What's Your HVX Rental Rate?
- Thread starter 7/24
- Start date
The price you charge has to do with who you want to rent to
The price you charge has to do with who you want to rent to
If you rent for a low price, the chances of your camera coming back broken are much greater. Also, you have to work the gear a lot to make your money back on it. It is tough to work with (or rent out) beat up gear.
I live near San Francisco; I rent my HVX200 for $450/day with a tripod, matte box, follow focus, three 8 GB cards, 4 batteries, zoom, iris and focus controls and other trimmings. 16 GB cards are an extra $75 each. I sometimes rent it as a DV camera for $175/day. A certificate of insurance is required if I'm not on the shoot, and then I only rent to people I know and trust (who usually get a professional discount from me anyway).
Of course, I'm in the Director / DP business and not in the rental business; if someone can get a good camera for less elsewhere, then I'm happy for them.
Don Starnes
Director / Director of Photography
www.donstarnes.com
The price you charge has to do with who you want to rent to
If you rent for a low price, the chances of your camera coming back broken are much greater. Also, you have to work the gear a lot to make your money back on it. It is tough to work with (or rent out) beat up gear.
I live near San Francisco; I rent my HVX200 for $450/day with a tripod, matte box, follow focus, three 8 GB cards, 4 batteries, zoom, iris and focus controls and other trimmings. 16 GB cards are an extra $75 each. I sometimes rent it as a DV camera for $175/day. A certificate of insurance is required if I'm not on the shoot, and then I only rent to people I know and trust (who usually get a professional discount from me anyway).
Of course, I'm in the Director / DP business and not in the rental business; if someone can get a good camera for less elsewhere, then I'm happy for them.
Don Starnes
Director / Director of Photography
www.donstarnes.com
mpalmer12345
Well-known member
What does your certificate of insurance say, dstarnes? Could you post it, please?
The only reason I started renting out my HVX was because I met a few good DP's in my town (Kansas City) and they treat my equiptment probably better than thier own, as do I when I use thiers.
I don't have insurance, I'm not trying to get rich from the rentals, only rent to people you know.
We talked to our insurance company and they said that if we lend/rent our equipment to anyone other than for our productions our equipment was NOT INSURED the minute it left the premises. If we rented it to someone who used it on our premises then it was covered under our facility/premises insurance and if it was our production it was covered under our production/uses policy but if otherwise it was NOT COVERED.
Renting out my equipment sounds like a "bad" idea anyway. Even if I treat my gear better than the average or the best, a rental is a rental, not mine and I'm far less concerned. When I talked to others when we were considering it, they said the same thing. Thus, no rentals ever here. Sale . . YES. Anyone looking for a DVX100B or HVX200 or 200A?
)
Renting out my equipment sounds like a "bad" idea anyway. Even if I treat my gear better than the average or the best, a rental is a rental, not mine and I'm far less concerned. When I talked to others when we were considering it, they said the same thing. Thus, no rentals ever here. Sale . . YES. Anyone looking for a DVX100B or HVX200 or 200A?
)A good primer on this is at http://www.videouniversity.com/insurance.shtml
under the section "Covering Rental Equipment".
Basically, a certificate of insurance is a standard document from the rentor's insurance company specifying that the rentor has insurance that covers the rented equipment from the usual bad events (theft, damage, etc.) and names the rental company as an "additional loss payee", meaning that the insurance company will pay the rental company for a loss or damage.
[CTRL+ALT+DEL]
Member
i'm in portland. i was renting the following for $75/day for my pristine equipment... plus me as an operator for free.
hvx200
2x16gb cards
bogen 501
2 batteries, charger
g-tech 1tb RAID
duel adapter
manual
hvx bootcamp 1&2
i'm upping my price to 100
i have insurance and am always on set with my cam
i've been doing corporate stuff at 200/day
i know what rate cards are but have been trying to keep busy and build a portfolio
as of yet i'm not booked enough to even pay the bills with out juggling
i'm love to travel, anybody needs an extra pair of sticks? let me know
wnop@mac.com
i'm the guy to keep in your pocket as the clutch guy, and you get way more than you pay for... to good to be true? my camera is in great condition , i use it all the time
hvx200
2x16gb cards
bogen 501
2 batteries, charger
g-tech 1tb RAID
duel adapter
manual
hvx bootcamp 1&2
i'm upping my price to 100
i have insurance and am always on set with my cam
i've been doing corporate stuff at 200/day
i know what rate cards are but have been trying to keep busy and build a portfolio
as of yet i'm not booked enough to even pay the bills with out juggling
i'm love to travel, anybody needs an extra pair of sticks? let me know
wnop@mac.com
i'm the guy to keep in your pocket as the clutch guy, and you get way more than you pay for... to good to be true? my camera is in great condition , i use it all the time
[CTRL+ALT+DEL]
Member
yeah, i know i'm getting screwed but i haven't been able to find the right avenue to score enough gigs so i've been desperate, even if it's only as profitable as mowing lawns, at least i enjoy it
Justyn
Veteran
Do you have a demo reel? Promotional items to show your clients? If not, then you should shoot one.. Make it as high end as you can and also realize that people will try and pay you as little as you can. It's your reputation and your work that sways them otherwise. We've all done the BRO deal rates, but it's about transending that and getting to the next level. You are working for DV rates or less.. so it's about selling the
Ted Spencer
Veteran
Man, that's what Adorama charges here in NYC, for one 16GB P2 card:
http://www.adoramarentals.com/ItemsDisplay.aspx?CategoryID=55
Even Manhattan dog-walkers can make that much...in under an hour...(5 dogs at once). And you know what they have to do...
