Your DSLR Dog and Pony Show Strategy

LuckyStudio 13

LuckyStudio 13

The Tapeless One
How do you make the illusion to your client that judge your production value based on your equipment ? Besides Mattebox, Follow Focus and Rod System Checked... What else do you furnish for that Dog and Pony Show ?
 
Footage.

A client should see real-world work samples before ever laying eyes on your camera.
 
Got the job because of the footage and Reel, still the Ads Agency said we got to put a big Dog and Pony Show for this particular big client.
 
Just shoot in a traditional manner, with a light kit, a nice cart, with lenses laid out, good audio setup. I mean just shoot the way you normally would, just be more organized. it looks better, because time is money. So you want to show them their not your first big client, even if they are.
 
If you're doing a job for an agency, you'd better tell them exactly what you plan on bringing and get their approval on that. Embarrassing an agency in front of their client is a pretty good way to make sure you don't get another chance. If you have to go rent a Red for the job, then rent the Red, but don't embarrass your agency.

The agency is your client. Keep them happy. If their client is happy then they'll be happy, and they'll hire you over and over and over. But if you blow it, word very well may spread and you will have a very tough time getting a second chance.

If the agency has specifically asked for a 5D (or whatever) then you're on solid ground, but if they're expecting a Red and you show up with a 5D, then that ain't gonna go over well.
 
Ads Agency said we got to put a big Dog and Pony Show for this particular big client.
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I work with a lot of Agencies and the biggest thing is managing their expectations. If they want a big show let them know a big show costs money. So rent the extras
In my experience clients get more excited about support gear than the camera. When the client walks on set and there are flags, scrims, gobo arms, Kino's, HMI's, they get very excited because they have not seen these types of devices before. Dress the camera or rent the camera but hollywood wow bang-for-the-buck is in grip gear. So don't just sexy up the camera. Also get an external monitor and bring a clap board/slate. Clients go nuts for these for some reason. Even if your not doing split audio the AE usually feels really awesome when they get to use the slate.

what looks more Hollywood to the untrained eye

This
24%2009%2020091253798193zacuto_sniper.jpg

or this

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The dog and pony show is about a lot more than camera accessories.

We are also missing the fundamental principal here. All this money spent will be seen in the image, so more or better gear will increase the production value. I am not sure about the state-of-the-industry when we talk more about gear wow than image wow.

Good Luck
 
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We are pretty sure we are going with DSLR, so I imagine just setting up a video village, some floppies, scrims all over, few flags, denecke slate will all do the trick. Heck maybe I just mount the cam on a jib instead of a tripod !! :D The hard part is explaining why the image looks so flat and no contrast lol. I am good with the agency, it's just tht the agency want big production value on the set shown to the client.
 
OK, I serously laughed out loud when I saw that second picture! I've seen Hollywood VFX shots on wires that didn't have that much grip gear! LOL!
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Agreed this was the most ridiculous grip pic I could find.
 
LuckyStudio 13 said:
How do you make the illusion to your client that judge your production value based on your equipment ? Besides Mattebox, Follow Focus and Rod System Checked... What else do you furnish for that Dog and Pony Show ?
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Rent the camera they want to see on set, they're paying for it because it's listed in you budget quote. Agency clients expect to and want to pay for the appropriate equipment on a shoot. That's how they keep their jobs.
Remember that many of your agency clients give their kids 5Ds 7D, and 550Ds for a birthday present. You don't want them thinking. "My kids got a better camera then you."
Have your DSLR rig as B-cam set up standing by as pretty as can be. They will ask about it. Shoot a lot of footage with the DSLR so in post you can let them compare for themselves. Next job give then the choice of cameras they can pay for. Eventually the quality of the DSLR will prove itself to them and replace the rental on a purely cost basis. When they cut your budget, and they will, the first thing to go is the camera rental.
I shoot with an EX3, 5D, 60D and 550D. The EX3 was asked for 100% of the time in Jan 2010, now the Canon's are shooting 75 to 80% Dec 2010. I would make the Canon's 100% but they overheat and too many audio workarounds still.
 
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PerroneFord said:
OK, I serously laughed out loud when I saw that second picture! I've seen Hollywood VFX shots on wires that didn't have that much grip gear! LOL!
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Looks like every tabletop job I ever shot, but maybe a bit neater than my set.
 
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stage.jpg


Stick a big honking lens on it like the grip picture. (The agency client didn't get their kid that lens!) It looks like they're photographing individual molecules on the product there.
 
Would hate to work on a set like that, I'd be scared of tripping over one of the c stands and bringing everything crashing down on top of me...
 
That pic is funny, they spent so much time setting up c+stands, they forgot to attatch the camera to the lens. hehehe
 
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