How to pair Titan Tubes to the ART7 AsteraBox.
The Astera Titan Tubes are a wonderful light for so many applications. They can be controlled easily and precisely through the ART7 AsteraBox. Choosing colors, filters, modes, groups, dimming, run-time, etc. is simple! The best place to start is pairing the lights to the box; here's how:
- Turn on the AsteraBox, and launch the AsteraApp on your phone or tablet.
- Through the AsteraApp's main menu (upper right corner), select the AsteraBox you want to pair with.
- Turn on all the tubes you want to pair.
- Press the "Menu" button, scroll to "Input", press "Enter".
- Scroll to "App Control", and press "Enter".
- Press and hold the power button for 3 seconds, the tube will start to flash blue. (Blue mode)
- In the AsteraApp's main menu, select "Pair with Lights".
- As the lights pair, they'll default to white. You're ready to go!
You can also reach out to us if you need further help. Of course, you can also rent Astera Titan Tubes if you need them! Happy filming.
Best Gear for Music Videos
Do you have some funky beats and dope lyrics that need to be seen as much as heard? Well then, my friend, you need a music video! Whether you spit hot fire, shred metal, or rely on Auto-Tune and lots of makeup, a music video is for you. Music videos have transformed the music industry. A TV channel completely dedicated to music (until "The Real World" happened) resulted from music videos. Music videos not only allow you a glimpse of your favorite artists, they allow expanded creativity and vision of their songs. The sky is the limit on creativity, but you need the right gear!
The overwhelming majority of creativity comes from the director. That being said, you need one heck of a talented director to just grab a handy-cam and strike gold. So, start with the following: Astera Titan Tubes (like Hansel, so hot right now!). Litepanels Gemini 1x1, the most versatile LED panel on the market. Easyrig Vario 5, handheld made easier, dutch-angles made dutch-ier. Rokinon Primes; because no one does snap zooms anymore, and you're artist is probably ballin' on a budget. Hurricane Haze Machine... welcome to the jungle.
Las Vegas is a great place to film music videos; from the Strip to the dry lake beds, hotel suites to Fremont Street! When you're in need of Las Vegas video production rentals, look no further than F11!
Why Insurance is a Must-Have on Set.
Nothing is worse than broken gear... okay, stolen gear is worse than broken gear. Cameras are expensive. Lenses are expensive. Microphones are expensive. Everything we use in this industry costs a lot, especially to those who own it. Breaking or losing your gear is horrible, breaking or losing someone else's gear is worse. It sucks something fierce to pay $1,500.00 to buy a new drone, and you have no drone to show for it. Like most rental companies, we require insurance; this protects us and our clients. A $300.00 policy and $500.00 deductible is way better than a $25,000.00 bill for a stolen C300/Sigma Prime/Sachtler setup. So, while we know it's not fun to buy insurance, it's definitely the best way to go. For your next Las Vegas video production rental, reach out and we'll walk you through the whole process.
Best Gear for Filming the Convention Floor: 2019
Conventions and trade shows are big business these days, and that's especially true here in Las Vegas. With well over 10 million square feet of convention and meeting space, Vegas constantly ranks among the top host cities in the world. Gear requirements of course depend on the project, but some of the best gear on convention floor are as follows... The Sony FS7 Mark II is great for ENG-style shooting, has a 17-110mm servo lens, and can shoot up to 4K. Couple the FS7 with the Sony a7S II and the DJI Ronin-S; b-roll shot over-cranked will really up your production value. Either the Astra 6X or Gemini 1x1 LED kits provide more than enough light, run on batteries, and have a small footprint. If you have an audio technician with you, the Sound Devices 633 is perfect. If you're a one-man-band, an on-board shotgun mic and lavalier is usually more than enough. Finally, the Cinevate Duzi is a great, compact slider to really take your video over the top. F11 Rentals is happy to provide all your Las Vegas video production rental gear for your next convention gig!
