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HIRING ADVICE
HIRE GROUND
WHEN RENTING IS RIGHT
I f you want some extra filmmaking kit short-term, or something more exotic that’s just too expensive to buy for the handful of times it might be used, renting is an obvious option. And you don’t need to live near a rental house in a big city any more. Fast, reliable courier services will dispatch the gear to you and pick it up. The best companies let you select the gear you want from their website, ensuring it’s available when you want it with a real- time stock system. Others offer a more personalised phone service – or both. However you order, the equipment will be delivered to you fully checked and charged, loaded with the latest firmware and ready to go. And often they will come with pre-printed return labels, cable ties and a courier bag for when it’s ready to be sent back. It’s that simple. And if you need kit for a longer period rather than just a few days, rental houses often do deals. This sort of rental is ideal for professional filmmakers who need extra kit for big jobs – usually over a relatively short timespan. Of course, some rental houses specialise in massive, long-term projects. If you’re shooting the next Bond film and want high-end Arri cinema cameras for several units in different locations, with sets of matched lenses, massive amounts of lighting and grip trucks, generators to power it all and banks of computers and monitors – that’s all available, too. Even catering trucks and motor homes for talent to be pampered on-set are up for grabs. Full-scale rental firms like VMI specialise in full packages for TV features, drama, documentary, natural history, commercials and corporate productions. For improved cash flow – and to get your hands on exotic kit when you need it – hire it in
SPECIAL DELIVERY When a shoot calls for a drone big enough to carry an LED panel with batteries, renting is the best option
The company stocks every major camera format including Sony Venice, Red and Arri, Canon EOS C500 Mark IIs as well as specialist products like the Phantom VEO4K super slow-motion and Canon ME20 super low-light camera. That’s not to mention lenses, top-quality lighting, grip and sound equipment for even the biggest productions. Not only that, VMI made a commitment to being an entirely net-zero company by 2030. It’s part of VMI’s 20-year effort to reduce impact on the environment, which could be a key part of a sustainability drive on high-carbon projects. At the other end of the scale, there has been a move towards crowd-sourcing, where individuals rent out their own unwanted gear using websites like Fat Llama. This brand simplifies the process, making it safer for both renters and gear owners with full insurance.
RENTAL HOUSES
Arri Rental
arrirental.com
Broadcast Services broadcast-services.co.uk Cameraworks
cameraworks.co.uk
Hireacamera
hireacamera.com
Fat Llama
fatlama.com
Lenses for Hire
lensesforhire.co.uk
Lenspimp
lenspimp.com
Pannyhire
pannyhire.com
Promotion
promotionhire.com
Shoot Blue
shootblue.tv
VMI
vmi.tv
Wex
wexphotovideo.com
“Equipment will be delivered to you fully checked and charged, loaded with the latest firmware”
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