renting equipment

hi does anyone know good places in california to rent equipment? im gonna be shooting shortly after returning to california and i need to do some shopping around to look at prices money isnt really an issue at this point i have a few thousand that i wanna devote to this project so i think renting would be the best thing considering i want the best look possible. also wat camera should i get for say shooting people in "conversation" and "close ups" and for action scenes?
 
Hi

I think you need to do a bit of reading in the directing and cinematography sections of the forum. And a bit more in this section as well.

Go through the older threads and you'll have a lot of your questions answered and you'll also find out that you need different types of lenses for different scenes and effects and not cameras.

Once you've studied a bit, feel free to ask more questions here.

Goodluck.
 
hi does anyone know good places in california to rent equipment?

California is a pretty big place. There are good places to rent equipment
all over the state. It won't do you much good to give you good places
in San Francisco if you are going to be in San Diego. It won't even help
to know good places to rent equipment in Bakersfield if you'll be in Burbank.

also wat camera should i get for say shooting people in "conversation" and "close ups" and for action scenes?
The good news is, any camera made will be good for shooting people in
close up and in action scenes. There are not cameras specifically for close
ups and then a different camera for action scenes. What really comes into
play is what you intend to do with the final product. Do you need a top
of the line film camera? Or a top of the line video camera. Will an excellent
"prosumer" camera do? Do you intend to have the final product shown
on 3,000 screens across the country? Do you hope to sell the final product
to TV? Is this for the home video market? For a personal DVD and maybe
posting on the internet?

And when you ask about "equipment" are you asking only about the camera?
Or all the equipment needed to make a movie? That will, of course, bring
up more questions. But first; if you can narrow down "California" that will
be a huge help.
 
hi does anyone know good places in california to rent equipment? im gonna be shooting shortly after returning to california and i need to do some shopping around to look at prices money isnt really an issue at this point i have a few thousand that i wanna devote to this project so i think renting would be the best thing considering i want the best look possible. also wat camera should i get for say shooting people in "conversation" and "close ups" and for action scenes?


If you're in Orange rent here. They're friends, so I am biased. But if you got the scratch rent the red one. http://www.twoforflinching.net/
 
If you're in Orange rent here. They're friends, so I am biased. But if you got the scratch rent the red one.

I always like to add contacts - especially in the OC.

From the website it looks like they only rent the RED - no other
equipment. Is that right? Do you know how many cameras they
have for rental? Do they offer full repair and/or replacement during
the rental period?
 
well ill probably be filming in and around the san fernando valley and ossibly near san francisco. i want a pretty good camera top of the line would be nice but it doesnt have to be like super pro, just like for making movie for dvd release and i want it to be digital as well. and equipment i mean like sound, lighting, dollys and all that junk.
 
well ill probably be filming in and around the san fernando valley and ossibly near san francisco. i want a pretty good camera top of the line would be nice but it doesnt have to be like super pro, just like for making movie for dvd release and i want it to be digital as well. and equipment i mean like sound, lighting, dollys and all that junk.

That narrows it down. Thanks.

In the Los Angeles area (including the valley) you have a lot of excellent choices.
Camera rentals are often done separately from grip/lighting equipment and from
audio equipment. There are a few places like Alan Gordon that rent pretty much
everything - and there are places that specialize.

When you are shooting in the valley will you be keeping everything for the possible
San Francisco shoot or returning everything and renting again later there? Will you
have a DP, a key grip, gaffer and audio person or will you be renting everything
yourself? Will you need a truck or are you thinking you'll rent only what you can
put in a car?

Now if all these questions are not what you want to answer, I understand. If all you
want to do is know the names of rental places so you can look at websites, that's cool
and you don't really need specific recommendations from someone who knows - and
has rented from - just about every place in the LA and OC area. But if you want
recommendations of specific places I can do that too if I know a little more about
your specific needs.

Use Google and type in "motion picture rentals Los Angeles" and you'll have enough
info for days of web surfing. I'll even do it for you:

http://tinyurl.com/6f66b3n
 
hahhaa wow direktorik i guess u really are a guru huh?
well the valley shoot will most definitely be different from the city shoot so ill need equipment from different places, i will have a gaffer and maybe an audio guy the rest i want to do myself. i have a truck but if i need to i can rent one.
thnx
 
i will have a gaffer and maybe an audio guy the rest i want to do myself.
So you will be the DP. What camera you rent will depend on
what camera you are comfortable using. For example; I would
strongly suggest you do not rent a RED - the learning curve
is high. However, if you have experience with RED then there
are several good places in the LA and San Francisco areas that
rent them.

