Rental company in New Delhi - India

[Hanno Klein]

Hi,
in two weeks we have a shooting in india - New Delhi.

Does anyone knows a rental company where we can rent lamps, tripods, jib, dolly etc.?

any advice would be great.
Thank you

[Chris Soucy]

Well, Google took exactly 10 seconds to answer your question, can't imagine why you bothered asking it here:

Film & video equipment rental india -Camera Crew, Camera Grips Rental, red one camera

The search bar is at the bottom of every DVinfo page and really is your friend.

Good luck on the shoot BTW, you'll need it in India.


CS

BTW: Search criteria were: Cinema Equipment Rental New Delhi

[Hanno Klein]

Thank you for your answer.

Sure we googled before and we found 4 rental companies. We contacted all of them but the email correspondence is not good and so we are a little bit suspicious.

The rental company from your link doesn't answer to emails....we send 3 inquiries...no answer. That is no sign for reliability.

May be our question was not good:

Does anyone have experience with a rental company and can recommend one in New Delhi? No Google links please :) !

Thanks
Hanno

[Chris Soucy]

Well, knowing India as well as I do, I can't say anything you've said comes as a complete suprise.

THAT IS India to a "T".

A couple of points:

1.
Most of the Delhi based rental houses primarilly serve the Mumbai mob when doing "around the country" shoots for Indian based films. Few, if any, Western based productions would use their services, but if they did.............

2
They would handle all the necessary bureaucracy, red tape and rentals through a local "fixer" who knows the ropes, has the contacts and knows which palms to grease with the appropriate lubricant. Doing anything in India without this local knowledge is a nightmare of such gargantuan proportions you'll only ever do it (or attempt to do it) once.

How you find such a fixer, given the time scale available (according to your first post) I can't answer, tho' the nearest Indian Embassy would probably be a good place to start, else any contact in the industry who has contacts in India might work.

3.
That you obviously don't have such a fixer at this late stage is something of a worry for another reason and that is permits. They are required for practically everything, are hell to actually get and cost big time for Western production crews.

Without them, don't even bother taking off your lens cap.

4.
Nothing in India happens overnight. The bureaucracy there grinds forward with such glacial momentum that doing the simplest thing can (and usually does) take an age. Complicating this are the labyrinthine laws, regulations and sheer "make it up as you go" mentality of the average civil servant.

Playing a game of snakes and ladders whilst blindfolded, with the loser getting electrocuted, pretty well sums it up for the unwary or unknowing.

[In case this seems to be coming across as a bit negative, it ain't. I love the place and the people, but it is a whole different ball game to the West and there's a flip side to every coin].

It is a shame the lads haven't managed to get the "Regional Codes" thing working here as it would be a magic way to establish contact with a DVinfo member in Delhi who might have some contacts, cest la vie.

You might be lucky and get a hit from someone in the know, but it's such an esoteric question I'm not all that hopefull.


Good Luck.


CS

[Bob Hart]

Hanno.


There is a shoot about to start over there at Bangalore with an SI2K out of Western Australia but lenses and all other gear being rented locally.

I can enquire who their rental outfit is if you are still in need.


Seconding Chris's comment on the burocracy and the need to allow time for due process and the need to have somebody local over there either as a co-prod or fixer.

Now that it is all in place, they are apparently having a challenging but enjoyable time.

I can ask who they can recommend as a fixer also if you want.

[Hanno Klein]

Thanks again.

We will only shoot in a private facility/company indoor (with permission) for a private company and we are only a two men team.

We will bring in just one EX1 Camera as personal equipment and want to rent just the lamps and tripods.

Do you think we still need a "fixer" ?

Bob: Any rental contact would be great...

[Bob Hart]

Hanno.


If this is a private arrangement between you and a client in a confined location, I guess what fixing needs to be done has been done.

I would be inclined to have your client check with Indian Customs on cameras going in and coming out again.

Indian Customs might want proof that you are a tourist and not a video-journalist, things like hotel and package tour bookings. Your camera is not a small handycam and may attract attention because they may have seen a few of them come in and out and know what they are for.

I shall enquire for the name of the rental outfit.

[Shaun Roemich]

Originally Posted by Bob Hart

Indian Customs might want proof that you are a tourist and not a video-journalist, things like hotel and package tour bookings. Your camera is not a small handycam and may attract attention because they may have seen a few of them come in and out and know what they are for.

We took a Sony Z1u (similar in size to the EX1...) in and out a number of years ago and we only incurred suspicion when we pulled out a tripod in close proximity to the Taj Mahal and Red Fort (and promptly were told to leave the tripod behind...)

Of course, "your mileage may vary" and our more formal shooting WAS accommodated by a fixer - the Taj Mahal footage WAS merely because we were "in country" and wanted video.

[Mick Jenner]

I was in India 2 years ago with an xl H1, large miller tripod etc No problems.

Mick

[Hanno di Rosa]

things have changed in India! Sure if you ONLY shoot inside it might still work, but be careful when shooting on the streets even without sticks!! Especially in Tourist sensitive areas!! Unless its a mini DV you are looking for trouble!

[Paulo Teixeira]

"Tourist sensitive areas"
What do you mean by that?

[Sareesh Sudhakaran]

Originally Posted by Hanno Klein

Thank you for your answer.

Does anyone have experience with a rental company and can recommend one in New Delhi? No Google links please :) !

Thanks
Hanno

I know a video company in Mumbai that is ok. They don't have an office in New Delhi but they should be able to guide you. They are called Accord Equipments:
PHONE: (91-22) 64553300 / 26740065
MOBILE: +919821036474 (Tejash)
FAX: (91-22) 26740066
E-mail : info@accordequips.com

Without a trusted local production manager (fixer, agent, whatever) don't step out of your hotel.

[Hanno di Rosa]

Originally Posted by Paulo Teixeira

"Tourist sensitive areas"
What do you mean by that?

I mean areas like the german bakery in Pune which was bombed last winter, areas where mostly "westerners" are going, places where tourism is part of the major income for the area etc...

especially after it turned out that a pakistani with an american passport went "location scouting" for the terrorists of the Mumbai attack 2 years ago!

[Sareesh Sudhakaran]

Here's another one: Bollywood Film Production Company, Bollywood Production Services, Indian Film Production Facilitators, Bollywood Line Producers, Indian Line Producers, Indian Motion Picture Producers, Bollywood Motion Picture Producers (or something like that. if the link doesn't work, try google for 'Cine dreams india'. They are ok and based in Delhi.