PERG News: March 2024

Friday, March 29, 2024

PERG Newsletter: March 2024

| PERG News: March 2024 |

In This Issue:

PERG General Membership Meeting at NAB

You are invited to the PERG General Membership Meeting at NAB

Monday, April 15, 4-6 pm at CineCentral, in Central Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

We look forward to seeing friends and associates from rental companies around the world. Come join us for refreshments and 75% socializing, 25% exciting PERG announcements! Register

PERG Equitable Workforce Initiative 2024 to Launch at NAB

NAB Sponsorship Information
Plan to visit all the PERG sponsors during NAB. And for those who don't exhibit, they'll all be at the PERG General Membership Meeting. We look forward to seeing you! Read more...

Join Sony at NAB 2024 - PERG Member Booth Tours and More

Enjoy a special tour with reserved Sony Cinema representatives and benefit from the company of other PERG members. Spots are limited. Read more...

Awareness of 3rd Party Equipment on Rentals

Heads of production will routinely agree that professional motion picture camera and lighting equipment rental companies are an integral part of the production process. These companies help our directors realize their visions and deliver finished spots to advertising agencies and brands on time without incident. Read more...

RENTAL GUARD Bug Fixes

Evolution of Renting with Intent to Steal

The following update is provided by Taylor & Taylor. There have been several phases in the evolution of how criminals rent-to-steal. Read more...

PERG Sponsorship 2024

Despite the downturn in business, PERG is intent on holding all our usual annual events, but we need your support. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the following events. Read more...

Coffee Break Survey

We need your input for future PERG Coffee Breaks. Watch for our upcoming PERG survey and let us know who you would like to have a coffee break with! Read more...

Online Auction Event

Get ready for an exclusive online auction event! Join us for a timed online auction featuring over 850 lots of premium digital cameras, lenses, audio equipment, speakers, projectors, consoles, and gear accessories sourced from PRG's top-of-the-line inventory located in Las Vegas. Read more...

PERG Equitable Workforce Initiative 2024 to Launch at NAB

| PERG News: March 2024 |

PERG is excited to announce that Netflix has renewed sponsorship of PERG’s unique program aimed at creating more diverse new talent pipelines into the rental side of the entertainment industry. Equitable Workforce Initiative (EWI) 2024 officially launches on April 15th at the General Membership Meeting at NAB. Interested rental companies and job seekers can apply starting TODAY!

We are also thrilled that ESTA has hired Alison Cupples to be the EWI Program Coordinator. Alison has over 15 years of experience in motion picture equipment rental. As a Board member of WIFVNE (Women in Film and Video New England) since 2020, Alison has been helping to develop mentorship and shadowing programs, as well as training resources for all levels of experience in the entertainment industry.

Alison Cupples

Eight grants are available. Rental companies that are hiring should consider hiring an EWI applicant. The goal of the program is to identify candidates from underrepresented groups who have a strong desire to enter the motion picture rental industry and help rental companies hire them into entry-level positions. The EWI grant pays the employee’s wages and benefits for the first six months of employment. The employer agrees to provide documented training that prepares employees for a career in equipment rental and production generally. The long-term goal is to seed leadership positions in the camera and lighting rental industry. Please contact us at ewi@esta.org.

NAB Sponsor Information

| PERG News: March 2024 |

Plan to visit all the PERG sponsors during NAB. And for those who don't exhibit, they'll all be at the PERG General Membership Meeting. We look forward to seeing you!

Arri Inc. Booth C6325

Astera Booth C4744

Duclos

Litegear Booth C6147

Unify your Color Space with Spectrum Technology from LiteGear

Whether pixel mapping with large format pixels, generating DMX personalities for video, applying buttery smooth dimming, effortlessly communicating with your networked devices, or adding the latest features to your workflow, you are in control when using the Spectrum family of products.

NFP

Panavision

Taylor & Taylor Associates

Sony Booth C8201

Join SONY at NAB 2024

| PERG News: March 2024 |

Guided small-group Sony booth tours for PERG members

Enjoy a special tour with reserved Sony Cinema representatives and benefit from the company of other PERG members. Spots are limited. Please RSVP for one of the following times:

Sunday April 14, 12 pm
Monday April 15, 2 pm
Tuesday April 16, 2 pm

REGISTER

From the FX3 rig used to capture ‘The Creator’ to the new BURANO digital cinema camera, Sony has so much to share at this year’s NAB 2024. This year, we have so much to show! Here’s some of the highlights:

Virtual Production: See our incredible new LED wall, the VERONA, used in cinematic and broadcast multicam virtual productions on our stage.
All-New Cinema Set: Get hands on with specialty rigs featuring our entire cinema line in a specially designed cinema set, which highlights our cameras exceptional low light sensitivity.
Sunday, April 14 at TBD: Go behind the scenes of Apple TV’s hit mini-series ‘Masters of the Air.’ Set during World War II, this series follows the aerial crews of bomber planes as they battle five miles above ground and behind enemy lines. Learn how this production used the Sony VENICE, VENICE Rialto and Virtual Production to bring this epic series to life.
Monday, April 15 at 10am: Go behind the scenes of the Super Bowl Halftime Show with the Funicular Goats to see how they used 13 Sony VENICE cameras and the FR7 to capture the biggest entertainment show in sports. Learn more about how this trend if taking over live events.

