The online Peer-to-Peer rental community marketplace has been growing for the most part in North America such as ShareGrid, which makes sense, it is the largest market after all with the highest concentration of video professionals, however lately there has been significant movements across the pond. Sure, some of you already know a few places in the UK that have sprung up in the last couple of years offering similar services, and that’s no surprise, as it was just a matter of time before similar companies came to market in the UK. Competition is a good thing and with a high concentration of video professionals and professional gear, one can surely expect more to join the fray.
Belgium startup MotionTribe is a new online marketplace that seeks to attract video professionals, production companies and even traditional rental houses to list their gear on their platform. Now, expanding into London and other big cities in the near future, MotionTribe aims to build a community of professionals and film students, rather than just a website or an “app” where you can make a few bucks extra off your expensive camera that’s sitting idle on the shelf, while renting it out to strangers.
At BVE 2018, I had a quick chat with MotionTribe co-founder & filmmaker Haroun Souirji. You can see my interview with him below and learn more about the new burgeoning platform.
MotionTribe pride themselves with their extensive individual vetting process, which has been designed to give peace of mind to those renting out their gear, and keeping it all in the pro filmmaking family.
You can list your gear for free, whether you are a freelancer, production company, or a traditional rental house, and the only thing it will cost you is a 15% cut that MotionTribe takes off each rental, which is quite reasonable and competitive compared to other similar online services.
Places like MotionTribe are an excellent opportunity for freelancers to earn a few extra £££/€€€ per month to help pay for financing their kit. (Yes, I am looking at you 19-year old Scarlet-W/Epic-W owner, who just bought a RED camera on your mum’s credit card at 21% interest, and now complains about the fact that RED media costs way more than your whole previous GH5 “rig” with your Samyang “glass”)
Ok sorry, I know that was mean, apologies, but you know that one’s true.
The indie filmmaking/freelance community needs places like MotionTribe as they offer a more affordable alternative to traditional rental houses, as the pricing on MotionTribe is usually 20-30% less than what you’d fine at a big rental house on the high street. Not a replacement, but rather an alternative to the established model.
MotionTribe also do meet-ups where community members can network and also play with new gear. They are planing a London meet-up for early April (date is TBD, and best to follow MotionTribe on their Facebook/Twitter for updates).
Renting your gear is always risky, however MotionTribe are also offering the advantage of a low-excess, short-term comprehensive insurance, which covers breakage, water damage, theft, and other adverse events. Their catalog boasts big fancy cameras such as the RED Epic and ARRI Amira, lighting, camera grip, accessories plus over 1000+ more items. With a growing user base, now nearing 1000 members, MotionTribe may just be the place for you and your Scarlet-W.
To join and learn more head over to MotionTribe.io
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