sony voice of customer: dmc & rental houses · sony professional − sony is looking to...

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Sony Voice of Customer: DMC & Rental Houses

April 2011

Authors: Adam Cox, Saida Isamova, Caroline Baines, Melanie Tagg

SONY PROFESSIONAL

2

© 2011 Futuresource Consulting Ltd, all rights reserved

Reproduction, transfer, distribution or storage of part or all of the contents in this document in any form without the prior written permission of Futuresource Consulting is prohibited.

Company Registration No: 2293034

For legal limitations, please refer to the rear cover of this report

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− Background & Methodology 4− Respondent Profiles 8− Executive Summary 21− Additional Respondent Profile Information 28− Working Conditions 54− Workflow 60− Current Camera 80− Decision-Making Process 95− Product Specifications 110− Marketing Communications 138− Additional Comments 169

Contents

3

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Background & Methodology

4

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− Sony is looking to undertake this assignment in order to help it understand customer needs and enable it to deliver innovative products which help to create value. This is a new product development process in which the voice of the customer is being used as the basis for making decisions in terms of design, functionality and features, with the aim being for Sony to come to market with a product which is designed with the customer in mind.

− While Sony is still number one in the overall European camcorder market, it is facing competitive challenges in various segments of the professional camcorder market, in particular, relatively new competitors, such as Arri and Red are growing fast.

− Rather than testing existing features, products and propositions, Sony wants to focus on the end-users’ point- of-view and to better understand how its product should work in order to meet the needs and requirements of users.

− The first stage of this assignment was to conduct a series of focus groups for ENG and DMC in France, Germany and the UK (Spain was not included during this phase).

Background & Methodology

5

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− The second phase was an in-depth programme of telephone interviews conducted in France, Germany (excluding education), Spain (just education) and the UK, focusing on the following sectors;− ENG (including camera operators, Technical Directors and workflow operators)− DMC (including Rental Houses)− Education (buyers and lecturers)− Videographers

● The telephone interviews explored a wide range of issues, including;

− Product/operation aspects, such as usage and feature set requirements, including must have features versus nice to have or not needed

− Technical/technology drivers, such as moves to large format sensors, file based acquisition and metadata requirements

− Creative consideration, for example the look and feel of the product (cosmetic design, portability, usability and flexibility)

− Business considerations, such as the decision making process, what motivates purchases and what factors are taken into account when purchasing

− Importance and relevance of marketing communications.

Background & Methodology (cont’d)

6

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− All interviews were conducted in the respondents’ native language by interviewers who had knowledge and experience of the Broadcast industry.

− This report provides a final review of the interviews conducted within the DMC (42 interviews) and Rental House (23 interviews) segments.− DMC Camera Operators – Camera operators/Directors of Photography that are

working within the Drama, Movies and Commercials side of the business. To include people who are working on high-end productions, e.g. feature films using Arri or Red camcorders and those working on lower-end productions. The research targeted freelancers and those who own their own production company.

− Rental Houses – Companies that are hiring out professional camcorders. Where possible large rental groups were targeted.

− Wherever possible, interviews were conducted with end users/rental companies who primarily handle brands other than Sony in order to understand the strengths and weakness of Sony’s competitors.

− All of the respondents have at least three years experience in their line of work.

Background & Methodology (cont’d)

7

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Respondent base by sector and by country

8 What are the key reason(s) for purchasing/or renting this camera?

Type of Respondent France Germany UK Total

DMC 15 14 13 42

-Freelance 7 6 5 18

-DOP 2 7 9

- Own Production Co. 8 6 1 15

Rental 7 7 9 23

Total 22 21 22 65

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Respondent Profiles – DMC & Rental

9

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Almost two thirds of rental respondents are responsible for purchasing equipment for their rental fleet

10

Q5. Are you responsible for purchasing equipment for your rental fleet?

Overall (23) UK (9) France (7) Germany (7)0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

65%

89%

29%

71%

35%

11%

71%

29%

YesNo

Base = 23

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

DMC respondents have predominantly used digital cameras over the past 3 years, rather than film

11

Q5. How does your % time split between using digital and/or film cameras over the past 3 years?

Overall (42) Freelance own a production company (15)0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

32%

47%

15%

31%

68%

53%

85%

69%

Film

Digital

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

35mm film Super 16mm film0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

89%

15%

− (If Only film) What criteria would have to be met before you would shoot digitally? [Base:1]− ‘I would use Arri Alexa

because it has a contrast range of 13-14 apertures, but the handling is not good enough’ (Freelance, Arri, German)

Amongst those DMC respondents who use film cameras, the majority have used a 35mm size film in their most recent work

12

Q9. (IF FILM) What size film have you most recently worked with?Q10. (IF ONLY FILM) What criteria would have to be met before you would

shoot digitally? (UNPROMPTED)

Base = 27

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Red

Sony

Arri

Panasonic

Canon

Thomson / Grass Valley

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%68%

57%

53%

45%

35%

3%

85%

62%

77%

38%

31%

87%

53%

60%

47%

40%

25%

58%

17%

50%

33%

8%

Overall (40) UK (13) France (15) Germany (12)

Overall, 68% of DMC respondents are currently working with Red. However, in Germany, a bigger proportion are currently working with Sony (58%) compared to Red (25%)

13

Q6. (IF DIGITAL) Could you please tell me which brands of digital camera you are currently working with?

Base = 40

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

On average, DMC respondents have spent nearly a third of their time during the last 3 years working with Red

14

Q7. (IF DIGITAL) Can you please provide an indication of what percentage of your time you have spent working with these brands of digital cameras over the last 3 years?

Base = 36

Red

Sony

Panasonic

Arri

Canon

Thomson/Grass Valley

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%31%

19%

19%

18%

9%

1%

45%

17%

7%

18%

4%

31%

18%

17%

21%

11%

18%

21%

31%

14%

12%

3%


DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Sony cameras are stocked by more than three quarters of rental respondents

15

Q6. Which digital camera brands do you stock?

Base = 23

Sony

Panasonic

Red

Canon

Arri

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

78%

70%

61%

39%

35%

56%

56%

89%

44%

33%

86%

86%

29%

14%

14%

100%

71%

57%

57%

57%


Rental House

- Other brands mentioned were:

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− NOTE: Models mentioned by 10% and above are shown on the chart

Red One Or Red MX Are the most frequently mentioned cameras DMC respondents have worked with recently

16

Q11. (ASK ALL) Which MODELS of cameras do you currently work with or have worked with recently (last 3 years)?Q12. Which of these have you owned and which have you rented over the past 3 years)?

Base = 41

Red One or Red One MX

Arri Alexa

Other Sony

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Other Panasonic

35mm Film Camera

Panasonic HPX-3000

Super 16mm Film Camera.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

63%

41%

24%

22%

20%

17%

12%

10%

Models Owned

Rented

Red One or Red One MX (24) 21% 79%

Arri Alexa (16) 6% 94%

Canon EOS 5D Mark II (8) 50% 50%

35mm Film Camera (2) 50% 50%

Panasonic HPX-3000 (5) 40% 60%

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Overall 81% of DMC respondents rent the cameras they use, 57% only rent and do not own their own cameras


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

43% 43%

11%

81%86%

64%

100%

Own Rent

Q12. Which of these have you owned and which have you rented over the past 3 years)? 17

Base = 37

DMC Camera Operator

Own Only Rent Only Own & Rent

Overall (37) 7 21 9

Freelance (14) 2 8 4

Freelance own production company (14)

5 5 4

DOP (9) 0 8 1

SONY PROFESSIONAL

The primary camera used by DMC respondents tends to be a digital camera, used by 81% of respondents overall

18

Q17. Is this camera a film or digital (electronic) camera?


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

19%

33%

22%

81%

67%

100%

78%

Film

Digital

DMC Camera Operator

Base = 42

SONY PROFESSIONAL

19

RED One / RED One MX is the most frequently carried camera by rental houses

Q11. What cameras do you have in your rental fleet and how many do you have of each?

Number of rentals carrying

these modelsMin Max Mean

Arri Alexa 7 1 6 2.4

Arri D21 3 1 3 1.7

Canon EOS 5D Mark II 4 1 3 2.0

Canon XF305 2 1 6 3.5

Panasonic AG-AF101 9 1 3 1.4

Panasonic AG-HVX201AE 2 3 10 6.5

Panasonic HPX-3000 3 1 2 1.3



RED One/RED One MX 14 1 4 1.9

Sony DSR-450WSPL 2 10 10 10

Sony DSR-570WSP 2 1 5 3

Sony DVW-790P 2 8 20 14

Number of rentals carrying

these modelsMin Max Mean

Sony F23 4 1 2 1.3

Sony F35 3 1 3 2.0

Sony HDW-750P 4 1 7 3.0

Sony HDW-F900 3 1 3 1.7

Sony HDW-F900R 3 1 3 2.0

Sony HVR-Z1E 3 1 7 4.3

Sony HVR-Z7E 3 6 10 8

Sony PMW-EX1/R 7 1 6 3.0

Sony PMW-EX3 8 1 4 2.1

Sony PMW-F3 3 1 3 2.0

Sony SRW-9000PL 1 1 1 1.0

Super 16mm film camera 3 1 3 2.0

35mm film camera 3 1 3 2.0

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− Other models mentioned as most popular include:− Canon XF305− Panasonic AJ-HDX900− Iconix (Unknown model)− Sony PMW-500− Sony DSR-450W− Sony Z7− Panasonic AG-DVX100

Half of those rental houses carrying a RED One / RED One MX said this was their most popular model

Q13. Which cameras are your most popular models?20

Base Most Popular Model Mentions

RED One/RED One MX 14 7

Arri Alexa 7 4

Panasonic AG-AF101 9 1

Canon EOS 5D Mark II 4 1

Sony HDW-750P 4 1

Sony PMW-EX3 8 2

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− 10 respondents are planning to replace some of their camera fleet in the next 12 months. The main reasons for this are:− Old technology (7)− No rental requests anymore (2)− Moving towards HD (1)− “RED rental market is too

congested. As the RED is more technologically advanced than the Sony, clients often require a technician. Sony provides clients with a simple, and therefore more reliable model.” (UK - Combination Rental & Dealer)

Overall, around 40% of the rental houses interviewed are planning to replace some of their camera fleet in the next 12 months

21

Q19. Are you planning on replacing any of your camera fleet in the next 12 months?Q20. (IF YES) What are the main reasons for this?

Overall (23) UK (9) Fra(7) Ger (7)0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

43%

56%

43%

29%

53%

44% 43%

71%

4%

0%

14%

Yes

No

Don't know

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Executive Summary – DMC & Rental

22

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− The Drama, Movies and Commercials segment (DMC) is perhaps the part of the industry that has witnessed the greatest upheaval recently.− Digital cinema cameras have threatened film products for a while, but it has only been over

the past five years that any real inroads have been made.− Most camera operators and directors of photography (DoPs) now have experience of using

digital cameras. The research demonstrated that close to 70% have used a digital camera during the last 3 years.

− Although a third are still using film cameras.

− The vast majority of these have decided to work with the Red One, the camera that kick-started the digital cinema camera revolution in the widest sense.

− Supported by the fact that this is the most popular model for rental houses also.

− Around 70% of DMC respondents have used a Red camera during the last 3 years, and according to those that use Red, it is viewed as being more oriented towards the professional market and to offer fantastic picture quality, coupled with a competitive price. The price of the camera is a key consideration and emerged as the most satisfying aspect of the camera for Red One users during the research.

− However it would appear from the research that Red has become particularly pervasive in the UK and France, but not so in Germany, where Sony is the dominant brand.

Executive Summary (Slide 1 of 5)

23

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− The nature of working within the DMC segment means that cameras can be in use for a significant length of time in any given day, often in hostile conditions such as cold, hot or humid climates.

− A significant number of operators rent multiple cameras at one time, indicating the prevalence of multi-camera shoots, or perhaps concerns over reliability, particularly with digital cameras.

− A number of DMC operators are involved in post production, although only around 15% have a lot of involvement and very few are editing as they shoot.

− The use of metadata is higher within DMC than within some of the other sectors, with a third using metadata on most or every shoot and using metadata as a link to the post production process.

− When talking about the key reasons for purchasing their current camera, ease of use emerged most strongly, although value for money and picture quality were also important factors for DMC camera operators.− It is important to mention that Red is seen to offer great value for money, coupled with

superb picture quality, which are two of the most influential reasons for purchasing.− According to the rental houses, functionality was by far the leading selection criteria for

their clients.