How big is the production? You say you want to do the rest
yourself. Are you thinking you will direct, be the DP, hold the
boom, monitor the audio and push the dolly? Or is this project
a typical one man project with you, a camera and a couple of
actors? Will you need a dozen lights, c-stands, and flags/scrims
or just three lights with stands?

It's still hard for me to recommend good places in California to
rent equipment because I really don't know your needs. Am I
right in thinking you just want general places to look at on line?
Or do you really need a specific recommendation?
 
i more or less want to know what im going to need and where to get it but if you just give me general places to look thatd help too. i dont need a super high end like a red but id like the quality to be nice, and while im talking to you do you know anyone who does editing and dvd duplication cheap i just need basic editing u know put this scene in with this one type of deal and a bunch of dvds.

i want to shoot a static piece u know the actors in one place camera just moving and changing angles every now and then only need a few lights nothing crazyh but hen again idk too much about lighting so i need advice on that ill get a guy to handle the boom and all the little stuff and i probably wont need a dolly.
 
You might not need to rent at all.

One possibility is to find a wannabe DP who owns a camera. In the
San Fernando valley you will find hundreds. I might even be interested.

It might be cheaper to buy a few work lights then to rent in your case.
Or, once again, find someone with a small light kit - most DP's own
a few lights. Pay them two-thirds of what you'd pay to rent at a rental
house and they'll be happy.

I know a dozen editors. There are more than that who post here. When
you are ready I can help you find the right one.

When do you think you'll be ready to shoot this scene?
 
hehehe well i should be in town around the begining of june but idk about u wanting to do the scene hahaha.... its a porn hat im shooting.... lol sorry if i didnt mention this i just didnt want people to withhold information because of what im doing. but if your still intrested id be more than hapy to have u work with me and learn the ropes from an experienced person.

but seriously if what im doing isnt off putting to you or u need some work pm me and well talk about it i could really use the help. and it pays :D
 
hehehe well i should be in town around the begining of june but idk about u wanting to do the scene hahaha.... its a porn hat im shooting....
A "porn hat"? I've never heard of that.

So you need equipment to shoot porn? Now I understand why you
will be doing everything alone. No one here will withhold information
because you want to shoot porn. The reason why I ask the questions
I ask is because I want to know what you're plans are so I can offer
usable advice.

You don't need much equipment to shoot porn. Two lights and a camera
will be fine. You don't need a separate mic, you don't need a dolly.

There are very few freelance shooters here in LA who haven't shot porn
at one time - me included. Sometimes ya gotta pay the bills.

You can rent a couple of lights at Samy's Camera. The Lowell III kit will
be enough. You can even rent a video camera there. I'd suggest the
Panasonic EX1 or the Canon XHA1.
 
i meant that not hat my bad. oh well thats good to hear.i needed the dolly and stuff because i was planning on doing a spoof in the near future and it was gonna have action parts but i guess i can wait for that in the immediate future im just gonna be doin the same old same old.so this setup wont look all cheap or crapy? im still looking to maintain a decent quality.and isnt sound a really big thing i though of all things id at least need a little external mic setup or something
. i really owe u one man ur great
owe one more thing i like the light package and the ex1 do you have any recommendations for places in the bay area thaat rent out these thngs?
 
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i meant that not hat my bad.
This didn't clear up anything. I don't know what you mean
by "not hat" either. So your sentance, "its a porn hat im
shooting" should be "its not a porn hat im shooting"? Or
"its a porn not hat im shooting"?

i needed the dolly and stuff because i was planning on doing a spoof in the near future and it was gonna have action parts but i guess i can wait for that in the immediate future im just gonna be doin the same old same old.so this setup wont look all cheap or crapy?
I can't answer that because I have no idea what you are
planning to shoot. I'm just stabbing in the dark to come
up with answers. I'm happy to help - I just don't know
what you're shooting.
im still looking to maintain a decent quality.and isnt sound a really big thing i though of all things id at least need a little external mic setup or something
Sound is very important. Not in porn. If you want a good
mic, then rent one.
owe one more thing i like the light package and the ex1 do you have any recommendations for places in the bay area thaat rent out these thngs?
I've lead you to water - now it's YOUR turn to take some of what
you have learned and put it to use. You know exactly how to find
places in the bay area that rent these things.
 
That confuses me even more. I guess I'm not as
smart as I think I am. So cutting to the chase - now
changing words, no replacing words - just straight talk:

Are you planning to shoot a porn film? Is that what you
need equipment for?
 
well yeah thats what im gonna do shoot a basic one now to get some trigger time on the whole directing end and again in a few months im going to be making a bigger budget parody porn with alot more elements but i think im good uve given me all i need now i need to go out and cast my actors. its kinda hard finding agencies tho.
 
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