Advice on studio rails system and flash lights for photography rental studio?

[Kit Hannah]

I have some shop space measuring 21' x 42' that I'm going to turn into a small, mainly photo but some video, production studio. There are other rooms and offices for our other services, like editing, changing, etc. But the 21'x42' space will be the specific designated space for the studio portion. The ceiling support joists are at 14', with a maximum height between joists of 15'.

What I am thinking is that I am going to section the space off with curtains on a track. Three sections total, 2 of them being roughly 21'x12' and the last section being 21'x18' with a wrap around corner Cyc Wall. If needed for larger shoots, I can open the whole thing up and shoot the other way to use the whole space.

I would also like to put in a "studio rail system" to get all of the lights and power off of the floor to maximize space and efficiency. Originally I thought I would do 3 separate systems for each section, but now I feel like I should do one big system that would be "convertible" to use in 3 separate rooms.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of options out there, however. I have seen some expensive systems out there, as well as some cheap systems. I have always used Manfrotto for some tripods and support gear, but have really no experience with track systems in general. I also am interested in doing a few options for flash and continuous lighting. I don't know much about flash systems other than what I have been reading, never owned one. However I do have a pretty wide selection of video lighting, mostly Coollights Flos and LEDs for video applications, as well as a small Arri setup and a bunch of miscellaneous random fixtures.

So with all that said, here are a few questions I'm looking to have answered.

1. Is there a major difference in high end rail systems, including pantographs, versus some of the lower end ones? I see some 9'x9' systems with 4 pantographs selling for $500, some for $2500. I realize in most things, you get what you pay for, but is there a significant difference in the lower end rails versus high end? Or low end versus medium range?

2. From the research on flash systems, it looks like people are generally happy with the Alienbees stuff and they seem like they're a good price versus performance solution. Any recommendations going that route or an alternative? And if so, should I have different options for power/brightness of flashes, such as one studio has 400's, another with 800's? Or a mixture in each studio?

3. My target market is going to be mainly photographers, probably guys that are small and getting established, part time guys, or full time guys that don't have a studio. In this scenario, what would YOU as a photographer want to see and have available if you were going to co-op rent the space here and there?

I'm not looking to get crazy with this, and with any new business, there will be some trial and error stuff as well as people requesting things in the future. But I would like to start with a solid foundation. I have the space, and the means to take care of things like the Cyc wall and proper installation of all of the rails, backdrops and equipment, power, etc. I'm just looking for general advice on specific rails, flash lights and general studio equipment associated with that.

Budget is roughly $10-$15k for just the above equipment, everything else is handled. I would appreciate any general quick thoughts you may have.

Thanks in advace,
Kit

 

[egproductions]

Paper backdrops are generally easier to work with than curtains and lay flatter/less wrinkles. You can get motorized systems for these that hodl multiple colors/shades (white and black are neccesity, everything else in between can be achieved through creative lighting techniques.) White cyc is nice but be ready to paint that over and over again, most people won't need more than a paper that can be discarded if full length (stepping on it) is needed. I haven't had the benefit of playing with differen pantograph systems, I too would like to know if there is a substantial difference between the cheap ones and the manfrotto and higher end systems.

In regards to strobes, I love paul c buff. For my own personal use I like their Einstien system because of the color/action mode selection (balance color consistency or flash duration). That beign said, alien bees are more well known and less complex to use for the average person renting a studio space. I would go with the 1600's all around. In most cases it might be overkill for studio use but there are time where deep DOF or a big diffusion pattern is needed in which case it will be good to have more power. Speaking of which, you will want a nice variety of light modifiers if you plan on renting the lighting with the studio. Beautydish with grids, umbrellas/softboxes of various sizes, 2 light strip boxes. You probably won't have to go crazy with reflectors for the strobe heads since most of the time people use some sort of modifier. Check out the westcott modern vintage backdrop series. Consider a fold out reflector and table or arm to hold it for headshots/beatyshots. Beauty station for model/makeup. Bathroom, sounds system so still photographers can work with some music. It woudl be good if the room was sound treated for video work and perhaps a cable system for the audio to feed into a control room.

