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Initial Scarlet package on a moderate budget

W

William Graydon

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SCARLET-X W/ AL Canon Mount/Side SSD - $9750
Side Handle - $950
Touch 5.0" LCD - $1600
Scarlet Media Pack - $1200
SSD 64GB - $950
Power Pack x2 - $1030
Scarlet Base Production Pack - $1350
Manfrotto 536 Carbon fiber Tripod w/ 509HD Head - $1600
Oconnor O-Box WM Set (15mm LWS) - $1,100
Redrock 18" 15mm carbon fiber rods - $100
RedRock MicroFollowFocus | Blue - $795
Red Armor - $1500
Lenses:
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8($720),
Zeiss ZE 35 ($1,843),50 ($725),85 ($1,283) f/1.4
Total in Lenses: $4,571
Wooden Camera A-Box - #250
Pelican IM2720 Storm Trak Case - $200

Total: $26,946

If I do this I'm going big or going home as I am a young indie filmmaker fresh out of school and have been contemplating this for a while. The time is now.
I'll be taking out a secured loan to purchase this.
So, please advise without discretion.

I am a writer/director constantly developing my craft. I love the camera and do DP many of my projects. My passion is narrative story telling.

At the moment I support my passion by working for a film festival and freelancing any chance I get.

Thanks everyone.
 
Add in Insurance!, The ZE Primes are very nice. May want to consider the Canon L's but either way they are both very nice. One 64GB Card wont go far. May need more power also. You will have a good focal set to start with.
 
Also, dont forget to add in external storage. Looks like were going to need a lot of it
 
1 SSD and 2 Red Volts, likely wont cut it for your workflow.

As previously mentioned don't forget to budget storage. You have to dump that SSD onto something, and preferably doing so in a data secure redundant manner.
 
Hey William, congrats on joining the real world now as you find your way after finishing film school. Just some small words of advice from someone who started from the ground up and has worked and lived in NYC and now LA. I have worked with many A-List talents in films, sports and music and I can tell you its not always the gear that makes you successful. Its mostly about your dedication to your craft and a lot about the relationships you make on your professional journey. As soon as you said "fresh out of film school" coupled with the grand total $26,946 is a little scary to here from a young person in today's economy.
I have to askif you have college loans your paying back? Also do you have a project that will pay for at least 1/2 of your purchase, plus pay your bills? Do you live in a market that can support the level of equipment you will be purchasing?

I ask all these ?s because the last thing anyone would want is for you to purchase all this equipment and strap you down with a lot of debt to pay back with an occasional freelance project. Now if you are a trust fund baby and your parents are giving this to you as a graduation gift then by all means go for it! LOL
If thats not the case you should really think long and hard about renting before you buy and see if you can build up a client base that would ease the burden of this very large purchase. Trust me you have a lot to learn about the feature film world and every young person that starts always thinks that film school will get them jobs and great gigs but a lot of the times they end up being disgruntled PA's learning until they get a chance or make their own chances happen. Either way there will be years of learning the biz and progressing your knowledge of real world feature film productions. Any film maker will tell you its not the technology that gives you the upper hand, its knowing how to best use what you have along with most importantly developing your script or project to the best it can be.

Just to give you an example I have met and talked with the DP of "Like Crazy" which was shot on a modified Canon 7D with an assortment prime lenses. The budget for the film was $250,000 and it sold after doing great at Sundance for $4 million dollars. NO ONE had a problem with it being shot on a DSLR. If you live in LA you probably have come across Shane Hurlbut who was the DP of the new movie "Act of Valor" and it looks visually awesome, which was also shot on a DSLR and prime lenses.
The Panasonic GH2 hacked to 176mbs with prime lenses is a killer set up and making amazing images as well.

The main thing to stress is if you have had your heart set on Scarlet and can afford it without going into massive debt, then by all means get it, because its an amazing camera from an amazing company. I'm just hoping that you arnt thinking just because you have that camera will get you jobs immediately and life will be great. The reality is you will have an extreemly expensive package that you might be having to pay off for years to come. Be smart and choose wisely and confide in friends and family that arnt camera geeks like us on here! :)
Dont mean to be a downer but sometimes it needs to be said for people such as yourself that are straight out of film school.
Whatever decision you make i wish you the best and hope you succeed.
 
