David Ruck

Hi David. Some of the visuals of the piano destruction look very nice. I really like the closeup destruction shots, but I didn't feel compelled to keep watching the video. It just didn't engage me personally. It feels like it takes a little too long to get started when the girls reach the piano and are prepping to destroy it. Maybe if the intro were a little more mysterious and drawn out, that could have helped. Like if the first visual was a close up of the axe heads dragging over the leaves, then we see these girls that look angry walking through a field like they're going to murder someone... Then surprise! They're taking their rage out on a random piano! You get the idea. Just something to create a little more intrigue in the beginning to get viewers invested with their curiosity. As it sits now, we see the girls, axes and piano in the opening shot. It almost immediately registers what's going to happen, but then it takes 45-seconds to happen. This is just a personal preference, but it would be nice to have more closeups focusing on the girls while they're swinging at the piano. When the destruction is happening, it's just so focused on the piano. I don't know what the girls are feeling or why they're even doing this. Making the video more focused on the people (especially at the earlier part of the destruction) might have helped to create more connection with viewers. Just my two cents.

SOLD

FS: Sachtler 5390 heavy duty carbon fiber tripod. It features a 100mm bowl, and it supports up to 210 lb. It also includes the heavy duty floor spreader. This tripod weighs just a little bit more than the standard Sachtler CF tripod, but it’s WAY stiffer with it’s beefier legs. It's in great condition, but it does have scratches which are to be expected with a used tripod. The built in handle at the top of the tripod is in rough shape as you can see in the photo, but other than that, it’s functioning perfectly. Asking $1500 Located in Phoenix, but willing to ship within the US if the buyer pays with Paypal and covers shipping.

Boom pole, shock mount and blimp sold. ME66/K6 Shotgun mic w/ Rycote softie still available. Asking $250.

Price drop: Shotgun Mic/Boom Combo: $380 Rycote Blimp: $250

For Sale: Sennheiser ME66/K6 Shotgun Microphone (SN 106219) and power supply w/ Rycote Softie, Rycote InVision INV-7 HG MkIII shock mount, and K-Tek Avalon KE-89CC boom pole with internal coiled cable: $420 obo Rycote S-Series Blimp - Suspension/Windshield: $300 • 450mm overall length • Compatible with long shotgun microphones from 355mm to 410mm • Compatible mics include the Sennheiser MKH 70, Neumann KMR 82, Azden SGM-2X Long, Audio Technica AT 835b, AT 815ST, AT 4071a, AKG CK98 SE300 B, CK8 460, CK8 451, and more. Everything is in excellent condition and has been used normally without abuse. Located in Phoenix, but willing to ship within US if buyer pays shipping.

Okay, thanks. I don't think I want to mess around with getting them reblocked, so they're not for me. I might be interested in the Oconnor head. Hopefully you can get the photos posted.

What frequency block are the Lectrosonics transmitters?

While it looks to be a really great price for what you get, you have to remember it's made by Blackmagic. They don't have a great track record as far as I'm concerned, and they've let me down more than once with buggy equipment. Also, it doesn't have basic professional features that I would expect in a camera. For one, it only outputs video with HDMI or USB, so no thanks. And while it records ProRes internally, it only records ProRes up to 4K. If it does turn out to be a stable and reliable camera, I'm sure it will work out to be great for a lot of lower-budget stuff, but I'm not sure it's broken the game or that it killed every RED camera as you mentioned. I think it might be a little bit of a step up from something like a GH5s. Just my opinion.

What you consider to be a small patch of street might be different than what I consider to be a small patch of street. Even if you're shooting on a narrow side street, but you're shooting down the length of the street, you may have a difficult time keeping the length of road wet on your own with a small crew on a no-budget shoot. On the other hand, if you're shooting across a narrow street and only about 40-50' of width would be visible, you may be able to accomplish this if you have access to water on site. I might ordinarily recommend a water truck for this purpose, but considering your budget I would consider forgoing it. Do you have a permit to shut down the street for the shoot?

So true. I've done some color grading on internally recorded GH5 footage and GH5 footage that was recorded on an external recorder. Night and day difference! Now, if you could only record externally without the need for HDMI on one of those little cameras. I hate the user interface of the GH5, A7, etc., but they really do make a pretty picture, and they give you a ton of flexibility shooting in log. For a while, I rolled my eyes at shooting on DSLR, but these days I think you really need to ask yourself if you can honestly justify jumping to something like an FS7 depending on the type of shooting you do. AJ, I think you made some other great cases for sticking with something affordable and bypassing camera rentals.

Thanks for sharing your experience Tyler. I too was toying with the idea of renting my gear out. While Phoenix has a fair amount of production, it's by no means a media city, and the Sharegrid/Kitsplit community here is small. I was on the fence, but I think you're pushing me to the side of not renting unless it's someone I know and trust.

I don't think Bruce is saying to literally specialize in ultra high speed slow motion equipment. I think he's trying to communicate that it would be a good idea to specialize in something that very few others do where you're at. The question I think you need to ask yourself is, what's the vacuum in your market that you can fill? It might be slow motion, jib, etc., but do your research and see if it resonates with you.

I personally wouldn't do it. Yes, it would be great to have your own high-end camera, but unless you have enough work of your own to justify the cost, you might be shooting yourself in the foot. How many people do you currently know of that are ready and willing to rent a camera from you, and how often would they realistically rent? I've been asking myself similar questions lately. I worked for a production company for years and then started freelancing about a year ago, so I had to start piecing together equipment of my own. Honestly, buying a camera is my last priority, and for the number of shoots I do, it doesn't quite make sense for me. I've been investing thousands of dollars in lights and grip gear. That's still added significant value for me, and when I need a camera, I borrow or rent one. Also, I personally wouldn't drop a bunch of money on a camera if you didn't have a decent lighting and grip package. So what if you had a Red? If you don't have lights your footage might not end up looking all that great anyway, and isn't that why you wanted to invest in a nice camera?

What kind of SDI cable? Do you know the brand and the bandwidth rating? They're not all created equal, and if they're cheap cables that could certainly be it.