I still remember that time I was sitting there with a DP who turned to me during a meeting and said, “Free is usually never free. And most of the time it ends up costing you more in the end then if you had decided to pay for it up front.” And boy was he right.
Now in this day and age of endless “self producing” and so many people creating original content left and right, I’m sure you’ve heard one (or all) of your friends casually mention during pre-production, “Yeah, we have this guy with a camera who’s willing to lend his RED (or any other fancy or non fancy camera) for free”. I now equate this (or any other similar outburst of reckless positivity) as the pre-production version of “We’ll fix in post”. Now I’m sure many of you actors/producers/directors (basically anyone above and/or below the line) have heard this being uttered on set. And it’s usually said with a bit of a nervous chuckle and everyone looking down at the ground as they shuffle their feet a la Charlie Brown. An aw shucks moment that in reality is setting off alarm bells in everyone’s head. A moment when nobody on set seems to have an answer in order to fix a BIG problem… but no one wants or knows how to fix said problem; therefore, pushing the problem onto the next person in line during post production. In the end, everyone just shrugs and starts the silent finger pointing, trying to fix the blame to… somebody…else.
Now most people I know who had access to a “free camera” never bothered to reach out and do any research on how much they would need for a camera. Most often than not, they’ll hire the actors and director and 1st AD and sound… and you get the picture. They send out a call sheet, book catering (or their mothers) then find out that the camera is no longer available. Suddenly, it’s 11pm the night before the shoot that starts at 7am with nothing to film with. But you’ve booked 15 people! So what do you do? You scramble to find yourself a camera and suddenly you’re looking at a $500(or more) price tag.
So what is it exactly that I’m saying? Just like that small cut that you shrugged and decided not to disinfect and is now swollen, pus filled and in need of some small surgery… take care of the problem now. Free, is never free. Most if not all the time, the camera will fall through. Why? Because this is show business, not show and tell. Like you having to pay the rent and feed yourself every month, that person that owns said camera has to do so as well. And if it’s a higher end camera (like a RED which starts at $10,000), this person probably has a loan that they’re still paying every month on it. So be smart. Pay for it. Even if it’s only $50 a day. When the person who owns the camera knows that they’ll have cash money at the end of the shoot day, the more likely that they will show up on set, bright and early to lend you their equipment.
Pre-production is when you have all the time in the world to figure out any and all problems. Start with the small stuff. I recommend even having a second camera on standby (or at least know who owns what and what price they’d be willing to rent the camera for) just in case your paid camera falls through. Filming something will always be full of surprises that you simply can’t anticipate (Murphy’s Law will be in full effect. Trust). So why not, get rid of as many “surprises” as possible. Unless it’s your mother (though not my mom), don’t expect your “free” anything to come through. Better to set aside even a small dollar amount for peace of mind.
Now got out and shoot. I can’t wait to see what kinds of stories you guys come up with.