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New in Rentals: Atlas Orion 2x Anamorphic Lenses

We are excited to announce that the Atlas Orion 2x Anamorphic Set is now available to rent at Studio B! With these 2x Anamorphic lenses, you can capture a wider field of view and get that shallow depth of field with beautiful bokeh and flares. In our experience, these lenses have made our videos look great. Check out our video we shot last year for Jumpstart at Lyft HQ.

Did we mention that Ariana Grande’s music video “Thank U, Next” was also shot with these Anamorphic lenses?

We have “Set A” which includes: 40mm, 65mm, and 100mm – which all open up to T2 with a common 114mm front diameter. They are available to rent individually or as a set. You have the choice between EF or PL mounts.

Contact us now and we will send you a quote!

The post New in Rentals: Atlas Orion 2x Anamorphic Lenses appeared first on Studio B Camera Rentals.

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New in Rentals: Zeiss Compact Prime CP.3 Lenses

Check out the newest addition to our lens inventory, the Zeiss CP.3 Compact Primes. This brand new line of lenses improves on the extremely popular CP.2 lightweight cinema primes. The CP.3’s feature a new mechanical design, anti-reflection coating, interchangeable lens mounts, full-frame sensor coverage, and offer the clean and crisp look that Zeiss is known for.

  Our set comes with five lenses: 18mm, 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm. The latter four open up to a T2.1 while the 18mm is a T2.9. Renters have the option of either a PL or EF mount, and the lenses can be rented out individually or as a full set. From our experience shooting with them so far, the CP.3’s are amazing lenses– sharp, lightweight, and quite affordable for a premium quality set.

  Take a look at the rental page here, and give us a call to reserve the set for your next shoot!

The post New in Rentals: Zeiss Compact Prime CP.3 Lenses appeared first on Studio B Camera Rentals.

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Live-Streamed Greenpeace Training Seminar

Last month we shot and live-streamed a training seminar for Greenpeace as part of their #SummerOfResistance program. Shot on Canon C300s, we cut the video and added graphics and commercials on the Tricaster 460, recording and streaming to thousands of viewers on Facebook Live. Led by Greenpeace organizers, the video provides resources and training for creative, non-violent action. Overall it was a big success, reaching over 200,000 people on Facebook and inspiring action around the country.

  Live-stream shoots need to be meticulously planned and executed since there’s only one shot at delivering a polished product. With dozens of successful live-streams under our belts here at Studio B, we pride ourselves on our attention to detail and guarantee peace of mind that our experienced crews will delivery high quality production value for any budget. Our client Dan from Greenpeace left us a great review: “As for the pieces I was involved with – working with you was very easy, even on a tight timeline things ran smoothly and you made yourselves available to lend your personal thoughts and opinions to our project. We really appreciated this. We also appreciated how patient and straight forward the coordination process was and your willingness to answer our questions in a timely manner… I also heard rave reviews from staff who worked directly with you and the rest of the team on Sunday.”

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The Benefits of Live-Streaming

“The truth is, there has never been a better time to embrace live streaming. Audiences are watching more streamed content than ever. Plus, the costs are within reach of even modest budgets.”

We’re big proponents of live-streaming. Whether it’s a business conference, awards ceremony, sporting event, concert, or comedy show, there’s a huge value in delivering the video content directly to your viewers in real-time over the web. Newtek, the company that makes the Tricaster system that we use for most of our webcasts, put together a great short ebook that covers the benefits of live-streaming and seven lessons for those looking to get more out of their content using live-streaming. While the ebook is targeted towards video professionals, it’s got several great lessons for all businesses and content producers.

  For example, lesson #3 is about driving greater engagement with social media. Here’s a brief excerpt:

“In an age of ever-increasing social media engagement, it’s crazy not to take advantage. Failing to join in means you won’t be able to take part in conversations about your programs. As a result, you’ll always be at least one step removed from the active, engaged audience that every sponsor and rights owner values.”

