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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

My Indie Rentals in Hollywood experience.

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BigLu

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So for several days now I have searched high and low for any kind of help in getting a lens to just test my camera.

Nothing but heartache and dead ends.
A few of you responded with help but either due to distance or unavailability it just didn't work out. But thank you guys who did offer to help.

I feel it is useful and helpful to any new RED owners or future owners that I give you my report on what i experienced.

I called as many rental houses as i could find in the LA market.
HSR , B&S, Clairmount, WN. and so on.
Either they didnt have a PL mount lens or it would require production insurance that i did not have, or it was not as cheap as I have heard from others and most were a combination of all.

STRESSFUL to say the least.

Called RED out of desperation, given some choices. Ended up calling INDIE RENTALS in Hollywood.
And they don't know me never met me, but treated me as a customer that they would like to keep for good.
From the first conversation on the telephone till the moment i left there location 3 hours later. It was always the attitude of no problem we can work this out. Nothing but helpful and supportive in all aspects as one would wish when renting from a camera house.

Im a small time guy and they were cool with that,
i didnt have insurance, ok we can work with that,
i didnt know what the hell i was doing, ok we can teach you,
i dont have a strong budget at all, ok we can work with that.
I had a ton of questions, ok let me get you the expert.
and on and on.

Don't get me wrong they never asked me to say anything about them i am not getting anything for this at all.
I am just thankful they were as helpful as they were.
AND THEY SEEM TO HAVE EVERYTHING.
If and when i need stuff im just speed dialing them.

Forrester was my sales guy
and i cant remember the guy who helped me set everything up. but he was great. sorry


I would recommend these guys for equipment any time.
and there rates Smashed everyone else's.

So if your just getting your RED and your in the LA area and don't know where to turn. You should be cool by visiting them.
Or me =)
 
So, calling themselves Indie Rentals is not just a way of trying to give themselves hipster cred, huh?

Really good to know. They'll be first on my list when it comes time to check prices and availability for rental.

Thanks for the info, BigLu.
 
Yes, that is cool of them but insurance isn't THAT expensive, you should get it. Also, thank your lucky stars you didn't drop that lens!

Even years ago when we first started, we got ridiculously great deals from rental houses who wanted to keep us as long term customers, but the one requirement was that we had to get production insurance. It's worth it!
 
Insurance is an absolute necessity. The good thing is that some rental houses will allow you to pay extra to use their insurance (sometimes a 5-10% fee) which can help out those who don't have it. But if you are doing this a lot, it just makes sense to have it and depending on your circumstances and how much you need to insure for, it can be relatively cheap. Better than having to buy a lens.
 
BigLu said:
So for several days now I have searched high and low for any kind of help in getting a lens to just test my camera.

Nothing but heartache and dead ends.
A few of you responded with help but either due to distance or unavailability it just didn't work out. But thank you guys who did offer to help.

I feel it is useful and helpful to any new RED owners or future owners that I give you my report on what i experienced.

I called as many rental houses as i could find in the LA market.
HSR , B&S, Clairmount, WN. and so on.
Either they didnt have a PL mount lens or it would require production insurance that i did not have, or it was not as cheap as I have heard from others and most were a combination of all.

STRESSFUL to say the least.

Called RED out of desperation, given some choices. Ended up calling INDIE RENTALS in Hollywood.
And they don't know me never met me, but treated me as a customer that they would like to keep for good.
From the first conversation on the telephone till the moment i left there location 3 hours later. It was always the attitude of no problem we can work this out. Nothing but helpful and supportive in all aspects as one would wish when renting from a camera house.

Im a small time guy and they were cool with that,
i didnt have insurance, ok we can work with that,
i didnt know what the hell i was doing, ok we can teach you,
i dont have a strong budget at all, ok we can work with that.
I had a ton of questions, ok let me get you the expert.
and on and on.

Don't get me wrong they never asked me to say anything about them i am not getting anything for this at all.
I am just thankful they were as helpful as they were.
AND THEY SEEM TO HAVE EVERYTHING.
If and when i need stuff im just speed dialing them.

