So. (don’t you just hate it when someone starts a sentence with ‘So’ ?
…following on from one of my previous ruminations entitled Investment In Your Business, I got to wondering more closely about exactly why I haven’t bought much new kit recently.
Well that’s not strictly true, I DID buy a wee drone a couple of weeks ago specifically for an upcoming shoot with a new client, but somehow, since it didn’t cost an arm, a leg and the blood of my firstborn (don’t worry, I don’t have children, there was never any danger of blood spillage or limb-loss) it didn’t feel like my usual Essential-Equipment-Investments.Well, I SAY investment, but since you ALWAYS lose money on tech gear eventually, I don’t think it qualifies it as an actual sound investment.
In the early days of The Action House, new and improved kit seemed coming out almost weekly.It was like the Wild West out there, and every time something new and amazing appeared, many review videos were watched on FaceTube, - G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) kicked in, accompanied by the usual mental justification “If only I had This X-Y-Z product, I could offer this new service to my clients, or improve workflow and free up more time, or even have a camera that’s approved by NETFLIX!…imagine that.
And so it went for 15 years or so, new cameras, dollies, lights, sound gear, recording systems. You name it, I bought it. So much so that I personally had to go to the BigDug catalogue and buy a whole shelving system which I put in the garage, to store all my accumulated paraphernalia. (good word, must use that more often) And there it sits, gathering dust, or sitting snugly in protective hard cases ready and waiting in case I get a sudden call to hop on a flight to Mexico for a shoot (don’t laugh, I did once go shooting in Mexico but that was a few years ago now)
So who exactly am I trying to keep up with?Well, I think the justification reasoning is about placing yourself in a position to be able to cover all eventualities. Need a green screen? GOT ONE. Need autocue? GOT ONE.Action camera? GOT ONE. Hi definition video/audio recorder providing multi-speed, multi-input RAW format Log Profile allowing real-time picture switching and live broadcast at the same time? GOT ONE.In fact for every time you read ‘GOT ONE’ imagine I actually said GOT TWO,because of course you need built-in redundancy in case a camera dies mid-shoot, or someone knocks over a light.And it’s so out of control now that when I say GOT TWO, sometimes I really mean, GOT LOADS.Like microphones, I have about 10 shotguns, plus 30 ft leads, Half a dozen studio mics, wireless lavalier mics, mobile recording units, mixing desk and outboard gear…
It really is time for some sort of intervention.
But here’s the thing. Non of it owes me anything. It’s all been used on at least one job and some of it gets used over and over again. Everything’s paid for itself over the years so I shouldn’t feel so bad should I? And it also provides an interestingside-effect. I don’t worry about not being able to take on any new job because of lack of the right kit.
I’ve got the right kit.Trust me, I’ve got the right kit.