In our experience filming and streaming dozens of events each year, we can vouch for the high value of audience engagement and the benefits of live-streams. Here’s the link to the full ebook: Live Streaming: How to Take Your Productions Into Real Time, Big Time

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Nine Tips for Hiring the Right Video Production Crew

  As a producer/director, I’ve traveled around the world putting together dozens of video crews ranging from small documentary teams to large commercial productions, so I know how challenging it can be to put a great crew together.

  Here are nine helpful tips for assembling the right small crew and creating a good vibe for a successful shoot.

  1. Take time to find the right DP for the job.

  When I’m producing or directing a video, the Director of Photography (DP) is my best friend and the heart of the crew. Every DP has his or her strengths, just as every video has its own particular production challenges that require specific skillsets. Paring the right DP or Videographer for the job is an essential ingredient for a successful shoot. For example, some DPs are particularly good with creative lighting, or hand-held camera work, or documentary-style pieces, or green-screen shooting. Some might have a vast knowledge of lenses and tech specs while others are particularly good with corporate clients.

  When interviewing potential DPs, make sure to ask them what kinds of productions they enjoy shooting most and what they consider their forte. Keep your budget in mind when asking their rate, but remember that you get what you pay for! More experienced and skilled crew members command higher rates, for good reason. Ask if the DP is available for your shoot dates but don’t book them until you’ve seen their work, which leads us to the next tip.

     2. Vet your crew online.

  These days every DP or videographer should have their own work on a website. Looking at a DP’s work is not only a great way to see if they have the chops to shoot your video, but also it can be a great place to see different styles that you might want to incorporate. Other crew positions are no different— set designers, make-up artists, sound recordists, etc. all usually have websites with their work and contact info. Check for an Imdb or LinkedIn page as well.

    3. Ask for recommendations.

  Have you found the perfect DP or videographer? Now is your chance to ask for recommendations to fill the other open roles. Perhaps the DP has a favorite gaffer, steadicam operator, or food stylist that they like to work with. And that gaffer probably has a preferred grip, and might know a great local sound guy. As a DP in that situation before, I can tell you that I wouldn’t recommend someone who I couldn’t vouch for. So if you know your DP is good, you can likely trust his recommendations.

    4. Get estimates in writing that list crew and any equipment rentals.

  It’s important to agree on pricing up front, so that you know exactly what you’re getting and so that there won’t be any disagreements about freelancer’s rates after the shoot. Ask them to list if their day rate covers 8, 10, or 12 hours and if lunch is on or off the clock. If your shoot needs to be union due to the location or circumstances, talk to the local union early to learn their working rules and to get any paperwork out of the way. Lastly, if you’re renting equipment from any crew members, a gear list will be helpful to make sure you’ve got all your needs covered.

    5. Hire enough crew members to get the job done right

  Budgets are always tight, so it’s easy to fall into the trap of going too far in cutting costs. Perhaps you hire only two people when you need three or four to get the job done right. It all depends on the shoot, but rarely do you want one crew member wearing too many hats. For example, say your DP doesn’t have a gaffer or grip to help set up lights, and while he’s lighting the scene he’s also worrying about recording audio. Either the quality of the final product or the speed of the shoot will suffer greatly, and you would have been better off hiring that sound recordist and grip from the beginning. Budget appropriately, hire enough people for the job, and you’ll be much happier in the long run.

    6. Communicate with the crew during pre-production.

  Set up a phone call with your DP to talk about your vision for the piece. Talking to them will give you both a better sense of their style and will help to make sure you can work well together on set. Don’t hesitate to ask questions about what equipment, locations, or extra crew you’ll need for your production. Keep crew in the loop when you want to put them on hold and when you’re ready to confirm the booking. If possible, send them a script and example videos ahead of time, to make sure you’re on the same page going into the shoot.

    7. Create a call sheet.

  Send out a call sheet to all of your crew members and talent, including address, call time, parking instructions, shoot schedule, on-set contact, and any other relevant details. Other helpful additions include: weather forecast, closest hospital to the set, lunch details/menu, project title and invoicing instructions. It’s always a good idea to ask your crew to confirm they’ve received it, and make sure to send it out at least a day in advance of the shoot (not the morning of!).