24

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− In general, although DMC operators are very satisfied with the cameras that they use, a range of frustrations were highlighted. However, there were few common themes, aside from issues with the viewfinder.

− Two-thirds would recommend their primary camera to colleagues/peers, further demonstrating their overall satisfaction.− Rental house respondents also stated that their clients are overall very satisfied

with the cameras used, with over 40% saying their clients have no dislikes at all.− In terms of who has purchasing responsibility, it was clear that DOPs and Producers are

key influencers within the DMC sector, a finding which was first highlighted during the focus groups.

− However the key point is that even if they were not the final decision-maker, the vast majority of the DMC operators that took part in the research feel that they can exert influence over purchasing decisions. Therefore the importance of marketing directly to these individuals cannot be over estimated.− Also relevant for the rental sector, where almost two-thirds of the rental

respondents interviewed are responsible for their rental fleet. Furthermore, over two-thirds believe they have some or a strong influence on their clients’ selection decision.


25

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− As already highlighted, picture quality has emerged as a major factor during the research and was also rated as very important by the majority of DMC and rental respondents when deciding which camera to purchase or rent.− Interestingly, price was seen as less important here, although it is clearly a factor

that is considered, as it was raised as a key satisfying element. Perhaps demonstrating that a competitive price is really a bonus and that specification and functionality are actually the key determining factors.

− In terms of functionality and must have features it was clear from the research that DMC operators and rental company clients essentially want a camera which has all the performance and functionality of a film camera, but is digital. This was a finding which also emerged strongly during the DMC focus groups.

− The influence that DMC operators claim to have over purchasing decisions means they are key targets for marketing communication.


26

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− However, there is significant inconsistency between the amount of marketing material being received by those working within DMC and those working within the rental sector.− Rental houses typically receive information very regularly, while this is not the case

among DMC operators. More than 40% of DMC respondents stated that they never hear from the camera manufacturers, whilst only 9% of rental houses never have any contact.

− In addition, the vast majority of rental respondents pass on the information that is received, while this is not the case among DMC respondents.

− It would also seem from the research that DMC operators in Germany receive more information than those in France and the UK. For example, in Germany over a third of respondent said they hear from the manufacturers once a month or more frequently, the highest of the three countries.

− Within both DMC and Rental there is a preference to receive information and be contacted digitally, and in general this is how the camera manufacturers are predominantly making contact.


27

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− In summary, although the DMC sector is clearly very diverse in terms of usage of cameras and the types of productions being worked on, a clear finding is the desire to have a camera which has all the key attributes of a film camera but is digital.

− Although some of the feedback from the rental sector mirrored the findings from the DMC research, there were a number of differences which emerged. For example, in terms of use of multiple cameras on set and reasons for choosing current camera.− E.g. when citing reasons for deciding to use their current camera DMC

respondents highlighted ease of use, followed by value for money, while rental houses believe their clients are looking for functionality first, followed by price.

− However both sectors highlighted that a lighter camera would be of benefit and is a current source of frustration.


28

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Additional Respondent Profile Information – DMC & Rental

29

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Dramas (DMC)

Feature Films (DMC)

Commercials (DMC)

Web

Magazine

New gathering (EMG)

Corporate

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

35%

28%

22%

8%

3%

2%

1%

More than a third of DMC respondents’ time is spent on dramas

30

Q4. (ASK ALL) What type of productions are you typically involved in? And how do these types of productions breakdown by % in terms of your time?

Base = 42

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Other 20%

Music or Pop Promos 8%

Feature Films 14%

Commercials 17%

Corporate Shoots 18%

TV Drama 24%− Other types of production

mentioned:− Documentaries (2)− News (2)− Short Films (2) − Events, Factual TV

entertainment, magazines and Sport broadcast

Overall, TV Drama accounts for the largest proportion of rental revenues

31

Q8. Over the past 12 months, how has your rental revenue approximatelysplit between the following types of production? (%)

Base = 21

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Other 21%


Feature Films 14%

Commercials 17%


TV Drama 24%

Rental revenues by type of production have remained consistent during the last 12 months

32

Q9. What was the split in the 12 month period preceding this? (%)

Base = 20

− Other types of production mentioned:− Documentaries (2)− News (2)− Events, Factual TV

entertainment, Magazines, Short Films and Sport broadcast

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Other 20%


Feature Films 16%

Commercials 16%


TV Drama 23%

Expectations are that rental revenues by type of production will remain fairly stable during the next 12 months

33

Q10. What do you expect the split to be over the next 12 months? (%)

Base = 21

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

In close to 50% of cases the average daily rental rate is between €200-€300

34

Q17. What is the average daily rental rate for cameras?

Base = 20

€100 to €200 25%

€200 to €300 45%

€300 to €400 20%

€600 to €800 5%€1,500+ 5%

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− In the UK close to 60% of rental companies believe it takes 2-3 years for cameras to start providing a return on investment. In Germany the majority of respondents thought between 12 months to 2 years and in France there was little consistency.

Time taken to achieve a return on investment differed widely

35

Q24. What is the required length of time for a camera to start providinga return on investment?

0 to 6 months 6%6 months to 1 year 12%

1 year to 18 months 29%

18 months to 2 years 18%

2 to 3 years 29%

3 to 4years 6%

Base = 17

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Why Arri?

36

Q8. (IF RED/ARRI) Why did you choose Arri or Red cameras and what features/ advantages do you think these cameras have over traditional camera brands such as Panasonic or Sony?

(Alexa)

“Arri is the perfect camera for TV Drama and Feature film due

to its simple menu.” (Germany, Arri Alexa, Freelance)

“The Arri camera is great for films - I have

used it alone since July 2010. Great quality picture and accessories: it is like

the old 35mm.” (France, Arri Alexa,

Freelance own a production company)

“They are not centered around ENG, they are centered around drama and film use, so it is a useful piece of kit to use. As I’m mainly a film-based person they fulfill the

purposes that I need. They take the same accessories as other cameras and they

have a base mounted system that you can use on a variety of different tools such as

steadycams.” (UK, Arri Alexa, DOP)

“Perfect camera, it will last for 10 years.”

(Germany, Arri Alexa, Freelance)

“Arri has filmic picture quality. Initial Red cameras had over-complicated, complex

menus - we don't have time. You only have 3 to 5 days to prep yourself with a camera,

menus need to be simplistic” (UK, Arri Alexa, Freelance)

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Why Arri?

37

Q14. (IF ARRI or RED) Why do your clients choose Arri or Red cameras and what features/advantages do you think these cameras have over traditional camera brands such as Panasonic or Sony?

“Film like picture.” (Germany – Arri Alexa, Rental)

“Price, size and weight.” (Germany – Arri Alexa,

Combination Rental & Dealer)

“More filmic look, used for films(short and long) but commercials and corporate have more money.”

(France – Arri Alexa, Combination Rental & Dealer)

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Red

Why Red?

38

Q8. (IF RED/ARRI) Why did you choose Arri or Red cameras and what features/ advantages do you think these cameras have over traditional camera brands such as Panasonic or Sony?

“What is attractive is the sensor size and chip size, which allows footage with

cinematographic effects, reduced depth of field, high compression. Red images

are beautiful with a shallow depth of field.” (France – Red 1 MX, Freelance)

(Germany, Arri Alexa, Freelance)

“Its more pro and oriented towards film/cinema. Also, I can adapt lenses from 35mm.” (France – Red 1 MX,


“The real cost of a Red camera compared with Sony Super 35 is

fantastic. Red is less than 20k Euros. Lots of people are using Red in

commercials.” (France – Red 1, Freelance own a

production company)

“I only do TV Drama, Red and Arri are the standard here.”

(Germany – Red 1 MX, DOP)

“Red because it is a very specific camera - for both feature films and commercials it offers great special effects and a great picture quality.”

(France – Red 1, Freelance)

“They are basically designed more for the professional market. Panasonics are good for other types of work like

documentaries and smaller productions, but in my line of work

(because of the quality that we require, Red brand has cornered the market).”

(UK – Red 1 MX, Freelance)

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Why Red?

39

Q14. (IF ARRI or RED) Why do your clients choose Arri or Red cameras and what features/advantages do you think these cameras have over traditional camera brands such as Panasonic or Sony?

“The Arri is too expensive for the service is offers. Red offers a far better image. Sony and Panasonic’s technology is out-dated, it was out-dated when it was launched. The Red provides an excellent image that no other manufacturer

can offer. Sony camcorders only provide incremental changes to their cameras, often at

the expense of losing a previous feature.” (UK – Red One & Red One MX, Rental Only)

“They have challenged the market and have proven to be a successful camera. It is recognised as the weapon of choice.” (UK - Red One & Red One MX, Rental

Only)

“They have a very cinematic approach whereas Sony and Panasonic are more

broadcast.” (France – Red One & Red One MX,

Rental Only)

“The brand and their reputation from previous models.”

(UK – Red One & Red One MX, Rental Only)

“Value for money, it has better resolution, format and picture quality.”

(UK - Red One & Red One MX, Rental Only)

“Best camera in terms of quality, image and cinematic optics.”

(UK – Rental Only) One MX, Rental Only)

“Easy to use.” (Germany – Red One & Red One MX, Rental Only)

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Just one

Two identical cameras

More than two identical cameras

Depends on job

More than two

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

40%

40%

7%

7%

7%

When DMC Cameramen rent their cameras they will typically rent one or two cameras

40

Q13. (IF RENTED) How many cameras do you typically rent at one time?

Base = 30

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

In 70% of cases, clients typically rent just one camera

41

Q16. How many cameras do your clients typically rent at one time?

Base = 23

Just one Two identical cameras0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%70%

30%

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Only 1 20%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

68%

32%

In close to 70% of cases rental companies believe that on average only 1 camera is used for each shoot

42

Q15. On average, how many cameras are typically used for each shoot?

Base = 22

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Overall, on average DMC respondents rent a camera for 26 weeks during a typical year

43

Q14. (IF RENTED) In a typical YEAR, what is the average number of weeks you would rent a camera for?Q15. (IF RENTED) How does this vary by production type

Overall (26) DOP (9) Freelance (12)Freelance own a

production company (5)

23 weeks 27 weeks 27 weeks 7 weeks

France (8) Germany (8) UK (10)

26 weeks 16 weeks 26 weeks

Drama (17) Feature Films (10) Commercials (9)

26 weeks 22 weeks 16 weeks

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Average number of weeks a camera is rented

out for by production type

44

Q25. In a typical year, what is the average number of weeks a camera is rented out for?Q26 How does this vary by production type?

Overall (Base =18)

France (4) Germany (6) UK (8)

19 17 11 25

Drama (Base = 14)

Feature film (Base = 13)

Commercials (Base = 13)

7 7 8 Days

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

More than one third of DMC respondents primarily use Red One or Red One MX

45

Q16. Which camera do you primarily use (brand & model)?

Red One or Red One MX

Arri Alexa

Other Panasonic

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Other Arri

Arricam ST/LT

Panasonic AJ-HPX3100

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

34%

27%

12%

7%

5%

5%

5%

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Respondents typically see their rental camcorders being used for all three DMCapplications

Q12. Which cameras are used for drama, feature films and commercials?

− The one exception is the Canon EOS 5D Mark II which is primarily being rented out to shoot commercials.

46

Base Drama Feature Films Commercials All three applications Don't know

RED One/RED One MX 14 3 2 2 5 3

Panasonic AG-AF101 9 1 0 1 7 1

Sony PMW-EX3 8 1 0 1 5 2

Arri Alexa 7 2 1 0 3 1

Sony PMW-EX1/R 7 0 0 0 5 2

Canon EOS 5D Mark II 4 0 0 3 1 0

Panasonic HPX-3700 4 0 0 0 3 1

Sony F23 4 0 0 0 3 1

Sony HDW-750P 4 1 0 1 3 0

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Batteries/battery chargers

Tripod systems

Camera bags

Lenses

Lights

Monitors

Matteboxes

Microphones

Filters

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

78%

65%

48%

35%

30%

26%

17%

9%

9%

Batteries and tripods are the types of equipment which are most likely to be included in the rental rate

47

Q18. If other items are included in this rental rate, what are they?

