Film Student in need of help

Steven Tyler Slovacek · February 28, 2004

Two Arri SR2 onboard batteries and their charger were destroyed on set while I was the 1st AC. As an extremely poor film student at FSU, I cannot afford to pay the +1,200$ the school is asking for. If anyone knows where I could find a good deal on this equipment, I would be extremely grateful. Thanks.

Steve Slovacek

Mitch Gross · February 28, 2004

First off, doesn't your film school have insurance? What's the deductable? And why are you responsible when you were just the 1st AC? If this were a paid gig in a professional situation you would not be considered responsible. The responsibility lies with the Producer, which in this case is likely the film's writer/director.

If this doesn't cover things, you better find out what your responsibility is. The school may insist that you buy NEW equipment and not worn used gear. If you are allowed to buy used, you can look into used equipment dealers such as Visual Products or Gallus Productions to see what is available. But expect that the batteries may need to be recelled which will cost a few hundred dollars each. It is unlikely that you'll be able to walk away from this for less than $600 in my guess.

Steven Tyler Slovacek · February 29, 2004

Alas,

The fate of the batteries was mostly my fault. I'm going to inquire about the insurance deductible, but I think our school doesn't often go that route. I imagine it has something to do with their premium. They did, however, approve me finding a used euipment source.

Thanks Mitch. Your guesstimate of 600$+ is very encouraging. I'm sure I could swing that, but i'm just not sure I have the proper contacts to find that price. Gallus Productuions was helpful as they have batteries listed for 250$, so I'm hoping someone might know of a Arri SR2 Charger for around that same price. If anyone stumbles across any good deals, please let me know. Thanks again.

-Steve

Phil Rhodes · March 1, 2004

Hi,

Alright, alright.... what did you do?

Phil

Steven Tyler Slovacek · March 1, 2004

What did I do?

It's a little embarrassing, but I ran them over with my car. It's not quite as stupid as it sounds though. As they were leaving, I told a crew member to put them by my car. I'm not sure where by the car they were placed, but definitely not in plain sight, and definitely somewhere in the direct path of my tires.

Long story short, I now have a promising interview for a night job delivering Chicken Pita's.

-Steve

P.S. - My cinematography teacher is Rexford Metz (JAWS, U-571, SWAT) and I was wondering if anybody knows him or has any good stories on him. He's seriously the coolest guy ever.