Do clients recognize/accept NX1 for gigs?

belleandlilsebastian

belleandlilsebastian

Active member
Hey y'all, on the verge of getting a new cam, most likely getting the NX1-- my only hesitation is, I'm full time freelance, and I'm worried about not getting gigs based on a lack of recognition of the NX1 in the gear listing. I know this sounds like a ridiculous fear, but some clients are stubborn about what kinds of cameras they want. Have you found clients are pretty open to using the NX1, and if not, how do you sway them on it? The only alternative in my price range would be getting a substantially used a7s for a significantly higher cost (and im not a big fan of sony's color science, having previously used an a6000)
 
The alternative would be a G7 with a speedbooster to stay in the same budget, which I find deeply unappealing t b h-- it seems to have so much less dynamic range and i hate panasonic's colors.
 
This really depends on the client - I've done maybe a dozen corporate interviews with the NX1… ONE person said "samsung?". The rest didn't care.

The agency that hired me to do some of these - I explained why I was using the camera - (Incredible detail, and the ability to reframe and punch in on interviews. This is huge huge huge for one-man-band stuff). He's been psyched with the footage. The detail is really, truly amazing, and using vintage-ey Nikkors gives you detail where you want it and pretty softness where you don't.

Today I had a conference where I'll shoot and hand footage over; the director/editor (who won't be on set, really me and the client will "direct") asked about renting a scarlet; I told him it was overkill and budget kill for this gig, and said I thought the only reason would be if the client needed to see the RED logo on the gear. Told him I'd only push for that if we were doing high DR scenes, like selling a golf course or resort (and then I'd probably get a BM cinema cam).

If you're in the market for an NX1, that's a very different market than the Scarlet (which is likely a $10k payout to get rolling). A client who doesn't like the NX1 isn't going to say "oh, what a relief, it's an A7". probably a 5D is the only thing you could get away with for that guy.

For clients that know you can deliver good footage and - as important - a compelling edit (or at least the materials for a good editor to grab the viewer's heart & mind)… they should at least let you suggest the camera you feel will work for the gig.

And… even the little NX1 looks pretty badass to folks who aren't gear-heads.

nx1-rg.jpg

And it shoots a really nice image...

frame-c.jpg
 
Camera tech and the video industry has been moving FAR FAR TOO FAST for most sub-$10,000 clients to really be anywhere near familiar with the TRUE state of current technology. It's your job to GENTLY make sure they understand.
 
DPStewart said:
Camera tech and the video industry has been moving FAR FAR TOO FAST for most sub-$10,000 clients to really be anywhere near familiar with the TRUE state of current technology...
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A lot of this is indeed about one's sales/persuasion skills. If one made a great demo reel, it'd be a step. If one finds an awesome YouTube clip, it's another step (fwiw, I did not like Samsung's own NX1 promo short image, although the video itself was kind of cute). A fully rigged out kit, like Michael's above, looks like a serious piece of hardware also. It could be made in China and bought on eBay for $100 but I doubt many clients will be able to spot the difference (unless the rails break up in two in the middle of the shoot or something like that).
 
I agree that it really is your ability to sell something... and that also depends on the client. I just had a shoot yesterday (images following) where in pre-pro the conversation about camera went like this:
me: "i think we should shoot this on my nx1 instead of renting a dragon"
driector: "do you think it's capable of what we need?"
me: "would i suggest something i thought wouldn't work?"
now thats a conversation with a director that I've shot about 5 spots for, so there is a level of trust.
but really, you should be selling you, and they should trust that you're going to make a good decision to make good stuff. having a demo reel also imperative, but i don't think it needs to be of a specific camera (nothing in my demo reel is the nx1).

i think there certainly are production companies that won't even consider shooting something on not a red/alexa/f55 etc, but if thats the case, just rent one.

here is the rig:
IMG_20160121_102604.jpgIMG_20160121_160355.jpg

respective shots:
hangry_ak1.jpghangry_ar1.jpg

lastly make sure you tell them the camera really is great, because it is. amazing 4k image, sharpness that i personally think rivals the dragon sensor, and fantastic color rendition.
 
this has been said a few times already, but in my experience there are a few different tiers/kinds if clients. you have those that demand a certain cam or one of several cams and cannot be persuaded otherwise, there are those that ask "what kind of camera do you have" and then when you tell them, either say "thatll work", "that wont work", or possibly "never heard of that" (potentially followed by "let me ask so and so (more knowledgable person) if that will work", and then there are those that dont know/dont carr about cameras and only have the barest of requirements like "HD 1080p" and beyond that any cam will do.

long story short, depends who youre working with or trying to work with. the safe bet is to see what other folks in your market are using and choose from those models. certain towns gravitate toward certain things for some reason. here canon c-series cams are very popular, as are canon dslrs, used to see s lot of ex1/3s around. not so much af100s/gh4s.
 
caseywilsondp said:
I agree that it really is your ability to sell something... and that also depends on the client. I just had a shoot yesterday (images following) where in pre-pro the conversation about camera went like this:
me: "i think we should shoot this on my nx1 instead of renting a dragon"
driector: "do you think it's capable of what we need?"
me: "would i suggest something i thought wouldn't work?"...
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No-no-no-no! Don't ever ask them a question to which they can answer in a negative for you manner. (seriously, psychology of communication). "Do you think I am some schmuck that just walked in off the street?" may result in, "Honestly?"

In any case, there are ways to overcome the objection. A general guideline is that you first want to confirm the original opinion, "It depends if you want to get the latest Weapon" or "That or Alexa65. That's what Chivas Lubezki went with on the "Revenant". Once you get the, "Well, you're no Chivas Lubezki" reply, then you're in business.