Base = 23

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

In half of cases, the producer influences the decision on which camera to use

48

Q22. Who influences the decision on which camera to use? (MULTIPLE)

Base = 22

Producer

Director of Photography

Director

Production Company

Camera Operator

Rental Company

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

50%

41%

23%

14%

9%

9%

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

In 45% of cases, the Director of Photography makes the final decision on which camera to use

49

Q23. Who makes the final decision on which camera to use? (MULTIPLE)

Base = 22

Director of Photography

Producer

Production Company

Camera Operator

Director

Lighting Cameraman

Rental Company

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

45%

36%

14%

9%

5%

5%

5%

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− Two companies are planning to replace their RED One / RED One MX(s). One company will replace it with a RED Epic, the other with a Sony PMW-F3.

− One company is planning to replace a Super 16mm film camera with an Arri Alexa.− Four other companies are planning to replace different cameras, although none

mentioned the replacement model. To be replaced were:− Sony HDW-750P

− Sony DSR-450W

− Sony DSR-570WSP

− Panasonic AG-HMC151.

Brand/Models which are due to be replaced within the next 12 months

Q21. (IF YES) Which cameras are due to be replaced over the next 12 months and which cameras are you expecting to replace them with?50

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Respondent Profiles− More than a third of the DMC respondents’ time is spent working on dramas, with just under

30% of their time spent working on feature films.− Within the rental sector, when looking at how rental revenues break down between the

different types of productions, TV dramas accounted for the highest proportion at close to a quarter. The split between the different types of productions has not changed markedly during the last 12 months and is not expected to change significantly over the next 12 months.− In general most of the rental houses believe that the majority of the cameras they stock

are used to film across all 3 DMC applications.− Close to 70% of DMC operators have used a digital camera during the last 3 years, this is

highest for freelancers who own their own production company.− Overall, 68% of the DMC operators who took part in the research are working with Red

cameras, use of Red is highest in France, with 87% working with Red cameras and lowest in Germany, with only a quarter working with a Red camera.− In Germany, Sony is used by a higher number of DMC operators.

− In terms of brands stocked by rental houses, Sony is the most prevalent, stocked by close to 80%, followed by Panasonic (70%) and Red (61%).− Models most frequently mentioned included the RED One/RED One MX, followed by the

Panasonic AG-AF101 and the Sony PMW-EX3.− Half of the rental companies which stock RED One/RED One MX said it was their most

popular model.

Key Findings – DMC & Rental (Slide 1 of 3)

51

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Respondent Profiles (cont’d)

− Around a third of DMC respondents’ time is spent working with Red cameras, with the Red One or Red One MX the most frequently mentioned model that has been worked with recently.− In addition, more than a third of the DMC respondents who took part in the survey

said that a Red One or Red One MX was their primary camera. − Of those DMC camera operators working with film cameras, the majority are using

35mm film.− When asked about rental habits, an equal number of DMC operators rent 1 camera as

rent 2 identical cameras (40% each) and, on average, cameras are rented for 23 weeks during the year, although this did vary according to production and type of DMC operator.

− The view from rental houses is different, 70% believe that one camera is used on each shoot rather than multiple cameras, this is further supported by the fact that the rental house respondents claim that in 70% of cases renters are renting one camera only.

− The number of weeks in a year that a camera is typically rented out for differed significantly between the countries, with cameras being rented for the longest period of time in the UK and the shortest time in Germany.


52

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Respondent Profiles (cont’d)

− Close to half of the rental respondents said the average daily rate for renting out a camera is between €200-€300.− Where other types of equipment are included in the daily rental rate, it is batteries and

tripods which are most likely to be part of the overall package price.− When asked about replacement expectations over the next 12 months, around 40% of the

rental houses interviewed said they are planning to replace some of their fleet.− However, in Germany close to three-quarters of the rental houses have no plans to

replace any of their camera fleet.− When asked about replacement expectations over the next 12 months, around 40% of the

rental houses interviewed said they are planning to replace some of their fleet.− However, in Germany close to three-quarters of the rental houses have no plans to

replace any of their camera fleet.− In terms of decision making with regard to which camera to use, half the rental houses

interviewed believe that the producer is the major influencer, while 45% believe the DOP (Director of Photography) makes the final decision, compared to a third who think it is the producer who also makes the final decision.

− The issue of the length of time taken to make a return on investment yielded various responses, however the majority of responses fell within the 1-3 year time frame.


53

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Working Conditions – DMC

54

DMC

SONY PROFESSIONAL

In almost 50% of cases, in a typical working day, cameras are in use for between 8-10 hours

55

Q18. In a typical working day how long are the cameras in use for?

Overall (41)

UK (13)

France (14)

Germany (14)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

15%

7%

36%

5%

14%

49%

31%

65%

50%

29%

69%

21%

2%

7%

No average

Over 10 hours

8-10 hours

5-7 hours

Less than 5 hours

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Overall close to 80% of DMC respondents sometimes or always use their camera in conjunction with another camera?

56

Q19. Is your camera used in conjunction with another camera?


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

21% 22% 20% 22%

43% 45% 47%33%

36% 33% 33%45%

No

Sometimes

Yes

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− Other productions mentioned:− Music promos, Newsgathering and Corporate

Average length of the production in terms of shooting days

57

Q20. What is the average length of your productions in terms of shooting days?

Overall 2011 (41) Freelance (18)Freelance own a

production company (15) DOP (8)

Dramas 31 37 20 30

Feature Films 54 50 63 48

Commercials 9 12 9 2

Documentaries 21 12 27 10

Magazines 11 30 2 1

Other 7 - 14 1

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Typical budget for the type of production respondents are involved in

58

Q21. (IF DMC) What is the typical budget for the type of productions you are involved in?

Average Min Max

Dramas €2,262,526 €10,000 €11,400,000

Feature Films €17,701,890 €548,240 €88,000,000

Commercials €133,390 €10,000 €440,000

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Budget# DMC Camera

OperatorsPrimary Camera

Less than €1m 8 Red One / One MX (x4); Arri Alexa (x2); Arri SR3; Arricam ST/LT

€1m to €4.99m 2 Red One / One MX; Arri Alexa

€5m plus 3 Red One / One MX; Arri Alexa; Panavision Millennium X

Feature film budget and cameras

Budget# DMC Camera


Less than €100,0004 Red One / One MX; Arri Alexa; Panasonic AJ-HPX3000;

Panasonic AJ-HPX3700

€100,000 to €499,9994 Red One / One MX; Arri Alexa; Arricam ST/LT; Panasonic AG-

HVX200

€500,000 plus 1 Panavision Millennium X

Commercials budget and cameras

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Budget# DMC Camera


Less than €1m 5Red One / One MX; Arri Alexa; Arriflex D-21; Canon EOS 5D MkII; Panasonic AJ-HPX3700

€1m to €1.99m 5 Red One / One MX (x2); Arri Alexa; Arri SR3; Panasonic AJ-HPX3100

€2m plus 5 Red One / One MX (x3); Arri Alexa; Arricam ST/LT

Drama budget and cameras

Camera Price Bracket Drama (33) Feature Films (23) Commercials (27)

High end €30k plus 49% 52% 37%

Mid range €10k to €29.9k 39% 44% 41%

Low end sub €10k 12% 4% 22%

Price bracket of primary camera by type of productions

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Working Conditions

− With regard to DMC, the length of time a camera is in use varies significantly depending on the production. However, in almost 50% of cases, cameras are in use for 8-10 hours during a typical day.− Daily usage is highest in the UK and lowest in Germany.

− In two-thirds of cases, cameras are used in conjunction with other cameras in the DMC sector.

− The average length of a production in terms of shooting days varied significantly, as would be expected, depending on the type of production. The longest number of days is typically spent on feature films and the shortest time is spent on commercials.− There is also a huge variation in terms of the budget for productions.

Key Findings - DMC

61

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Workflow – DMC & Rental

62

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

No 35%

Yes 65%

− Type of advice offered:− “Everything from designing

workflow to editing the final shoot.” (UK – Rental)

− “Depends on the project, type of post production, colour grading, editing software used etc.” (France – Red One & Red One MX, Rental)

− “Specific advice related to a specific camera, e.g. the key features/problems with the camera. Advice on best practice.” (UK – Combination Rental & Dealer)

Two-thirds of rental houses are offering advice on workflow

63

Q28. Do you offer advice on workflow? If so, what do you say?

Base = 23

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Almost 4 in 10 DMC respondents have no involvement in the post production of the production they work on

64

Q22. How much involvement do you have with the post production of the productions you work on? (Routing question)

I edit as well as shoot my content A lot Some None at all

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

In 35% of cases, DMC respondents’ cameras record onto memory card

65

Q23. Does the camera you use most often record onto tape, film, memory card, hard disk or a combination?

Other Combination Tape and memory card Tape Hard disc and memory card Hard-disk Drive Film Memory card

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Memory card Hard-disk Drive Tape Optical Disk0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

74%

39%

17% 13%

Three-quarters of the cameras being rented out record onto memory card

66

Q27. Do the cameras you rent out most often record onto film, tape, memory card, optical disk, or hard-disk drive? (MULTIPLE)

Base = 23

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

DMC Camera Operators (40) Rental Houses (23)0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

58%

74%

18%

35%39%

13%17%

13%

Memory card

Film

Hard-disk Drive

Tape

Optical Disk

None of the rental houses said the cameras they rent out most often record onto film – although 18% of DMC Camera Operators said the camera they use most often records onto film

67Does the camera you use / rent out most often record onto tape, or onto a non-linear media such as disc or a memory card?

DMC Camera Operator

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− (IF NO) In what situations are you transferring to tape? [Base: 5]− ‘Delivery to client’ (4)− ‘Archive’ (2)− ‘Transfer between sites’

(1)− ‘Back up on set’ (1)− ‘Only for 35mm copy’ (1)

Of those DMC respondents using non-tape, the

majority have a completely non-tape workflow

68

Q24. (IF NON-TAPE) Is your workflow completely non-tape?Q25. (IF NO) In what situations are you transferring to tape?


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

74%67%

78% 80%

26%33%

22% 20%

No

Yes

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Why DMC respondents are transferring to tape?

69

Q26. Situations transferring to tape - Why is this?

“Only for 35mm copy. I do all post production in digital then scan images to do 35mm copy to

distribute to cinemas.” (France – Arri Alexa, Freelance)

“Requires extra person on set. Takes more time at the end of the day. Rarely lose takes but this has happened! Misunderstanding i.e. not understanding that tapeless workflow has

many different systems” (UK – Red 1, DOP)

“Transfer between sites, archive, delivery to client and back up on set. In order to complete the post

process. It happens digitally in either the editing or the grading,

even if it originated on film.” (UK – Arri Cam LT, DOP)

“Archive, delivery to client. Client wants a physical object .”

(Germany - Panasonic HPX-3000, Freelance own a

production company)

“Delivery to client, because it is a film based camera.”

(UK - Arri Alexa Studio35 , Freelance

Respondents are predominantly transferring to tape to deliver

to clients.

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Hard Disk is the most popular way of backing

up data for DMC respondents

70

Q27. How do you back up the data?

Base = 37

To hard disk To Videotape To PC To LTO tape0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

92%

5% 3% 3%

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

To hard-disk To PC To videotape0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

95% 18% 9%

Rental companies said that the vast majority of their clients back up data using hard disk

71

Q29. How do your clients back up their data?

Base = 22

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Problems DMC respondents find with tape-based and tapeless workflow

72

Q28. What problems do you have with your tape-based workflow? Q29. What problems do you have with your tapeless workflow?

“A few glitches with cards. Must have high quality memory cards and many

of them.” (UK – Arri Alexa, Freelance)

“Requires extra person on set. Takes more time at the end of the day. Rarely lose takes but this has happened! Misunderstanding i.e. not understanding that tapeless

workflow has many different systems”

(UK – Red 1, DOP)

“Sometimes if we are filming, for example explosions, with a memory stick they don't like it.

Anything that vibrates too much stops it recording. The same thing happens sometimes with hard drives if you are

filming in a car, it doesn't like the movement.”

(UK – Red 1 MX, Freelance)

“Problem is one of standards - they change with the cameras and manufacturers

(codecs). So we have to evolve our post-production in conjunction with these.”

(France – Red 1, Freelance)

Problems experienced with tapeless workflow were quite

broad

No problems cited with tape-based workflow.

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

AVID Final Cut Pro Adobe Premier Flame0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

65%

54%

12%8%

AVID and Final Cut Pro are the most mentioned tools used during post production by DMC respondents

73

Q30. What tools are you using in post production?

Base = 26

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

More than one third of DMC respondents never use Metadata

74

Q31. How much do you use metadata?