We are thrilled to be working with our friends in the rental community.

Awareness of 3rd Party Equipment on Rentals

| PERG News: March 2024 |

The following article is to be published in the AICP newsletter.

Production could not function properly if the professional rental house did not exist, and we had to rely on a group of individuals piecing together equipment from multiple sources. Where would the equipment be checked out to make sure all items were working and to the specifications of equipment ordered? Who could we call if equipment malfunctioned on set, and we needed an immediate replacement? How could we be certain that the equipment was serviced according to manufacturer’s maintenance schedules? Who would be ultimately liable if defective equipment injured a third party or caused property damage? With the biggest liability concerns coming from power and generators, power cables, cables, LITHIUM BATTERIES, and vehicles.

This article is designed to raise awareness of the increasing percentage of equipment being placed on jobs that are owned by third parties other than the equipment rental company. In essence as the percentage of gear rises which the rental house earns no income it threatens the economic viability of those businesses. In many cases, the percentage of third-party gear is unsustainable.

You might ask yourself why is this of concern to a television commercial production company? The short answer is all the items that require maintenance, long-term commitments, have long lead times or require a large financial expenditure are only available through an established rental company. A few examples of those items without which a production could not function are generators, anamorphic or full frame lenses, and camera dollies.

Collectively television production companies and other users of motion picture equipment are counting on people supplying equipment to our productions to get the business model right so that professional rental companies are around for many years to come. We can be a part of these difficult but necessary conversations. It is in our ultimate own self-interest to make sure the gear we need to shoot our projects is available to us into the foreseeable future. The alternative to the professional rental company being the foundation within the respective communities is unthinkable and would make work more difficult and/or expensive for everyone.

Harry Box, PERG Manager

RENTAL Guard Bug Fixes

| PERG News: March 2024 |

We want to make you aware of a software limitation in RENTAL GUARD and what we are doing about it. Over the past several months some rental companies experienced problems reporting thefts to RENTAL GUARD. The problem is due to the server timing out before the person is able to complete the report. This issue has been addressed temporarily by extending the time before the server times out. A more permanent fix will be completed later this year.

We are sorry for the frustration that this issue has caused some of our members. We make the following recommendations.

Complete the report in one go, and in less than 120 minutes. Do not leave the browser open pending submittal of the theft report. This will result in a complete loss of all the data you have entered.
Have the necessary materials ready before you start the report including a description of the event, list of equipment, insurance contact information, and police contact (if applicable).
Double check that all the required fields were filled out. If you do not have certain required information, like the value of the lost item, enter “NA” in that field.
If you still encounter problems, send us all the information to the PERG Manager and we will get the report submitted within 24 hours.

We have had several reports of doctored certificates of insurance (please see Evolution of Renting with Intent to Steal, in this Newsletter). We strongly urge all RENTAL GUARD users to submit a Questionable Customer Alert any time you turn down a client due to suspicion of criminal intent. Shutting the door on theft-by-rental incidents is our only path to decreasing these attacks.

RENTAL GUARD is the central industry-wide depository for theft information. Regardless of what other channels you use, we strongly urge all rental companies to use RENTAL GUARD for:

Watch list (names associated with suspected or actual criminal activity)
Theft reports (your best chance of recovering gear and preventing it from being resold)
Report Questionable Customers
Make Inquiries about New Customers

Evolution of Renting with Intent to Steal

| PERG News: March 2024 |

The following update is provided by Taylor & Taylor

There have been several phases in the evolution of how criminals rent-to-steal.

“Customers” initially would purchase short-term production insurance for equipment rentals only to never return with the equipment. Short-term insurance became a red flag.
“Customers” then began purchasing annual production insurance for equipment rentals, only to never return the equipment.
“Customers” would buy annual production insurance and claim that the equipment was stolen from them while out on rental. Unlike the earlier generations above, these folks would stay in touch with the rental house, file a police report, and take pictures of the damaged vehicle to show visible signs of entry.
Recently, “customers” have created their own certificates of insurance with fictitious information that may include the broker, production company, insurance carrier and/or policy numbers. The broker or carrier phone numbers listed on some of the certificates will direct you to the thief who will then answer the call and confirm the information on the certificate of insurance is accurate.

