NO RENTALS!!!

[Blake Barnett]

Hi Alex,

[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]We're always looking for more camera operators. When you get a chance please list your information on our contacts site including your experience, location, category (Camera Operator) and your equipment if any. Please make sure to add Blake Barnett, Roy Leon and Justin McAleece (Do a quick search for our names and click on the “add contact” link below our picture) as contacts so that we will get prompted to view your info.

http://www.contactsquid.com

Also please add your reel to your video page section for our guys to review.

Thanks,

Blake[/FONT]

 

[Björn Benckert]

As other stated allready. I think as soon as the price goes a bit above 7D prices then people tend to go for an established rental house that.

1. can deliver the stuff properly, i.e cases for everything, camera cart etc.
2. Have options for every part of the equipment.
3. Are more frequent in their rentals, so they usually have better routines for what they are doing.
4. have backups, etc.

5. Probably most important, the rental companies have adopted to this market and has very much lowered the prices on their standard packages. They can do so because if they loose profit from the swings they can win it back on the carousels.

Also there is quite a few of us redusers the got the same kind of idea. Basically thinking that owning one camera house and some additional gear and renting them out would bring in enough profit to cover the costs or that it even would be something to make a living from...

I think thats a very tricky thing to do. As I see it, it's kind of like buying a new car and thinking that renting it out would be a good business... Well if you a dedicated cab driver than that might be the case. But putting out a few adds for your new car and emailing people that you have a car available for rent for just about the same price, or just a bit lower then Rent-A-Car will probably not make people get in line to rent your gear.

So basically as the market is pretty much flooded in most parts of the world... do not buy a car if you do not need it for your personal or business use. As if you just drive occasionally you are probably better off renting one when needed.


Another thing is that I see quite a few rental places that have over invested in all of these "first generation digital cameras" like there was no tomorrow but in this digital world tomorrow comes quite quickly. I think there will be more than a few bigger rental places that folds when the next generation of cameras comes.
In other words when Arri, RED, Sony, canon and every one else release their 70mm digital film cameras and lenses with all their improvements i see a landslide. This is something that very much was the case for camera stores when the digital cameras came... Basically then it was no longer possible to keep a big stock of cameras on the shelf as the new and better sensor was released every other day. Not many of the larger camera stores managed to adapt.

 

[Jon Jones]

The rental business sucks bro, even here in the midwest. This is just not the right time to own cameras for rentals. Maybe 10 years ago, but those days are over brosef.

 

[Patrick Wieland]

I bought a scarlet with the idea "O I'm going to get so much work if I have this 20k dollar camera kit". To be honest I haven't gotten any new work because of just my camera. Every job I get hired from has been for my skills. Companies hired me when I used a DSLR and they hire me still because of my skills not my camera. They even tell me they don't mind if I use a DSLR. My day rate has changed since owning a Scarlet but its also because my finished product has gotten that much better.

I just really like shooting with the Scarlet. If someone hired me to shoot with a DSLR I would almost just shoot with the Scarlet for the same day rate.

I actually have gotten a couple jobs DIT and editing because I am experienced with .R3D workflow.

I basically invest in gear that is going to make me work better and make my job easier. Having good lenses and gear are going to help me in making the best visuauls.

I'm probably going to be buying an epic this year as I could really use HFR for some up coming projects, O and 5k wouldn't hurt.

 

[jimhare]

I paid both my EPIC and SCARLET off in a month. For me the key has always been to sell the final product, not the components. Direct, shoot, edit, sound, master and deliver.

In the end the perceived value of the final product is the only thing you can measure. Everything else is going to be a quick fight to the bottom of the market.

I always teach my apprentices to own the client, that's the key.

Raise your hand if you own a Scarlet and have paid back at least half from actual paying gigs...personal or rentals.

Be honest.

 

[Gavin Greenwalt]

My Scarlet has always been more about personal development and networking than getting 'paid off' directly. Even then I would have more than paid off the body by now had I not immediately always returned the income to more accessories. You need to decide what your goal is with the camera. If you want to be in this for the long term and have a shooting kit for yourself and rentals then you'll need more. Your kit is so small that only very lightweight operations will be able to work with it. If they have any greater demands they'll go to someone who has everything in one stop that they need; be that a larger owner operator operation or a rental house. The nice thing about re-investing in yourself if you can is that a lot of the accessories you buy (matte boxes, support, filters etc) are good long term investments which won't be outdated in a couple years.

I also have benefited greatly from networking with established people who just need "an extra body" for rentals. It's a good mutually beneficial arrangement where they can offer a larger package and I can get an occasional rental.