STOLEN F-900

[Run&Gun]

Sometime between the morning of Thursday Jan. 13th and the morning of Friday Jan. 14th a Sony HDW F-900 Cine Alta High Definition Camcorder rental unit from Plus 8 Digital was stolen in transit from North Carolina to New York. It is a camera body ONLY, the lens, viewfinder, and HD downconverter were removed prior to shipment and placed on a replacement unit.

The camera was rented from Plus 8 Digital by ESPN Classic for Sports Century. The camera is unusable in it's current state and was being shipped back to Plus 8 for service.

A currier met us at our shoot location in Charlotte, NC on the morning of Thursday Jan. 13th and we exchanged the bad camera for another F-900 from Plus 8. The bad camera (body only) was placed into the same shipping case the replacement arrived in and the currier placed it into his vehicle and the producer signed the paperwork. According to what I've been told by Plus 8, when the case arrived at their facility in New York and was opened, there was no camera inside. The paperwork that accompanied it said that it weighed in at the proper amount when (or before) it was loaded onto the plane in North Carolina, but when it was weighed again sometime at Newark airport, it weighed six pounds less. It is believed that the theft probably occured sometime at Newark airport, but I guess neither airport should be completely ruled out(I don't know exactly how much time there is between cargo being weighed and then being placed on the plane).

As stated above, the camera was being sent back for service and is unusable in it's current state. Also, there are Plus 8 Digital stickers on the camera, and the side panel has etched in white letters "Plus 8 Video". If I can get the serial number from Plus 8, I will try to post it later.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Plus 8 at 212-947-9797.

Everybody, please keep an eye on your gear. As we all know, it only takes a few seconds, and it's gone. If any of you ship your cameras in the marked silver/grey Sony(or whoever) shipping cases, I would highly recommend switching to an unmarked case, like a Pelican, or something smililar, so there isn't the immediate red flag thrown up to criminals like with the marked silver/grey "Steal Me" cases. Also, document your gear, have the serial numbers, take pictures of it out and in the cases immediately prior to shipping and try to have a paperwork trail, so that if something does happen, it can be narrowed down as much as possible to when and where.

Hopefuly none of us have to go through this with our personal gear, and hopefully Plus 8 will recover their's.

[Curves Ahead]

It's probably in Mexico by now shooting porno's! Sorry, but you're more then likely never going to see it again. :(

[JumpCut]

Why worry about it? It was documented and handed over to the courier. It's their responsibility. Surely there was some sort of transit insurance on it?

[Run&Gun]

True, it's not my problem, per se, but you don't want that to happen to anybody, be it a freelancer or a rental house. It can happen to any of us.

[Skye Winslow]

Weird story..in OKC a photog left the camera locked down on the tripod, went into the truck to check the feed and watched the camera go black...he checked everything then stepped out of the truck..someone had stolen it and the walkie-talkie. Station called the thief on the radio, the idiot actually answered and the station said they would pay the guy $20,000 to get the camera back. When he showed up at the "drop point" he was arrested.
Bottom line, everyone needs insurance, WEVA.org has the best coverage.

[CameramanIAm]

Tell me why WEVA.Org has the best coverage- that's a rather categorical statement - how long have you been insuring your equipment and at what value? Ever had to make a claim? Let's hear the pitch.

[Skye Winslow]

Wow, you really don't care for me too much. This is the second time you've called me out. I've been shooting since 1980...so, yeah, I know about insurance. WEVA is a non-profit organization that's geared toward continuing education, offering its members insurance is just one of the benefits of being a member. I get calls from videographers everyday trying to find good insurance for a reasonable cost. WEVA has that. In some states it's illegal to work without it. And, most major companies will ask you to show proof of insurance. If you've worked for large corporations as a freelancer, you'd know that. BTW, where do you work? How long have you been in the business? How many national and network shows have you produced, shot, edited, sold or reported?

I don't work for WEVA, and I don't get compensation for promoting them. So, my pitch to you is...step up to the plate and act like a pro!

[Shaky & Blue]

You two need to get a room.

[Skye Winslow]

Yep, Shaky & Blue...That wasn't very lady like...my apologies.

[CameramanIAm]

Hey Skye,
Relax.
Answer the question.
I'm not looking to get into some pissing match.
You make a statement here - it's simple-back it up.
I'm just looking for some frame of reference as to your insurance profile-trust me I'm all about saving money. If you feel you need to educate me about what insurance I need to carry and when, go right ahead. We have these debates here all the time ( i usually lurk) -Sony or Ikegami? P2 or XD? White balance or not? And when someone says something is the "best" -be prepared to back it up, that's all. Nothing personal, just a business discussion. Sorry if the tone of my post pisses you off.
And speaking of business:
I've been at the plate for 22 years -15 years freelance - I am an owner operator. I have shot more hours of primetime television-newsmag, documentary , syndicated television and commercials than I can remember. I take immense pride in my work and feel blessed for the life it has given me and the relationships it has fostered. I've shot one wedding...20 years ago. I shoot a lot stuff that just pays the bills and I've come to learn it's not what you do, or who you do it for-but how you do it and how you feel at the end of day. I didn't even know there was a wedding and events videography association until today- we currently work in two diffferent worlds Skye, but when you frequent a corner of my world and make a statement that something is the "best" or start trolling for resumes, you are going to be held to account(and not just from some sub 20 poster like me). The proverbial hair just happened across my ample arse today. Tomorrow it could the likes of the board's less forgiving souls. All I was looking for is a little empirical data on your claim, otherwise I have to consider it suspect. In the end I'm just a guy trying to save a buck, make a livin' and support my family. With $250,000 in equipment and rental insurance plus $1 million in liability, not to mention life, health, disability and whatever else -every penny counts. And that "mine is bigger than yours", "how long have you been doing this" and "who do you work for" stuff just doesn't matter in the end.

[<Eagles>]

I am a new operator/freelancer with 55 grand invested in gear for now. What can you expect to pay for insurance? If you don't mind cameramanIam, who do you use for insurance? I heard NPPA offers insurance but they are expensive. Thanks for any insight.

[CameramanIAm]

My experience is that you can expect to pay about a $1000 for the first $50k or so, give or take the riders and restrictions of the policy. I do recomend that you use a company familiar with the ways of tv professionals or those in the entertainment field. All that said, I have never had to make a claim(knock wood) and that's where the rubber meets the road with a lot of these companies-you never no how good or bad your coverage really is until you have to make a claim. Historically, I've found companies in L.A. handle this stuff quite regularly and with a good understanding of the somewhat unique nature of our industry. Personally, I use a combination of United Agencies and DeWitt and Stern. A simple search of past posts will yield a wealth of personal experiences and companies to request a quote from.

[<CBSStaffer>]

Many toys where taken from CNN. When they canned half of the Photogs...They left with the gear. LOL.