Overall (32)

Freelance (15)

Freelance own a production company (8)

DOP (9)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

22%

27%

25%

11%

13%

13%

13%

11%

3%

11%

28%

20%

25%

45%

34%

40%

37%

22%

Never

Rarely

Occasionally

Most shoots

Every shoot

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

In terms of Metadata - what is important?

75

Q32. (IF USE METADATA) What is important for you in terms of metadata?

“Dates and camera operator information”

(Germany – Panasonic HPX – 3700, Freelance own a production company)

“Day it was shot, interior, exterior, lens, filter and

exposure” (UK – Red 1, DOP)

“Measurements and lens size.” (UK – Arri Alexa, DOP)

“Use all the technical details of the shot, even want the hook it is shot with. Perfect if you can scroll back

to see the shot” (Germany – Arri Alexa, Freelance)

Mixed views were cited on what is important in terms of metadata

“A lot for colour grading, but not me and not in 35mm, but good in order to have info on temp of colour, camera sensitivity, enables original picture to be more coherent”

(France – Red 1 MX, Freelance own a production company)

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Is there a link to post production via Metadata?

76

Q33. Is there any link to Post Production via metadata e.g. ASC CDL?

“All picture information can have even information on focus, iris is important particularly when using special effects. It is also important to have information to match back e.g. colour, lighting etc.” (France –

Red 1 MX, Freelance own a production company)

“Yes keep link along the whole chain” (France – Red 1,

Freelance)

“Yes, they appreciate all the metadata.” (Germany – Panasonic

HPX-300, Freelance own production company)

“The camera assistant enters metadata, Ram-cards go to the

postproduction house” (Germany – Red 1 MX, DOP)

The balance was a mix of ‘no’, ‘unaware’ or ‘ not involved’ in

post production

Links cited were quite broad

- Almost a quarter of respondents advised that there was a link to post production via metadata

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Only 20% of DMC respondents use on-set colour grading

77

Q34. Do you use any on-set color grading? E.g. Speedgrade?


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

20%25%

13%

22%

80%75%

87%

78%

Yes

No

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Yes 17%

Don't know 30%

No 53%

Over half (53%) of rental company clients do not use any on-set colour grading according to rental houses

78

Q30. Do your clients use any on-set color grading? E.g. Speedgrade?

Base = 23

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Why use on-set colour grading?

79

Q31. Why is this?

“The camera operator does grading before it goes to post production for optimising results.” (Germany – Red One & Red One MX, Rental

Only)

“Influence cameraman over post production.” (Germany – Arri Alexa,

Combination Rental and Dealer)

“We provide it as a company as we have our own post production facilities.”


“To have more precise film image rendering.”


Why use on-set colour grading?

“Generally there is no time.” (France – Red One & Red One MX, Rental

Only)

“Clients don’t really know how to use it, they prefer to edit on location rather than grading

on location.” (UK – Red One/Red One MX,

Rental Only)

“Not used in news or corporate, more for cinema.”

(France – Combination Rental and Dealer)

“As it is new technology, clients do not know how to use it.”

(UK – Rental Only)Most do not use on-set colour grading

“Do not use in news etc.” (France - Combination

Rental & Dealer)

“Colour grading isn’t an issue with the Red, metadata is often used instead.” (UK – Red One & Red One MX, Rental

Only)

“It is part of post production.” (Germany – Canon EOS 5D Mark II,


Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Work Flow

− Close to 40% of DMC camera users have no involvement in post production, while only 14% have a lot of involvement and just 2% editing as they shoot.

− Over a third of DMC operators are recording onto a memory card, while 17% use tape. Use of memory cards is highest amongst freelancers who own their own production company and lowest amongst DOPs.− Where rental houses are concerned, three-quarters of the cameras which are being

rented out record onto memory card, while around 17% use tape.− Of those DMC camera operators who are using non-tape based solutions, three-quarters

have a completely non-tape workflow.− When DMC respondents are transferring to tape it is typically to deliver content to

clients, or for archiving.− Two-thirds of rental houses stated that they offer advice to their customers on workflow.

The type of advice given could be related to aspects of use for specific cameras or could be on the workflow process itself.

− Hard disk is by far the main method used by both DMC camera operators and rental house customers to back-up data, being used in over 90% of cases in both sectors.


80

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Work Flow (cont’d)

− When discussing tools used by DMC camera operators in post production, Avid and Final Cut Pro were mentioned most often.

− Use of metadata varies, with a third of DMC respondents using metadata on most or every shoot, while a third never use it.− Although, almost a quarter of respondents did advise that there is a link to post

production via metadata.− Of the DMC operators that took part in the research only 1 in 5 are using on-set colour

grading. − Rental houses concurred, saying half their clients do not use onset colour grading,

while they believe that a third of their clients do not know how to use it.− The main reasons why onset colour grading is not used, according to rental

houses, is because of a lack of time or because clients are not sure how to do it.


81

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Current Camera – DMC & Rental

82

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Ease of use

Value for money

Picture Quality

Cost

Futureproofed technology

Functionality

Reliability

Durability

Ergonomics (design)

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

31%

24%

24%

21%

19%

14%

12%

10%

10%

− Other Comments mentioned:− “A real HD which is the double

of standard HD, whilst Sony and Panasonic have quite small HD cameras. Red is revolutionary.” (Freelance, France, RED One)

− “Depth of field, Amount of grading, PL mount lenses.” (DOP, UK, RED One)

− “Zeiss lenses, up to 75 Pictures.” (Freelance, Germany, Arri Other)

− “Simpler workflow.” (Freelance own a production company, France, RED One)

Nearly one third of DMC respondents mentioned ‘Ease of use’ as the key reason for selecting their camera

83

Q35. Thinking about the camcorder you primarily use what are the key reason(s) for purchasing/or renting this camera?

Base = 42

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Reasons for purchase by camera price bracket

84

Q35. Thinking about the camcorder you primarily use what are the key reason(s) for purchasing/or renting this camera?

DMC Camera Operator

Arri (15) RED (14) Panasonic (7) High End (17) Mid Range (17) Low End (7)

1 Ease of use47%

Value for money43%

Ease of use43%

Ease of use41%

Value for money35%

Value for money43%

2Picture Quality

40%Cost36%

Futureproofed Technology

43%

Picture Quality35%

Cost35%

Picture Quality 43%

3 Reliability20%

Functionality21%

Value for money29%

Reliability24%

Functionality24%

Functionality29%

4 Durability20%

Ease of use21%

Functionality29%

Durability24%

Ease of use24%

Ease of use29%

5 Futureproofed technology

20%

Customer / producer choice

29%

Futureproofed Technology

18%


24%

Ergonomics (aesthetics)

14%

6 Ergonomics (Design)

20%

Cost14%

Ergonomics (design)

18%

Cost14%

7 Low noise20%

Format14%

Accessories18%


14%

8 Accessories13%

Low Noise18%

Format14%

9 Viewfinder quality13%

Viewfinder Quality12%

Customer/producer choice14%

10 Versatility12%

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Almost half (48%) of rental respondents mentioned ‘Functionality’ as the key reason for clients choosing a particular camera

85

Q32. What are the key reasons for your clients choosing a particular camera?

Base = 23

Functionality

Price

Value for money

Reliability

Ease of use

Recommendation from colleague/friend/dealer etc

Picture Quality

Brand Reputation

Picture look e.g. filmic

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55%

48%

30%

17%

13%

13%

13%

9%

9%

9%

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Two thirds of DMC responders are ‘extremely likely’ to recommend the camera they primarily

use to their colleagues

Q.36 How likely are you to recommend this model of camera to colleagues / peers?86

Overall (40) Arri (15) RED (12) Panasonic (7) Canon (4)0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

5% 7% 8%

30%

7%

59%

43%

65%

86%

33%

57%

100%

5 = extremely likely

4

3

2

1 = not at all likely

DMC Camera Operator

High End (17)

Mid Range

(17)

Low End (7)

5 = extremely likely 88% 35% 71%

4 6% 47% 29%

3 6% 6% 0%

2 0% 0% 0%

1 = not at all likely 0% 0% 0%

SONY PROFESSIONAL

What satisfies you most about your camera?

87

Q37. What satisfies you most about the camera you purchased/rented most recently?

“A simple menu, not too many pixels and a good sensor.”

(Germany – Arri Alexa, Freelance)

“It is built to last” (UK – Arri Alexa Studio 35,

Freelance)“Reliable, easy to use and well tested.” (Germany – Arri Cam

ST/LT, Freelance)

Arri Alexa camera operators cited picture quality (5), simplistic menus (2) and high quality accessories (3)

as key elements of satisfaction

“Its my favorite camera, I like the fact that accessories are

for film; not TV.” (France – Arri Alexa,

Freelance)

“Picture quality, great brand and high quality accessories.”

(France – Arri Alexa, Freelance own a production company)

“Arri Alexa is the break through: It has perfect surroundings, all the accessories

fit and a larger contrast range to 14 apertures as opposed to 10.”

(Germany – Arri SR3, Freelance)

“Very good exposure ratio, can cope with 14 stops per

latitude.” (UK – Arri Alexa, Freelance)

“Its simplicity. It doesn't have excessively complicated menus, it does do what it says on the

can unlike the Red cameras which have fairly complex systems. They have a system of image capturing, they have a certain range of light they

can accept but that varies according to the distance you are in. With an Alexa, it has a range

that it accepts and maintains so it is more predictable.”

(UK – Arri Alexa, DOP)

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

What satisfies you most about your camera?

88

Q37. What satisfies you most about the camera you purchased/rented most recently?

“The fact it is autonomous at an affordable price”

(France – Red 1 MX, Freelance own a production company)

“Cheaper than the Arri Alexa.” (France – Red 1 MX, Freelance)

Red camera operators cited price (3) as a key satisfaction

element

“Great pictures; almost as good as 35mm.”

(Germany – Red 1 MX, DOP)

“The flexibility of the picture, when you have the raw image, you can

then really do a lot to it.” (France - Red 1, Freelance)

“No major problems, always reliable.”

(UK – Red 1, Freelance)

“Ease of use and price.” (France – Red 1 MX, Freelance

own a production company)

“Quality achieved with costs under 6,000 Euros including

lenses” (Germany – Canon 5D, Freelance)

“Picture quality.” (Germany – Canon 5D,


Canon DSLR operators cited picture quality (3) and price (2) as

key elements of satisfaction

“I like it - its familiar (as I’ve used it for stills before), the picture quality is

fantastic, it has a larger sensor so you have a pleasing depth of field

and quite a big range of choices due to the back focus on the Canon lens

(which is longer than other manufacturers). Also, you can do

things that you cannot do with Arri, for example, put it on a bike.”

(France – Canon 7D, Freelance own a production company)

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− Depth of field like that on 35mm cameras, 4K resolution, sensitivity (light), large sensor, ability to work in poorly lit conditions.” (France – Red One & Red One MX, Rental Only)

− “Iconix is a unique bullet-like camera with HD quality so it can go into burrows and trees etc.” (UK – Combination Rental & Dealer)

Rental houses said functionality was by far the most mentioned camera aspect from their clients perspective (61%)

89

Q33. What do your clients like about the cameras?

Base = 23

Functionality

Reliability

Size & Weight

Picture quality

After sales service and support

Latest technology

Cost

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

61%

22%

13%

13%

9%

9%

9%

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

None

Viewfinder

Ergonomics

Weight

Firmware bugs

Functionality

Size

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%33%

17%

10%

10%

7%

5%

5%

40%

27%

7%

7%

29%

14%

14%

7%

21%

14%

7%

57%

14%

14%

Overall (42)

Arri (15)

RED (14)

Panasonic (7)

One third of DMC respondents have no frustrations with their camera

90

Q38. What frustrations do you have with this camera? (Probe)

Base = 42

DMC Camera Operator

− No frustrations with the:● Red One / One MX (x4)● Arri Alexa (x3)● Arri Cam ST/LT (x2)● Panasonic AJ-HPX3100 (x2)● Panasonic Unknown Model (x2)

− Viewfinder issues with:● Arri Alexa (x3)● Red One / One MX (x2)● Arri SR3

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− Format confusion.” (Germany – Arri Alexa, Combination Rental & Dealer)

− “Some of the old-school users of film cameras find using digital degrading to their sensibilities.” (UK – Red One & Red One MX, Rental Only)

43% of rental houses claimed their clients did not have any dislikes about the cameras they used. Where dislikes were mentioned, size and weight were cited most frequently

91

Q34. What do your clients dislike about the cameras?