Sorry to put it that way bro, but you need a serious rate increase. Here's hoping you get there soon.
Tim Naylor
Veteran
I rent my gear about 2-4 times a month. I like to own the gear but more than half my jobs are with different cameras than the HVX/Adaptor set up I own. So instead of sitting on the shelf, it needs to pay for itself. With app 35 grand of gear, I rent it. My HVX rents for 250/day, 300/day with cards, 50 tripod (arrow 25) and hi hat, etc. I have several "package" deals which discount the more stuff they rent. I have a day rate and a weekly. The weekly works out to about 2 1/2 days. One day for the weekend.
I charge more than some and less than rental houses.
I rent to strangers only after they've sent a cert of insurance, deposit for deductible and they must deposit the full rental fee before they can reserve gear. I they cancel within in 48 hours, they lose the deposit. This gets rid of the clowns who reserve with every guy in town to hedge their bets while they hunt better deals.
When I go out with the gear, my insurance covers me (Arts and Entertainment out of Boston). Overall, I've had good luck renting gear out as it's a nice bit of cash when your gear would otherwise be sitting. If you vet your clients right you can weed out the time wasters and hustlers.
I send out a proper itemized rental agreement and have funds locked up before they come to check it out. The one who pays for it must also sign for the gear and I also photo copy their license.
I've been doing this for over two years and my gear is paid off twice. I never have to worry about trying to pimp my gear on DP jobs. I recently did a two camera job and the producer offered to rent my 35 adaptor HVX package and monitors for a handsome sum. I passed on the kit rental because I felt HDX 900's would be better. So I rented both from TCS in New York. Had my gear not been paid for (from rentals), I may have felt the pressure to take his offer and not serve the shoot as best I could.
That for me as a DP the beauty of renting. It takes the pressure off to always use your gear for every job.
A side note, perhaps the most profitable piece of gear has been my 17 inch BTH 1700. Whether it's film, tape, HVX, or F 900, that monitor comes with me on just about every job. If I had to choose just one piece of gear to rent it would a kick ass monitor.
I charge more than some and less than rental houses.
I rent to strangers only after they've sent a cert of insurance, deposit for deductible and they must deposit the full rental fee before they can reserve gear. I they cancel within in 48 hours, they lose the deposit. This gets rid of the clowns who reserve with every guy in town to hedge their bets while they hunt better deals.
When I go out with the gear, my insurance covers me (Arts and Entertainment out of Boston). Overall, I've had good luck renting gear out as it's a nice bit of cash when your gear would otherwise be sitting. If you vet your clients right you can weed out the time wasters and hustlers.
I send out a proper itemized rental agreement and have funds locked up before they come to check it out. The one who pays for it must also sign for the gear and I also photo copy their license.
I've been doing this for over two years and my gear is paid off twice. I never have to worry about trying to pimp my gear on DP jobs. I recently did a two camera job and the producer offered to rent my 35 adaptor HVX package and monitors for a handsome sum. I passed on the kit rental because I felt HDX 900's would be better. So I rented both from TCS in New York. Had my gear not been paid for (from rentals), I may have felt the pressure to take his offer and not serve the shoot as best I could.
That for me as a DP the beauty of renting. It takes the pressure off to always use your gear for every job.
A side note, perhaps the most profitable piece of gear has been my 17 inch BTH 1700. Whether it's film, tape, HVX, or F 900, that monitor comes with me on just about every job. If I had to choose just one piece of gear to rent it would a kick ass monitor.
Tim Naylor
Veteran
Are you legally documented? Move to New York, I'll house you with the gimp in the basement and bring you out to operate your gear. I'll charge 600/day for your gear and services. I keep the difference, change out the straw in your stall and bring you fresh water and occasional mating partner once a week. The only catch is that you can't leave basement during daylight hours, I keep your offspring and I have to cut out your tongue.
Deal?
Ted Spencer
Veteran
Man that seriously cracked me up...
