Generally speaking, on most shoots with budget, I'll have between 5 and 8 Lenses, with 6 being the norm.
A normal prime kit, for a motion picture would be:
18/20something/30something/50(or 60)/75 (or 80)/100+ in mm. It will depend on the lens kit and what they offer. As I much MUCH prefer Cooke S4is I'd have:
18/25(or 21)/32/40/75-- though I may sub for a 50 or 65 and a 100 or 135. It all depends a bit on the project.
Now as for shoots which use 30+Lenses, those are VERY rare, and often will come from using multiple formats for certain things-- e.g. you're mainly on an Alexa (with 6 lenses) but shooting FXs work with a 8K Red (again, with 6 other lenses which'll cover that sensor, you went with primes for weight or light reasons) but you also need to shoot in some small spaces where you might use a 5D (with 6 other primes!) or a Pocket (with S16mm lens kit)-- right there, if you had your "basic" 6 lens kit you're at 18 lenses, add in a short and a long zoom for the Alexa for steadycam/crane/jib/dolly and you have 20 lenses! But you don't use (or have) them all day every day, the basic shoot would just be with 6 lenses.
As for why studios don't just buy-- and some do, for certain reasons, beyond what's mentioned, it's substantially cheaper to just rent. Yes, 7000 a week for an Epic looks like quite a lot of money, and it is, but then you realize you're on a 2 week month, so it's 14000 for the month, and if you're shooting for 3 months, they'll probably only charge you for 2, 28,000$, still quite a lot, but honestly not enough to even think of buying the lenses you'd be using (a single anamorphic lens, for example, can cost about 25K). And you'll really need all that extra money for what is often the most expensive part of a major film-- payroll. Just imagine the hourly cost of payroll for a feature film with a cast/crew of 100 people. And now remember, too you will go over 12 hours, no matter what you really do, sooner or later.
Another major reason to rent and why I ALWAYS recommend producers do it is when we're using a camera from a rental house with all it's accessories, they all go together without too much effort (we have a prep day where it's all tested) and when on set one thing does malfunction or break, we have a backup a phone-call away, often delivered, to our location. If a camera body all of a sudden develops a fault, we get a replacement. Or a focus motor dies-- same thing etc etc. These things do happen, more often then you think and the savings of being able to call the rental house with whom you now have an account and getting it sorted in 30 min on the phone goes to saving time (and payroll!).
Long ago, though, yes, many studios owned the cameras and the labs for film production, but they were often simpler times.
For Anamorphics-- people use them when they want a cinematic look and have the budget to use them appropriately. This goes from camera system all the way through having enough light and a good AC. As they have less Depth of Field than Spherical (usual) lenses, are generally slower, and perform their best closed down a bit, you're often finding yourself lighting to a F4 or a 5.6 where as spherically you'd be happy at a 2/2.8/4. Most of the time we use them in narrative, but these days, they're getting much more use on Music Video, and yes Commercial. The Heineken commercials I did earlier this year were all on the Cooke Anamorphics paired with Red Weapons and kept to a 2.40:1 aspect ratio for broadcast. Also, there was an industrial video I was on, long ago, in Baltimore where we used Cineovision anamorphics (based on Panchros, if memory serves) for a analysis company to give it a "cinematic" feel on an FS700. Later this month I'll be on Kowas and either a Dragon or an Alexa for a low-budget short. I'd've personally preferred Todd-AOs or Super Balatars for it, but the director really likes the Kowas.
Now, as for how you "know" what to use-- it's like cooking; it comes from practice, research, experimentation, and often desperation. You may have a lens (dish) you're fond of and know how to prepare well-- for me that'd be using Cookes or Ziess Compact Primes (more on this in a second). Then you have a dish you saw on food network (or lenses so and so used on such and such you've heard of) that you want to try-- in my case there were Super Speed MK1s with the 3-blade iris-- but you realize once you use it (make it) it's kind of crap-- I actually much disliked these lenses and probably won't use them again unless there's a very specific reason. Then you have lenses you come up with for some idea (Ultra Primes, in my case) which I used on purpose a LONG time ago on 5219 with a 435, I also hated them as they were way too sharp and lifeless but I wanted to experiment with very clean look-- and it just didn't work for me, but that's ok. And then you have your desperation lenses (compact primes/rokinons/xeens/sigma cine-zoom/L-Series/Canon Cine etc etc)-- those lenses which came with a package on a shoot you know can't afford anything else-- or when you know you need to spend your budget where it matters more (lighting and grip in my own camp, or production design/wardrobe/locations). These lenses are "fine" but they're just there to do the job. In my case, that's quite often Compact Primes and Rokinons as they are the general "budget" lenses which'll come on most packages. I like them inasmuch as I can use them and they'll form an image and then I can play with More important things like lighting. But I don't loathe these rammen-lenses at all.
Like cooking, you learn these ingredients as you mature as a camera-person or a director and you use them to flavor the film you're on as best you can. It's nothing to really worry about "knowing" off of the bat as it'll come up during your career naturally. And also like cooking, it's all a matter of taste. I know some very good DoPs who swear by Ultra Primes, for example, where as I'll BEG production to drop them for something else because I don't like their flavor. And I know other DoPs who think it's all in the camera and the lens to make a good picture-- where as I couldn't really care less which camera we shoot on so long as it meets the spec for delivery if I get to have all the lighting and crew I need because I think that's much more important
(I should caveat here, though that it's important to have the judgement to know how far you can push a camera for a given project and not just take any old thing but if, say, you want an Alexa and production says you can have a Red for half the price or an F55 for a little less, the real differences are negligible).
And, oh, before I forget in my long wind-- honestly for anything live, such as a local theater production, you really probably want to be on Zooms, and ideally ones which are parfocal and have a consistent T-Stop as you won't have time to change lenses and snapping in to grab focus then zooming out to frame is generally your best bet to get usable footage. Also you really want cameras which you can either paint or which are easy to match in post (have enough information).
if any of this doesn't make sense, or anyone wants more long-winded talking, you're always welcome to e mail me with questions---
adrian@adriansierkowski.com Might take a day or two to get back to you; but I always get back to people.
Wed Sep 12, 2018 3:04 pm
Nevermind..too personal.. but man..those things are nuts! I spent over $2K on a vmount battery setup.. dbox distribution, CORE t-plate for dual batteries, couple batteries, dual charger, etc. I cant imagine all the stuff needed besides the camera for a RED or Alexa!