Spotlight on Production Challenges and Solutions from Cinequipt

Spotlight on:	"Souvenirs"
Customers:	Sam Fisher & Craig Christiansen
Challenge:	Help independent filmmakers get their film with a great story through production. Did we mention that they''re re-creating Iraq & World War II battles in MN?
Solution:	Here’s another production that was able to make their budget go farther at Cinequipt. They took advantage of our large and diverse inventory and the economy of scale it provides. We supplied lighting and grip, generator, camera dolly, support, & Red accessories. Check out their website for more info.

Spotlight on:	“Snack Attack Samurai”
Customers:	Ben Krueger & Cole Koehler - co-directors
Challenge:	Provide camera and lighting & grip equipment on a budget for what might be the ultimate spec spot challenge - the Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" contest.
Solution:	Of over 4,000 entries, a judging panel selected them as 1 of 6 finalists. Help them win by going online at at www.CrashTheSuperBowl.com & vote early & often. Everyday you vote you’re automatically entered into a drawing to win 2 tickets to the Super Bowl.

Spotlight on:	"Tales of the Road-Highway 61"
Customers:	Cathy Wurzer & Palisade Productions
Challenge:	A 13-event, random shooting schedule, complicated by changing Minnesota weather. The same gear is needed for each event, too.
Solution:	Cinequipt's deep rental inventory & the creative work of our rental department make sure that Cathy gets the same camera & audio gear every time, even if the weather or interviewee changes the date. Tales of the Road-Highway 61 Website

Spotlight on:	"A Serious Man"
Customers:	Big Minyan Films
Challenge:	Hollywood comes back to Minnesota.
Solution:	Work with the producers to become the local "first call for help" when additional expendables or gear is needed, or to replace something if their gear goes down. Not that it doesn't help that Executive Producer Robert Graf once worked for us in the lighting & grip department.

Spotlight on:	Beans, Take 2
Customers:	Twist Films
Challenge:	What happens when the shot you thought you had isn't quite what the client had in mind?
Solution:	Our own on-site Studio C can help make things happen quickly & economically. When Twist needed to get another take to satisfy the client, we could squeeze them in on a half-day shoot that ended up pleasing the executive producer, too. Convenient facility, helpful staff, and flexible schedules make shooting at Studio C the producer's choice.

Spotlight on:	"Sweet Land"
Customers:	Ali Selim & Beautiful Motion Pictures
Challenge:	Help a long time customer as he worked to produce and direct his first feature film.
Solution:	Supply the entire production equipment rental package. They took advantage of an economy of scale that it provides. Cinequipt supplied everything on this production – cameras, lighting, grip, generators, dollies, and expendables. Ali & the production departments did the rest, and won the 2007 Independent Spirit Award for the best first feature film.

Spotlight on:	"A Prairie Home Companion"
Customers:	A favorite production manager & Prairie Home Productions
Challenge:	Equip the entire lighting package of the biggest film produced in Minnesota to date.
Solution:	Cinequipt was privileged to work on Robert Altman’s last film. We ended up providing the camera dollies, and some of the camera gear, too. It was a great learning experience for our lighting and camera departments as we absorbed information from this experienced production crew.

Spotlight on:	"Letter"
Customers:	Brew Creative & Twist Films
Challenge:	Shoot a desert scene, in a sand pit, in Minnesota in the middle of winter with next to no budget.
Solution:	The best creative ideas & great customers challenge us to participate. Almost overnight, this production came together. Our gear & their vision collaborated to make it a reality. It won the AdCritic.com Spot of the Day recognition for December 22, 2006. You can watch it at www.youtube.com.

Spotlight on:	"Factotum"
Customers:	A favorite production manager
Challenge:	Shooting a major motion picture is a demanding operation, usually involving crazy production schedules, last-minute changes and a variety of gear packages. Our objective was to keep the crew well-equipped and the production running smoothly.
Solution:	We provided all the lighting, grip and electric gear for the shoot, backed up by our state-of-the-art service and technical expertise.

Putting the spotlight on some of our favorite work.

From Hollywood movies to breakthrough documentaries to brand-building ads, Cinequipt has been there, with our smooth-running equipment and production expertise. We're proud to be associated with such fine creative work.

Here are a handful of samples that demonstrate how we put together the ideal film or video solution, given our customer's specific challenges.