    8. Coffee, breakfast, and lunch.

  A well-fed crew stays happier and more productive, leading to a better product. Grab a to-go box from your favorite coffee place and start the day off right with a quick breakfast and meeting to go over the plan for the shoot. Check with the crew so that you know if anyone has any specific food allergies or preferences. If the shoot goes overtime, serve dinner as well to keep everyone motivated.

    9. Make sure your crew gets paid in a timely fashion.

  Whether you’re using a payroll company or cutting checks yourself, make sure to get invoices and any tax forms you need from your crew members and pay them as quickly as possible. If they don’t get paid on time, they won’t want to work for you again.

  Studio B Films provides crew services for SF Bay Area shoots. Don’t want to worry about all the nuances of hiring the perfect crew? The easiest solution is to have us do it for you. You can rest easy knowing your crew will meet the high standards seen in our productions. We’ll cover all the logistics, crew hiring, payroll, gear prep and delivery, meals, and insurance. Just let us know what you need and we’ll handle the rest.

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New in Rentals: Westcott Flex Lights

New in rentals are the Westcott Flex Lights.  Lightweight and powerful, these fixtures have the “flexibility” to light all kinds of scenes. Each light is constructed of an LED array on a soft panel that can either attach to a square frame for support or stand alone in unique lighting situations.

    All of the Westcott Flex Lights are impressively bright and generate significantly less heat than fresnel or HMI lighting sources.  And with a super low weight and profile, the panels easily mount anywhere — handy in very tight setups.

    The Westcott Flex Light Travel Kit includes everything you need to set up two 1×1’ soft light sources.  With dimming options, battery power and adjustable color temperature, this kit is perfect for setting up quick interviews or adding light to “run and gun” productions.  Studio B also offers a 2×2’ daylight balanced Flex Light for situations that require higher output.

  The lighting systems come with frames, diffusion, dimmers and adjustable ball joints compatible with baby pin mounts.   

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Guide to Plugging Lights into House Power

Ever tripped a breaker trying to plug too many lights into a house circuit? Check out this video that covers guidelines for where to plug in different lights (along with the basics of house circuitry), featuring local gaffer and Studio B favorite Alan Steinheimer. For more videos like this, we recommend watching the rest of Luke Seerveld’s “Meet the Gaffer” series on Youtube where he covers a wide range of gaffing and grip techniques and information.

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Top Ten Most Rented Items of 2016

We’re as happy as everyone else that 2016 is finally over, but we’re also excited to look back and take stock of what was yet another successful year in rentals. We ran the numbers and pulled our top ten most rented items of the year, judging by quantity of rentals in the context of respective equipment categories.

  One note: we left out grip equipment here, because c-stands, sandbags, stingers and the like never go out of style, (and would dominate the list). So besides that, and in no particular order, here are the top ten most rented items of 2016:

        Sony a7Sii

  No surprise that Sony’s new mirrorless camera made the list after they took the amazing low-light performance of original a7S and added internal 4k recording.

                  Lectrosonics Wireless Lavalier Kit

  A must-have for any audio recording with on-screen talent. No wires to deal with, no interference or drop-outs, and top-quality audio with Sanken lavalier mics.

                  DJI Ronin

  Gimbal stabilization continues to be one of the easiest ways to get beautiful camera movement, and the Ronin can hold any camera from a DSLR up to a Red Weapon.

                Sennheiser 416

  Our most popular shotgun mic rental—you can’t go wrong with the industry standard since the 70’s.

                    V-Mount Batteries

  We send out Blueshape V-Mounts with many of our digital cinema cameras and LED panels, but they’re also a popular rental on their own to power any personal gear.

                    Zeiss ZE Cine Mod Lenses

  Fast, sharp, and custom cine-modded to perform like more expensive cinema primes, these lenses are great rentals individually or as a full set of six.

                  Kino Flo Diva

  Compact but powerful and versatile, it’s no surprise the Divas made the list as our most rented lighting option.

