that have a payload capacity of 30+ lbs. Pretty much an set of legs that supports a 100mm ball will work, you just figure what size/rigidity/weight you need and how much you can afford.

 

I'm often using an O'connor 1030B for Betacam, and I wouldn't hesitate to put an SR on it if I had to. I've put a 16BL on a Vinten Vision 10 before, although it's not ideal. I recently used a Sachtler system with a 3-stage carbon fiber tripod that was a little more robust but surprisingly light weight for its size.

 

If you need a little more strength for heavier camera setups you can step up to heads with a 150mm ball (and the tripod that goes with it). The drawback to these heads are: A - the whole thing becomes bigger and heavier to carry around by yourself for general ENG video work; and B - heavier camera rigs can stress the ball mount and slip even after you give the tie-down the "gorilla grip." I put a standard SR package on a head with a 150mm ball level and swore I'd use a flat Mitchell base the next time. It's not so much the weight of the camera, it's the camera PLUS the head itself that maxes out that mount. The plus for 150mm ball is that you can rent aluminum Ronford-Baker legs in that size mount for more steadiness when needed.

 

As for brand, I'm partial to O'Connor but Sachtler makes decent heads as well (incidentally, Sachtler now owns O'Connor, and is a part of the Vitec group that owns Vinten). When they're working right any brand can deliver the performance. The problem comes when something gets bent or broken and you have to fix it (kinda like cars), then you begin to appreciate the subtle differences in construction. ;)

[Mitch Gross]

There's a lot of accessories that I float between my film and video packages. Starting with the tripods, which Michael described well.

 

Next is mattebox and filters. For just a few hundred dollars you can get an adaptor mount to stick standard lightweight frontrods (15mm diameter, 60mm spacing center to center) onto the base of any pro video camera, although different brands & models require different rods. If you're shooting with Sony 99% of the time, I believe that a single set of rods will work for you. Another set would cover most Panasonic cameras. For the little MiniDV cameras you'd need mounts and riser blocks specific to the model so I wouldn't invest unless you owned the individual camera. Most 16mm film cameras will come with frontrods unless they are very old (CP-16, Bolex, Eclair), in which case there are custom frontrods that have been machined for these cameras from various manufacturers such as Les Bosher in the UK. The minimum filter size I would go for is 4x4, but 4x4.56 is better for S-16 and 16:9 video. I would get a mattebox that can take at least two filters (three is better) with at least one rotating stage and an eyebrow (french flag).

 

The front rods also allow the use of a followfocus. You'll need separate gear sizes for Fuji & Canon video lenses, but most 16mm film lenses are the same pitch. There are a couple of additional sizes in 35mm. Even if you don't wish to spend the money on this one now, having the frontrods will allow you to inexpensively rent a followfocus whenever you desire it.

 

Field monitor. Most 16mm cameras have the option for a videotap, so a good Sony 8" in a PortaBrace bag will work well. It's worth it to get a pro monitor since that's what the client will have his/her face pointed at all day. Much better than a consumer TV and usefull for you to light by in video. Some BNC cables are of course needed as well. I would also reccomend some batteries to run the monitor in the field. Most rental houses use Anton Bauer bricks but this is an expensive solution for the private owner. For about $100 each you can buy 18amp Bescor lead acid bricks that will power the monitor for 5+ hours each. The overnite charger is another $50. These bricks are very heavy but who cares since it just sits with the monitor? They are actually small enough to fit into the pocket on the side of the PortaBrace. Two sets will last you all day. Just remember to fully recharge lead acid bricks immeadiately after every use, even if you only use them a little bit. Sitting empty kills them, like a car battery.

 

A jib-arm. I have one that fits my tripods and it makes for a very nice value-added visual for your clients. I know that a number of clients hired me early on specifically because I owned this single bit of kit. I actually purchased my jib before I bought any other piece of gear (except my meters). I own a Porta-Jib, but the EZ-FX jib is also nice for the money.

 

Lighting and Grip. Works for every medium. Best first item to buy is a Rifa Light from Lowel. A "bulb in a bag", it's similar to a Chimera but it's an all-in-one unit that is lightweight, relatively inexpensive and puts out a beautiful key light for interviews. Get the eggcrate for it to help control spill. I have the 500w version and find that's plenty for most situations, but I have friends who swear by the 1000w model. That and a small Lowel kit will cover most talking head shoots. For bigger stuff hire a Gaffer with gear.

 

Magliner or other handtruck. Gotta get that gear around, right?

 

There's a lot more stuff you could buy, but this makes for a nice start.

[Marty Hamrick]

Hi Mitch and Mike,

Thanks for the recommendations.Things change fairly quickly on the grip and lighting end as well as the camera end.Lighter and more portable,less power consumption.