Base = 21

Nothing Size & Weight Cost Reliability0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

43%

24%

14%10%

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

How could your camera make your job easier?

92

Q39. Thinking about your day-to-day role, how could your camera make your job easier?

“Lighter weight. A big problem with digital stuff is that it imposes

technology on set, whereas with film, we just needed one person to

change the film. It’s a lot more laborious now.”

(France – Arri D21, Freelance)A quarter of respondents cited

lighter cameras would make their job easier

“Make it lighter.” (Germany – Red 1 MX, DOP)

“Ability to switch eyepiece over (viewfinder) would be very helpful and a more adaptable support system is required for the eyepiece i.e. bendy so you can put it in any position.”

(UK – Arri Alexa, Freelance)

A few respondents cited that a superior eye piece/view finder

would be beneficial

“Being able to record straight on to cards, use a wide range of lenses and having a decent

eye piece.” (UK – Arri Alexa, DOP)

“Viewfinder could be larger.” (Germany – Arri Alexa, Freelance)

“Interchangeable affordable chip cards.” (Germany – Canon 5D,


Other Comments

“Ergonomics are a problem, not convinced re rig. Balance - weight of

lens pulls camera down at front” (France – Canon 7D, Freelance own a

production company)

“Would prefer to need to use less lighting, to be quicker when

filming” (France – Red 1 MX, Freelance)

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

How could a camera make a clients’ job easier?

93

Q35. Thinking about your clients’ day-to-day roles, how could a camera make their job easier?

“Option of instant playback.” (UK – Rental Only)

“Workflow and compatibility.” Germany – Red One & Red One MX,

Rental Only))

How could a camera make a

clients’ job easier?

“Fully tapeless work flow and memory cards.” (Germany - Panasonic AG-

AF101, Rental Only)

“Affordable with interchangeable cards or media.”

Germany – Arri Alexa, Rental Only)

“Robustness, no codec.” (Germany - Arri Alexa, Combination

Rental & Dealer)

“Cheap and accessible media.” (UK – Red One & Red One MX,

Rental Only)

“As the cameras are very complex and growing increasingly more complex, people often need a

technician to give them confidence.” (UK – Combination

Rental & Dealer)

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

How could a camera make a clients’ job easier?

94

Q35. Thinking about your clients’ day-to-day roles, how could a camera make their job easier?

“Trend is towards the very small. I would like them to be a bit bigger, shoulder camcorders

but lightweight.” (France – Combination Rental & Dealer)

“Work with quite basic cameras, but they are now more fragile. Also, when the card blows

the repair takes weeks and the camera is out of action.” (France – Rental Only)

How could a camera make a clients’ job

easier? “They could be taught how to use

the features on the camera.” (UK – Red One & Red One MX,

Rental Only)

“Weight reduction.” (France – Combination Rental &

Dealer)

Rental House

“Cameras need a simpler way to sync to the sound technician. The menu systems on the

camera also need to be simplified.” (UK – Red One & Red One MX, Rental Only)

“If cameras were cheaper, filmmakers could buy their own. The companies would sell more and the film-makers

would make more.” (UK – Red One & Red One MX,

Rental Only)

“Professional audio input.” (Germany - – Red One & Red One

MX, Rental Only)

“Ease of use.” (Germany - Canon EOS 5D Mark II,

Combination Rental & Dealer )

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Current Camcorder

− The key reason among DMC camera operators overall for purchasing or renting their current camera was ease of use, cited by a third of respondents. This was followed by value for money and picture quality, which was mentioned by a quarter of respondents.− Rental respondents however, said functionality was the leading reason why their

clients choose particular cameras, followed by price.− Within the DMC sector, key elements of satisfaction with their camera differed by brand:

Red users were more likely to cite price as the key satisfying element, while Arri users highlighted picture quality and Canon users mentioned picture quality and price.− Rental houses on the other hand cited functionality once again as the camera

aspect that is most liked by their clients, this was followed by reliability. − When talking about frustrations with their current camcorder, a third of DMC

respondents could not think of any. The remaining DMC respondents highlighted a number of issues, with close to 1 in 5 mentioning issues with the viewfinder.


95

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Current Camcorder (cont’d)

− 43% of rental houses stated that their clients dislike nothing about the cameras used. Those who did mention aspects of the cameras that they do dislike, were most likely to mention size and weight.− Other dislikes included cost and reliability.

− DMC respondents were also asked what would make their job easier, with a quarter highlighting a lighter camera.

− Despite highlighting some frustrations, two-thirds of DMC respondents would recommend their current brand/model of camera to a colleague or peer.


96

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

The top 10 most important reasons for purchasing or renting a particular camera

97 What are the key reason(s) for purchasing/or renting this camera?

DMC Camera Operators (42) Rental Houses (23)

1 Ease of use31%

Functionality48%

2 Value for money24%

Cost30%

3 Picture Quality24%

Value for money17%

4 Cost21%

Ease of Use13%

5 Futureproofed technology19%

Reliability13%

6 Functionality14%

Brand13%

7 Reliability12%

Picture Quality9%

8 Durability10%

Picture Look e.g. Filmic9%

9 Ergonomics (design)10%

Size & Weight4%

10 Customer/producer choice7%

Ergonomics (design)4%

DMC Camera Operators (42)

Rental Houses (21)

1 None33%

None43%

2 Viewfinder17%

Size & Weight24%

3 Ergonomics10%

Cost 14%

4 Weight10%

Reliability10%

5 Firmware Bugs7%

Dislikes/Frustrations with their most used/popular camera

DMC Camera Operator

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Decision-Making Process – DMC & Rental

98

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Freelance DMC Cameraman (includes some respondents) Director0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

27%

34%32%

15%

10%7%

In 34% of cases, the Producer has the final decision on which product to rent/purchase

99

Q40. Who makes the final decision on which product to rent/purchase?

Base = 41

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Don't Know 5 = Very Important 4 3 2 1 = Not at all Important

‘Picture quality’ followed by ‘Reliability’ were rated as the most important features by DMC respondents

100

Q41. Could you please rate the following key decision making criteria in terms of importance when deciding which type of camera to purchase/use? Using scale of 1-5, where 1= Not at all important and 5= Very Important

Base = 42

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Picture Quality

Reliability

Ease of use

Features

After sales service and support

Price

Relationship with Manufacturer

Relationship with Dealer

Brand

1 2 3 4 5

5

4.94

4.59

4.12

3.73

3.4

3.31

3.69

3.82

5

5

4.59

4.41

4.44

4

3.75

3.31

3.06

4.86

4.71

4.57

4.71

4

4.57

3.86

3.43

3.14

High End

Mid Range

Low End

Price is significantly more important to respondents currently using a low end camera (as their primary camera) than those using mid and high end cameras

101

Q41. Could you please rate the following key decision making criteria in terms of importance when deciding which type of camera to purchase/use? Using scale of 1-5, where 1= Not at all important and 5= Very Important

Base = 41

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

The vast majority of rental respondents (96%), believe that post production workflow has some or strong influence on the rental decision

102

Q36. How much influence does the post production workflow have on the rental decision generally?

Base = 23

No influence

Some influence

Strong influence

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

4%

70%

26%

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

In 88% of cases, resellers/dealers have no influence on purchase decisions according to DMC respondents

103

Q42. (IF OWN) How much influence do resellers/dealers have on purchase decisions?

Overall (16) Freelance (6) Freelance own a production company (9)0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

88%83%

89%

6%11%

6%17%

Strong influence

Some influence

No influence

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

More than half of DMC respondents reported that rental companies have at least some influence on the choice of camcorder

104

Q43. [IF RENTED] How much influence did a rental company have on choice of camcorder?


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

47%55%

62%

14%

38%

36% 25%

57%

15%9% 13%

29%

Strong influence

Some influence

No influence

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

74% of rental respondents claim that they have some/strong influence on their clients’ choice of camera

105

Q37. How much influence do you as a rental company have on your clients’ choice of camera?

Base = 23

No influence

Some influence

Strong influence

It depends

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

17%

44%

30%

9%

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

In the majority of cases where the respondent does not have the final decision, they still believe they have some influence

106

Q44. [IF NOT RESPONDENT] How much influence do you have over the final choice of camera?


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

4% 8%

58% 50%

89%

20%

38% 42%

11%

80%

Strong influence

Some influence

No influence

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

For the majority of DMC respondents, tried and tested equipment is more important than using the latest technology

107

Q45. Do you always want to use or buy the latest technology or is tried and tested equipment more important to you and why?

Important to use latest technology Prefer tried and tested

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Prefer to use tried and tested

108

Q46. Why is this?

“I only work with products that are fully developed and fully tested.”

(Germany – Arri Cam ST/LT, Freelance)

The majority of respondents who stated a preference for tried and tested technology said the main reasons were reliability and confidence that it would

be less likely to fail on set.

“I don't want to come unstuck when I am shooting. I don't want to be the

guinea pig.” (UK – Arri Cam LT, DOP)

Other Comments“Latest technology is too expensive.’”

(Germany – Canon 5D, Freelance own production company)

“‘Depends on the client. Some want the latest whereas others are risk averse.”

(France – Panasonic Varicam, Freelance own production company)

“I need to know that it is going to work under any kind of circumstances. To me, a

camera that works every single time without any fuss is the most important thing of all.”

(UK – Arri Alexa Studio 35, Freelance)

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Important to use latest technology

109

Q46. Why is this?

“‘To be ahead of the game, always looking for new shots etc.’”(UK – Red 1, Freelance)

Almost half of the respondents who prefer to use the latest technology

do so to be competitive

“Like new technology, seeing what it can do, testing it and seeing if it is

suitable.” (France – Red 1 MX, Freelance)

Other Comments

“It is just an advancement on what we've been doing instead of something that we know and we know it works. If we want to push the limits and want to do all the things, it is just an edge on

what we do.” (UK – Red 1 MX, Freelance)

“Workflow and ease of use.” (Germany – Arri Alexa,

Freelance)

“Love newest technology.”(France – Canon 7D, Freelance

own a production company)

“To keep up with developments at broadcasters .”

(Germany – Panasonic HPX-3700, Freelance own a production company)

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Two thirds of rental respondents stated that it is important or extremely important for their clients

to trial the product first

Q.38 When renting a new camera, how important is it for your clients to trial the product first? Using scale of 1-5, where 1= not at all important and 5= extremely important

Base = 22

110

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

5%

14% 14%

32%35%

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Decision Making Process

− 34% of DMC respondents stated that the Producer is responsible for making the final decision regarding which camera to purchase or rent.− This was closely followed by Directors of Photography (which accounted for 32% of

respondents).− This supports the focus group findings where Producers (and other “money men”) were

cited as the main decision makers.− Where users were not the final decision makers, almost all (96%) the respondents felt

that they have some influence over the choice of camera, with 38% feeling that they can exert “strong” influence.

− Picture quality was the highest rated decision making criteria among DMC camera operators, with 98% of respondents stating that it is very important.− Picture quality was followed by reliability, with 90% of respondents saying it was very

important.− Ease of use and features were the next most mentioned criteria.− Price and after sales service and support were the least important criteria (with only 7%

of respondents regard these factors as very important).− This reflects the findings from the focus groups in that these professionals are artists

who care most about how the camera does its job and the results which are produced, rather than its price or any other external factors.


111

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Decision Making Process (cont’d)

− In the vast majority of cases (88% of DMC respondents), resellers/dealers have no influence on camera purchase decisions. However, where DMC respondents are using rental companies, over half (53%) stated that the rental house had some or strong influence on the choice of camcorder.

− With regard to the influence rental houses have on their clients’ choice of camera, 74% believe they have some or a strong influence on the selection decision.− Furthermore, nearly all rental respondents feel that post production has some or

strong influence on the rental decision, only 4% felt that post production has no influence.

− Overall, when selecting a camcorder, the majority of DMC users (62%), prefer tried and tested equipment over the latest technology (38%).− The main reason for preferring tried and tested is its reliability and the fact that it is

less likely to fail on set.− This is supported by the findings from the rental sector, where 67% of rental houses

stated that it is important/extremely important for their clients to trial the product first.