Good Luck!

 

[vainlord]

1. You get what you pay for, but i'd say you go for something in the middle if you gonna use it as rental studio. (More expensive often means it can take a heavier payload.) It need to work without you having to maintain the system.

2. AB is a good budet alternative for US residents, it's a bit hyped though like it's founder. For studio that will be used as rental i would go with something more professional, like Profoto, Elinchrom, Bowens etc. As for power i would cover 200-1200 with 4 heads, preferably power packs. Modifiers i would get softboxes from Chimera, profoto, or Photoflex. Inexpensive stuff like black and white bookends and a couple of smaller popup reflectors with holders.

3. When i rent a studio i NEED the gear to work and the space to be clean. Nothing worse then coming to a studio where the gear fails on you. Quality over quantity.

For the studio space, if you can swing it maybe build a infinity wall ? If you paint the walls white (i would) make sure you black curtains so one can cover them up if needed.

 

[Kit Hannah]

Thanks for the advice, guys. Yeah, the "infinity" wall is the same as the Cyc wall (Cyclorama) I was referring to in my original post. I suppose I didn't really consider that I can always get larger heads and adjust the output power. Honestly, I don't see our space renting to super high-end photographers. I figure that most of the larger guys will have their own studios or already have a good way of doing things. The target market we will be looking for will be amateurs, semi-professionals, and some professionals that don't have their own studio or regular access to one at a reasonable rate. We already have an additional 1000 square feet sectioned off in our space to a close buddy who does hair and makeup and he uses the space as a full functioning salon so that makes things convenient. There are 2 bathrooms in or space, a kitchenette, about 600 square feet of office, a lobby, green room, meeting space, dressing rooms, and 2x 400 square foot storage spaces, both with roll up doors, one of which opens up into the studio space. We will get plenty of modifiers for sure, along with some specific props for standard photography. We will also have many backdrops, lots to choose from, and anyone can bring in pretty much whatever they want if we don't have it available. The space will be immaculate.

Speaking of keeping the space clean... We built out the offices and front rooms, and we put down gray laminate flooring. We are considering extending it all the way into the studio, but don't know if it's necessary. Would it be better to just leave it concrete?

 

[vainlord]

Oh yea missed that!

Well you know your market, and i think your right you don't need to go over the top. I rent a lot of different studios, it all depends on the shoot.

I recently did a shoot for a bed company and rented a big 350 square meter studio which cost over 2k a day..(that's without any gear rent)

It's a nice studio! :love4:

I would leave it concrete and paint it white. That way you can keep it clean easily by just painting it when needed.

 

[Kit Hannah]

Wow, $2k a day? That would be great, but this isn't the type of studio that is going to justify even close to that. As stated in the first post, there will be 3x active shooting areas that will be separated by curtains. The curtains can be opened to form one big studio if needed. But the plan is to charge $15 - $60 per hour for photographers to use it depending on how much space they're using. They'll have first come, first serve access to one of the 3 setups, including lights, So 3 people can be shooting at the same time theoretically, or for more money they can open it up and use the whole thing for a shoot. I want it to kind of be a place where active photographers can semi work out of, basically like a "shared" studio space. The one pictured above is really nice though. It's interesting that they have a whole stage truss system up above on motors.

 

[vainlord]

Yeah it's a little over 2k, but it's well worth it considering the space and light you get.

Additional to the truss system they have a lift that takes 15-ton.. so the studio can lift up cars etc.

With gear 15usd sounds like a great deal! Im sure you get a idea what will work best and what will be in demand once you open up.

One studio i rent from time to time is similar to what you are setting up, it's 60usd for the hour. I only rent the space and backgrounds/infinity wall though, as i have my own battery packs and modifiers etc.

Looking forward to see your studio once you open up the doors!