What vehicles do you like for film or EFP?I used an old Chevy high cube for a few years until it just about died.Then the company bought a mid sized van.Better on gas and parking but cramped and I missed the racks for C-stands.For news I use a standard size SUV,but I need that extra space for anything else.

Marty

[Mitch Gross]

I don't ever deal with a production vehicle per se, one of the advantages of living in New York. We always rent and for small jobs we can get away with a cargo van--for the really small jobs we rent a 15-passenger van and leave the rear seat or two behind so we can stick the gear in the back and people in the front. For a job of any scale we jump up to a 14-foot cube truck with a liftgate. After that it's separate trucks for each department. On some rare occassions I've stuck a few cases in an SUV or better yet a Minivan, but these are generally for the tiny doc-style talking head shoots. That's when I'm about half a dozen cases or so for the job. Anything more and it's just a real pain to try to work out of such a vehicle.

 

There's a fellow in Florida who really tricked out an extended cargo van for ENG shooting. He has a website somewhere with pictures and he's posted about it on the rec.video.production newsgroup. A Google search might find it. He has shelves on both sides and a modified Magliner which rolls up the center with the aid of some ramps that stow under the Magliner and a winch that's bolted to the van floor. It looks like he can get in and out of locations in no time and he probably parks the whole thing in his suburban garage every night. Sweet.

[Marty Hamrick]

IThere's a fellow in Florida who really tricked out an extended cargo van for ENG shooting. He has a website somewhere with pictures and he's posted about it on the rec.video.production newsgroup. A Google search might find it. He has shelves on both sides and a modified Magliner which rolls up the center with the aid of some ramps that stow under the Magliner and a winch that's bolted to the van floor. It looks like he can get in and out of locations in no time and he probably parks the whole thing in his suburban garage every night. Sweet.

You don't happen to know where in Florida this guy is do you?He sounds familiar.

Marty

[Mitch Gross]

Sorry, no. I believe his name was of Italian origin and I think started with a C.

 

A Google search or a simple post to rec.video.production should turn him up.

[Mitch Gross]

Found him.

 

http://www.tgproductions.com/equipment/album.htm

 

He posted something in April about building a new truck and looking to sell this one, so perhaps you might be interested. I think his design is a pretty clever use of space and very functional for this type of shooting.

[Marty Hamrick]

I wish this guy was in charge of organizing my station's ENG vans.

Marty

[Michael Nash]

Ah, Valrico. I can just hear the Cicadas and feel the sting of sun and humidity now...

 

Most video productions I work with work out of a van of some kind, anything larger will rent a cube truck or a separate grip/electric truck. You can get an amazing amount of stuff into a van, and often times the crew are pressed into service to transport the camera etc. in their own personal cars.

 

My little Honda CRX has kept me from investing in any gear that's too big or heavy, yet I can still cram a lot of basic gear into it.

[Marty Hamrick]

My little Honda CRX has kept me from investing in any gear that's too big or heavy, yet I can still cram a lot of basic gear into it.

I used to have a Dodge Colt Vista wagon back in the 80's.Mechanically it was crap,but it sure could hold some gear.

Marty

[Adam Frisch FSF]

I have a set of older russian primes that I'd like to convert to PL some day. I'd love

to have them with me on commercials or promos, they just have such an organic

feel to them. And they flare very nicely. And cover super-35, even though they're

35 years old... Who needs Ultra Primes anyway? The old High Speeds are still my

favorite set of lenses, although I'm about to use the Cooke S4's on a commercial

soon..

[Max Jacoby]

I have a set of older russian primes that I'd like to convert to PL some day. I'd love

to have them with me on commercials or promos, they just have such an organic

feel to them. And they flare very nicely. And cover super-35, even though they're

35 years old...

On the subject of Russian lenses, has anyone tried the Elite 35mm spherical lenses?

[GregIrwin]

I own a lot of equipment organized in a rental company that does not bear my name. This is for two reasons:

 

1. I do not want to create a conflict of interest with a production that I am involved with as an assistant cameraman using my gear.

 

2. If the equipment develops problems, I am no longer the assistant cameraman but the rental agent and that only spawns problems.

 

With that said, I don't rent to only my projects but to any movie that need gear.

[Mitch Gross]

I've shot a number of tests with the Elite anamorphics and just briefly played with the Elite sphericals. My limited experience with them was very, very good and I really like them, but I would want to do more tests and use them for a small shoot to really form a proper opinion. Unfortunately no one in New York has them for rental so that's pretty difficult.

[Laurent Andrieux]

:D A guy visits a friend of his, who opened a burger shop recently.

 

" How does it go on, mate ?"

 

-Great, thanks, I'v already saved 1000 $ in a week !

 

- Great, you could lend me 10 bocks then ?

 

-Look the guy answers, I've made an arrangment with the bank, you see. They don't sell burgers, I don't lend money !

 

(jewish storie)