Forrester was my sales guy
and i cant remember the guy who helped me set everything up. but he was great. sorry


I would recommend these guys for equipment any time.
and there rates Smashed everyone else's.

So if your just getting your RED and your in the LA area and don't know where to turn. You should be cool by visiting them.
Or me =)
Click to expand...


Yeah, I've heard nothing but SPECTACULAR things about the guys over there. As a matter of fact, I think we used them on a music video I shot.

When you're just starting out and getting to know crew members and the hordes of players around town, sometimes you can run into attitudes from rental houses. BAD BAD business move on their part.

I'm NOT GOING ANYWHERE, AND YOU WILL NOT GET REPEAT BUSINESS FROM ME. And further, I'm going to tell everyone I possibly can about your treatment of me, and as we know, it's a really small town. Maybe it'll never matter. But maybe it will.

The moral of this story: simply treat others with the respect and courtesy that they are hopefully treating you with. You'll not only develop a loyal customer base, but might even find a friend or two.

Glad to hear good treatment doesn't go unrecognized, and good to hear they were able to help you out.
 
Film Ylem said:
When you're just starting out and getting to know crew members and the hordes of players around town, sometimes you can run into attitudes from rental houses. BAD BAD business move on their part.

I'm NOT GOING ANYWHERE, AND YOU WILL NOT GET REPEAT BUSINESS FROM ME. And further, I'm going to tell everyone I possibly can about your treatment of me, and as we know, it's a really small town. Maybe it'll never matter. But maybe it will.
Click to expand...

That's a fine statement, and occasionally warranted I'm sure. I just hope people who are starting out in the biz don't read this thread and equate rental houses requiring insurance with poor customer service.

Don't be afraid to ask for a "beginner/student discount" and also don't be afraid to insist on good service, but if they say they need you to have production insurance, I wouldn't stomp my foot and say I'm never coming back.

If you do, you just burned a bridge, not them. You'll be surprised at how much work can be referred by rental houses.

Production Insurance is cheaper than most think, and it's a good value.
 
Dominic Cochran said:
That's a fine statement, and occasionally warranted I'm sure. I just hope people who are starting out in the biz don't read this thread and equate rental houses requiring insurance with poor customer service.

Don't be afraid to ask for a "beginner/student discount" and also don't be afraid to insist on good service, but if they say they need you to have production insurance, I wouldn't stomp my foot and say I'm never coming back.

If you do, you just burned a bridge, not them. You'll be surprised at how much work can be referred by rental houses.

Production Insurance is cheaper than most think, and it's a good value.
Click to expand...


Good call, and to clarify I wasn't referring to being refused service for a lack of production insurance. That's a necessity, and as it has been mentioned, you can acquire it for a relatively small cash outlay. And there are many ways to go about it too, "piggybacking" on other policies as someone else alluded to, is one of those ways. In the end though, if you're going to be utilizing the ins. for any length of time, have specific project parameters that need protection, or you're shooting multiple projects - it could be more expensive than simply getting your own policy.

Poor customer service is what I was speaking of. There are enough alternatives these days, and life is too short to deal with an asshole, or his company. Leave the pretentious "Hollywood" shit at the door.
 
I'll throw in my "hell yeah" in support of Indie Rentals, as well.

I had one project that I wanted to use a 35mm adapter for, and while they were very willing to work with me on price, and ran me through everything I needed to know, they ALSO took the time to understand the project and informed me that using the 35mm adapter was going to probably be problematic, and it might be better if I didn't.

Maybe I'm weird, but I really trust a company that is willing to talk me OUT of being a customer when the product or service is not right for me. It shows that they are considering my needs, and not just trying to make a quota.

Ultimately, I did not rent the adapter, but there is no question that from the combination of price, attitude, and service that I got from them, they'll be the first people I call for my next project. Totally recommended.
 
