How To Prep At A Rental House
Once you’ve secured your rental order, rental houses typically advise scheduling a prep session or lens/camera test onsite before picking up. At DFI Rentals, we host prep sessions daily for our clients! Whether you’re a veteran filmmaker or a student shooting their passion project, it’s crucial to be well-prepared in advance to avoid unexpected issues during a shoot. Let’s discuss how to prep at a rental house & why it can be so valuable to do so.
Why Should You Prep?
Why prep in the first place? That’s like asking why do you study for finals or why practice your shot before the championship game tomorrow? It’s not mandatory, but it’s highly encouraged.
You want to prep your equipment to confirm everything is present & in quality condition. Especially if you’re renting from a film equipment rental house, & there’s been dozens of people whose rented the same equipment before you. Both the rental house & client would like to ease their minds & verify everything is compatible & functions properly.
At DFI, you can schedule a prep session on the same day as you pick up your equipment or days before your shoot. The average session duration is two hours & thirty minutes, but it can always be extended if you need more time assembling your camera. We incentivize ensuring the right configurations are in order & all the accessories are there & operational. Also, ASK QUESTIONS. We house industry experts that crave technical questions so come prepared & ask away.
A common prepping practice among AC’s is they will come in and prebuild their camera set in advance. I recall one telling our QC Manager in their prep session he doesn’t want any surprises on set. That’s the winning mindset right there. If you’re short on time, you can also rebuild your camera in advance of your shoot & be on your way.
Rental houses just ask when you walk out those doors with the equipment, to take care of the gear like it’s your own. The better condition in which the equipment is returned, the longer its lifespan & the more frequently it can be rented out to you again!
Seeing your returning order packed neatly & handled with care is something rental houses take notice of; especially if you’re recurring client.
Building Relationships
When you go to the same coffee shop & talk to the same barista every day, the employees will take notice after a while. Pretty soon, you’re on a first name basis & the barista’s giving you free coffee. It can be beneficial building a rapport with businesses.
Being a DP or AC with recurring projects, it can be valuable having a relationship with a rental house. I don’t believe you will get a free ARRI ALEXA 35 for having a sound conversation with a QC Manager, but befriending industry veterans & experts who can advise you on the best camera set ups needed & offer access to the best equipment in the industry can be so vital!
Listen up, AC’s. Build good relationships with rental houses & you might land yourself a lucrative consignor deal with any equipment you’d like to rent out. There’s a growing market for consignors & what better way to help fellow filmmakers achieve their paralleled ambitions. Learn more about consignment here.
Now you know why it’s always incentivized to schedule a prep session ahead of your pickup. It’s best to prepare your camera, test the configurations & compatibility, & ask technical questions so you don’t run into any surprises on set. Last thing anyone in production wants is filming to be halted over a camera issue. Remember, if you’re in a rush, you can also come in and assemble your camera set up, our experts will gladly help. Keep DFI in mind when you’re planning your next prep session. Need to schedule one soon? Check availability here & let’s get rolling!