112

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Product SpecificationsProduct Specifications – DMC & Rental

113

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Quiet (Silent) operation was most frequently mentioned as a must have feature

Q47. Which features / technologies are considered nice to have, must have, and which are not important? [UNPROMPTED]114

Feature Total Mentions Mentions As Must Have Mentions As Nice To Have Mentions As Not Important

Quiet (Silent) Operation 20 15 5 0

4K Resolution 25 12 9 4

High Frame Rates 16 7 8 1

1920 x 1080 HD 16 6 8 2

Variable Frame Rate 18 6 11 1

4:4:4 Colour Sampling 13 5 4 4


Large Sensor 12 3 8 1


ProRes codec 10 2 3 5

RED RAW 8 2 2 4

XDCAM EX codec 10 2 3 5

Speed Rampling 12 2 9 1

10 bit Recording 11 1 5 5


HDCAM SR codec 9 1 4 4

CMOS 10 0 8 2

CCD 9 0 7 2

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

4K Resolution was the most frequently mentioned must have feature by rental respondents

Q39. Which features/technologies are considered nice to have, must have, and which are not important? [UNPROMPTED]115

Feature Total Mentions Mentions As Must Have Mentions As Nice To Have Mentions As Not Important


1920 x 1080 HD 7 6 1 0

Quiet (Silent) Operation 7 6 1 0

Large Sensor 11 6 5 0




Potential depth of field 8 2 6 0

Variable Frame Rate 5 1 4 0

RED RAW 5 1 3 1

XDCAM EX codec 5 1 3 1

High Frame Rates 6 1 3 2

HDCAM SR codec 5 1 3 1

CCD 6 1 4 1

ProRes codec 5 0 3 2



Speed Rampling 5 0 4 1

CMOS 6 0 5 1

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Which features and technologies are must haves according to DMC respondents?

116

Importance Scale

2.0 Must Have

1.0 Nice to Have

-1.0 Not Important

Most Frequently Mentioned

Must Have: Quiet (Silent) Operation 15

Nice To Have: Variable Frame Rate 11

Not Important: 12 bit Recording 6

Each feature scored 2 points for each “must have” rating and 1 for each “nice to have”. 1 point is lost when a feature is rated “not important”. This score is then divided by the number of mentions to get the Average Importance Score

Quiet (Silent) Operation

High Frame Rates

Variable Frame Rate

4K Resolution

1920 x 1080 HD

Large Sensor

Speed Rampling

4:4:4 Colour Sampling

CMOS

2K Resolution

CCD

4:2:2 Colour Sampling

RED RAW

HDCAM SR codec

ProRes codec

XDCAM EX codec

10 bit Recording

12 bit Recording

1.75

1.31

1.22

1.16

1.13

1.08

1.00

0.77

0.60

0.59

0.56

0.45

0.25

0.22

0.20

0.20

0.18

0.00

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Which features and technologies are must haves, according to rental respondents?

117

Importance Scale

2.0 Must Have

1.0 Nice to Have

-1.0 Not Important

Most Frequently Mentioned

Must Have: 4K Resolution 7

Nice To Have: Potential Depth of Field 6


1920 x 1080 HD

Quiet/Silent Operation

Large sensor

4K Resolution

4:2:2 colour sampling

4:4:4 colour sampling

Potential depth of field

2K Resolution

Variable frame rate

CCD

XDCAM EX codec

HDCAM SR codec

RED RAW

CMOS

Speed ramping

High frame rates

ProRes codec

10 bit recording

12 bit recording

1.86

1.86

1.55

1.45

1.29

1.29

1.25

1.22

1.20

0.83

0.80

0.80

0.80

0.67

0.60

0.500.20

0.00

Rental House

0.00

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Most Important Features

Which features / technologies are considered nice to have, must have, and which are considered not important?

DMC Camera Operators

Rental Houses

1 Quiet (Silent Operation)1.75

1920 X 1080 HD 1.86

2 High Frame Rates 1.31

Quiet/Silent Operation1.86

3 Variable Frame Rate1.22

Large Sensor 1.55

4 4K Resolution1.16

4K Resolution1.45

5 1920 x 1080 HD1.13

4:2:2 Colour Sampling1.29

118

Importance Scale

2.0 Must Have

1.0 Nice to Have

-1.0 Not Important

DMC Camera Operators: Most Frequently Mentioned

Must Have: Quiet (Silent) Operation 15

Nice To Have: Variable Frame Rate 11

Not Important: 12 bit Recording 6


Rental Houses: Most Frequently Mentioned

Must Have: 4K Resolution 7

Nice To Have: Potential Depth of Field 6

DMC Camera Operator

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

5 = Extremely Important 4 3 2 1 = Not at all Important

“Picture quality” was mentioned as an ‘extremely important’ element by all DMC respondents

119

Q48. Aside from the technical specifications and features, could you please rate the following areas in terms of importance? Using scale of 1-5 where 1 = not at all important and 5 = extremely important

Base = 42

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Picture Quality

Durability

Ergonomics

Flexibility

Lightweight

Compact Size

Cost

Palm / Handheld

The look of the product

1 2 3 4 55

4.71

4.59

4.13

3.71

3.53

3.07

3.82

2.12

5

4.65

4.71

3.59

4.12

4.18

4

3.59

2.53

5

4.43

4.43

4.29

3.86

3.57

4.83

3.67

2.43

High EndMid RangeLow End

Importance by current primary camera price bracket

120

Base = 41

DMC Camera Operator


SONY PROFESSIONAL


“Picture quality” and “Durability” were mentioned by all rental respondents as being important or extremely important

121


Base = 23

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Most important camera features by respondent type

122Aside from the technical specifications and features could you please rate the following areas in terms of importance. Using scale of 1-5 where 1 = not at all important and 5 = extremely important

Picture Quality

Durability

Cost

Ergonomics

Compact Size

Light-weight

Flexibility

Palm / Handheld


1 2 3 4 5

4.78

4.74

4.39

4.35

3.87

3.83

3.65

3

2.7

Rental Houses: Base= 23

Picture Quality

Durability

Ergonomics

Flexibility

Light-weight

Compact Size

Cost

Palm / Handheld


1 2 3 4 5

5

4.64

4.6

3.88

3.86

3.76

3.74

3.66

2.31

DMC Camera Operator: Base=42

DMC Camera operators and Rental Houses agree that Picture Quality and Durability are the most important Camera features, but the Rental Houses believe that greater importance is placed on cost by DMC Camera Operators than is actually the case.

DMC Camera Operator

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

In 57% of cases, DMC respondents require their camera to shoot in 4K

123

Q49. What percentage of time do you require a camera to do the following? (PROMPT)

Base = 38

Shoot at up to 50FPS Shoot at up to 120FPS Shoot in 4K0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

47%

11%17%

4%

57%

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

For over half of camera rentals (55%), the camera is required to shoot at up to 50fps

124

Q40. What percentage of camera rentals require the following? (%)

Base = 18

Cameras shooting at up to 50fps



Cameras shooting at rates higher than 120fps

Shooting in 4K resolutions

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

55%

7%

12%

15%

33%

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Describe your ‘ideal’ camera in a sentenceSlide 1 of 4

125

Q50. If you could describe your “ideal” camera in a sentence, what would it be?

‘‘A large sensor, an easy menu - a 35mm film camera.”

(Germany – Freelance)

Users

“Variable frame rate, an optical viewfinder, a variable shutter,

ergonomic and reliable.” (UK - DOP)

“Best possible picture quality, intuitive handling with a digital workflow.”

(Germany – Freelance)

“Fairly lightweight, easy to handhold, a sensible ergonomic design, durable,

reliable, good picture quality, PL mount and straightforward.”(UK – DOP)

“A camera that has been developed in close contact

with videographers.” (Germany – Freelance)

“Flexible film and digital, highly ergonomic, no cables.”(Germany - Freelance)

“A solid, durable and reliable piece of equipment.”

(UK – Freelance)

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL


126


“Reliability, durability, light sensitivity, lightweight and a clear difference between blacks and whites.”

(France - Freelance own a production company)

Users

‘‘Picture quality, flexibility (of picture) and really HD.”

(France - Freelance)

“Light camera with a large aperture.”

(Germany - DOP)

“A 35mm chipped, easily hand-holdable, lightweight black box.”

(UK – DOP)

“The Alexa.” (France - Freelance)

“Versatile, reliable and fairly lightweight.” (UK – Freelance)

“The Alexa with 50+ FPS as standard.”

(UK – DOP)

“Reliable, ergonomically correct and good

quality .” (UK – Freelance)

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL


127


“Good value, same quality as the Red with accessories that are non proprietary, tape and

digital, good ergonomics.”(France - Freelance own a

production company)

Users

“Professional look, shoulder, lightest possible weight.”

(Germany - Freelance own a production company)

“Interchangeable lenses and no menu control.”

(Germany – Freelance own a production company)

“Affordable, reliable, compact and high picture quality .”

(UK – DOP) ”Huge chip, film look, PL35mm lenses, codec better than AV CAM, lightweight.”(Germany – Freelance own a production

company )

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL


128


“Low cost, high quality of picture as in Canon 5D.”

(Germany - Freelance own a production company) DSLR Users

“Intuitive menu, low cost, compatible.” (Germany –

Freelance)

“Small, easy to use, robust.” (Germany – Freelance own a

production company)

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Clients’ ideal product in a sentence according to rental respondents

129

Q46. If you could describe your clients’ ‘ideal’ camera in a sentence, what would it be?

“Simplicity.” (UK – Rental Only)

“Ease of use.” (Germany – Red One & Red

One MX, Rental Only)

A variety of comments were made.

“Panasonic DMCGH2 with full HD , chip and the film-like look of the Canon EOS 5D

Mark II.” (Germany – Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Combination Rental & Dealer)

“Low price, good size and good weight.” (Germany – Arri Alexa, Combination Rental & Dealer)

“A product that is flexible and honest.”

(UK – Combination Rental & Dealer)

“Compact, weighs under 10-15kg, XDCam HD sensor and compromise

for customers not wanting card based.” (France – Combination Rental &

Dealer)

“Fast, reliable, high quality and affordable.” (UK – Red One & Red One MX,

Rental Only)

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Clients’ ideal product in a sentence according to rental respondents

130

Q46. If you could describe your clients’ ‘ideal’ camera in a sentence, what would it be?

“A camera with a huge dynamic range. Light sensitivity, high

resolution and frame rates and affordable.”


A variety of comments were made.

“Full format and HD.” (Germany – Panasonic AG

AF101, Rental Only)

“Light and compact with a large sensor. A good dynamic range,

slow motion with a good codec that you can work with directly e.g. Red RAW.” (France – Red One & Red


“Durable, high resolution and available.”


“Has to be just like a movie/film camera.”

(Germany – Arri Alexa, Rental Only)

“Picture quality and good ergonomics.”

(France – Combination Rental & Dealer)

Rental House

“Better, smaller and cheaper.” (UK – Red One & Red One MX, Rental

Only)

SONY PROFESSIONAL

What else could a manufacturer do to make your clients’ job easier? (Slide 1 of 2)

131

Q42. Aside from specific technical issues, what else could a manufacturer do to make your clients’ jobs easier?

“Variable ND option behind the lens, so you can switch with or without on the same

aperture.” (UK – Rental Only)

“If cameras were cheaper, they would sell more and the film-

makers would make more money. It would benefit the

industry.” (UK – Red One & Red One MX,

Rental Only)

“Sony need to talk more to Apple; all problems are due to a lack of

compatibility between them.” (France – Sony PMW-EX3,

Combination Rental & Dealer) Respondents highlighted a number

of factors.“Price.” (Germany - Canon EOS 5D Mark II,


“Keep me informed regarding new products

etc.” (France – Rental Only)

“Hold more seminars, to have a more open channel of education.”

(UK – Combination Rental & Dealer)

“Quality of service.” (Germany – Arri Alexa,

Combination Rental and Dealer)

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

What else could a manufacturer do to make your clients’ job easier? (Slide 2 of 2)

132

Q42. Aside from specific technical issues, what else could a manufacturer do to make your clients’ jobs easier?

“Offer good pricing conditions for purchase or rent.”

(Germany - Panasonic AG-AF101, Rental Only)

Respondents highlighted a number

of factors. “Right balance, with weight.” (Germany – Arri Alexa, Rental Only)

“Access to better training on the unit and end-user support. A knowledge

bank would also be beneficial.” (UK – Red One & Red One MX,

Rental Only)

“Make cameras smaller.” (France – Red One & Red One

MX, Rental Only)

“Could learn from the past and stop putting connectors in

bizarre places on the cameras.” (UK – Red One & Red One MX,

Rental Only)

“Sony and Panasonic both respond to feedback, but

Panasonic seems to respond much better.”

(UK – Rental Only)

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

The relevance of the new generation of ‘affordable’, large sensor camcorders tends to be higher amongst DOPs than amongst freelancers within DMC

133

Q51. How relevant are the new generation of “affordable”, large sensor camcorders to your work?