I would also like to voice the notion that the requirement of insurance is not some snobby film pro's attempt to keep indie kids out of the sandbox.
My goodness, you need insurance to rent a Ford Focus on spring break. Now you want to rent a Ferrari F430 and you think insurance is "overpriced" or a "scam"? Having that $80,000 Optimo zoom hit the pavement or that $240,000 set of Master Primes stolen from the producer's van would set anyone back for a few months, right?
I am glad that there are good, well-staffed smaller rental houses. Here in New York I would give props to Abel and TCS. I don't really know the boys at DuAll, but they seem to get high marks too. But I bet they all would be leery of renting very expensive gear without insurance and a rental contract.
Now maybe that old set of Zeiss Standards... ;)
Anyway, good tip on Indie Rentals. Thanks...
Cheers,
Harry
 
You need insurance or leave a replacement cost deposit to rent in NYC. I do have some lenses that i would rent out for a low deposit. The Angenieux 35-140 would be one of them. It has a PL mount, It works on RED, it is cheap. I would not rent a MK3 prime out of a set since they are basically irreplaceable. Not worth the gamble. If Indie rentals wants to gamble, we already read what happened with the Red shipped to the east coast. We would love to help everyone but sometimes it is just not possible but we usually try to find some solution.
Harry, I read alot of your posts and if you ever need anything, you are welcome in Du-All anytime. You are also working with some mutual clients next week. They needed a back up body. I was booked but camera is now available 10th and 11th if needed.
 
Thanks Steve. Good to know. I may need it yet (this will become clearer today)
And I'll make it in there one of these days... ;)
Cheers,
Harry
 
s816mm35mm said:
You need insurance or leave a replacement cost deposit to rent in NYC. I do have some lenses that i would rent out for a low deposit. The Angenieux 35-140 would be one of them. It has a PL mount, It works on RED, it is cheap. I would not rent a MK3 prime out of a set since they are basically irreplaceable. Not worth the gamble. If Indie rentals wants to gamble, we already read what happened with the Red shipped to the east coast. We would love to help everyone but sometimes it is just not possible but we usually try to find some solution.
Harry, I read alot of your posts and if you ever need anything, you are welcome in Du-All anytime. You are also working with some mutual clients next week. They needed a back up body. I was booked but camera is now available 10th and 11th if needed.
Click to expand...

Du-All has great costumer service, that's for sure. I called from LA once looking to have my Super8 converted, and they took the time to answer all my questions and were extremely helpful - especially given the fact that I was merely prospecting.
 
For the folks saying that production insurance is inexpensive: could you perhaps post some ballparks and/or recommendations for insurance companies?

The experience I had on my last short film was that most of the "budget" prod insurance places (e.g. filmemporium) quotes were still coming in at a significant fraction of the cost of our camera package. We ended up "riding" on the policy of a fly-by-night company in another state, but even that cost us about $650 for a $1M policy / three-day shoot. Not a lot of money, but probably a lot for an individual who wants to go shooting for the weekend.

Should we have done better? Suggestions?
 
I don't know how much things have changed, but back before we started carrying production insurance year-round (not to mention rolling it in with our business and G/E truck insurance which I'm sure reduces rates); we would pay about $500-600 for one-off productions (i.e. commercials, music vids, etc). And this was in Detroit mind you (high theft risk), and we were insuring full 435/535 cam pkgs. and full 5-ton G/E pkgs.

I'm sure rates are higher now, but you just need to build these numbers into your budget at the start. Unlike some insurance, you'll win in the long run with this. Even if the result is just a longer life expectancy from lack of heart attacks related to all the close calls you WILL have even if you never make a claim.
 
I'm not sure anyone here would argue that insurance is "cheap", especially as all other aspects of filmmaking devalue (crew rates, equipment rental, media costs all seem to be flat at best) and it certainly hits a smaller production especially hard. But the alternative is particularly ugly: on the hook for tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. Garnished wages for the rest of your life? Bankrupcy and a ruined credit record, 7 years of financial setback?
Some rental houses that would otherwise require insurance MIGHT accept a hold on a credit card equal to the value of the rented gear. But who has a $120,000 line of credit? And you'd STILL be on the hook if something went wrong.
I would encourage everyone here to also get a liability policy. Guess who that little old lady will sue when she trips over your shiny new O'Connor tripod?
Just my two cents... discount it if you will... ;)
Cheers,
Harry
 
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