OK, I kid but you know what I mean, right?
 
DLD said:
No-no-no-no! Don't ever ask them a question to which they can answer in a negative for you manner. (seriously, psychology of communication). "Do you think I am some schmuck that just walked in off the street?" may result in, "Honestly?"
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Maybe, but do you honestly want to work with someone that thinks you're a schmuck?
Yeah that conversation would not be appropriate for any client, but I assume we're intelligent enough to decide how to interact with other humans.
 
caseywilsondp said:
Maybe, but do you honestly want to work with someone that thinks you're a schmuck?
Yeah that conversation would not be appropriate for any client, but I assume we're intelligent enough to decide how to interact with other humans.
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The point stands - you're cinematographer and that means you're in control of the visuals.

From an individual approach perspective, you have to stay with your style. If you always joke around, then you can get away with some humor. If you're Mr. Spock, serious and logical, then you'll have to respond likewise. In general, you should always have the reply ready for the most frequent of opinions and demands (AKA objections). Put yourself in a director's - or talent's - shoes. There are some sentences that would much rather hear than others.

And, if you know your show biz, you know some folks are much touchier than others. You got to be able to work with all of them.
 
DLD said:
The point stands - you're cinematographer and that means you're in control of the visuals.

From an individual approach perspective, you have to stay with your style. If you always joke around, then you can get away with some humor. If you're Mr. Spock, serious and logical, then you'll have to respond likewise. In general, you should always have the reply ready for the most frequent of opinions and demands (AKA objections). Put yourself in a director's - or talent's - shoes. There are some sentences that would much rather hear than others.

And, if you know your show biz, you know some folks are much touchier than others. You got to be able to work with all of them.
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Very valid points, I hope my earlier response didn't come off more flippant or aggressive than I intended.

I think the main point in reference to the OP is that the nx1 shouldn't stop you from getting work... At least not work you'd be getting from any similar camera. The downside is that sometimes producers specifically look for dps that list that they come with red or arri, and so you might lose out on those, but you'd probably lose out on those with any sub 5k camera anyways.
 
Again, I think it depends on the individual client. Some will give you creative free reign, some have some exact thing in mind and don't want to deviate. Sometimes you can use your sales skills/charm to sell them on your cam, sometimes they want a 5D and will not settle for anything else.
 
Greg_E said:
Anyone ever give you grief about the brand of mattebox or follow focus? I have both of hose two, seems like decent stuff with a low cost, just need to care for it like it's important.
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Not once, but it's also pretty exclusively used on my DSLR rigs, so it seems appropriate.
Also maybe I've just been lucky with who I have been able to work with as a cinematographer.
 
caseywilsondp said:
Very valid points, I hope my earlier response didn't come off more flippant or aggressive than I intended...
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Not at all. It's just that I felt like putting my two cents into what essentially is a "relationship" rather than a "hardware" argument. I recall working on an LA sales floor with an older European born gentleman - over a 30 year gap between us - who knew very little about the technical aspects of the audio/video world. Yet, that lack of knowledged didn't prevent him from being a top ranked salesperson in the whole company. Someone would come in asking for a 35" Sony and would walk out with a 60" Mitsubishi an feel happy about the decision. Now, that guy had people skills that I understood only in retrospect.

PS. I think you do great work, Casey. When people say that the camera barely matters anymore and that one can take fantastic images with a $2,000-$3,000 camera, your clips are among the first to be presented as a proof of that concept.
 
I am lucky in that I generally edit what I shoot and my market position is "I'm a marketing guy who can deliver good video". So when we first start talking about a gig, I'm way more focused on audience psychology, who their market is, what messages work, and the final goal - which in most B2B scenarios isn't "make a sale", it's "get them to pick up the phone" so your sales dept. can close.

I really don't have an interest in working with big crews and grip trucks full of gear or being a hired hand; I want all their business - marketing plans, web design and usability, print materials, trade show… so most of my clients just say "holy sh*t" when they see the gear. And I can put a small crew together when we need to light a big space or the project is complex. So I'm an outlier in the biz, sort of "an agency for mid-size business, entrepreneurs and startups, with in-house video and photography". But I've been getting more work from mid sized media agencies that don't have video in-house; I really take the geurilla sensibilities to business video, so I can deliver good work very affordably.

(I did shoot film stills for the fashion and jewelry industries in the 90's, from 35mm to big view camera stuff - and annual reports, print ads, etc, vs. a lot of modern marketing-types who buy a bunch of video gear to get on the bandwagon. I know how to light a scene at least!!!)

We're reaching a period where not having video on your web site and at the core of your initial lead generation is going to be suicide or slow death - or at least hold your biz back from its full reach; I think continuing with this model should work well and be a little less stressful.
 
I started a camera rental company so I could have every camera my clients needed. It worked for me, but I think the choice of camera should depend on your sales skills.

If you're really good at selling video, and your clients are non-technical end users, then pick the best value for your budget. The NX1 certainly fits that target. I would put cameras like the GH4, Blackmagic everything, and a few others in that category. Chances are you're hiring someone to edit or editing yourself, so no one will really care about file formats, etc.

If you're really good at selling yourself, go get friendly with a rental shop and try to negotiate favorable rates on the most popular cameras producers ask for. In particular, a C300/C500, FS7, PDW ENG cam, etc. Those will be the ones that get you the most work. Once you get enough gigs shooting with rented cameras, you'll know when it's time to buy. Especially when you book a long-term gig with one of those cameras. Most of the guys I know who own C300s and FS7s bought their camera after being offered 15+ paid days with it. It makes it a lot easier to justify the expense.
 
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