Steps to Take When Vetting New Customers

Know your customer or someone who can attest to them being a member of the production community.
KEEP A WATCH ON RENTAL GUARD TO SEE THEFT PATTERNS
AND SUSPICIOUS CUSTOMER ALERTS.
Reach out to other equipment vendors from whom the customer has rented equipment in the past. Do not rely on their references to another production company or person. Use the New Customer Inquiry on RENTAL GUARD and PERG (or other) Slack channels.
Proceed with caution when verifying COIs. Some thieves have taken to creating fraudulent websites for insurance programs and brokers that contain phone numbers and email addresses that will send your communications directly to them. Attempting to verify a certificate of insurance that contains such fraudulent information will only lead you to a “friendly” co-conspirator for confirmation.
Confirm the existence of the corporate entity with the Department of State. This record will also show you the date of first filing. Beware of entities with recent filings unless they are a known entity to your business.
Verify the project exists on which the equipment is intended to be used. Film permits and stage rentals can be verified by independent third parties.
Use Google Earth or a similar website to verify the location of the production company. In many instances the location address provided has turned out to be a storefront P.O. Box service and in one instance it was a vacant lot.
Verify the date a broker or production website was created. One method to do this would be to open the source code with "CTRL+U" (Windows) or "Command+U" (Mac). Look for "date" or "published". Verify the website SSL certificate. A new website should be a red flag.
Get a bank reference and confirm how long the account has been in existence with the bank representative. Again, be wary of co-conspirators verifying an account or credit card.
Never allow a first-time renter to send a courier to pick up the gear regardless of the circumstances.
Get two pieces of corroborating identification from the person renting the gear such as a driver’s license and passport. Take copies of these documents. Some thieves create fake forms of identification or use stolen identities.
Be wary of renters using different email addresses to communicate with you or on the rental paperwork.
Ask the names of local crew members working on the job. If none, have them hire a local crew person known to you and put that person in charge of the gear.
Search the names of the person(s) renting, picking up, providing identification, name of the production company – see how many listings, what type of info is on-line? Is there one hit? Are there any similar names that pop up?
How does the renter promote their company to obtain work?

You can download a PDF of this information here.

PERG Sponsorship 2024

| PERG News: March 2024 |

Despite the downturn in business, PERG is intent on holding all our usual annual events, but we need your support. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the following events.

AICP/PERG Cinco de Mayo Party. May 9. This event, co-hosted by the AICP and PERG, brings key Los Angeles commercial production companies together with PERG members for great evening with Cinco-de-Mayo-themed food, wine, and beer.
PERG Breakfast at Cine Gear. Saturday June 8. A relaxed, full-menu breakfast with exhibitors, rental houses, and colleagues before the show opens. The venue is subject to change depending on where Cine Gear is held.
AICP/PERG Oktoberfest. Date TBD. This is a very popular annual event, co-hosted with the AICP, has capacity attendance each year. The German-themed event features great food, Oktoberfest beer, and wine. In previous years, this year the event has been enhanced by an informative town hall or forum taking place the morning of the party.
PERG Coffee Breaks. Throughout the year PERG will continue to host regular online events. Events that may be of long-term interest are posted on ESTA’s YouTube channel. Type “PERG Coffee Breaks” into the YouTube Search window.

Please contact the PERG Manager for more information about sponsorship!

Coffee Break Survey

| PERG News: March 2024 |

We need your input for future PERG Coffee Breaks. Watch for our upcoming PERG survey and let us know who you would like to have a coffee break with!

The PERG Coffee Breaks have proved to be a successful way for our members to get information. They are well attended and the ones that we post on YouTube receive a considerable number of views. We have covered:

• Sustainability

• Monitor calibration

• Camera features deep dive

• Lighting feature deep dive

• Service questions

• Customer development

• Battery care, transport, and safety

• User Group meetings for specific rental software

• Fraud and Theft

• Diversity in the workforce

• And more

What would you like to hear more about. Rental software? Service questions? Specific equipment demo? New technology? Old technology? Business questions? RFID? Crew gear and consignment? Leasing?

Tell us what’s on your mind. Watch for the PERG Pulse survey in your email box soon.

Online Auction Event

| PERG News: March 2024 |

Attention PERG Members:

Get ready for an exclusive online auction event! Join us for a timed online auction featuring over 850 lots of premium digital cameras, lenses, audio equipment, speakers, projectors, consoles, and gear accessories sourced from PRG's top-of-the-line inventory located in Las Vegas. Brands include Arri, Ayrton, Canon, Christie, ETC, Fuji, High-End, L-Acoustics, Robe, Shure, Sony, Vari*Lite, and Yamaha. The auction will open for bidding on April 16 and will close on Tue, Apr 23 at 10:30 am (PT). Inspection is available on Mon, Apr 22 from 10 am to 4 pm (PT) by appointment only. Whether you're in the market for professional audiovisual equipment for your events, productions, or personal projects, this auction offers a diverse selection to meet your needs. For registration and further details, please visit OVER 850 LOTS: DIGITAL CAMERAS, LENSES, AUDIO, SPEAKERS, PROJECTORS, CONSOLES & GEAR ACCESSORIES - Tiger Commercial & Industrial (soldtiger.com). To contact Tiger, email us at auctions@tigergroup.comor call (805) 497-4999.

Don't miss this opportunity to bid on PRG's top-quality equipment and elevate your audiovisual capabilities!