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

36%43% 39%

22%

32%

38%

23%

33%

32%19%

38%45%

Very relevant

Somewhat relevant

Not at all relevant

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Why new generation affordable large sensor cameras are very or somewhat relevant to our work within DMC

134

Q52. If very or somewhat relevant, why do you say that?

“5D or 7D are very useful as a second camera, to put into a small space.”

(UK - Arri Alexa, Freelance)Generally, the small size of the new generation large sensor cameras is

considered to be the key reason why they are relevant to some DMC camera operators work

“On a tide of new technology and they tend to be smaller sized which is good

for shooting in small spaces.”(UK – Red 1, Freelance)

“A very popular device, you can pick it up and put it down very easily and

quickly.” (UK – Red 1, DOP)

“The last series of 24 was shot with D5, lightweight, large and fast sensor.”

(UK – Panasonic HPX500, Freelance own a production company)

“This is the future. What happens in the gap between Canon 5D at 2K & Red at 25K. It’s very interesting for

low budget films.”(UK – Red 1, DOP)

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

68% of rental respondents consider the new generation of “affordable” large sensor cameras to be relevant or extremely relevant to their clients’ work

Q43. How relevant are the new generation of “affordable”, large sensor cameras to your clients’ work?

Base = 22

135

1=Not at all relevant 2 3 4 5=Extremely relevant0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

9%

23%

41%

27%

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Why are the new ‘affordable’, large sensor cameras relevant to your clients’ work? (Slide 1 of 2)

136


“Very popular.” (Germany – Red One & Red


“Large sensor is a trend.” (Germany – Arri Alexa, Rental

Only)

“They have such a large sensor which means they can get a shallow depth of

field. They can also use 35mm lenses.” (UK - Red One & Red One MX, Rental

Only)

“Everyone now wants depth of field, which is what the large sensor provides.”


Relevance in achieving depth of field.

A number of respondents noticed a ‘trend’ in the use of

these cameras.

“Large sensor is a very strong trend.” (Germany - Canon EOS 5D Mark II,


“Part of a current trend.” (UK – Rental Only)

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Why are the new ‘affordable’, large sensor cameras relevant to your clients’ work? (Slide 2 of 2)

137


“They offer the latest must-haves in terms of innovation. The

features have become expected and everyone wants high quality

pictures.” (UK – Red One & Red One MX,

Rental Only)

“The price is relatively low and the performance you can get, although

not perfect, is very impressive.” (UK – Combination

Rental & Dealer)

Other comments, included..

“It’s value for money.” (UK – Rental Only)

“After all the problems the Canon EOS 5D Mark II had, we are very

lucky to now have real video cameras from Sony.” (Germany – Red One &

Red One MX, Rental Only)

“The technology is there so it should be a necessity.”


Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

In 72% of cases, the choice of lenses was ‘extremely important’ for DMC respondents

Q.53 How important is choice of lenses? Using scale of 1-5, where 1= not at all important and 5= extremely important138

Overall (42)

Freelance (18)


DOP (9)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

7%

6%

7%

11%

21%

17%

20%

33%

72%

77%

73%

56%

5 = extremely important 3 3 2 1 = not at all important

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− Content shot in 3D:− Feature films (4)− Commercials (4)− Reality TV (1)

In 47% of cases, DMC respondents are either shooting or see the requirement to shoot in 3D

139

Q54. Are you shooting or do you see any requirement to shoot any content in 3D?Q55. (IF SHOOTING) If yes, what content are you shooting in 3D?


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

20%

28%

14%11%

27% 28% 29%

22%

53%

44%

57%

67%

Shooting Will need 3D soon Not shooting / nor see the need

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

The ability to purchase a camera from the manufacturer

The ability to purchase a camera using a finance scheme

The ability to rent a camera from manufacturer or dealer for a set period

The ability to rent a camera from manufacturer or dealer based on usage

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

6%

17%

20%

25%

11%

22%

10%

15%

6%

11%

30%

20%

28%

11%

10%

15%

49%

39%

30%

25%


The ability to purchase a camera from the manufacturer is regarded as the most important option for rental respondents

140

Q45. How attractive would the following options be for your business? Using a scale of 1-5 where 1 = not at all relevant and 5 = extremely relevant

Base = 18

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Product Specifications

− Regarding technical specifications, 4K resolution and quiet (silent) operation were the most frequently mentioned “must have” camera features by both DMC and rental respondents.

− Quiet (silent) operation was the top “must have” feature for DMC respondents.− This was followed by 4K resolution, also a “must have”. These findings (picture

quality, silent operation) support those of the focus groups, where end users are looking for a camera that has the performance and functionality of a film camera, but is digital.

− CMOS and CCD sensor types were not mentioned by DMC camera users at all as being “must haves”, but were fairly frequently cited as being “nice to have” features.

− Variable frame rate was the most frequently mentioned “nice to have” technical feature by DMC respondents, followed by 2K and 4K resolution.

− These findings (picture quality, silent operation and variable frame rates support those of the focus groups, where end users are looking for a camera that has the performance and functionality of a film camera, but is digital.


141

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Product Specifications (cont’d)

− For rental houses, 4K resolution was the top “must have” feature mentioned.− This was closely followed by 1920 x 1080 HD, quiet (silent) operation and large

sensor.− ProRes codec, 10 bit recording, 12 bit recording, speed rampling and CMOS were

not mentioned by any respondents as being “must have” features, however were mentioned on several occasions as being “nice to have” features.

− Potential depth of field was the most frequently mentioned “nice to have” technical feature.

− Aside from technical specifications, picture quality was cited by 100% of DMC camera operators being an extremely important aspect of the camera.− This was followed by ergonomics and durability with 95% and 93% of respondents

respectively regarding these aspects as being important or extremely important.− Picture quality and durability were mentioned by all rental respondents as being

important or extremely important.


142

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL


− Over half of DMC camera users require their camera to shoot in 4K resolution, this stood at a third of rental companies. Around half of both DMC and rental respondents require it to shoot at up to 50FPS.

− 64% of DMC respondents and 68% of rental respondents regard the new generation of “affordable” large sensor camcorders to be relevant or very relevant to their work, largely due to the small size of these camcorders.− The remaining 36% of DMC respondents stated that they are not at all relevant.− Only 9% of rental houses stated that they are not at all relevant.

− Overall, the choice of lenses was considered by DMC camera operators to be “important” or “extremely important” by 93% of respondents.

− 47% of DMC camera users are either currently shooting in 3D or are seeing the requirement for 3D content.− Those who are already shooting in 3D are mainly shooting feature films and

commercials (please note small base).− Features considered important when shooting in 3D are predominantly low weight,

speed and synchronisation.


143

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL


− When asked to consider various business options, rental houses considered the ability to purchase a camera from the manufacturer to be the most important.− Followed by the ability to purchase a camera using a finance scheme.

− When asked to describe their “ideal” camera, both DMC camera users and rental houses responded with a variety of suggestions. However, several common aspects were cited by DMC respondents including, a lightweight, reliable camera with good ergonomics and excellent picture quality. Rental respondents highlighted; compact camera, ease of use and durability.


144

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Marketing Communication – DMC & Rental

145

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

In 41% of cases, DMC respondents never hear from the camera manufacturers

Q57. How often do you hear from the camera manufacturers?

Base = 41

146

Once a month or more frequently 20%

Once a quarter 27%

Twice a year 10%Once a year 2%

Never 41%

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

The majority (63%) of rental respondents typically hear from camera manufacturers once a month or more frequently

Q47. How often do you hear from the camera manufacturers?

Base = 22

147

Once a month or more frequently

Once a quarter

Twice a year

Once a year

Never

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

63%

14%

14%

9%

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Contact by camera manufacturers


Rental House (22)

20%

63%

27%

14%

10%

14%

2% 41%

9%

Never Once a year Twice a year Once a quarter Once a month or more frequently

How often do you hear from the camera manufacturers?

148

DMC Camera Operator

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Email Direct mail Telephone Personal contact0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

50%

14%

5%10%

62%

7% 7%

17%

How make contact How prefer to be contacted

Email is the preferred form of manufacturer contact for nearly two thirds of DMC respondents

149

Q58. How do they contact you and how do you prefer to be contacted?

Base = 42

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Email Direct mail Telephone Personal contact-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

70%

26%22%

30%

52%

4%

17%

35%

How make contact How prefer to be contacted

Rental respondents are typically contacted by camera manufacturers by email, this is also their preferred method of contact

150

Q48. How do they contact you and how do you prefer to be contacted?

Base = 23

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Camera manufacturers are far more likely to make contact via email compared to any other method

DMC Camera Operators(42)

Rental House (23)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

50%

70%

14%

26%

5%

22%

10%

30%

Email Direct mailTelephone Personal contact

How do they contact you?

151


Rental House (23)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

62%

52%

7%

4%

7%

17%

17%

35%

Email Direct MailTelephone Personal Contact

How do the manufacturers contact you? How do you prefer to be contacted?

DMC Camera Operator

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

− 4 respondents received Direct Mail from manufacturers:− 3 receive it from Sony, 1 from

Panasonic and 1from Thomson/Grass Valley.

− 3 respondents receive Personal contact:− 2 from Arri and 1 from

Panasonic.− 2 respondents said that vendors

contact them by Telephone:− Both are hearing from Arri.

33% of DMC respondents receive marketing material via email from Sony

152

Q59. How does the method of contact differ by vendor?

Sony

Panasonic

Canon

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

33%

21%

7%

Email Contact = 42

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Email

Direct mail

Telephone

Personal contact

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

22%

4%

9%

9%

26%

17%

4%

13%

4%

4%

39%

13%

13%

9%

43%

9%

4%

9%

43%

4%

13%

17%

Arri

Canon

JVC

Panasonic

RED

Sony

Sony, Panasonic and Red are most likely to be

contacting rental companies by email. Of all the vendors, Sony is most likely to make personal contact

153

Q49. How does the method of contact differ by vendor?

Base = 23

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

EMAIL DIRECT MAIL TELEPHONE PERSONAL CONTACT

DMC Camera

Operators (42)

Rental House

(23)

DMC Camera

Operators (42)

Rental Houses

(23)

DMC Camera

Operators (42)

Rental Houses

(23)

DMC Camera

Operators (42)

Rental House

(23)

Arri 22% 4% 5% 5%

Canon 7% 26% 17%

JVC 13% 4% 4%

Panasonic 21% 39% 2% 13% 2% 13% 9%

Red 43% 9% 4% 9%

Sony 33% 43% 7% 4% 13% 17%

2%

How does the method of contact differ by vendor?

How does the method of contact differ by vendor?

154

DMC Camera Operator

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Newsletters News of upcoming events Training material0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

59%

44% 44%

22%

11%7%

In 59% of cases, manufacturers typically provide information in the form of Newsletters

Q60. What information do manufacturers typically provide to you?155

Base = 27

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Camera manufacturers are most likely to be providing information in the form of product updates and newsletters

Q50. What information do manufacturers typically provide to you?156

Product updates News of upcoming events Training material Customer testimonials0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

80%75%

40%35%

20%15% 15%

Base = 20

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Product Brochures

Newsletters

Product Updates

Training Material

News of upcoming events*

Product Demo Video

Customer Testimonials

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%

10%

14%

3%

15%

13%

19%

19%

17%

14%

10%

22%

10%

18%

23%

10%

17%

13%

15%

30%

26%

27%

30%

38%

33%

33%

17%

18%

19%

33%

17%

41%

15%

30%

19%

12%

5 = Very useful 4

3 2

1 = Not at all useful

Product updates and product brochures were rated as the most useful types of information provided

157

Q61. How useful do you find this information? Using scale of 1-5 where 1 = not at all useful and 5 = very useful

* e.g. Product roadshows, industry gatherings etc.

Base = 30

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

All rental respondents consider product brochures, training material, product demo videos and customer testimonials to be very useful

158

Q51. How useful do you find this information? Using scale of 1-5 where 1 = not at all useful and 5 = very useful

Base = 20

* e.g. Product roadshows, industry gatherings etc.

Product Brochures

Newsletters

Product Updates

News of upcoming events*

Training Material

Product Demo Video

Customer Testimonials

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

100%

27%

63%

63%

100%

100%

100%

7% 13%

13%

53%

25%

38%5 = Very useful 4

3 2

1 = Not at all useful

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Digital content from websites is preferred over printed material for 75% of respondents

159

Q62. Which method do you prefer when receiving camcorder product information from manufacturers?

