Protecting Epic brand by NOT renting cameras at sub-market rates

[Ned Wilson]

The market will sort itself out. You will get the guy renting his Epic and the kitchen sink for 1000/day with him included. More power to him if that's what they need to do to generate a client base. You'll also get the higher end owner / op packages that'll get twice that. And that too will level out. But the Stage 2 guy (like my company) will not be getting the rates you see now. That's been reserved for M and Alexa owners. As time and economics will have it, expect to get half of the current rate by the time it ships (unless it ships in the next couple months). That in mind, prepare financially and mentally. At the end of the day, your Stage 2 body, after you unload your R1 should pay for itself. Even at half the current rental rate, it's still a good deal (you're paying 1/3 the cost of M and 1/4 of an Alexa). Give yourself a year and half to two years before it's obsolete and plan accordingly. The good thing, is by then you'll have loads of accessories that can transfer from one body to the next. They'll be getting you 1-2% rates and eventually, like lenses, be the gift that keeps giving.

I've no illusions about digital camera bodies. They're like laptops - two years and out. Just know when to sell. On occasion upgrades like the MX chip have given me a good three years plus from my R1 but don't expect HVX like ROI's. Regarding the passionate Ferrari killer analogy, of course people are grateful for getting something great for a relative bargain but it's still a chunk of change and this is a business investment And we all want to at least break even on the gear. Overall, the R1, though not a cash machine for us in terms of kit rental, it has been quite lucrative in terms of generating DP work. I expect the same from Epic, even if it arrives within four months (any longer, I will begin to look at other cameras).

If it's return on investment you want, there are better things to buy: Monitors, Kinos, Boxes of umbrellas to sell when it rains, Sunglasses to sell when it shines, etc. I'm still getting 175/day on my BTH 1700 that I bought when the HVX first came out. Kinos 4 banks are still renting at 7%! But if you want a camera on the ready when you need it, take your 1% on lenses and accessories and whatever you can get for the body and be happy.

 

[Andrew clemson]

There are people over here who bought REDs and just send them out for damned near free to get the lighting and grip out the door more often.
Never built up a package or even upgraded from M to MX. Sure, it makes clients question your rates.

I hear a few more are planning to do the same with EPIC, most notably the post houses strangely enough.

Doesnt stop us from charging full whack, because we know our kits are complete, they work, and they go out with full on-set and post-shoot tech support.
If you sell your expertise rather than the gear, the gear will still make you money.

If you're buying as a ROI, then might I recommend not bothering?

 

[Rob Ruffo]

Yes, and you too can join your local camera union as a DP/Operator for the paltry sum of $13000 USD!

They don't guarantee work, and they don't even help you find it. They do take part of all your wages. They do offer insurance, but you have to pay in 100%.

Its quite a big difference from my grandfather and brother in laws experiences in the Operating Engineers and Ironworkers locals.

Oh and minimum wage ... you know how most folks get around minimum wage laws? Easily. There are a huge number of exemptions, including, "Executive, administrative, and professional employees (including teachers and academic administrative personnel in elementary and secondary schools), outside sales employees, and certain skilled computer professionals" and seven other exemptions. Guess what ... we are all covered here.

There are another 8 exemptions that exclude overtime pay requirements, specifically including broadcast engineers and movie theater employees.

In 2009 2.6 million Americans earned less than the minimum wage. Overall 4.9% of the US workforce earned the minimum wage or less.

I'm not saying that this is ideal Rob, but let's not act like something else is true either- we are not nearly as well protected as you assert.

Well not in the U.S. - In Canada and Europe much more so. But the fact that it is not well enforced does not entail it's not a good idea.

We got our Red for our own shoots, but as a director/DP how many days could I possibly shoot? There is lots of prep time for each project. We rent our Red at reasonable market rates on the in-between days, to a very select group of people we trust, and it makes our bottom line work.