GEAR | RENTAL ROUND TABLE
WHAT’S NEW? By discussing a range of trending topics with leading rental houses, we uncover the future of video production and dispose of the outdated assumption that rental companies are anything less than crucial production providers
WORDS CHELSEA FEARNLEY
I t’d be remiss of me if I didn’t touch on the effects Covid-19 had on businesses in 2020. Have there been any positives? ANDREW PRIOR: Well, there are a lot of negatives. Over the summer, most of us were put on furlough as day-to-day business trade stopped. Now, we’re seeing a knock- on effect as the productions scheduled for last year roll into 2021. There’s going to be lots of crossover and, therefore, very little equipment available. We’re definitely going to struggle, but I think every rental facility that’s had productions pushed is the same. Being busy is not the worst problem to have and we’re working on a solution. We wouldn’t just take lenses from a show that’s running – that would be a cardinal sin. One positive is that, after several months of watching everything on Netflix and Amazon, streaming services are now doubling down. In the UK alone, Netflix is anticipating a doubling of its budget by £1 billion, with 50 new shows projected in 2021. So, there’s not going to be a shortage of work.
showcase it. So, the pandemic meant that we had a lot of what our customers needed ready to go as soon as they got in touch. SPENCER WEEKES: Like most businesses going into 2020, we didn’t begin the year with an understanding that a pandemic was about to disrupt not just our business, but the entire industry. In the weeks that followed the initial lockdown, we had the rarest of things – time – time to examine our business, to consider the technical changes that were occurring in the industry and, most importantly, to devise tools and technologies that could help productions resume shooting. So, while being shut down was extremely challenging for our business financially, we managed to pull through and support a number of major productions to continue filming in the UK and Europe. The move to remote working has changed our focus entirely and we are sure the solutions we’ve been able to provide can impact the industry positively moving forward. MELANIE GEORGIEVA: As soon as the first lockdown was announced, almost all filming came to a halt and it was a worrying time for everyone. We found that a lot of major dramas and feature films that had planned to begin filming in spring were pushed back indefinitely and there was a lot of uncertainty as to when these productions would be able to resume.
I also think there’s more respect in the industry now. The severity of the pandemic has made people realise that making movies isn’t about life or death, because there’s a situation separate to it that is literally life or death. If you don’t respect guidelines or follow certain rules, it’s dangerous. We bumped our hours and restricted the number of crews per test room. We also have an on-site medic available at all times, who takes the temperature of everyone who comes in. It’s quite a strict protocol but nobody complains. In our industry, people aren’t used to hearing ‘no’. If they want something, they usually throw a load of money at it, but this virus has commanded a lot more respect from people. JEFF BROWN: I’d say the only positive was the way that the industry pulled together quickly and efficiently to set procedures and start again as safely as possible. It shows the adaptability and resourcefulness of the sector. Other than that, I think it has been a tough year for all, particularly for the freelance community. It has certainly shown the vulnerability of the industry, too.
RUPERT WATSON: We have seen and been involved in a lot of innovation. We’ve been talking about remote editing technology for a while and have a demo environment set up in Soho to
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