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directorik

IndieTalk's Resident Guru
indiePRO
I'm no longer in the market for a camera. When I make movies now I
hire a DP with equipment. As as a camera operator for reality shows
I no longer own. But seeing the new Blackmagic studio camera got
me thinking...

At the end of the last Century I purchased one of the first MiniDV
cameras - the JVC DV500 for around five large - just about eight
large today - and I could get $250 to $400 per day doing ENG and
BTS. Standard Def, 720 X 586, progressive scan.

Today I see the Blackmagic 6K, 6144 X 3456 for $2,500.

Kinda wish I was starting out now...
 
I'm no longer in the market for a camera. When I make movies now I
hire a DP with equipment. As as a camera operator for reality shows
I no longer own.

You know you’ve made it when the only thing you need for work is the key to your car.

But seeing the new Blackmagic studio camera got
me thinking...

At the end of the last Century I purchased one of the first MiniDV
cameras - the JVC DV500 for around five large - just about eight
large today - and I could get $250 to $400 per day doing ENG and
BTS. Standard Def, 720 X 586, progressive scan.

Today I see the Blackmagic 6K, 6144 X 3456 for $2,500.

Kinda wish I was starting out now...

Don’t overlook the Z Cam E2-S6. In many ways, I actually like the Z Cam ecosystem better than Blackmagic, but you can get the camera body for $2100. Granted, it needs a couple of accessories to work out of the box (namely a monitor), but it makes some damn fine images in the right hands.
 
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I'm just starting out for commercials, putting together stands and holy, the costs really ad up.
The tech is way better than when i was doing indie dramas a decade ago. Definitely come a long way!

Hopefully I can make my first product commercial next month but I've been kinda fixated and writing lately, so who knows.
 
Don’t overlook the Z Cam E2-S6. In many ways, I actually like the Z Cam ecosystem better than Blackmagic, but you can get the camera body for $2100. Granted, it needs a couple of accessories to work out of the box (namely a monitor), but it makes some damn fine images in the right hands.
I'm overlooking so many cameras. I'm no longer in the market for one.
The last camera I purchased was in 2010 - paid it off in five gigs.
 
You know you’ve made it when the only thing you need for work is the key to your car.
Exactly! Nothing wrong with working at Taco Bell!
taco bell lol GIF by Animation Domination High-Def
 
I'm overlooking so many cameras. I'm no longer in the market for one.
The last camera I purchased was in 2010 - paid it off in five gigs.
Of course. That was more rhetorical, and for anyone else reading the thread.

Unfortunately, on the sound side of things, it’s better to own the gear than not. “Production-provided kit” makes my skin crawl. 😂
 
Most likely has to do with trusting your own gear vs. "what the hell am I walking into?" Which could be great, but it's all about the unknown, even if they make it known.
 
Even if the production provides the equipment that you request?
Just curious because on the producing side, I've done it both ways.

@indietalk is on the right track:

Most likely has to do with trusting your own gear vs. "what the hell am I walking into?" Which could be great, but it's all about the unknown, even if they make it known.

I know my bag, and I know my cart. I know what condition my gear is in because I’m the one who uses it and is responsible for its upkeep. I can guarantee the quality of product I can provide because of this.

When a production wants to send a sound gear package, I have no idea what I’m in for, and the few times I’ve worked on production-provided gear have been terrible experiences. Rental sound gear gets the shit beaten out of it, and people who break things aren’t always willing to speak up about it so that it can be fixed before the package goes out again. I’ve been provided sound packages that were in awful condition, packages that were woefully under-equipped for the job, and in one case a bag that was way too big for the job (and way too big overall) but was built by a guy who is 6’4” and 300lbs. I meet neither of those metrics, and my back hurt for days after. And I‘ve been given less than an hour to unpack and inspect an unfamiliar sound bag.

I cannot guarantee the quality of product if I’m supplied with expired batteries, broken mics, bad cables, corrupted media…

So, yeah, it’s better to own the sound gear.

Oh and kit rental fees 😜

Gear’s gotta pay for itself.

EDIT: I should add the one exception to the rule is when I work on a larger show as part of a larger sound department where the dept. head is also the gear vendor. If the supe is mixing on their own gear, their reputation is on the gear and it’s generally well cared-for. Larger reality shows where the supe comes in with third-party vendor gear, it’s again a mystery as to what will happen.
 
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On every feature I directed - except my first one - the recordist is an
owner/operator. Rarely is the DP. I hadn't really thought about that until
this conversation. I owned but rarely shot movies (the occasional short
for a friend) but used my camera for features I directed sometimes. Most
DP's at my budget level had their own camera and gear. Some even
owned a decent light package.

As an owner/operator I could charge a kit fee. I could get my camera
paid off in 8 to 10 gigs. But I so much prefer just showing up with everything
set up and ready to go. Love having good camera techs doing the important
grunt work for me. I work with a couple of guys at Disney who pop the
camera off the sticks and hand it to me, wrangle cables during the shot, then
take it and put it back on the sticks.
 
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