need help for a project!!

[Jessica Germiller]

hey there everyone! I have to do a project for my business class...and it is basically making a business plan. I was hoping to get some suggestions.

So my idea for the business I am going to have is renting out rigs. Pretty much just 'smaller' rigs that people will build themselves...leaning towards editorial based photographers and freelance automotive photographers..that don't have large budgets to rent HUGE carbon fiber rigs for 10's of thousands of dollars a day. So I am going to be "renting" out equipment so that photographers can build rigs themselves, and I will also have pre-welded ones. I need a little help though, because we need to be VERY specific, about our equipment and money and such. So here is what I have as far as equipment goes:

Vacume Suction cups
Magic Arms
Powerful magnets
super clamps
ball heads
tripods (carbon fiber)
and pre-welded arms for various lenghts (I will be doing this in-house)

can anyone suggest anything else?? The only 'rig' I have had the pleaasure of working with was 3 suction cups, super clamps, and a tripod. Nothing fancy...i have also 'worked' with a huge carbon fiber one that an assembly team had to put together (an assisting job.) So i am thinking something between those two...any suggestions on more equipment...or suggestions in general for my assignment????

I did take a look at the "rigs" thread...which helped but I am looking for a bit more. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!! Thanks guys!


-Jessica

p.s. SORRY THIS WAS SO LONG!!!!

[Jacob Leveton]

most rigs that i've seen take more time to setup and take down than they do to build. I've heard that most photographers spend $50 - $100 to build their first rigs. While higher end rigs will easily cost $300-$600 and upwards, most people will be starting on a much lower level.

Being a business graduate myself, let me present it to you this way -
- how big do you feel that the market for this is? (renting vs buying, and rigs vs car-to-car stuff)
- at what price point do you feel it would sell? (if you can make your own for $50, will people rent YOURS for $50? if so, why?)
- what hurdles do you face getting into this market? (i'm thinking transportation of said rig is the largest one)

automotiverigs.com is a recent site that might give you some inspiration.

[John Jovic]

Personally, I've spent more than $50 on rig bits, so I guess I'm must be a heavy weight in the business!

Actually, I've spent over $700 on just a few relatively simple, though time consuming to manufacture, brackets. AND, I only use them a few times a year. But that's OK.

Rigs can be as simple as a tripod with vacuum cups attached to the ends or as complicated as you can imagine.

I'm not sure what the market is for them, either for outright purchase or for rental, as in your example.

Good luck.

JJ

[Todd Corzett]

If I was going to go into the business of rigs... I'd not be renting/selling the rig itself (like it's been said, most people can build one themselves), but rather the USE of that rig. Photographer X wants to do a rig shot, so they call you and you do the rigging they need. The photographer still designs the shots (with your input maybe), but you are being paid for your knowledge of the setup of the rigs on the given cars for the given shots. More of a service based business than a materials one. There is a large rental service out there (the guy's name slips my mind right now) who does the $$k/day stuff... you could base your business model off of his, but like you said... focused on the smaller photographer. In this case because yo don't have a $$$$ rig, you would push your knowledge of rigging (ie "we bring the right rig, and set it up too") type of thing. Someone has an all aluminum car that can't use magnets... well, you know how to deal with it... and what rig to bring and how to set it up. You could also be set-up with liability insurance for the potential damage to cars... just that alone may get some photographers to hire you (I know I'd be more conformable paying someone who knows what they are doing - and is insured on top of it - to attach a rig to a $$$K car).

-Todd...

[Mike Ditz]

IMO there are a few things to consider abouth the market for renting rigs. I saw a survey from around 1999 that said that 6% of the photographers in LA were automotive photographers. If you elimidate the people who don't use rigs, or already own one, or rent the high end ones or are just too low budget to rent anything you end up with a pretty slim piece of the pie. The rig shot used to be for the people with the $$$$ to pay for it and now it is filtering down to the lower end of the pricing scale, i.e. editorial. Many people tinker around until they come up with something that works.
The fee has to be enough to make it worthwile for both you and the renter and what is that number? A rental rate of less than $200 per day is hardly worth it for you, and more than $300 is getting into the 'do I really need it' neighborhood for the photographer., Can he/she convince the client to cough up the extra dough (and time) for just one type of shot (in ad and corp, probably yes. In editorial, maybe...)
The automotiverigs.com rig goes for $800 and come pretty complete. For the cost of 4 rentals the photog can own one and bill the client the rate.
It seems that your market is renting a lower priced item to a limited amount of people. It'll be hard to make it up on volume, like Blockbuster. It explains why the high end rigs cost $3k to rent.

I haven't even considered the PS aspect of people doing the blurry bg in post...

Interesting idea though. Why not do a plan to rent the high end rigs? That's where the money is.

MD

[John Thawley]

I don't get it. It sounds like a glorigied solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

And... I have yet to hear anyone utter the word, LIABILITY.

JT

[Todd Corzett]

set-up with liability insurance for the potential damage to cars

:D

-Todd...

[John Thawley]

:D

-Todd...

I think that would be user exposure. I'm more concerned with, "your rig didn't hold and smashed my Mkll and L Series 24-105... and/or, your rig decapitated my assisstant. And so on... ;)

[Todd Corzett]

I think that would be user exposure. I'm more concerned with, "your rig didn't hold and smashed my Mkll and L Series 24-105... and/or, your rig decapitated my assisstant. And so on... ;)
Yes, but I did "utter the word, LIABILITY".

Very good point though.

-Todd...

[Jessica Germiller]

Thanks for all your responses guys


The way some of you answered them seemed like you thought I am actually starting this business...I want to clarify that I am not, it is a final project for my business class, which is kind of a bs class anyway...as all the General Ed classes are at my school. So...thank you again, but I was just looking to see what other materials people usually use to build a rig.

Thank you about the liability thing too...I hadn't thought about that, I could put it in my plan.

-Jess

[Jeremy Hua]

If you want ideas for what they use to build rigs, you may want to just browse http://filmtools.com