Overall (36)

Freelance (15)


DOP (9)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

25%

33%

17%

22%

75%

67%

83%

78%

Printed material/brochure Digital content from a website

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Overall (19)

Rental only (13)

Combination - Rental/Dealer (6)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

21%

23%

17%

79%

77%

83%

Printed material/brochure

Digital content from a website

79% of rental respondents prefer to receive digital content from a website over printed material/brochures

160

Q52. Which method do you prefer when receiving camcorder product information from manufacturers?

Base = 19

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Marketing Information Provided

161

What information do manufacturers typically provide to you?


Rental Houses

(20)

Product Brochures 22% 3.6 35% 5.0

Newsletters 59% 3.3 75% 4.0

Product Updates 44% 4.0 80% 4.5

Training Material 11% 3.1 20% 5.0

News of Upcoming Events 44% 3.4 40% 4.6

Product Demo Video 7% 3.0 15% 5.0

Customer Testimonials 4% 2.8 15% 5.0

LEGEND:% = Proportion of respondents who receive this informationRating = Usefulness rating of this information, 1 = not at all useful and 5 = very useful

DMC Camera Operators (36)0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

25% 21%

75% 79%

Digital content from a website

Printed material/brochure

Preferred Format

DMC Camera Operator

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

57% of respondents at least sometimes pass the material they receive from camera manufacturers on to other people

162

Q63. Do you ever pass any of this material onto other people?

Overall (32)

Freelance (14)


DOP (8)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

16%

14%

20%

13%

41%

43%

40%

38%

43%

43%

40%

49%

Yes, alwaysYes, sometimesNo

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Yes, always 26%

Yes, sometimes 53%

No 21%

79% of rental respondents either sometimes or always pass promotional material on to other people

163

Q53. Do you ever pass any of this material onto other people?

Base = 19

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Rental Houses are more likely to pass Marcomms material to others than DMC Camera Operators

164


Rental House (19)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

16%

26%

41%

53%

43%

21%

Yes, always Yes, sometimes No

Do you ever pass any of this material on to other people?

DMC Camera Operator

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

None Facebook Linked-In Twitter Vimeo0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

44%

56%

15%11%

4%

Amongst those DMC respondents who use online social media networks, more than half use Facebook

Q64. Do you use any online social media networks? If so, which ones?

Base = 27

165

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

1 = not at all influential 2 3 4 5 = extremely influential0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

27%

20%

40%

13%

On average, DOPs find the online media social networks more influential (3.5) than Freelancers(2.17)

Q65. How influential do you find them? Using scale of 1-5 where 1 = not at all influential and 5 = extremely influential166

Base = 15

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Do not use Facebook Twitter Linked-In Youtube0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

53%

40%

27%

7% 7%

Close to half (47%) of rental respondents are using online social media networks. Those who do are most likely to be using Facebook

Q54. Do you use any online social media networks? If so, which ones?167

Base = 15

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Half of rental respondents who use online social media networks find them influential

Q55. How influential do you find them? Using scale of 1-5 where 1 = not at all influential and 5 = extremely influential

Base = 6

168

1 = Not at all influential 2 3 4 5= Extremely influential0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35% 33%

17%

33%

17%

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Use of online social media networks

169

Do you use any online social media networks? If so, which ones?

DMC Camera Operators

(27)

Rental Houses

(15)

56% 40%

11% 27%

4% 0%

15% 7%

0% 7%

0% 0%

0% 0%

DMC Camera Operators (15) Rental House (6)0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

27%

33%20%

17%

40%

33%

13%

17%

5 = extremely influential 4 3 2 1 = not at all influential

Influence of Social Media Networks

DMC Camera Operator

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

A wide range of blogs / forums were mentionedby DMC respondents

Q66. Do you view any blogs/forums? If so, which ones?

Base = 18

170

Camera Forum

Cinematographie.info

Red User

AFC

CST

CML

Cinematography.net

DVXUser.com

0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18%

17%

17%

17%

11%

11%

11%

11%

6%

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Red User is the most popular blog/forum used

by rental house respondents

Q56. Do you view any blogs/forums? If so, which ones?

Base = 10

171

Red User

Philip Bloom

DVXUser.com

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

70%

10%

10%

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Overall, publications tend to be more influential to DMC respondents than blogs

Q67. Which would you say is more influential to you? Blogs or Publications?172

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

12% 9%

38%

35%

40%9%

62%53%

60%

82%

Neither/both the same

Publications

Blogs

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Publications 16%

Blogs 21%

Neither / Both the Same 63%

The majority (63%) of rental respondents regard blogs and publications to be equally influential

Q57. Which would you say is more influential to you? Blogs or Publications?173

Base = 19

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Cinematographer

Kameramann

Arri News

GBCT News

Professional Photographer

Digital Production

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

36%

28%

16%

12%

8%

8%

− Other publications which are being read by DMC camera operators are:-− The Iris (UK)− Televisual (UK)− Incamera (UK)− Cineaste (Germany)− Professional Production

(Germany)− Moviescope (UK)− Movie Maker (UK)

70% of DMC cameraman who read publications in Germany are reading Kameramann, while in the UK 62% are reading British/American cinematographer

Q68. Which publications do you read? (Both online and printed media)

− Only 2 DMC camera operators in France said they are reading publications.

174

Base = 25

Respondentswho read

publications

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Publications read by rental respondents

Q58. Which publications do you read? (Both online and printed media)175

Broadcast

Televisual

TV Bay

American Cinematographer

The Producer

Screen

Digital Production

Sonavision

Kameramann

Ecran Total

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

20%

20%

20%

20%

10%

10%

20%

20%

10%

10%

Base = 10

Respondentswho read

publications

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Most Viewed Blogs/Forums and Publications

176

Do you view any blogs/forums? If so, which ones?


Rental Houses (10)

1 DVXUser.com22%

Red User 70%

2 Camera Forum17%

Philip Bloom 10%

3 Red User17%

DVXUser.com10%

− Other key blogs/forums mentioned include:− DMC: AFC, CST− Rental Houses: Cinema5D,

Everythingvisual.net, HD Warrior

− Other respondents mentioned searching Google for relevant content which would often direct them to blogs and forums.


Rental Houses (10)

1 Cinematographer36%

Broadcast20%

2 Kamaramann28%

Televisual20%

3 Arri News16%

TV Bay20%

4 GBCT News12%

American Cinematographer

20%

5 Professional Photographer8%

Digital Production20%

Publications

Blogs / Forums DMC Camera Operator

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Which is more influential blogs or publications?

DMC Camera Operators (34) Rental House (19)0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

35%

16%

53%

63%

12%21%

Publications Neither/both the same Blogs

Which would you say is more influential to you? Blogs or Publications?

177

DMC Camera Operator

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

On average Freelancers who own a production company (rated 3.3 out of 5 on average) find showreels more important than Freelancers (1.9), DOP rated 3.1

Q69. How important are showreels when considering a new camera? Using scale of 1-5 where 1 = not at all important and 5 = very important178


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

37%

53%

25% 22%

11%

12%

22%

26%

29%

34%

11%

5%

8% 11%

21%

6%

33% 34%

5 = very important 4

3 2

1 = not at all important

DMC Camera Operator

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Half of rental respondents do not consider showreels to be important when considering a new camera

179

Q59. How important are showreels when considering a new camera? Using scale of 1-5 where 1 = not at all important and 5 = very important

1 = Not at all important 2 3 4 5= Extremely important0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

15%

35%

15%

20%

15%

Base = 20

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

DMC Camera Operators(38)

Rental House (20)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

37%

15%

11%

35%

26%

15%

5%

20%

21%

15%

5 = very important 4 3 2 1 = not at all important

How influential are showreels?

How important are showreels when considering a new camera? Using scale of 1-5 where 1 = not at all important and 5 = very important

180

DMC Camera Operator

Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Marcomms− There are significant differences between the DMC and rental sectors with regard to

contact with manufacturers; rental houses are in much more regular contact with vendors than DMC camera operators.− 27% of DMC respondents hear from camcorder manufacturers once a quarter,

with a fifth hearing from vendors once a month or more frequently. However almost two-thirds of rental respondents hear from vendors once a month or more frequently.

− 41% of DMC respondents never hear from camera vendors, whilst this stands at only 9% of rental houses.

− Both DMC operators and rental houses prefer contact from manufacturers to be by email (62% and 52% of respondents respectively), with 50% of DMC and 70% of rental respondents currently receiving information this way.− Sony is most likely to be contacting customers by email, with 33% of those DMC

respondents who receive email, receiving e-mails from Sony, 43% of rental respondents.

− Camera vendors are most likely to be providing respondents with newsletters (DMC 59%, rental 75%) and product updates (DMC 44%, 80% rental )− news of upcoming events is also key for DMC camera operators (44%).


181

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Marcomms (cont’d)

− Product updates are regarded by DMC respondents as being the most useful type of information provided by manufacturers, with 74% of respondents who receive information regarding them as useful or very useful, followed by product brochures (66%).− Rental respondents however, consider a wide variety of information to be useful

including product brochures, training material, product demo videos and customer testimonials.

− The majority of both DMC and rental respondents (75% and 79% respectively) have a distinct preference for digital content from a website, compared with 25% and 21% respectively, who prefer to receive printed materials.

− 57% of DMC camera operators pass on the promotional material they receive to other people, this is much higher among rental houses, where 79% are passing information on.

− 56% of DMC respondents and 47% of rental are using online social media networks, with Facebook being the most commonly used site.− Of those DMC respondents who are using social networking sites, 40% are

ambivalent to how influential the sites are (i.e. neither influential or not influential).− In contrast, regarding rental respondents, 50% consider them to be influential or

extremely influential.


182

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Marcomms (cont’d)

− 53% of DMC camera operators and 63% of rental respondents regard publications and online blogs to be equally influential.

− Approximately half of all DMC camera users and rental respondents regard showreels as being not important or not at all important when considering a new camera. − 26% of DMC camera users consider showreels to be important or very important,

somewhat higher among rental houses, 35%.


183

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Additional CommentsAdditional Comments – DMC & Rental

184

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Are there any other comments you would liketo make about professional camcorders? (DMC)

185

Q70. Are there any other comments you would like to make about professional camcorders?

“With HD you don't see enough detail in the viewfinder, there’s not enough clarity. This is important to

the cameraman” (UK – Arri Alexa, DOP)

Comments about Professional Camcorders

“Basically, the main thing is the viewfinder: it should have space

around the frame, like film cameras and easy to hand hold.”

(UK – Arri Alexa, DOP)

“Lack of Sony training for workflow.” (Germany – Panasonic HPX-3100,


DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Are there any other comments you would liketo make about professional camcorders? (Rental)

186

Q60. Are there any other comments you would like to make about professional camcorders?

Additional comments

“The JVC, Canon, Panasonic and Sony cameras all have toy-like plastic quality. The Red is solid, durable and built for the job.”


“Competitors of Red have to create a brand new camera using new technology. It

can’t be a modified version of the Red models

as users will realise this and won’t buy it. Manufacturers need to realise that

videographers are artists, not geeks. Manufacturers should offer cameras that don’t need to be upgraded for 10 years. Sony needs to get rid of the compression

system to make the camera more efficient.” (UK – Red One & Red One MX, Rental Only)

“High end cameras should be made of carbon fibre to make them lighter. Cameras should have the option of a

tracking device for security purposes. An option not to do a conversion, so you can edit on the timeline. An option to have a back-up system for shoots i.e. integral

nano-flash.” (UK – Red One & Red One MX, Rental

Only)

“Filmmakers are worried about the volumes of camcorders on the market.

Older videographers are worried about the learning curve that may be required for the

new technology in the new cameras. However, I don’t think that people should be worried as there will soon be a camera for

every budget and job. Every production can now be made at the right price. The lower cost of cameras has really opened up the

market.” (UK – Combination Rental & Dealer)

DMC & Rental House

SONY PROFESSIONAL

Company Overview

187

SONY PROFESSIONAL

188

talk to us…

Futuresource Consulting+44 (0)1582 500 [email protected] every effort is made by Futuresource Consulting Ltd to provide accurately researched information and carefully supported conclusions and recommendations to its client, in no event will the company or its professionals be liable for information, analysis, advice or recommendations provided to the client at any stage of the project, or be liable for actions and decisions taken as a result of this report.

sony voice of customer: dmc & rental houses · sony professional − sony is looking to...

Documents