Owning vs Renting Camera Accessories for a Starting Cinematographer

[Michael Salvador]

Hi,

 

I just started up a wedding video services this year, and I'm just barely building up my clientbase for now. I currently have 15 weddings to shoot this year but I only charge very low. I already bought 2 decent cameras and some lenses. Do you think buying expensive sliders, gliders, crane and all that stuff is recommended now or should I just rent them for now?

 

Just really need your opinions on this one guys. :) Thank you very much.

 

 

 

[Gregory Irwin]

I believe it comes down to if you are spending more a year on renting them compared to the cost of those items. How fast would you turn the cost into a paid off profit? If your rental cost is less over a specified term of time, then you have your answer.

 

G

[Miguel Angel]

On top of that, sliders and etc could be replaced by a DJI Ronin or Movi or similar, which is a very good accessory to have if you are into "owning" things.

There is even an accessory for it which allows you to control the pan and the tilt with your thumbs while operating it!

 

And I'm pretty sure it can be attached to a remote follow focus!

 

Have a good day.

[Satsuki Murashige]

I don't think a gimbal like the Ronin or Movi is a good first investment, it's very slow to switch the camera from sticks or handheld, it's finicky to get balanced correctly, and it takes a lot of practice to get consistently usable shots. It will be more trouble than it's worth. For a narrative production, sure. For run and gun documentary style shooting (wedding work), I would say no.

 

How much more can you charge per job with the additional gear you will be bringing? Once you figure that out, then you should know if it makes sense financially. Until then, rent and add the cost onto your invoice.