Prioritize my wish list

[Mark Suszko]

I’ll tell you one of the reasons I got out of the wedding/event business was that I did not feel I could keep up the pace of investment in new gear as the camera technology changed and I didn’t want to spend what I thought I needed to spend up-front to have the security of redundant back-up capcity in key areas, and still have a sutable profit margin. I got a lot of incipient ulcers working without a net back in the day, in the sense that I didn’t have back-up gear for single-point failures in the wireless mic or camera.

And it is not a question of “if” something key like a camera or hard drive or power supply or battery will fail, but WHEN. You NEED spare cameras, even if you plan to shoot single-camera. One hour before the gig, when the camera goes “Tango Uniform” during final check-out and set-up at the location is not the time to go scrambling to find a spare rental. And what if you are heavily booked and you have an accident happen to the gear? So if you are serious about staying in the business, seriously back-up all the critical gear with spares, and get insurance, before you think about other “nice to have” expansions. It is not sexy, but it is smart business.

[Jeff Mueller]

Hi Mark:

Those are good points, although as you say it’s a tough position. I think if I had a second camera I’d probably be putting it to work so I’d still have a back-up problem, although not as bad. The XH-A1 is probably a good back-up camera, although I’d rather get the Canon 5D MkII for the things it can do that my current camera won’t.

Thanks,
Jeff

Jeff Mueller
http://www.ApertureVideos.com
Santa Barbara, CA

[Jim Watt]

Jeff,

Don’t let mark frighten you. In my opinion the situation is not so desperate. i’ve produced and shot high end television shows for 45 years and camera failure is about the last thing you need to worry about. Quite frankly i’ve never had a camera go bad on a shoot and have only dropped two in 45 years.

A good camera or a better camera is always nice. The HMI is about the last thing you need. You should have a little Lite Panels portable light for when things get too dar, but the portable HMI is way overkill for your work and budget

a decent computer with FCP is definitely a must have. you might be able to struggle thru with Final cut Express for awhile, but Final cut studio is where you want to set your sights. Don’t worry about all the plugins for now.

Acquire lights as you go. Check used lighting equipment, it’s amazing what you can find.

Good luck and you can stop by our website at https://WWW.bennett-Watt-HD-Stock-Footage-Library to see what using only one camera with no spare can do for you. We of course have more than one now, but much of this was shot with only one camera on the road. The ireland series was shot when there were only two of our HD cameras in the entire US.

Thanks…JW
https://www.HDstockfootage.net

Producer/DP, HD series, “Discoveries…America”, “Discoveries…Ireland”, “Discoveries…Spain”,
“Discoveries…Argentina”, Discoveries…India”, “Discoveries…Asia”, “Discoveries…Africa”

[Jeff Mueller]

Thanks for your words of encouragement, Jim. Your stuff looks nice, what do you shoot with?

I’ve felt like the second camera wasn’t a top priority because it is possible to rent. Maybe not day of, but certainly with a little notice. And I’d really like to rent the Canon 5D Mk II and see how I might incorporate that or a 7D.

I am running FCS2, but it’s Academic so I can’t upgrade. Sounds like FCS3 runs smoother and particularly Color takes less horsepower (it crashes on me occasionally and always takes inordinate renders) plus you can run Compressor in the background so I could keep editing in FCP (which when I hit upon a 70 hour render time is a big deal). But maybe the better computer is more important. I keep reading about the wondrous Kona cards, which obviously require a Mac Pro, but the Konas cost $3,000 so that’s not happening soon, makes me think a stopgap second (better) iMac might make sense while I try to get to sustainable profitability. I wasn’t really serious about the HMI although I love the one I have. Weddings seem pretty tricky lighting wise, as the receptions so far have been in large dark spaces.

Thanks again for the input.

Jeff Mueller
http://www.ApertureVideos.com
Santa Barbara, CA