by Rick Wise
director of photography

(the following is the director's cut
of an article published in Film/Tape World, July, 2000 )

Why buy a film or video camera? Beyond pride of ownership, what does it get you? Would you buy it new or used? Can you make it pay? We talked to a wide range of owner-operators in the Bay Area, as well as filmmakers who do NOT own a camera.

In San Francisco, High Definition Video is the newest player. Its very recent presence means that if you want to buy a video camera and go after the high-end market, your only choice is to buy HD. If you are going after the 16mm market, the Aaton XTRprod continues to be the state-of-the-art camera designed for both hand-held and tripod-work. This fall the XTR will be supplemented by the hot new Aaaton A-Minima, a 200-foot "B-roll" camera due soon in our rental houses. And if you are thinking of buying a 35mm camera, you probably live in LA where there is enough 35mm work to support this format, or else you are carving out a special segment using very old cameras.

For the moment in San Francisco, only Videofax has an HD camera, a Sony HDW700-A, soon to be replaced by Sony’s HDW F900 which is switchable between 24 and 30-frame progressive, and 1080I Interlaced. Shooting Star has one on order. At Magnetic Image, President/CEO Larry Kenworthy reports that, "I have two projects in the wings that are both budgeting for HD, and as those go forward we will support them."

One of the great attractions of HD is that for the first time it provides a world-wide video format. "As an owner operator I don’t want to have six different formats, I want to shoot on the best format I can and then downscale to what the client needs.," Shooting Star owner/operator Jeff Regan remarks. And like film but unlike earlier tape formats, "The master that you make will last many decades into the future," observes Paul Gripaldi, President of Fast Forward.

Right now the biggest impediment to HD video production in San Francisco is the lack of post facilities to handle this new medium. Post houses are uncertain which HD format, D5 or HD-Cam, will end up dominating the market. In spite of these uncertainties, Marc Hochman from Spy Post asserts that "We will have the capability [to post HD] solid within the next quarter through either Jaleo or Smoke." In the mean time he is sending HD clients to Performance Post in Burbank. Western Image’s Jim Bartel tells us, "We’re committed to supporting this technology in the area and our target is by the end of the summer."

At the other end of the financial and quality scale in video lie DV-Cams. For $2,500 to $3,000 a shooter can buy a camera now widely used in many segments of filmmaking. For the price, the quality is astounding. These prosumer units are fun to shoot because they are so small and unobtrusive. Posing as a tourist is often a way for the shooter to tape where he would otherwise be prohibited. But for DP’s and Directors and Producers trying to improve the quality of video images, DV-Cam is only applicable to special circumstances.

Film Cameras

From an operator’s point of view, one of the main reasons to own a film camera is doing so provides a level of credibility. "I was tired of doing video work and wanted to open myself to more film work," comments San Francisco DP Andy Lilien, who owns an Aaton XO Plus. "I probably would have made more money rental wise buying a video camera, but this is more the direction I wanted to go as a DP." DP Bill Zarchy concurs. Even though he had been shooting film as well as video for years, "I discovered people took me more seriously as a shooter " once he bought his first film camera, an Arri SR ll to which he has now added an Aaton XTRprod.

For an assistant who wants to move into working as a DP, owning a camera can help on that often dangerous step. Until very recently, Aaton XTRprod owner John Chater was an assistant. He now shoots as a director of photography. "I knew I wanted to shoot, wanted to have a good camera available to me, knew it would be of service to a lot of clients in town that wanted to shoot film, and I knew I could make it work since I didn’t have the overhead." It remains possible though rare in San Francisco for a AC to continue in that role and also own gear. Long-time Bay Area AC, Joe Ward, who over the years has accumulated an assortment of 16mm and35mm gear, is just such an exception. "I took a risk. It paid off."

The ability to have lenses and cameras on hand for jobs that couldn’t otherwise afford them, whether for a client or for you own work, is a second and often even more compelling reason for a filmmaker to own his or her own camera. DP Tomas Tucker put together "a package that would make me happy and not be totally at the mercy of the smaller budget….Budget problems never go away," And Producer/Director/DP Robin Mortarotti states that, "To me it’s important if you are going to be a filmmaker, to have at least moderate filmmaking tools. You can’t always run to the rental house each time you need to get a shot."

Finally, there’s the pride of ownership. "I’ve always owned my own gear. It started with super 8 in high school," says DP Randy Love. "I‘ve enjoyed having the equipment I can rely on."

There are also DP’s who take an opposite view, who do not own a camera, who always rent. One of their arguments is, every job is different and needs different gear. If you own gear, the argument goes, you end up forcing your own gear on the job when some other lens or camera might be better. Another main contention against ownership is, it won’t pay for itself in this market, especially when applied to 35mm shooting. And finally, some people do not want to deal with the hassle. Commercial DP Don Smith observes, "I did toy with the idea two years ago of going to buy a [Arriflex] 435. …. I wouldn’t do it today even though I could afford to do it. I’m just not one of those guys who likes to worry about rentals. You have to go all the way, have a complete package, or it’s lame… I’m just used to renting what I want." Still, if you scratch deep enough, you find even such hold-outs have bought some pieces of gear. For instance Don Smith admits to owning his own extensive filter package and a lens-holding director’s viewfinder. This writer owns custom filters and a Cartoni C-40 head.

Does owning a camera pay off? An HD camcorder with lens starts at $131,500, a used 16mm package in good condition starts around $ 100,000, and for an Arri 435 body alone you can spend about $ 85,000 for a new one and $ 65,000 for used if you can find it. On the other hand, for around $50,000 you can (carefully) accumulate a much older collection of Arri llc (35mm) cameras that, coupled with modern prime lenses, modern video door, crystal-controlled motor, etc. continue to shoot razor-sharp film.

None of the DP’s we talked to could provide the math to assert their purchases actually made money, though most were pretty sure ownership did eventually pay off in cash as well as in those other important terms of credibility, having the tools you want and need to make your film, and pride. As a rule of thumb, it seems to take at least three to five years to pay off a camera or any piece of film or video gear, which means cash benefits are coming several years down the road. Many of these DP’s made their initial purchase when they had a long-term job lined up which would pay a significant portion of the camera’s cost. Still, since many of the owner-operators we talked to constantly plow their earnings back into more lenses, filters and attachments, that financial road stretches a long way out.

New or Used?

As to buying new or used, several cameramen observed that film cameras are a lot like automobiles. The big depreciation comes in the first few years. In this market, buying a good, state-of-the-art used package rather than a new one makes excellent sense, and most of the owner-operators we talked to did so. Furthermore, a used camera maintains its value for quite a number of years, which reduces the risk of investment since you can sell it for close to its purchase price should some catastrophe arise. For while film technology continues to evolve at a moderate pace, today’s lenses and cameras have a long shelf life.

A much smaller segment of the DP’s we talked to have opted to buy very old Arriflex cameras and upgrade them. Robin Mortarotti is one of a very few shooters who make a point of buying very old gear that still works marvelously well for an owner operator. He owns a collection of relatively ancient 16mm and 35mm cameras that include Techniscope as well as 4x3 formats. DP and filmmaker Mush Emmons has gone a similar route with his present collection of three Arri llC cameras, upgraded to include video taps. "Like a DC3, it can still fly," he observes.

For video, the equation is different. "In the world of video, you are forced to buy new because the technology changes so fast," comments Tomas Tucker who owns both film and video cameras. It is rare one can find a "new" video camera used, though deals occasionally can be found. Which brings us full circle back to HD. That’s so new there are only new cameras to be had. Until tomorrow.

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