Very wise advice from Michael. OP, I don't know your situation, but really think about what he said. On that same note....I keep wondering how all these new Scarlet owners are gonna pay for their cool new tools/toys. I wish them all success. Meanwhile, I'll most likely be waiting around for a few months when all the used Scarlet packages start flooding the market.
 
Kyle Gentz said:
Add in Insurance!, The ZE Primes are very nice. May want to consider the Canon L's but either way they are both very nice. One 64GB Card wont go far. May need more power also. You will have a good focal set to start with.
Click to expand...

additional Insurance on top of the Red Armor?

The media pack also comes with one 64gb ssd so I'll have two to begin with.
 
Michael Chase Gordon said:
Hey William, congrats on joining the real world now as you find your way after finishing film school. Just some small words of advice from someone who started from the ground up and has worked and lived in NYC and now LA. I have worked with many A-List talents in films, sports and music and I can tell you its not always the gear that makes you successful. Its mostly about your dedication to your craft and a lot about the relationships you make on your professional journey. As soon as you said "fresh out of film school" coupled with the grand total $26,946 is a little scary to here from a young person in today's economy.
I have to askif you have college loans your paying back? Also do you have a project that will pay for at least 1/2 of your purchase, plus pay your bills? Do you live in a market that can support the level of equipment you will be purchasing?

I ask all these ?s because the last thing anyone would want is for you to purchase all this equipment and strap you down with a lot of debt to pay back with an occasional freelance project. Now if you are a trust fund baby and your parents are giving this to you as a graduation gift then by all means go for it! LOL
If thats not the case you should really think long and hard about renting before you buy and see if you can build up a client base that would ease the burden of this very large purchase. Trust me you have a lot to learn about the feature film world and every young person that starts always thinks that film school will get them jobs and great gigs but a lot of the times they end up being disgruntled PA's learning until they get a chance or make their own chances happen. Either way there will be years of learning the biz and progressing your knowledge of real world feature film productions. Any film maker will tell you its not the technology that gives you the upper hand, its knowing how to best use what you have along with most importantly developing your script or project to the best it can be.

Just to give you an example I have met and talked with the DP of "Like Crazy" which was shot on a modified Canon 7D with an assortment prime lenses. The budget for the film was $250,000 and it sold after doing great at Sundance for $4 million dollars. NO ONE had a problem with it being shot on a DSLR. If you live in LA you probably have come across Shane Hurlbut who was the DP of the new movie "Act of Valor" and it looks visually awesome, which was also shot on a DSLR and prime lenses.
The Panasonic GH2 hacked to 176mbs with prime lenses is a killer set up and making amazing images as well.

The main thing to stress is if you have had your heart set on Scarlet and can afford it without going into massive debt, then by all means get it, because its an amazing camera from an amazing company. I'm just hoping that you arnt thinking just because you have that camera will get you jobs immediately and life will be great. The reality is you will have an extreemly expensive package that you might be having to pay off for years to come. Be smart and choose wisely and confide in friends and family that arnt camera geeks like us on here! :)
Dont mean to be a downer but sometimes it needs to be said for people such as yourself that are straight out of film school.
Whatever decision you make i wish you the best and hope you succeed.
Click to expand...

Micahel, thank you so much for that.

So I'll begin by saying that I have had a bit of experience ADing in the last two years (I know that's nothing in the film world), I am originally from Miami, FL so I kind of got lucky one day and ran with it. I have no school debt and COMPLETELY agree with everything you said. I have certain clients but not many. I also agree that the tool does not make the artist and although the technophile side of me influences me quite a bit I feel that in my current market the scarlet gives me an edge that others may* not have yet. This is def. a big risk and one I am willing to take but I def. want input from honest individuals like yourself.

This is something I still have to think through.
 
Brad Webb said:
Yes. Equipment insurance in case of damage/theft/ etc. This is a MUST.
Click to expand...

Any recommendations for insurance companies?

I know through BH I can purchase their 3 year insurance and will for the lenses at least.
 
OK William, well in that case I would suggest most of your list with some modifications to help lower the budget and work great for interviews and short films.

