The Ultimate Guide to Film Gear Rental near you: What You Need to Know
Lights, Stands, and Stingers
When needing to find film gear rentals the choices may not be as plentiful as you might think. In actuality, film gear rental houses are very niche and specialize in being able to provide unique film gear that is otherwise unavailable to many filmmakers. Traditionally, film gear rental houses near you pride themselves on their meticulous attention to detail when it comes to functioning and well-maintained film gear supplies. Kalanset Media is no different. While we aren’t necessarily a rental house, we do offer an incredible 1.5 ton production trailer that travels easily anywhere in the state of Florida. Let’s take a look at some key points of renting equipment to make sure you’re getting the best equipment and, more importantly, the right equipment for the production.
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Timing – This is a big one. Remember, most rental houses specialize in equipment for productions that are more rare than your traditional equipment like c-stands, lightweight stands, etc. If you’re looking for huge motion in your film and are considering utilizing something like a Techno-crane or a jib, you’ll want to consider making your request 10 days in advance and that’s minimum notice! The last thing you want is to be coming down to the wire for your upcoming production and scrambling for the right equipment because all the rental houses have rented out their gear for other shoots. Plan in advance!
More is Often Better – A good general rule of thumb when considering film gear rentals is overestimating the Grip and Electric gear you will need, especially here in Florida. On smaller more controlled shoots, you might very well be able to get away renting a few c-stands or combo stands and teaming those up with some sandbags for safety BUT it’s often we find that swinging for an actual G&E package (all your grip and electric needs) such as our 1.5 ton production trailer. It comes with a general, yet well thought out package for your film production in Florida. Amongst diffusion, modifiers, rails, and combostands; our production trailer is also outfitted with a small generator, hamper, carts for the 16 c-stands, muscle cart for the 25 sandbags, and much more. Being over prepared for your production means having the right tools at your disposal when situational challenges present themselves on set, and they will!
Be Ready for Some Paperwork – Just like renting a car, there are some procedural and administrative steps you’ll need to take before renting from any local film gear rental house near you. The most standard operating procedures include providing a COI (certificate of insurance) with your rental house listed as additionally insured. This protects the gear while it’s in your possession. Most rental houses can help with this step if you also add one of their team members to your production, such as a Grip or Gaffer. Then the gear stays in the possession of the rental house through their team members. The other standard request is for a driver’s license and credit card to remain on file at the film gear rental house, as a sort of insurance for the rental. In some cases they may require a deposit or the full amount of the rental paid before the gear leaves the facility. A traditional rental agreement may also need to be signed and the language of the rental gear agreement will vary from company to company.
At Kalanset Media we try to be as convenient as possible with our gear rental procedures here in Florida by encouraging renters to hire one of our team members to join your production and maintain responsibility for the production trailer and the gear inside. Not only are you able to no longer worry about how and when the production trailer will get to set, but when adding a Kalanset Media team member to your film gear rental and production trailer rental, you’ll be getting an expert to help troubleshoot with the gear if needed.
There are some incredible film gear rental houses in the state of Florida and additional options are easy to find online as well. However, at Kalanset Media we have painstakingly crafted a film gear production trailer to be the most convenient and economical solution to gear up your production. Not only have we invested resources to create this production trailer but we have also gone to great lengths to have the trailer peer reviewed by Grip and Electric technicians! We’ve done this to ensure that when the production trailer shows up to your set it is easy to navigate and work with, which will save you valuable time on set! If you’re interested in renting our production trailer or any of our film gear including lights and camera packages, reach out today at 727-301-3001 or email Daryn at daryn@KalansetMedia.com to get started!
See you on set!
-Christopher
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