Blake Vincent Kueny
Partner + Content Director
Blake Kueny is a film and commercial director. He is best known for “View From a Blue Moon,” a critically acclaimed surf film starring John John Florence that GQ called the “Most Stunning Surf Film Ever Made.”
Tom,
It is not un-common for production to ask for a gear list but generally not so the DP can have the best equipment available. I could see the DIT asking you what type of gear you are using so he can make sure to match all cameras in post or discuss. And I could see a producer asking you for a list for insurance purposes. But I do recommend you create a detailed google doc of all the gear you own with serial #s for your records. It is a pain in the neck the first time you do it but I can only say that by having it has saved me in multiple situations mostly for lost, stolen, or insurance purposes. And in this case you could simply copy and paste and move on.
Every situation is different and espically on small scale budgets, sometimes everyone is just trying to make the project the best the can with available resources. Be positive through the process, process the takeaway and make your resolve be on the next time they hire you for a job.
Jake, this is always a topic of debate. I personally would recommend getting a Sachtler or Cartoni. I have used both for many years and the quality is absolutely amazing. I have taken these things around the world, sunk them in the ocean (not on purpose) and they still seem to keep kicking. I have found that the Sachtlers are a bit pricier than the Cartoni. Also, I have noticed with Cartoni you get a bit more payload for your money.
I personally would recommend these
Cartoni
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/740392-REG/Cartoni_F126_F126_Focu...
Sachtler
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/898213-REG/Sachtler_1013_System_A...
Also your definitely going to want to get a high-hat if your looking for any shots under about 2 feet.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/229594-REG/Birns_Sawyer_203001_Hi...
or
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/229594-REG/Birns_Sawyer_203001_Hi...
Also, if you get in decisive you can always go to your local rental house and get a hands on look at some of the different higher end tripods before making a purchase.
Jennifer - Yes, it is a wonderful option to have for your clients and often times leads to getting paid quicker. We use https://squareup.com you can send invoices to your clients from your account. They receive the invoice and can pay online with a credit card or you can have them swipe the card if you are in person.
I agree - Also, as your projects get bigger and timelines get shorter it gets seeming harder to shoot every angle of every scene. Everyone's time becomes more limited and you will have to decern which you think is important and most important to your story.
In theory it should work. I haven't tried first hand but the feed coming out of the lighting connector is clean and have used it connected to the TV & Field monitors via HDMI so it should work.
I have used this cord before and it works great.
https://www.amazon.com/Jmday-Lightning-Adapter-Output-iPhone/dp/B073JFJC...