SCARLET-X W/ AL Canon Mount/Side SSD - $9750
Side Handle - $950

Small HD is a great monitor and works with Scarlet.
DP-6 SLR Bundle

Scarlet Media Pack - $1200
SSD 64GB - $950
Power Pack x2 - $1030 (need more)
Scarlet Base Production Pack - $1350

4TB G-Drive External Hard Drive from G-Technology

Manfrotto 504HD head w/ 535 2 stage carbon fiber tripod system $979

 RedRock MicroFollowFocus | Blue - $795 (plenty out there that are much cheaper, but RR is good quality)

Red Armor - $1500
Also look into home insurance such as State Farms or whatnot that covers theft or fire and whatnot. (Very Important)
NEVER !!! Rent or lend your gear to anyone without a legit rental contract with their credit card # on file and their insurance would be great.
I have seen friendships destroyed over this when something goes wrong and your friends says "it wasn't my fault why should I have to pay" :) LOL

Lenses:
Zeiss ZEs are amazing and i have personally shot a feature film on them but you can rent them and other things for a great price from www.lensrentals.com
In LA you can rent them for $50 a day at $150 a shoot you would have done about 9 shoots to pay for just one 50mm ZE macro.
Save your money on those until you have 2-3 shoots a week then renting is not economical.

Wooden Camera A-Box - #250
Pelican IM2720 Storm Trak Case - $200

You will need a good 40' C-stand w/ gobo arm for all around purposes

2 Sennheiser ew 100 g3 Wireless mics
1 Sennheiser me 66 shotgun mic
ZOOM HN4 to record external audio
simple mic stand


For lighting there is a great company called EOS Lighting which keeps it on the cheap but is great lighting for interviews
http://www.eoslightingllc.com/cm/
DayFlo-EZ LITE 1050 3 Head Kit


Not sure if you know how to edit but that will certainly give you an edge. If so the new I-Mac 27 inch is a monster with 2tb of video ram and maxed out ram. it also has the new thunderbolt port which will help a ton with offloading footage.

Always remember the producers or companies mostly dont care what camera you shoot it on only that you are professional and they feel they are getting your services for LESS than what YOU wanted! lol
just because you have the Scarlet doesn't mean they will be willing to pay Scarlet rental prices for your package. Use this time to develop client relationships and get them to love your work then you can slowly increase your rate as you gain more clients.
 
I think you'll need more than 4 REDVOLTs, though it may also be worth waiting until they release power specs for scarlet to decide.

Also you'll save $30 and get a free $30 case if you buy REDVOLTs in a 4pack instead of in the power pack.
 
Michael, once again THANK YOU for such elaborate information. Those two websites will prove to be very useful. I like the lighting kits available. Have you used them yourself?

Also, I went ahead and checked equipment insurance and this was the response I received from:
Frankel & Associates
9233 W. Pico Blvd. Ste 226
Los Angeles, CA 90035
www.filmins.com
www.frankelinsurance.com

Please find our owned equipment application below. The minimum premium is $475 for the year and covers up to $28K in owned equipment with a $500 deductible.

Has anyone used them before?
Would I still need the red armor if I go this route?

Also, I already own an EX1R, rhode NTG-2, smallHD DP1X, FSB-6 tripod,

My best friend and partner in crime is the editor, we have the 27" iMac but I believe it is model prior to the thunderbolt. I7 though. We have FCP and AVID 5.5 student edition.
 
I need help...I want know how many time i have to wait after make the deposit to receive the red scarlet ??
 
Kyle Gentz said:
...The ZE Primes are very nice. May want to consider the Canon L's but either way they are both very nice...
Click to expand...

Might want to consider the Canon 24-70 f2.8L...it sells for $1300 and breathes very..very little and has autofocus that will work with
the Scarlet. You would save $2500 over going with the Zeiss primes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FYSrRYJqnM

In either case..since you are taking out a loan seems like you need to be able to pay off or at least pay off half the equipment in the first year rentals since it will depreciate. As long as you know your market and clientele you will be ok.
 
Just read some really poor reviews on EOS lighting. Michael, have you used them recently?

So I've been able to get the budget down to $23,000
Start off with the Tokina 11-16mm and Canon 24-70 and rent out the other lenses like you all have recommended.
Insurance instead of Red Armor.
Def. going to need a new hard drive.
 
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