When my Elite team and I set out on this mission to trail blaze this new technology we were prepping all of our 15 HDSLR cameras out of Panavision/Hollywood. I always felt that it was the premiere camera house. Small, intimate, great service, incredible staff and a feeling of them always having your back. Smash cut to 15 months later and a new design is afoot.
I circled the wagons and asked all my DP friends and Elite Team members if you could design a camera rental house of the future, what would it be like. They mentioned all the things that I had stated about Panavision /Hollywood but together we had to think more outside the box. Embracing this new HDSLR platform can only breed this thought process. So we came up with a very forward thinking rental/prep environment that caters to the trailblazer, the tester, the filmmaker, the artist, the tech wizard and the fabricator.
Imagine a metal and aluminum fabricator on staff, with a lens projector, and collimator at your finger tips, a client contact and prep staff to cater to you personally, along with a vast array of support gear to aid in your creation. To top it all off they provide a full DI color correction bay and screening room.
- 5 Star HD Cinema Prep Floor
Screening Room For Viewing Footage on 20 ft. screen
You can now test with your Canon 5D, 7D or 1D, with PL or Canon mounts and immediately download your media, project it on a 20 foot screen with a 2K Christie video projector and a full color correction system to assist in bringing your images to life. You have an arsenal of lenses to choose from. Cooke’s, Zeiss, and Angenieux to name just a few and on the still lens front Zeiss ZE primes, Canon L-series lenses and Nikon AI glass.
Shoot Tests and View on a 2K Christie Projector
Now we ‘re talking. This is the wave of the future and Hurlbut Visuals along with Alternative Rentals are creating this forward thinking prep floor. Shoot, test, create, inspire, learn, and think out of the box.
Jim Jacks, the Vice President of Alternative Rentals states, “Alternative Rentals came together five years ago, born from the idea that a boutique facility could be created on the West Side that gave attention to a specialized focus on Digital Cinema and the cinematographers who wanted a place that understood their needs.
The chance to start a company with a clean slate (from the ground up) enabled us to pay strict attention to every detail along the way. We are proud of the relaxed, yet professional atmosphere here, and just as much of the mad scientists behind it! We embrace cutting edge technology and take nothing “out of the box”. We test it, study it, modify & manipulate it so that it does what our clients ask of it. We love what we do, and we are always prepared to evolve with the ever-changing visual and technological landscapes.” Creating a system was our first priority, once we accomplished that, turning this compact HDSLR camera of inspiration into a movie making machine was simple.
Forward Thinking Prep Floor for the HDSLR Revolution
Snack Shack
Save Time: Lunch Is Provided
I want to thank Alternative Rentals for believing in this technology and giving it the props needed to continue to ride this wave that will eventually change the way we make movies. The Hurlbut Visuals Indie and Pro Packages will become available May 1st for rental at Alternative Rentals.
Tags: HDSLR Cameras, prep, rental house
Shane 
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Wow. Looks gorgeous. Congratulations guys. Hope I’ll be able to drop by from Vancouver someday
Hmmm . . . I wonder how much all this extra stuff adds to the rental cost.
Wendel, Hmmmmmmmmmm….. nothing!!!
Cedric Yu, thank you so much. I love Vancouver.
Wow. Taking it to the next level as usual!
This is frick’in amazing, Shane. I wish I were in LA to see this facility. Really, this would be the equivalent of going to Disney World for me. It has everything I wish I had since I started playing with this DSLR thing. Next time I’m in LA, this is a must see!
Jerry W. I would love for you to come down and check it out. Keep me informed on when you will be in town and we will make it happen.
Shane,
I really hope what you’re describing is what Alternative Rentals will become, and hopefully very soon. Because at this time prepping out of Alternative can be very frustrating. They can be a much better place if they would just buy some equipment and stop sub-renting everything. And they really need to fix that coke machine.
-El
Elhanan Matos, I will get on the coke machine ASAP. I get it. They are putting in there new prep floor soon. I will have Jim Jacks address these issues. Thank you so much.
Hi Shane, I’m Hossein, a Middle Eastern DP / Director who shot several promo and a feature by 5Dmk2 and it’s accessories. I have traced all your articles from the very beginning and I’m enjooooying them too much. I always use your inputs in my projects and see how marvelous would be the outcomes.
I hope you and your team be always on top and this blog always alive and fresh!
PS. by the way, what is your color grading solution?
Regards,
Hossein
Alright Shane, let’s skip to the important part: tell me about the on-site Diner! Do you really serve hamburgers on the premesis?
Eric Ferguson, we try to never disappoint.
Hossein, thank you so much for all you kind words and support. My color grading solution has been Speed-grade DI for the last year. I am not doing anything in a desktop scenario.
Elhanan Matos, I am going to change they way they roll. I f they don’t deliver I want to hear about it. Thank you for your honesty.
Thanks for the invite, Shane! Don’t want to derail the topic, but when will your Navy Seals movie be released? Really looking forward to seeing this.
Jerry W., we are not sure. They said October but we are still editing it and not sure if we will make that date. I would expect spring or summer of 2011.
Wow, those are B&W 801 series speakers in the theater?!!! Talk about high quality audio!!!!
You guys rock!
Michael Lin, I ma glad that you approve. Yes it is a very cool space and it is about to get even cooler. We are adding a whole new prep floor.
Hi Shane what (who makes) the bracket you have on the top of the 5D that hooks into the strap hook and the shoe mount that is used for your wireless FF motor and mount?