Owning your gear is great, but there’s always that project that comes along that requires the extra bit of kit you’d have to hire. Some DP’s I know own a set of cine primes like CP.2s, Panchros, or Super Speeds and hire all their cameras. Sure they have the odd BMPCC here and there or the innevitable 5D Mark II or III, but depending on the project and budget they’d hire the cameras from a hire kit company. Of course, for some of us, owning that set of decent cine primes is still a place and moment in time that’s going to take some more time to get to, and owning a professional camera nowadays doesn’t have to break the bank, but there’s always that bit of kit that one needs to hire for that one or two days can often make or break your chance of getting the job.
I personally deal with only a few rental houses in my area, and I’m quite happy with them. However, just like anything else in our industry, things are changing, or rather evolving much faster than some of us would want. ShareGrid is a new service that is set to revolutionise the way we rent gear. From ourselves.
Yep, the concept is pretty simple – ShareGrid is a place for filmmakers by filmmakers, where we can rent each other’s gear with the peace of mind that both parties will keep their end of the deal. Kind of like gear rental for the Web 2.0 generation, a concept that many will find appealing.
Regular rental houses have been around for ages since the first cameras were invented, and their business model hasn’t changed much since. That is not to discount the great work most of them do and the fact that larger productions go to larger, established rental houses is not only a no-brainer, but sort of like a no other option. Big rental houses stock incredibly expensive and requisite kit for large scale productions, boast extensive catalogues, and have highly trained technicians who’d service and maintain the gear. You won’t find many Arriflex 435 owner operators around, that’s a strictly rental kit reserved for larger specialised rental houses.
ShareGrid – Join the Community from sharegrid on Vimeo.
However, ShareGrid is more geared towards local creatives who have high-end gear that they’d want to make a few bucks off by renting out in a safe manner to fellow filmmakers and photographers.
We built ShareGrid to give artists freedom. To give them access to the tools they need and the financial freedom they desire in order to focus on their craft.
Founded in 2013, ShareGrid was started by filmmakers and photographers like you. ShareGrid is a peer-to-peer camera and production gear marketplace, initially launching in Los Angeles and soon to launch in New York and other cities. ShareGrid uses an advanced verification system so that every member is automatically screened by their system as well as personally screened by ShareGrid staff.
On ShareGrid one can source RED Epics, DSLR’s and other large sensor cameras, cine or still lenses, drones, hand-held gimbals and a lot more professional gear systematised in an easy to navigate through graphic user interface. ShareGrid also works with an industry leading insurance provider allowing for insurance cover, or one can use their own.
I really like the concept of P2P gear rental, and I am looking forward to ShareGrid expanding internationally to places like London and other cities soon. To apply for an invite and start hiring or renting out kit, head over to ShareGrid.
[via PetaPixel]
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