Camera Lighting Rental

Your favorite (if we're not, we should be) Indiana Lighting and Grip Rental facility has been hard at work cross training. No, we aren't triatheletes. No, we haven't made any shoe commercials lately. We're teaching each other. Alyssa Davis, our Office Manager, got to go on a shoot last week as part of our cross-training program. She's trying to make your lighting and grip rental experience a good one by learning more each day about the gear that we use. As many of you know, you can look at grip trucks every day and see grip equipment and lights hanging around the shop but until you see them in use you can't fully grasp their application. Seeing a camera dolly set up in some of the funkiest configurations helps tie together those seemingly odd requests from Key Grips. Seeing a studio full of lights helps define their application. So, we take Alyssa along. She gets a break from the offfice. Someone else learns to do her job (so they can fill in if she misses a day and so that they better understand the challenges that she faces), and she gets to see what we face in the field every day. Hopefully the next time you call to talk to Alyssa you'll get a taste of what we're doing here in the Midwest, that we're trying to be knowledgable about each others' work, and that we have the capacity to handle your every question with talent and speed.

"We're in the communications business right?" Words often heard when communications break down on set and it's somewhat true. "Well, for a bunch of people in the communcations business....", yet another phrase we often hear.
Over the last few weeks, Alyssa Davis, our office manager, and I, have been examining the way we communicate with our customers here at Hammer Lighting & Grip. In respect to  economic conditions of the recent past we've been hobbling along on a 20 year old phone system that was in the building when I bought it. We've all recognized its limitations and have been frustrated by them. We both feel like we'd like for you, our lighting and grip customers, to be able to reach us faster and easier. So, now, 2 1/2 years later we're embarking on the journey to replace our whole phone system. We have partnered with Cincinnati Bell to set up a cutting-edge commucations platform that will help get you to a real person faster when you call for your next lighting rental need. In the coming weeks we'll be making dramatic changes. When you call us for your next generator rental, grip truck, or for one of our camera dollies you'll first hear an auto-attendant. That auto-attendant will allow you to select which of us you'd like to talk to.  Your call will be routed to that person's desk and company mobile phone simutaneously making (317)547-4747 the only number you'll ever need to call. Forget everyone's mobile numbers, forget having to call back, this will be the easiest and fastest way for us to serve you! I'll be further updating here soon as we bring this exciting new system online!

Well, It was a long cold winter here at Hammer Lighting & Grip! I'm staring out my office window at green grass, new leaves, and trash! It's time for some spring cleaning. That reminded me of something you might not have known about us. It's a small thing but I think it says big things about how we roll. I looked around a film or video set that we were lighting one day at all of the trash and it disgusted me. For some reason the lift gate on the grip truck collects all sorts of empty water bottles, gel scraps, tape, you name it! So, we found these handy little collabsible 20 gallon trash cans that neatly store on every truck. Viola! Clean. No more empty water bottles on the camera dollies! I always want us to be known as the "clean" lighitng rental house. I said it was a small thing. But I think it says big things about our phiosophy.

So, we're wrapping up the grip truck build on our newest, latest and greatest truck! Hammer Lighting and Grip now has the nicest grip truck that Indianapolis film and video lighting has ever known! Midwest lighting and grip equipment rental will never be the same! This thing is 221 square feet of lighting and grip fun. It's an amazing 1878 cubic feet of 33,000 pound cargo carrying enormity! It's box is 2 feet longer, 6 inches wider and a foot taller than our old 5 ton. Then you say, yes but how well will this fit at my next location? Well, because International used modern technology when designing it, this truck is only 4 inches taller than the old 5 ton grip truck. The box is 2 feet longer but the overall length increased by only a foot and the old truck was a cabover versus the new, more comfortable traditional cab with air-rde. it has a shorter turning radius and is now equipped with a trailer hitch to tow your next generator rental! Tow a trailer behind such a big truck you say? Yes, thanks to the color, widscreen backup camera! It's loaded with every piece of grip equipment you could imagine (our most complete package for only $100 per day more) This is the truck I'd rent if I were a producer. All of the extra interior room leaves more space for add-ons, a camera dolly, or camera dollies, if you'd like (did I mention that there's a lot of room?). I saved the best feature for last too. This truck is lighter to start with than the one that it replaced AND we bumped up the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating to 33,000# from 30,000# for a total gain of over 4,000# of massive grip and electric rental hauling capabilty! This is no wimpy truck! Stay tuned for more details!