Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • 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 :)

Bottom Feeding Red Owner in NYC!

I wouldn't harsh on Alex as he's right, it's an open market. It's like what RED is doing to Panasonic / Sony. With thousands of RED's I don't see a RED cartel anytime soon.

I believe as more producers become savvy on what makes a good package, service and workflow, the "bottom feeders" will be relegated to the no budget indy market or as a possible back up body rental.

The camera is just one item in the equation. It, it comes down to accessories, lenses and service. Any legit production pays for those. The red camera market will be a lot like film camera bodies - they don't make much money. It's the glass and accessories that do. Which is often why with film, I rarely rented from owner operators because rental houses offered all the goods. They always seemed up to the necks in paying off a body that their accessory and lens packages were often subpar.

But now with such a cheap RED body, I see alot of owners able to afford fully outfitted packages. But if they don't have a back up body - why not call the low ball guy? In NYC there'll be plenty of those.
 
It's all about the service. I believe productions will hire DP/s with Red because they want the DP and the abilities they bring to the table. They will also go with rental houses who can service the camera to the highest standards so they can try and avoid issues. And that leaves everyone else. There are some owners who go out with the camera as a tech/data manager/workflow specialist and if marketed properly and reputation built up, this can work too. If however the camera was purchased with the intent to rent it out for as cheap as possible with little to no support, well that will invite a particular kind of client. And that is fine as long as you know what you're dealing with.

I have no problem with the original poster's proposal to rent the camera out for a lot less than everyone else. Heck, if he can do it, provide good support, and keep his clientelle happy, sounds like a win, win. It's not a plan that works for everybody, but can't fault him for trying. And he never gave specifics, so don't even know what the camera is going for. Rather than bottomfeeder, I'd go with opportunist. That sounds better.

The Red rental market can be tough. That's why I had a multilayered plan from the start. It doesn't rely on just renting the camera out. There's a lot more to it. But I do come across the cutthroat side of the business sometimes. It's just part of doing business. Tim and I just had a situation where this type of thing occurred, but there's no hard feelings because you move on to the next thing. If you have confidence in yourself and your business plan, you'll get through the tough times.
 
Steve,
who would've known they had a RED in Jamaica? Last time I was there they were just getting HVX's (a year ago). Luckily, it's fully serviced by a reputable cameraman.

I see the owners who can get the client from acquisition to a ready to edit drive with as little hassle as possible will come out okay. If your a cameraman not willing to fully understand and supervise workflow - owning is the wrong business.
 
heard about a guy that will give you his camera for points on your Indy film!

Anyone want his contact points? ;)
 
Steve,

Very good points, I agree!


I would add....It's not just a camera...It's a revolution!
Any owner that cannot support the camera/work-flow will drive clients to owners that can...Darwinism...survival of the fittest.

Dave
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top