is it possible to RENT a camera?
what are the best places to do it!
thanks
?:)?
quote:
is it possible to RENT a camera?
Not just possible, it's normal in many parts of the movie business. A lot of people own their own cameras, particularly video, but rental is particularly common for film cameras: for example, I believe Panavision will _only_ rent cameras and don't sell them at all.
As to where, it will depend on where in the world you are!
You're right Mark. Panavision is a rental only.
I would think that the best place to rent a camera would be in any of the big movie making cities. Los Angeles in particular. Where there is a lot of competition, the prices go down and quality of both service and equipment go up.
But it sure wouldn't hurt shmuke, if you were to mention where in the world you are....
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
i'm in Houston Texas and shooting a VERY low budget film but i think a good camera is a neccesity
most production companies find it more convienient to rent cameras, instead of having to assume the burden of a 200k plus piece of hardware, for film atleast.
My new racket is leasing/hiring top of the line consumer HD cams, they usualy go for about $20 a week max, which when your doing an indie movie totals up to probably less that $100. You need an excelent credit rating however lol
Make Love Not War!
Make Love Not War!
I can't help you with the best places to rent because I've never rented in Houston - but I can help you find places in Houston to rent cameras.
I typed "camera rental Houston" into Google and came up with quite a long list. There are a lot of rental houses in Houston. In my experience the personal touch is the best way to go here. Gather a list of rental houses and spend a day going to each of them. Tell the rental manager a little about your experience, the project (not the story - that doesn't matter - but the types of locations and lighting you are using) and ask them to suggest what camera might be best for you.
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
...and if you have little expierence? it's our first movie
Typically a moviemaker with no experience will gain experience before they rent high end cameras. As I?m sure you know, story, acting, directing, composition, lighting and editing are more important than the camera itself.
You?re being kind of cryptic here so I?m not going to pry.
quote:
...and if you have little expierence? it's our first movie
As I said, tell the rental manager a little about your experience and ask them to suggest what camera might be best for you.
=============================================
The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
Sorry. i'm not sure how much you want to know.
I'm a high school senior who's making a film. I've directed/done cinematography for lots of other films shot on a low budget, ten year old camcorder and this is going to be our last film together (we even came up with a title for our film company) and we wanted to make it really good. With lightening, good script, good acting, good camera, good editing. Instead of just a little piece of random stuff. So we wrote the script and we have the actors, i've been reading up and learning about lighting and all we need now is a camera to start filming.
No problem.
So how did calling the rental places turn out? Find a place and camera that suits your needs?
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
Houston has a camera rental company, google "houston camera rental". They are very expensive if I recall correctly, around $300 a day for a decent camera and then they get you with all the accesories you need. If your shooting digitaly, for more than 5-6 days, I would say it would be alot cheaper just to buy a canon XL1 or something of the like.
Im Zach and im an independant film maker.
Im Zach and im an independant film maker.
Another option is to buy a prosumer camera like a Panasonic DVX100A or nicer. Use the camera to shoot your film and then sell in on eBay when you are done. Unless you screw the camera up you should still get a decent chunk of the cost back.
Another angle I've heard people do, I don't recommend this because although its legal its a bit dishonest, is to buy a nice camera at a place with a nice return policy. Shoot your film within the return time period and then when you are done return the camera for your money back. Just be certain to remove the film/tape.
RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA
RJSchwarz