                    Canon 24-70mm

  The L-series 24-70mm was an easy bet to be our most popular lens rental. It’s just so versatile and you can’t beat the f/2.8 aperture at that zoom range.

                    Cartoni Focus 100 Tripod

  While all of our tripod options are popular rentals, the Cartoni Focus 100 go out the most due to their combination of a smooth 100mm ball head with lightweight but sturdy legs.

                    Canon C300mkii

  Last but not least, 2016’s most popular cinema camera rental. The C300mkII beat out the FS7, perhaps due to easier menus and buttons, Canon’s beautiful color science, autofocus options, and the hefty retail price tag that makes it a great rental.

The post Top Ten Most Rented Items of 2016 appeared first on Studio B Camera Rentals.

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Studio B in Virtual Reality

Studio B is in the VR game these days, shooting and stitching 360-degree video for the web, mobile, or VR headsets like the Oculus Rift. Check out our non-interactive reel above to see some samples of 360° videos we shot recently.

  We’re especially excited about the possibilities that Virtual Reality presents and have been experimenting extensively with 360-degree rigs and VR storytelling. While not the right medium for every story, when your goal is to drop the audience into an immersive experience and take them to places that they would otherwise not have access, we think there’s nothing quite like VR. It’s truly an amazing tool.

  We are offering 360° camera rentals as well as services such as concepting, shooting, stitching, and editing VR footage. To read about the services we offer and possible video applications for 360, check out this page here. To rent our GoPro Omni 360° camera rig, go to this page here or give us a call!

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Event Services Reel

Here it is, the new demo reel showing off our event services here at Studio B Films. Along with our full service creative video production, we also offer live multi-camera production, webcasting, event coverage, onsite interviews, event openers and sizzle videos.

  Check out our Live Events and Webcasting page here, and call today to shoot and webcast your next big event!

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Quick Setup: DJI Ronin

Need to learn how to set up the DJI Ronin gimbal stabilizer, but don’t want to sit through endless tutorials that take forever to get to the point? Here’s our Quick Setup video guide to the Ronin. Learn the basics of balancing this awesome tool in a little over two minutes. Make sure to download the DJI Assistant app to your phone for full control.

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New in Rentals: the Arri Skypanel S60-C

Everything you could ask for in a soft keylight. Extremely high light output with full control over hue, saturation, intensity, and color temperature from 2,800-10,000K. Rental comes with ballast and cables, standard diffusion panel, Chimera softbox, and combo stand.

  http://ift.tt/1ULYFHZ

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First Look: Canon C300 mkII

We got an early chance to run some tests with the new Canon C300 mkII, the new successor to the popular Canon C300. With 4k recording, high framerate options, 444 12-bit recording, and up to 15 stops of dynamic range, this camera has a lot to offer. Check out our First Look review of the new camera (above).

The Canon C300 mark II is available now for rent!

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Video Camera Rentals

Underwater video cameras are changed kinds of ordinary cameras. There are many branded companies that produce and offer underwater cams.

There are many divers that like to share their memories with others, by involving the solutions of the agencies that lease brand-new or used cameras. These agencies additionally supply them offer for sale.

There are times when people looking for undersea fun, can not manage the cost of underwater cameras. In order to offer their objective, there are rental solutions that supply customers the opportunity to work with the current sensing units as well as sub- sea items that primarily includes undersea cams. There are professional distributors that rent them at exceptionally affordable prices.

A lot of theses companies give diving costumes, devices, undersea video cameras and ROV tools. They are additionally readily available over a flexible lending period and are personalized to certain needs.

There are several benefits of undersea electronic camera leasings. The downtime as an outcome of item failing could be irritating and also expensive. The selection of a rental solution could give momentary data backup cover for the already existing system. It involves essential projects or a substitute system throughout routine upkeep or repair. There are certified developers that offer night and day technological assistance.

They provide round-the-clock supply and technical support of cameras. The devices is maintained to the extremely highest common and is serviced by a certified developer, prior to delivery.