Most Popular New Production Lights
While the Astera Titan Tubes have been out for a while, they're still hugely popular with Vegas productions. From car commercials to music videos and short films, these lights are amazing! Their range and diversity make them one of the hottest lights in the industry. What's more exciting for us than the Titans however, are the Gemini 1x1 LED panels by Litepanels. The Geminis are essentially Skypanels in a 1x1 frame. The output is brilliant, the bouquet of built in filters is incredible. They can work well as interview lights or as a key source. For your next Las Vegas video production rental, make sure to include a Titan kit or a couple Geminis!
How to Increase Production Value
Increasing production value is the best way to keep existing clients and attract new ones. Increasing production value doesn't always mean excessive cost and work however. Some of the simplest additions can take your video, commercial, or film to a whole new level, and you past your competitors. The MYT Works slider or Dana Dolly are perfect for almost any shoot; if you are on a budget or have less space, try the Cinevate Duzi. Cinema lenses are noticeably nicer than non-cinema; our Sigma Cinema Zooms and Schneider Cinema Primes work constantly for a reason! No one notices good audio, but everyone will notice bad audio; our Schoeps CMIT 5 shotgun mic is an industry standard from New York to L.A.
Next time your Las Vegas video production needs a littles something extra, reach out and we'll be happy to help. From Litemats to Litepanels, C300 Mark II and Alexa Mini, F11 Rentals is your go-to for the best Las Vegas video production rental gear.
Most Popular Cameras from Summer 2019
The Sony FS7 Mark II enjoyed quite a bit of work during the flurry of spring conventions. The FS7 after all, is very popular for run-and-gun, ENG style shoots that usually accompany trade shows. As late spring turned into summer, and the trade shows took their normal breaks, so too did the FS7s. This summer saw the resurgence of popularity amongst the always impressive Canon C300 Mark II. Both commercials and high-end corporate projects dominated the summer months, and the C300 Mark II is perfect for such scenarios. The excellent range of picture profiles, 4K capability, and advanced image processing make this a go-to camera; especially with our cinema lenses. The FS7 did enjoy a hand full of "reality TV" days, as it's again, great for run-and-gun style shooting. Finally, the end of summer saw our Arri Alexa Mini go out for both a short film in Utah, and a few of Las Vegas' exciting music festivals. The truly cinematic capabilities of the Alexa Mini made it a no-brainer for the short film, as well as the very high-end demands of IHeartMusic and Life Is Beautiful. We are definitely looking forward to seeing what autumn brings!
Battery-powered Gemini
The long back-ordered V-mount battery plates for the Gemini 1x1 panels have finally arrived! These plates add a whole new level of mobility and versatility to the Gemini panels. We ran a few preliminary tests for time-of-run just last week. The shortest run-time was 20 minutes, this was with the panel at 100% power using our smallest V-mount. Make sure to include a few batteries with your next Gemini 1x1 rental. For the best selection of high-quality Las Vegas video production rental gear, look no further than F11 Rentals.
F11 Rentals Goes Hollywood
Have your people call our people, and we'll do lunch! We feel pretty "Hollywood" ever since we supplied nearly all the gear for a recent short film. Except for the Audio Department, which we only helped with one of our amazing Schoeps CMIT 5 shotgun mics, we supplied all the gear needed for production and post! We sent out the amazing Arri Alexa Mini and Schneider Xenar Cinema Primes along with a bouquet of G&E. Skypanels, Gemini LEDs, and Industry-standard Arri Tungsten fresnels worked in conjunction with bounces, diffusion, and haze machines. We could go on and on, but we hear the film is just about ready for it's premier, so we'll let the final product do the talking. If you have a film to shoot, let us know, and we'll outfit you with the production gear needed to create your masterpiece!
Compact Slider Delivers Excellent Results!
The Dana Dolly and new MYT Works 4' sliders are great, but sometimes a shorter option is needed. Enter the Cinevate 24" Duzi 4 Slider! True to it's name, this thing is a duzi. An onboard flywheel adds increased dampening, creating one of the smoothest sliders we've come across. Most sliders experience a rougher ride when the camera load is light, not the Duzi 4. The folks at Cinevate perfected the slider with a flywheel driven by roller-bearings, a wider profile, and sturdy construction. For short, smooth camera slides, this is the way to go! Rent one today for your next Las Vegas video production!